February s, is€3. JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 121 
be inserted, plunged in bottom heat, and treated like Vine eyes, 
and these grown oh clean stems make the best plants. 
FLOWER GARDEN AND PLEASURE GROUND. 
Renovating Lawns. —All lawns will be much benefited by fre¬ 
quent rollings, this tending to fix the grasses which annually root 
afresh, and also materially contributes to the desirable firmness 
and evenness. It is not advisable to heavily sweep the lawn prior 
to rolling in order to remove the wormcasts. On the contrary, 
these if well scattered with a broom or long swish, and when 
dry rolled into turf, will to a certain extent act as fertilisers. As 
a rule the lawns are much neglected with regard to manuring, 
but unless a dressing of some kind is given occasionally the 
ground becomes impoverished, the finer sorts of grasses perish, and 
moss takes their place. A few barrowloads of good garden soil 
if it can be spared, or of road trimmings, should be run through a 
quarter-inch-mesh sieve, and after about one-third of its bulk of 
fresh-slaked lime is mixed with it, be thinly distributed over the 
lawn. It maybe well stirred in with a rake, and the roller passed 
over frequently when dry. Large lawns ought to have similar 
treatment, and failing this a dressing of artificial manure or soot. 
Lime and road grit well stirred in will destroy moss and greatly 
improve the turf. Mild weather, such as we are having this 
month, is most favourable for turf-laying, and this and levelling 
may well be proceeded with. In either case, unless the ground 
when being prepared is rendered firm unevenness will result. 
When levelling the turf need only be rolled back in strips ; the 
soil can then be removed or added as the case may be, and the 
turf firmly beaten down. 
Climbing Roses. —Where these are growing in a well-sheltered 
position it may be advisable to prune them at once in order to 
secure an early supply of blooms. Tea Roses are largely planted 
in thesi positions, and with a little protection from severe frost 
succeed admirably. They should be freely thinned out, the spray 
especially being removed, and all the shoots retained shortened 
back according to their vigour. When these are weakly prune 
hard ; if strong, the growths may be laid in to near their full length. 
If this is attended to and a liberal top-dressing of manure given 
the plants will always be vigorous and yield flowers in abundance. 
If a few of the strong growths of Gloire de Dijon are cut back to 
within three buds of their base long strong shoots will follow, and 
these if laid in will flower throughout their full length late in the 
season. Marechal Niel requires different treatment, as it pro¬ 
duces blooms on the growth of the previous season only, and con¬ 
sequently old growth should be cut out where possible, and the 
long strong shoots which flower at every joint be laid in to their 
full length. With the object of securing a sufficiency of this class 
of growths well matured, a few strong shoots should be cut hard 
back. Noisettes may be rather closely pruned, as these produce 
large-branching flowering shoots. Bourbon and Chinese Roses are 
the freest and most continuous bloomers, and should have all 
spray removed, the remaining growths being cut freely back and 
large-branching shoots will result. Hybrid Ferpetuals, where the 
walls or pillars are well furnished, may be pruned similar to those 
grown as standards, all the young growths being thinned out, and 
those retained cut back to three or more buds. Where necessary 
the young growths of these and other kinds may be laid in to 
their full length. Banksian Roses should be treated similarly to 
Marechal Niel. 
Seeds to be Sown. —All kinds of small seeds germinate readily 
in February, and these and the seeds of slow-growing subtropical 
bedding plants may now be sown. Included in the former are 
Lobelias, Pentstemons, Antirrhinums, Tuberous-rooted Begonias, 
and Verbenas : while among the latter are Wigandias, Solanums, 
Cannas, Acacia lophantha, Tobacco, Ferdinandia eminens, Polym- 
nia grandis, Echeverias, Sempervivums, Chamaepeuce diacantha, 
and Centaureas. It is much too early to sow the Ricinuses. Pans 
or well-drained pots may be employed, and a light, finely sifted, 
sandy soil in which leaf soil or peat is freely mixed is suitable. 
The very finest seeds should be sown on the surface of the firm, 
even, damp soil, while the remainder should only be lightly 
covered and watered through a fine-rose watering can. All 
should be covered with glass, placed on a brisk hotbed, and kept 
dark till germination. Prior to sowing it will be necessary to 
soak the seeds of the Cannas and Acacias for twenty-four hours 
in a pan of water placed on the hot-water pipes or plunged in 
a strong bottom heat. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Stove. —Dracaenas that have become tall should now be cut down 
and the tops inserted in 4-inch pots, placing a good dash of sand 
at the base for the stem to rest upon, and plunged into bottom heat 
in the propagating frame, where they will soon form roots. Good 
heads when rooted without losing their foliage always form much 
better plants than those raised from the stem, as the foliage is 
large and the plants afterwards well furnished at the base. To 
increase the stock cut up the portion of stem from which the roots 
are emitted, as plants are formed from it quicker than from the 
stem aboveground. The latter if used should be well ripened 
before it is cut, or it is very liable to decay. D. gracilis, D. ruti- 
lans, and D. congesta are very useful green-leaved varieties for 
decoration. Heads of the first-mentioned root readily without 
being confined in the propagating frame, and the stock increased 
by retaining the old stem, rooting the young shoots that push from 
it when 4 or 5 inches in length. 
Crotons and Dieifenbachias that have become bare at the bottom 
can have their tops removed and will root quickly, forming hand¬ 
some plants in a few weeks. Retain the plants from which the 
tops have been taken if necessary to increase the stock ; and 
although the young plants taken from the Crotons after the head 
has been removed will never be so well furnished at the base, but 
in time if carefully grown will form heads equal to those taken 
from the parent. The-e can be then cut off and rooted, and in 
due time a good stock of well-furnished plants will be provided. 
The stems of DiefEenbachias can be cut into lengths, and either 
potted singly or laid in a pan of sand until they form roots and 
commence growth. 
Roses. —During the present dull weather these must not have 
too much heat, or their growths will be weakly and the flowers 
comparatively small. Keep the temperature at 50° to 55° at 
night, with a rise of 5° or 10° on very fine days. The sun will 
now daily gain strength, but care must be exercised in ventilating. 
It is better to allow the temperature to rise considerably by sun 
heat than to have cold draughts strike the tender foliage of the 
plants. Nothing causes mildew sooner than cold draughts, and 
when this once attacks the plants its development is rapid if 
its progress be not arrested. The best preventive is to syringe 
the plants with a little soft soap in the water. Prepare by boiling 
for twenty minutes about 4 lbs. of soap in a little water, to which 
add four gallons of water. Place half a pint of this in every four 
gallons of water used for syringing. This not only keeps Roses 
free from mildew and red spider, but checks the development of 
aphides, besides imparting a dark glossy appearance to the 
foliage. If the last-mentioned insects are infesting the points of 
the shoots fumigate with tobacco paper. Tea Roses that were 
introduced into heat early in December will now be coming into 
bloom, and will take the place of those that have been flowering 
since the early part of November. These if allowed to rest in a 
cooler house for two or three weeks, and then started again into 
growth, will produce a number of blooms later in the season, but 
before any can be gathered outside. Succession plants of both 
Teas and Hybrid Perpetuals should be kept in a steady tempera- 
tu e and as near to the glass as possible. Keep Moss varieties in 
a cold house, and allow them to start naturally. Those plants in 
cold frames that are to be grown cool and kept purposely to 
precede those outside should now be finally pruned. Ventilate as 
much as possible when favourable to prevent them starting into 
growth, and thus flower too early. 
slfcj 
III 
IE BEE-KEEPER. I 
THE ART OF BEE-KEEPING.—No. 7. 
( Continued from page 60.) 
HIVES. 
Having given our reasons for preferring the bar-frame hive to all 
others, we proceed to indicate the principles that ought to guide us 
in its construction ; and first of all we may consider it absolutely 
necessary that, however they may differ in size, material, or con¬ 
struction, all the hives in an apiary should be suited to take frames 
of a uniform size. That now generally known as the British 
Standard Frame will doubtless be generally adopted in these islands. 
It measures 14 by 8^ inches outside, the top bar being three-eighths 
of an inch thick, side bars quarter of an inch, and bottom bar one- 
eighth. We recommend a width of seven-eighths of an inch for 
top and side bars and half an inch for bottom bar. A length of 
17 inches is recommended by the Association for the top bar, but 
we cannot think this will be generally adopted. Such a frame, 
allowing a quarter of an inch at each end for travelling space and 
three-eighths of an inch at the bottom, will hang in a hive 14 J inches 
wide, and on sides 8| inches deep. The length of top bar recom¬ 
mended will thus have projections of 1 § inch at each end, of which 
