September 4,1890. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
213 
may be resorted to, and tbe roots be confined to a border from 3 to 
4 feet in width. If the drainage be defective it will be necessary to lift 
the trees in the autumn as soon as the leaves commence falling, and 
replant in fresh soil. Place in 9 to 12 inches of rough stones or brick¬ 
bats for drainage, and over them a covering of rather rough lime 
rubbish, using the finer parts for mixing with the compost in the propor¬ 
tion of a sixth to the bulk of turfy loam, and a twentieth of crushed 
bones. In replanting ram the soil well about the roots, for short- 
jointed fruitful wood cannot be so well secured as by a solidified 
compost. The border must be 24 to 30 inches deep. Should the 
drainage be good it will only be necessary to confine the roots to the 
narrow border, removing some of the old soil from amongst them, and 
top-dressing with fresh loam, with an admixture of lime rubbish and 
crushed bones as above stated. If the loam be light add a sixth of 
clayey marl, if heavy a sixth of road scrapings. The proper time to 
operate in the manner indicated is as soon in late summer or autumn as 
the foliage gives indications of maturing. 
Cucumbers. —The shorter days and longer nights necessitate the 
earlier closing of the house, and the employment of the syringe also 
earlier, so as to have the foliage fairly dry by dusk. Fire heat, now the 
nights are colder, will be necessary to maintain the night temperature 
at 65°, and to maintain a day temperature of 70° to 75°. Afford every 
encouragement to the autumn fruiters, removing the first fruits and the 
staminate blossoms and tendrils. 
No shading will be necessary, and avoid syringing asifar as possible, 
damping being usually sufficient. Sow from now to the middle of the 
month for a supply of fruit at Christmas and the new year onwards. 
Telegraph is a good kind for this, indeed for any sowing, while Cardiff 
Castle is free and excellent for everyday use. Winter-fruiting plants 
must have a light and well-heated structure, otherwise fruit cannot be 
had in perfection with certainty. The plants from appearing above the 
soil must be kept well up to the glass, so as to insure a sturdy thoroughly 
solidified growth, which are essential to fruitful plants. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Digging Potatoes. —The early and second early varieties are now 
matured, and the sooner they are dug and harvested the better. In our 
case the work will be less interesting than it has been for many years, 
as the disease has destroyed half the crops in all cases and more in 
many. As a rule the finest tubers are the worst diseased, and many 
are reduced to a pulp. The harvesting will have to be done with extra 
care. Digging should be commenced early on a fine day and continued 
until midday, then allow the tubers to lie exposed until well into the 
afternoon, when they will have dried considerably, and it may be readily 
seen which are free from disease. In good seasons we have generally 
taken the tubers direct into the shed where they are stored for the 
winter, but that will not be a safe practice this season, as all will be 
spread out in an airy shed for several days, and none will be stored until 
they are quite dry and the sound tubers can be detected ; only the 
tubers for use will be removed to a dark shed, and the smaller ones left 
for seed will be allowed to become somewhat green and hardened before 
being stored. It is a common practice to remove all the sound tubers 
and allow the decayed ones to remain on the ground. They decay there 
and become mixed with the soil, but we do not approve of this, and 
gather them up carefully. We object to allowing decayed Potatoes to 
be placed on the manure heap, and they are thrown away in a corner by 
themselves. The haulms are also objectionable, and they should be 
cleared off the surface and burned. 
Harvesting Onions. —These are smaller and greener in September 
this year than they are generally at this season. In many cases the 
bulbs have hardly begun to form, but will make little more progress, 
and if the weather is fine and sunny they should be pulled up and laid 
down with the bulbs facing the sun to dry. Plants that have failed to 
bulb may be thrown to the rubbish heap. In a few days after drawing 
them up turn the bulbs and allow the stems to wither, then twist the 
bulbs off and place them in an open airy shed to dry. We have finished 
treating a number of ours in this way, and the ground on which they 
were growing has been hoed deeply and sown with prickly Spinach for 
winter. Run the Dutch hoe between the rows of autumn sown Onions 
now coming through the soil. 
Cauliflower. —Those who sow their early Cauliflower seed in the 
autumn must now attend to it. Early London is one of the best for 
this sowing. Sow broadcast in a narrow bed on a south border, and 
some of the plants may be left there during the winter, while others 
may be planted in handlights and frames. 
Hoeing. —The weeds have been most troublesome this season, and 
before the damp weather of winter occurs every inch of surface in the 
kitchen garden should be hoed and cleaned thoroughly. This must be 
done early in September, because the removal of the weeds allows the 
light and air free access to the plants, and render them hardier. 
Lettuce and Endive. —Many Lettuces and Endive are now ready 
for transplanting. Sufficient for a crop is left in the seed beds or rows, 
and the others are transplanted. The former will be ready before the 
latter, and the check experienced in transplanting will cause the latter to 
follow in succession. Be careful with the roots in drawing up the 
plants, and plant at once in good soil. They should be put into a 
warm sunny sheltered position, as they may experience frost and cold 
weather before they are ready or used, and a favourable site does not 
entail early protection, which is not always convenient. Plant in rows 
about 10 inches apart, and see that the slugs and snails do not destroy 
them, which they are very apt to do at present. Sow more seed of the 
hardy winter Lettuce, 
Thin late-sown Carrots and Parsley. Where young Radish are very 
thick in the rows thin them to 2 inches apart before they bulb. See 
that Asparagus stems are staked and tied up. Many roots and planta¬ 
tions are injured by allowing the stems to be blown over and broken by 
the crown before they have matured. Remove all roots and plants 
from which the crops have been secured, and on no account allow tbe 
vegetable garden to become a wilderness when it is thought the season 
is over. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Zonal Pelargoniums .—These should be placed in cold frames or cool 
houses, where they can have abundance of air, the atmosphere about 
the plants being kept as dry as possible. The present cool wet 
weather is unfavourable to them, and if they are not under cover they 
will make soft growth, and fail to flower satisfactorily. Supply water 
carefully in dull weather. Insert cuttings singly in 3-inch pots for 
flowering early in the year. Supply with stimulants plants that are 
root-bound and have been flowering for some time. Ivy-leaf varieties 
should also be placed under cover ; select for them a light airy structure. 
Insert cuttings singly in small pots for flowering during the early spring 
months. 
Bouvardias .—These are not safe outside unless the weather changes 
and proves warm and dry. Place them in a cool airy house, or in frames 
where the lights can be thrown off if the weather changes for the better. 
Plants that have their pots full of roots should be supplied with a little 
artificial manure once a fortnight. 
Chrysanthemums .—Where large blooms are required the plants must 
be examined at intervals of a day or two, for crown buds will now 
appear in quantity. As soon as the growths that start from the axils of 
the leaves can be removed the better, the point of a small knife being 
most suitable. If the buds are deformed or injured in any way, allow 
one shoot only to extend from each, and a fair b’oom will result. Lose 
no time in removing all but one shoot on each stem, so that the whole 
energy of the plant can be devoted to its development. Directly flower 
buds are secured, top-dress the plants with rich material to keep their 
roots active. Supply them liberally with weak stimulants, and change 
the food for this purpose occasionally. Avoid strong stimulants, for they 
are almost certain to burn the roots of the plants, and flat poorly 
developed blooms will result. Tie the shoots securely, but rather leave 
2 or 3 feet to sway about with the wind than 6 inches or a foot, which is 
almost certain to be broken off and the whole season’s work rendered 
futile. Early flowering varieties should be placed under cover ; they 
will soon come into bloom. Summer varieties that have flowered must 
be cut back to induce them to produce cuttings, which should be rooted 
directly they are ready. It is a mistake to delay the propagation of 
these varieties until cuttings of later flowering varieties are ready for 
insertion. 
Mignonette .—A good number of 5 and 6-inch pots should be filled 
with loam, one-seventh of manure, and a little sand and seed of the best 
strains sown thinly over the surface. The seed must only just be 
covered, and the pots placed in cold frames until germination takes 
place. Thin seedlings that are large enough ; nothing is gained by 
leaving them thickly together. Expose them to abundance of light 
and air, to induce dwarf compact growth. Standards and pyramids will 
need constant attention ; be careful that they do not become rooted into 
the material upon which they stand. Remove the flowers as they 
appear, and train the shoots evenly over the trellis. Do not attempt to 
hurry them, for they only grow weakly and will yield puny spikes of 
bloom in return. 
Roman Hyacinths .—Some of these should now be potted ; 5-inch 
pots are suitable for five or six bulbs. For cutting the smaller sized 
bulbs may be placed thickly together in boxes. After potting place 
these in a northern position and cover with 4 or 5 inches of ashes. Do 
not water after repotting, but be careful that the soil is in an inter¬ 
mediate state for moisture before the pots are filled. A few early Paris 
Hyacinths may also be potted. They are useful for cutting and deco¬ 
ration after Romans are over. 
Narcissus .—Where the old double yellow Daffodil and other border 
varieties are appreciated indoors, no time should be lost in placing them 
in pots. They will commence to form roots at once, and may then be 
brought forward into flower under almost natural conditions. Place 
them under ashes, the same as advised for Hyacinths. 
gf 
HE BEE-KEEPER. 
ft 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
Suppressing the Disease. 
Some clamour for an Act of Parliament, and to have inspectors 
appointed ; but I am inclined to think this will become a sure 
means of spreading the disease, just as I have witnessed medical 
officers carry contagion from an infected to a healthy house. No 
intelligent bee-keeper will care to submit his hives to any in¬ 
spector who may have just been examining an adjoining infected 
apiary. For my own part, and I believe many others share my 
