18CL] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
201 
tions now, and if a good selection of each was planted, 
the early flowers are scarcely missed. Some of the new 
seedlings of both kinds are really superb, and many of the 
old sorts not to be despised. Keep well secured to stakes, 
or the autumn winds will make sad havoc with them. 
Some of the bedding plants are still in flower, and will 
remain so and be nipped by frost unless lifted and taken 
inside at the proper time. 
Bulbous Flowers should now be set for early Spring 
bloom. They will flourish in a common garden soil, and 
richly repay the cost and trouble. A fine collection of 
Hyacinths, Tulips, Crown Imperials, Lilies, Iris, Jon¬ 
quils, Narcissus, Crocuses, and Snowdrops, is a beautiful 
sight at any time, and the more so as they bloom early in 
the season, some of them while the snow bank yet lingers 
in the shade of the fences. A single bed can be made of 
all these varieties, or if the grounds are ample, it is well 
to devote a bed or plot to each sort. Spade deeply and 
trench if possible, working in plenty of fine old ma¬ 
nure. Plant the larger bulbs four inches deep, and eight 
to twelve inches apart, using a little sand, if accessible, 
around and over the bulbs. The smaller crocuses and 
snowdrops may be set three inches apart, and one inch 
deep. Of course, taller plants should be in the center, if 
the bed is circular. See article on page 306. 
October is a good month for grading, trenching, and 
turfing, or seeding the lawn. If there is not time to 
trench, or the grounds are so large that the expense is too 
great, at least subsoil thoroughly, working in a generous 
supply of well rotted manure. Where turfing is used, let 
the sods be beaten down, and sift in fine soil or sand, 
to fill any crevices. If grass seed is sown, mix in a 
little Winter rye to assist in protecting the roots during 
Winter. The sowing should be done early in the month. 
Boll the ground after sowing, and again just before hard 
freezing weather sets in. (See Basket Item.) 
The flower borders, and indeed the whole ornamental 
grounds are too frequently neglected late in the season, 
weeds taking the place of former bloom, and dried flow¬ 
er stalks and decaying leaves marring the beauty of the 
beds and grass plots. Carefully remove all offensive ob¬ 
jects, raking the dry leaves from the lawn, cutting away 
the dead flower stalks. If a spot of ground is entirely 
bare of plants, spade it up, rake smoothly, and it will not 
offend the eye all through the winter months. 
Many of the perennials, such as Hollyhocks, Pceonies, 
Phloxes, Lilies, Sweet William, Bee-larkspur, Iris, Tra- 
descantia, Foxglove, Campanulas, Rocket, Mallows, 
Spiraea, Clematis, etc., should be transplanted the last of 
this month, if moved at all, instead of leaving them until 
Spring. Save a good stock of late ripening seed, select¬ 
ing tiie best of each sort from the previously marked speci¬ 
mens, and properly secure for another season. 
A large portion of the hardy flowering shrubs will make 
a better growth next season, and show a finer bloom if 
planted this Fall. Among them are Pyrus Japonica, 
Dwarf Almond, Hardy Azalias, Sweet Scented Shrubs, 
Scotch Broom, Mezereon, Forsythias, Flowering Thorns, 
Stuartias, Deutzias, Honeysuckles, Euonymus, Altheas, 
Hydrangeas, Glycine, Jasmine, Privet, Mahonias, Syrin- 
gos, Flowering Currants, Purple Fringe, Spiraeas, Snow- 
berry, Lilacs, Viburnums, Roses, Chinese Weigelia, etc. 
Excepting Evergreens, plant the hardy ornamental and 
shade trees as soon as the leaves fall. There is more 
leisure at this season, and many trees do better when 
planted early in the Fall. See if there are not a few va¬ 
cant places about the buildings, in the yards, or along the 
avenues, where a few trees would add beauty to the place, 
and break up the sameness, or afford a desirable shade 
from sun, and screen from high winds. Do not plant tall 
trees too thickly near the dwelling. Set them a little in 
the distance, with shrubs near the buildings. It is desira¬ 
ble to have some sunshine and a circulation of air around 
the house. 
Green and Hot-Houses. 
First look over the suggestions offered last month. 
Every part of the buildings should be neatly cleaned, as 
it will be more difficult to do this after plants are brought 
in. It is high time for most tender plants to be in out of 
tiie cold. Securing those still out, and potting and pre¬ 
paring for Winter will be the main work of this month. 
Some fire heat will be needed among the tropical collec¬ 
tions, and those to be forced into early bloom. Care 
must be taken, however, not to excite a too hasty 
weak growth, remembering that the atmosphere without 
Is cool at this season, and that all changes should be grad¬ 
ual. For many plants, simply protection from frost is all 
that is now wanted, and for these no fire is needed. 
In taking in the various collections, be careful to cleanse 
the pots from moss, Weeds, etc., and see that no dead 
leaves or decaying branches are left upon the plants to 
taint the atmosphere with their impurities and offend the 
eye by their unsightliness. Cut or pinch back freely to 
make strong bushy heads, by inducing vigorous new 
shoots. In arranging them upon the shelves it is well to 
group them a-cording to their habits, those which require 
much heat in one room, and plants requiring a more tem¬ 
perate atmosphere in another. They shoiBd, at the same 
time, be arranged with reference to their night, the low 
growing ones in front, and the taller varieties back, or bet¬ 
ter still, have shelves arranged to rise above each other. 
A large supply of potting soil should be in readiness, as 
there is much repotting to be done at this season, besides 
providing for seedlings and layers no w in the open ground. 
The houses will need syringing occasionally to keep up 
a humid atmosphere. It will also be beneficial in keep¬ 
ing down insects. As the plants are not growing vigor¬ 
ously, only a moderate supply of water will be required. 
It is better at this season to apply it in the morning. 
Ventilation should be properly attended to. More air 
is required for plants just brought in, than when they 
have been long in the house. 
A few quick growing annuals should be sown at once, 
for a mid-winter bloom. They will come in well, and 
furnish a variety with the early and late flowering peren¬ 
nials. Some of the flowering shrubs should also be pot¬ 
ted and forced into a winter bloom, especially if cut flow¬ 
ers or bouquets are to be wanted. 
Special care should be taken to guard against insects : 
if these are once freely introduced, it is often very diffi¬ 
cult to expel them. Probably the very best method of 
treating plants badly infested with green fly, red spider, 
or any other insects, is to dip them inverted into water 
heated from 120° to 130°, keeping them there for a few 
seconds. The Gardener’s Monthly recommends holding 
them five seconds in water raised to 130°. This will 
smother the insects, without injuring the plants. 
Apiary iei October. 
Prepared by M. Quinby—by request. 
It is now time to decide on what colonies to Winter... 
Most of the loss during Winter and Spring, is the result 
of undertaking to keep improper colonies, or of bad man¬ 
agement. The chances of success with a colony that is 
now in just the right condition, with honey enough, and 
the right number of bees, are three times better, than with 
one that needs to be supplied with some food. We 
can not supply a deficiency, and then have the same nat¬ 
ural condition as when the bees provide for themselves. 
Where increase of stocks is not particularly desired, the 
good ones only should be saved. But many, and especi¬ 
ally beginners without experience, will want to keep all 
they have, and it is important that they attend to any de¬ 
ficiencies that can be supplied this month. Success will 
very much depend on doing things at the right time. Ex¬ 
amine them the first cool morning. A strong colony ex¬ 
tends through all the combs. One of only moderate 
strength, will often make a show of a large swarm, if 
the combs are badly diseased, or very full of honey. If a 
stock lacks bees only to make it good, they may be added 
from some condemned colony, paralyzing both with puff 
ball smoke when uniting them—See directions for the pro¬ 
cess in Agriculturist for October, I860. 
When there are bees enough, but honey is lacking, it 
may be provided, if thero are combs enough in the hive 
to hold it; if not, the bees should be taken out, and the 
hive and contents set away for another year, or the honey 
given to some other light stock. Iloney in the combs 
when fed should have the sealing of the combs cut off, 
and placed either, under the bees—the bottom of the hive 
fitting down close, to keep out the robbers—or placed on 
the top, covering with a close box. When no honey can 
be had but such as is taken from diseased stocks, it must 
be strained and scalded, or disease will be communicated. 
Add a little water to prevent burning, and take off the 
scum as it rises. Put it in a shallow dish, with some 
floating material to keep the bees from drowning. Feed 
them as fast as possible to the required w-eight—20 or 
25 lbs—otherwise they consume a great deal in rearing 
brood which the feeding will always induce. West India 
honey when used, should be managed in the same way. 
Honey prepared for Winter stores, should be as near the 
consistency of that stored by the bees as possible. If too 
much water is left in it, it is apt to induce dysentery, but 
it is quite sure to burn in scalding, if some water is not 
left in it. When no other feed but sugar is used, I think it 
is better to give it in the Winter than now. Candy alone 
has proved a failure with me. 
Condemned colonies should now be disposed of. When 
the bees are to be killed with the fumes of the sulphur pit, 
it is much the best way to drive out the bees first. It 
takes less time, than to get them out when removing (he 
honey after being smothered between the combs. The 
honey also, will be free from any of the effects of burn¬ 
ing sulphur. Break up such combs as are to be strained, 
immediately on the removal of the bees ; the honey will 
run out much more freely than when cold. If the combs 
are not too old, a few pieces nearly free from bee bread, 
may be found near the top and sides of the hive, which w ill 
do for the table without straining. The inferior honey is 
near the middle and bottom, and should be strained. 
Among the different methods of doing it, one is simply to 
mash it and pour through a sieve or colander to skim off 
the particles of comb. A box answers a good pur¬ 
pose for large quantities. It should be about four feet 
long, sixteen inches wide, by five deep, and wire cloth 
bottom. This should be on a frame four feet high. Un¬ 
der the box is a board of the same width and length, with 
narrow strips nailed on the edges to keep the honey from 
running over the side. One end is raised, and the honey 
drains from the other into some large vessel, half barrel 
or firkin. The particles of combs will all rise to the top 
in a day or two, it can then be drawn from a tap near the 
bottom perfectly clear. To prevent its becoming very 
hard in cold weather, put two gills of water to ten pounds, 
mixing thoroughly. If preferred in the solid form, fill 
shallow dishes to the depth of an inch, and expose it to 
the coldest weather for a few weeks. Metheglin and vin¬ 
egar may be made very cheaply from the refuse of strained 
honey. After all has drained out that will, cover with 
boiling water, or scald over the fire, stirring thoroughly. 
Let it stand a day or two, when it may be drained from 
the combs the same as honey, then boil and skim till clear. 
The strength may be tested with an egg, when tiie upper 
side rises an eighth of an inch above the surface it will do. 
It is put in some convenient vessel and allowed to work, 
when it may be closed up and set away to grow better 
with age. For vinegar, add about three parts of water to 
one of the above, and then manage as with cider, or other 
material used for the same purpose. 
Combs that have been soaked in water, will soon spoil 
with mold. They should be immediately made into wax. 
These, together with old pieces of dry combs, when in 
small quantities, may be put into a sack of loose texture, 
with a small stone to make it sink, and kept in a kettle 
of boiling water, frequently pushing it about till the wax 
ceases to rise. It is skimmed off, remelted, and cooled in 
any desirable shape. For large quantities, the process is 
facilitated by having a large kettle and an apparatus for 
squeezing it, using two or three sacks ; one is filled and 
put in the water and the wax melts while another is being 
squeezed out. Particles of wax in the refuse when ex 
posed to the air, and slightly pressed in the irand, indicate 
whether it is worked out sufficiently clean or not. 
The surplus honey for market is usually forwarded 
this month and next. If in small glass boxes, it should be 
packed in cases holding what maybe easily handled— 
fifty or a hundred pounds. It should be secured by close 
packing from sliding about in the case. And when 
shipped, secure careful handling, otherwise the combs 
will be broken and the value materially lessened. It re 
quires more care than a package of eggs. 
---- -- 
New American Cyclopedia—'Vol. XIII. 
The thirteenth volume of this magnificent work is now 
issued. This volume contains 807 pages, and extends 
down the alphabet from PARR, to REDW. We also find 
1550 different topics discussed, which allows an average 
of over half a page to each subject. The size of the 
volume is 10 inches long, 6X inches wide, and 2K inches 
thick. We mention these items, to give a better idea ol 
the magnitude of the work when complete in 16 volumes. 
It will then require over a yard of shelf-room. Allowing 
1500 articles to the volume, which is rather below the 
average, the Cyclopedia will give pretty full information 
upon 24,000 different topics, all arranged in alphabetical 
order, and the average space to each being equivalent to 
about three-fourths of a column of the Agriculturist. 
The more important topics have, of course, a proportion¬ 
ate share of space ; thus, in the volume before us, the 
Pigeon occupies 9 columns ; Pottery and Porcelain, 17 
columns ; Preserving Wood, 3K columns ; Philadelphia, 
15 columns; Pine Apple 1 % columns, and so on, each 
article giving about all that most people would desire ta 
learn on the several topics. Other articles have to 
columns each, as Pastel, Patmos, Patrick, Pawnee, Ped 
dler, Penny, Peon, etc. From the above, our readers will 
be able to form some opinion of the extent and value of 
the work. See further notes under premium 11, page 315 
To Tile Machine Manufacturers. 
We have very frequent inquiries respecting tile ma 
chines. There are many kinds of machines made in dif¬ 
ferent parts of the country, and in order to become posted 
up in the matter, we request all persons who are manu 
facturing such machines, to send us their address, and 
such particulars, as may help us to a knowledge of their 
implements. We solicit similar information from others 
