x64 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
lar and Prairie Climber, red, pink, blush, lilac, yellow, 
and white roses are in full flower, shedding both beauty 
and fragrance. If the border contain but a single specimen, 
let that be a Remontant rose, bugs, slugs, and leaf hop¬ 
pers will dispute with you their possession. The rose- 
bugs may be destroyed by shaking them into a shallow 
basin of hot water, or by hand picking. Whale-oil soap, 
dissolved at the rate of 1 pound to 3 gallons of water, will 
destroy both slugs and thrips. Pour it on from the rose 
of a watering pot, or use a hand-syringe with a sprinkler 
attached In the absence of soap, each morning while 
the dew is on, dust with w ood ashes, and the slimy green 
worm, w hich is eating out ail the substance of the leaf,will 
soon disappear. A single application of either of the 
above remedies is not sufficient, as successive broods 
continue to hatch out. 
Transplanting many of the early sown flowers is now 
in order. Select a cloudy day before a rain, if possible, 
anil take up plenty of earth, carefully, with the roots, 
using the trowel, and the plant will receive very little 
check. If done m dry weather, water free y, both before 
and after the operation ; the evening is the best time. 
Verbenas and Petunias now make a line show if a good 
collection was put out last monih. They may still be 
planted, ff. By pegging down the verbena, a large mass 
or mat can be formed from a single plant. 
Water trees and flowers recently transplanted, if the 
month prove dry. Nature's own showers are best, how¬ 
ever, and a good stirring of the soil to help draw mois¬ 
ture from below, and retain that w hich falls upon the sur¬ 
face, will usually answer all purposes, except for trans¬ 
planted shrubs, trees, and flowers, or for newly turfed 
edgings. 
Greeu and Hot-SSonses. 
These have mainly been emptied of their plants, which 
now grace the flower borders. In extensive collections, 
the more tender plants are better managed in than out of 
the house, and o» that account are still kept upon the 
shelves. They now require abundance of air and plenty 
of water. The upper ventilators should be kept open 
during fair weather. Opening both upper and lower 
would dry the atmosphere too rapidly. Look w ell tc, the 
pots which have been set in the yard with their contents 
undisturbed. See that they are shielded from high winds, 
and watered as needed 
Azaleas are now making a rapid growth, and need abun¬ 
dance of water, and some pinching in. 
Bud, m, 1, oranges, lemons, citrons, shaddocks, etc. 
Camellias do quite as well in the open border, to which 
they may be earned, ff. If retained on the shelves in the 
house, water and syringe often. Watch for and check 
the approach of insects. Cut back to a bushy well formed 
head. 
Cuttings of Chrysanthemums, Myrtles, Hydrangeas, 
Fuchsias, Geraniums, etc , may be made and potted, f,m. 
Geraniums are in full flower, and should be watered 
freely. Ins rt cuttings and make layers to increase the 
stock of desirable kinds. 
Grapes—The early houses will i.ow be ripening their 
fruit, and the syringing overhead must be omitted. Some 
of the later crops need a lurther thinning, while others, 
with little forcing, are only in flower. Pinch baca bear¬ 
ing shoots to three leaves, at most, beyond the bunches, 
and ruboflf superfluous shoots. Air frtely, and water as 
required. 
Layer and Inarch woody and other plants which do not 
root readily from cuttings. 
Potting—Many of the rapidly growing plants will now 
require more loom, and should be transferred to pots of a 
larger size. Have a good supply of properly prepared 
potting soil at all limes in readiness. Two parts leaf 
mold or well decomposed muck, one pari garden loam, 
one part fine sand, and one part finely pulverized and 
well lotted manure, make a good soil lor potted plants. 
Seedlingsof sufficient size, should be transplanted either 
to small pots or set in the open borders. 
Verbenas and Petunias—Make early preparation to in- 
ciease the supply of young plants by layering and putting 
in cuttings for in-door blooming next Winter. 
Water — Give a' may be wanted. A little maybe neces¬ 
sary night and morning upon plants in small pots in a dry 
atmosphere. Examine after rains to see if drainage is 
perfect. 
4i»i:iry in June. 
BY M QUINBY. 
June is the -••vanning month of Hie season Any one 
wishing lo indense his colonies to the utmost, mii.-t se¬ 
cure at lea.-l one sw arm from each stock that is sufficient¬ 
ly sluing Occasionally a good stuck will exhibit all I lie 
irtdic-unms nf swarming, and yet refuse to leave ; if it is 
deteruiin d in m iso i he iiui.-l i •! such by artificial swlum- 
ing, no it "■ iv. ii heiwise, n e clianc. > of rearing a qmen 
gre gie. tiy diminished. If done at ihe riglu s.asou, ■* nil j 
proper precautions, there are some advantages over nat¬ 
ural swarming ; yet the trouble of making such, is often 
a little more than the hiving of a regular swarm. In ar¬ 
tificial swarming, as the old queen is to go with the swarm, 
it is well to give the old stock from which she is taken, 
a finished queen-cell, that a young queen may take the 
place of the old one, and as little time as possible be lost 
in breeding. 
Within a week after a first swarm has issued from 
a stock, examine it and see if a sealed queen-cell can 
be had. As long as such cells may be obtained, it 
will generally do to operate. The bees may be kept 
quiet by the means mentioned last month. Just before 
dark, is perhaps a little better time to operate, than in 
the morning. If it be a common hive, and the bees are 
outside, raise it carefully without any jar, and set it on 
small blocks ; sprinkle the bees moderately with water, 
and gently disturb them with a small stick until they all 
enter the hive. Have ready to receive the bees a hive 
that has a bottom very nearly the size of the old one. Turn 
the full one bottom up, and set the empty one over ; stop 
all openings that will allow a bee to pass, with rags or pa¬ 
per. Rap on the lower hive with a stick or hammer a 
few times, lightly, but enough to arouse them thoroughly, 
and then leave them quiet about five minutes, for the 
bees to fill themselves with honey. Now beat the hive 
eight or ten minutes, not striking hard enough at any time 
to detach the combs. By this time, the bees will have 
lost all disposition to sting, and the upper hive may be 
raised to inspect progress. When about two thirds aie 
up, they are right. Set the new colony on the stand for 
fifteen or tw enty minutes ; if the queen is there—as she 
will be nine times in ten—ihe bees will be quiet, other¬ 
wise, uneasy and running about in search of her, when it 
will be necessary to drive again, using for the purpose 
another hive. 
If both hives are of one color, set the old one about 
two feet in front of its former stand ; if of different 
colors, a little more distant. Should there be room on 
each side of the old stand to set them, let each he about 
eighteen inches from it. Before turning over the old 
hive, ascertain if possible, if it contains any finished or 
nearly completed queen cells—this is a convenient time, 
while but few bees are in the way—if such cells are not 
there, it will be nccessarf to introduce one obtained from 
another hive. It may be put in now, at the bottom, or the 
next morning at the top—opening a hole for the purpose. 
There is much risk in depending on the bees rearing a 
queen, especially if they have none started, and it is near 
the end of the swarming season. They will sometimes 
destroy a ceil that is given them, in w hich case it will be 
necessary to supply another. With the movable frames, 
the middle of the day is preferable for operating, as fewer 
bees are in tile way when looking for the queen. Look 
for her on each comb as it is taken out, and when found, 
put the frame containing her with the bees on it, in the 
new hive, and set this on the old stand. If no well ad¬ 
vanced queen cells are found on any of the combs, put 
one in the hive somewhere, as before directed, then re- 
;nove the hive to any convenient, place, away from the 
old stand. The bees returning to Ihe old stand, will 
form the new colony, arid enough wiil remain in the old 
stock, to keep that in good condition. 
When the season is a very good one for honey, 
bees iri the common hive are quite apt to swarm too much. 
Second swarms the la-t of the month, are seldom of much 
advantage—with the movable combs they may lie kept 
back. Five or six days after the first issue, open ihe 
hive, and cut out all the queen cells but one. Wlien two 
second swarms are united, they are about equal in number 
with one of the first. Third swarms are ordinarily half as 
large as the second, and should be returned to the parent 
stock when practicable, (for directions, see Apiary for 
June 1659,) if not, try and unite with others, till you get 
a strong colony—one such is worth half a dozen weak 
ones. Where there are many old stocks, it would be well 
enough to save three or four queens, w ith a few hundred 
workers with each, to sapply colonies that will be desti¬ 
tute after it is too late to obtain cells. When a queen is 
lost fiom an old stock, it usually happens two or three 
weeks after the first swarm ; with young swarms it oc¬ 
curs in from one to ten days, and generally with those 
that are accompanied with young queens. It, is nearly 
always manifested the next morning afterward, by the 
uneasiness of the bees : they will be seen running about 
while others are quiet. In such cases, a queen, or a cell 
containing one, introduced, will make all right ...Boxes 
for surplus honey should now be put. on all hives where 
the bees are crowded. Pieces of clean while comb fast¬ 
ened in the top of each box with melted wax, are very 
important. If plenty is on hand, let these pieces be large, 
but divide it if necessary, lo supply all. If old colonies 
can be induced to commence in the boxes before they 
swarm, they are quite sure lo continue afterwards, and 
o'ti n fill them under circumstances whi r, they would not 
make a beginning—In putting mi and l using off boxes 
tobacco smoke will keep l(ic bees quia with the least 
[.Iune, 
trouble.... New sw arms, when eery large, unless near the 
end of the season, may receive the boxes immediately on 
being hived. With those of ordinary size, it is a6 well 
to wait three or four days, or ur.tii just before the hive is 
full... .Glass boxes, which are the best for market, must 
li ne an outer cover to shut nut the light; but for those o! 
wood, only a shelter from the rain and sun is necessary.. 
If any old stocks, (by this term I mean any that have 
been wintered) do not increase as they should, ascertain I 
the reason. If they have no queen, give them a small 
sw arm with one ; if diseased brood is found, drive out the 
bees to begin anew. Keep all honey that such hives con¬ 
tain, from being taken by other bees_Remove all 
combs from ihe Apiary that have not bees enough to pro¬ 
tect them from the moth .... Any combs to be saved for 
future use, may be smoked with brimstone oocasionally, 
to destroy the moth worm. 
Moving an Asparagus Bed—Splendid 
Asparagus. 
There is nothing produced in our garden which 
we would not sooner part witli than our aspara¬ 
gus. We have had a fine old bed which has 
yielded a daily abundance for our table, and some 
to spare. But in changing our grounds the pres¬ 
ent season, this favorite bed chanced to he right 
where we wanted a magnolia tree on a new 
lawn. We hesitated long about disturbing it, as 
it had just commenced giving the usual supply. 
But we finally decided to dispense with its use 
for this season, as we supposed. Accordingly, 
on the 10th of May, we laid out a new bed, 15 by 
30 feet, cutting deep wide trendies across it, and 
scattering in a liberal supply of crushed bones for 
a permanent manure, with a small addition of 
bone sawdust for immediate effect. The old bed 
was then thoroughly watered, and the earth taken 
up in masses of a peck, to a half bushel or more, 
each mass containing a cluster of roots. These 
clusters were transferred to the trendies, and 
again watered, and earth filled in around them. 
The very next day new shoots began to appear 
and now (May 17th) the new bed is yielding just 
about as good a supply as before the change o' 
location—to our no small surprise and gratificn 
tion. 
We thought we had as good asparagus as any 
one—the real “giant ” kind, made so by good 
soil and plenty of manure—but we must own up 
beat. The evening of the very day we moved 
our bed, as if in anticipation of our necessities, 
Mr Henry J. Smith, of Richmond, Vn., sent us 
in by express, (charges all paid,) a large bucket 
filled with bunches of the finest asparagus we 
have ever seen. The stalks, 8 to 10 inches in 
length, and 3 to 3i indies in circuit ferenee. were 
blanched while, and were so tender and brittle, 
that they would hardly support their own weight, 
'hen lilted*by one end. They were crisp, clear 
to the bottom end The bunches were wrapped 
in dampened muslin, ami boles were bored in the 
bucket lid to admit air. Though they were three 
days in reaching our country residence, ihey were 
in excellent order, save a little sourness of some 
of the stalks, which was entirely removed by 
adding a trille of soda to the cooking water. Mr. 
Smith will lay us under still greater obligations, if 
he will describe to our readers his method o f 
producing such asparagus. 
What to Plant in Vacant Spots. 
In a well assorted garden, very little ground 
will he left unoccupied throughout the whole sea¬ 
son. As one crop is gathered another will take 
its place, ami where poor seeds, insects, or oilier 
mishaps have left vacancies, the wide-awake 
gardener will he up and at work to fill them be¬ 
fore the weeds have taken possession. It is de- 
s*table to secuic a succession of some varieties. 
