1884. J 
AMEEIOAI^ AGRICULTURIST. 
403 
Iflarlcet and ICitclieu CJ-arden. 
Celery, cabbages, spinach, etc., should have 
their late growth aided by keeping the soil loose 
and free from weeds ... Green weeds should go to 
the compost heap—stakes, brush, and what rub¬ 
bish will burn, to the burn heap ; stones, tiu-eans, 
and other incombustibles should go to a pit made 
for the purpose... .Cut the asparagus tops when 
they begin to turn yellow, and burn. Do not scat¬ 
ter the seeds_The celery crop is to be “ handled” 
late this month by bringing the stalks erect and 
keeping them so by drawing earth to the base.... 
Turnips, parsnips and salsify are not injured by 
frosts ; beets and carrots lose sweetness by freez¬ 
ing_Thin spinach that is to be wintered by cut¬ 
ting out plants for present use_Dig sweet pota¬ 
toes as soon as the frost touches the vines. Han¬ 
dle carefully, and store in barrels or boxes_If 
frost is feared, collect the squashes in heaps and 
cover with the vines.... Tomatoes are injured by 
frost. A few vines, when frost is threatened, may 
be pulled up, all the very green fruit cut away, and 
the plant with partly ripened fruit hung up in the 
barn or elsewhere, under cover... .Divide old rhu¬ 
barb roots with a bud to each piece, and plant in 
very rich soil, four feet apart each way....Sage, 
thyme, and other sweet herbs, may be cut, tied in 
bunches, and hung in the shade to dry. Cutting 
every other plant will give the rest room to grow 
_Cold-frames should be made ready to receive 
cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, and other plants. 
'I'lie IPriiit, Ciar«legi. 
Blackberries and Raspberries start very early, 
fall planting is preferable. The tips of Black-caps 
that touch the ground should be held in place by a 
little earth. To propagate from root cuttings, cut 
the roots into pieces two or three inches long, and 
place in a box with alternate layers of roots and 
soil. Bury the box in a dry place, below reach of 
frost_After the currant and gooseberry leaves 
fall, prune. Make cuttings of last summer’s 
growth, and plant at once.... Keep strawberry beds 
clear of weeds, cut off runners from those plant¬ 
ed last summer, and cover the soil with straw. 
Flo we*’ C}ai’«leii »i*«l Fisiwii. 
The lawn should not be cut too closely ; leave it 
long to protect the roots in winter_If gerani¬ 
ums and pther tender flowers are protected from 
early frosts, they will continue in bloom for some 
weeks. Protect with newspai)ers, light cloths, or 
leafy boughs... .Plants to be potted should be 
taken up in time to be established before cold 
weather. Plant the Holland bulbs as early as pos¬ 
sible. See article on page 423. Tender bulbs, such 
as gladiolus, tiger-flow'er, tuberoses, etc., should 
be taken up, dried, labeled, and stored. Lift can- 
nas before frost kills the tops_Perennials may 
be taken up, divided, and reset in new places.... 
Chrysanthemums to bloom in the bed will need 
stakes; to those established in pots, give weak 
liquid manure... .After the frost has touched the 
dahlia tops, cut away, and dig the roots on a dry 
day. Store in any place that will keep potatoes. 
Greeiilioiise sii**! Wisttlow 
Have the house in readiness to receive the 
plants. Tender tropical kinds may go in before 
.cold nights check them_Plants for the window 
may be set on a veranda at first. Repot any that 
need it, and see that all arefree from insects—have 
the pots clean....Pot bulbs and plants to be 
forced, and give a rest of some weeks in a dry cel¬ 
lar....Fill window boxes and hanging baskets 
early, and have the plants well established before 
taking in....Ivy is the best climber for general 
use. Canary-bird flower to be raised from seeds, is 
effective-Annuals for blooming during the win¬ 
ter, maybe sown now and every two weeks.... 
Supplies of soil, sand, moss, pots, and whatever 
else that is likely to be required for greenhouse 
or window plants in winter, should be laid in now. 
Bee Notes for October. 
W. Z. HUTCHINSON. 
Pkepakations for Winter. —If bees require 
feeding, there should be no delay. Bees are ready 
for winter when in chaff hives, i. e., doubl*-walled 
hives, with a pillow or cushion of chaff, forest 
leaves, or other absorbent, placed in the upper 
story. Bees that are to be wintered out of doors 
in single-walled hives, need some additional pro¬ 
tection, and it should be given at once, that the 
bees need not be disturbed after they have settled 
themselves for their long winter nap. We know 
of no cheaper or better method of protecting bees 
upon their summer stands, than that of surround¬ 
ing the hives with several inches of chaff, sawdust, 
planing-mill shavings, forest leaves, or other mate¬ 
rial that is a poor conductor of heat. To keep the 
packing in place, a box of rough boards without 
top or bottom, one foot larger each way than the 
hive, should be set down over the hive, the lower 
edges on three sides resting upon the ground, 
while the front end is enough narrower to allow 
the' hive stand a, figure 1, and front end of the 
lower board, &, to slightly project. The strips of 
wood, c,c, are three-eighths inch thick, and seven- 
eighths inch wide, the back ends of which are 
thrust a short distance into the entrance of the 
hive. A thin board, d (a piece of shingle wi.l ans¬ 
wer), is tacked to the upper sides of the strips c, c, 
and extends back until it comes in contact with the 
front of the hive above the entrance, thus forming 
a support to the sawdust or chaff above, and fur¬ 
nishing the bees with a passage-way underneath. 
A narrow piece of thin board, e, is tacked under 
the front ends of the pieces e, c, and extends back 
to the fiont end of the bottom board, thus furnish¬ 
ing the bees with an alighting-board. The queen- 
excluding honey-board should be turned over, thus 
forming a three-fourths-inch space above the 
frames, which will allow the bees to readily pass 
from comb to comb. Over the honey-board should 
be spread a piece of burlap, or old carpet. One of 
Fig. 1.— A BEE-HIVE WINTER COVER. 
the cases for holding sections should be placed 
over this covering, filled with some of the packing 
material, and covered with the regular hive cover. 
A shingle nail is laid under each corner, to allow 
the escape of moisture. The next step is to till 
with chaff or sawdust, the large box surrounding 
the hive. Some of the. packing material will run 
out around the front of the hive, but this does no 
harm. It would, perhaps, be better if it was 
banked up in front of the hive until there was 
only room for the bees to pass. After the box is 
filled, it can bo covered with a “ shade-board,” 
kept in place by laying a stone upon it. 
In some respects this method of wintering is su¬ 
perior to all others. If a warm day occurs in win¬ 
ter or early spring, the bees can enjoy a purifying 
flight. The protection enables the bees to raise 
large quantities of brood early in the season. 
These hives are less expensive, and more easily 
handled than chaff hives. Bees in them are man¬ 
aged with less labor. The sawdust that remains 
around the hives after the rough boxes are re¬ 
moved, prevents the grass from growing. The 
packing should remain around the hives until the 
weather is 'warm and settled in spring. 
Wintering Bees in “Clamps.” —Wintering bees 
by burying them in the ground is an old method, 
practised but little of late, until quite recently. 
In burying bees, first dig a pit seven feet wide at 
the top, the length depending upon the number of 
colonies to be buried, with walls, a, a, flg;ure 2, 
sloping forty-five degrees. Fence posts or stout 
poles, 6, are laid across the top, with the ends em¬ 
bedded in the sloping sides, until their upper sides 
are eighteen or twenty inches below the surface 
level. The pit is tilled with straw, c, c, up to the 
posts; boards are laid upon the posts, and the hives 
placed in rows upon the boards. After the hives 
have been covered with a foot or more of straw, 
poles as rafters, d, are placed over them, and 
covered with a layer of straw. A foot or more of 
earth over the whole, and a drain, e, complete the 
job. A sandy hillside is an excellent location for a 
“clamp.” Probably not more than tw'enty-flve 
colonies should be buried in one “ clamp,” unless 
given considerable room inside, and abundant ven¬ 
tilation. The bees should not be buried until just 
Fig. 2.— SECTION OF A “ CLAMP.” 
before the ground, freezes for the winter, and 
not dug out until they can gather pollen. 
Cellar Wintering. —Bees that are to be win¬ 
tered in a cellar, should be left out until it is so 
late that there is no prospect of their enjoying 
another flight. The cellar needs to be well venti¬ 
lated, but as to whether the atmosphere should be 
moist or dry, authorities differ. Keep the temper¬ 
ature of that degree at which bees are most quiet. 
Autumn Care of Orchard and Nursery. 
The gathering of late fruits will be an important 
work this month, one which requires more care 
than is usually given to it. The longest keepers 
may hang until there is danger of frosts. The 
color of the fruit, the ripeness of the seeds, the 
readiness with which the stem of the fruit parts 
from the tree, and the falling of the fruits, are all 
signs of ripeness. Winter pears are to be treated 
the same as winter apples. Do not mix varieties, 
but give each kind a separate barrel or box. Fruit 
to be kept, should not be taken to the cellar or 
fruit house until frosty nights. In packing fruit 
for market, make first and second qualities, and 
use all inferior fruit at home. Have the fruit of 
even quality all through the barrel, using barrels of 
full size. Always bring the head in place by suffi¬ 
cient pressure to prevent shaking. Cider apples 
are not injured by light frosts. Placed in heaps 
the fruit loses water, and the juice becomes richer. 
Cool weather is best for cider-making. Top-dress 
orchards to keep up fertiiity any time this mouth. 
Order nursery trees to be planted this fall, or 
heeled-in for spring planting. Grapes, when 
quite ripe, hang straight down from the vine, the 
stem becoming limber. Catawba, Iona, Isabella 
and Diana grapes, are usually kept by packing in 
five-pound boxes. Fill from the bottom, using- 
pressure to bring the bottom in place. Expose 
clusters to the air in a dark room to toughen the 
skin before packing. Keep the boxes in alow uni¬ 
form temperature in a dry place. Experiments with 
keeping grapes with their stems in water, are de¬ 
scribed elsewhere. Pruning may be done as soon 
as the leaves fall. New vines may be planted. 
Top-dress the orchard 'stdth fine manure, and 
throw up a mound of earth around young trees. 
