July 22, 1886. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
79 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Celosias. —Young plants intended for winter decoration, and now in 
•small pots, or still in pans and boxes, should be potted as they require 
mere root room. If in the latter, transfer them into 3-inch pots, but if in 
small pots already they may be transferred into 5 and 6 inch pots. They 
are free-rooting, and no harm will be done by giving them a liberal shift, 
provided they are carefully watered until they are rooting freely in the 
new soil. They should be hardened at once to cool treatment, for they 
are soon ruined if kept in a close atmosphere. The object should be to 
produce dwarf sturdy growth, and then finely developed plumes are 
certain. Seed may still be sown if sufficient plants have not been 
raised. 
Primula ohconica. —All plants that are well advanced in their largest 
pots may be stood on a bed of ashes outside. Select a situation with a 
northern aspect where they will be shaded from direct sunshine. The 
ashes upon which they are stood should be kept moist, so as to keep the 
surroundings of the plants as cool as p issible. This plant cannot endure 
a dry hot position where they are fully exposed to the sun. If well cared 
for in the position indicated the plants will do better than if confined in a 
frame. 
Calceolarias .—If seed was sown as directed, the seedlings will be ready 
for pricking oil singly into pans or boxes. They should be placed from 
1 to 2 inches apart in a compost of light moderately rich material, and 
when this space has been filled they will be ready for 3-inch pots. They 
must be grown in a frame with a northern aspect, and stood upon a cool 
moist bottom. If the stock from the first-sown seed is insufficient for 
the various successional batches required, sow a little more at once. 
Cinerarias. —These must be potted as they require more root room, for 
if checked in small pots they seldom do well, as they become a prey to 
insects. Grow the plants in a similar position to that advised for Calceo¬ 
larias, and give them rcom to develope their foliage. Abundance of air 
must be admitted, and as much light as the plants will bear, or the foliage 
will soon become drawn and weakly, when no after treatment will remedy 
the evil. Seedlings should be pricked into pans and boxes, and a little 
more seed sown at once for succession. 
Rhodanthes. —These are amongst the most useful of plants for various 
purposes of decoration, and they last in good condition for a considerable 
period of time. A good batch should be sown at once, and they will be 
found most useful indoors from the early part of October, and will last 
in good condition into the following month. They are usually three 
months before they are in bloom from the time of sowing the seed—that 
is, when cool treatment is given. The seed should be sown in 5-inch 
pots that have been nearly filled with rich soil composed of good loam, 
-one-third leaf mould, one-seventh of manure, and a little sand. The pots 
should be placed in a cold frame until the seed has germinated, then 
harden the young plants, and grow them cool; in fact, when they are 
1 inch high they should be grown without any lights over them. It is 
useless sowing seed after the close of this month. 
ttochs. —Very useful in pots, and a little seed of Ten-Weeks Stocks 
and intermediate varieties of various colours should be sown in a box at 
once in a cold frame. Directly the seed has germinated the box or pan 
must be stood outside, for Stocks are very liable and certain to damp if 
kept close. When the seedlings are large enough they may either be 
potted singly, or pricked into boxes to be afterwards placed in pots. They 
do not transplant well, and therefore it is better to sow in small to 
commence with. 
Chrysanthemums. —The varieties of C. tricolor, which are of various 
shades of colour, are very beautiful when well grown in pots for conserva¬ 
tory decoration. Seed of each should be sown separately in 6-inch pots, 
and when the seedlings are large enough thin them out to five or six 
plants, and then grow them perfectly cool ; in fact, they are best outside 
when once the seed has germinated. In the early part of the year they 
are best grown singly ; two or three seeds should be sown in each small 
pot, and then thinned out to one. The leading shoot of the plant should be 
pinched to induce them to branch, and they will by this treatment form 
dwarf bushy specimens when they come into flower. At this season sow 
the seed as directed, and grow the plants without pinching. 
m BEE-KEEPER. 
M 
SEASONABLE NOTES. 
The season has until the last few weeks been one of 
unprecedented severity. Far and wide the cry of despair has 
gone up from numerous bee-keepers who had not sufficient 
buoyancy to hope against hope for a change in the weather 
and their prospects. Those who have given proper attention 
to their bees during the last two months, who have supplied 
them with food when necessary, and kept them warm and 
snug, will now almost certainly be able to reap a small but 
welcome harvest. The white Clover is in full bloom, and 
the tropical heat of this month so far, following on a cold 
wet May and dull sunless June, will enable the bees not 
only to replenish their empty cells but to store an average 
quantity of surplus for the benefit of their master. In my 
own apiary honey is already being stored in quantity in 
supers, and a continuance of fine weather for even ten days 
longer will enable me to repay myself for the little extra 
trouble bestowed upon the stocks in their hour of need. 
During the last few days scores of swarms have been thrown 
off, but it is absolutely hopeless to expect any surplus from 
either the swarms or old stock this year, and almost impos¬ 
sible without great care and attention to get the swarm and 
old stock in a proper condition for wintering. The swarms 
given in May and June, if proper attention has been paid to 
their wants, will now be at work in supers, but where no 
assistance has been given the Clover will be gone and all 
hope of supers be lost before they are in a fit state for super- 
ing. Those who had swarms not later than early June, and 
have fed them carefully but sufficiently, returning the casts 
to the old hive on the day of issue, will now be able to place 
supers with success on both swarm and stock, and it will 
not be at all surprising if a great success attends their efforts. 
It is, of course, impossible, and certainly not wise, to attempt 
to say what the weather of this month will be; but I am 
only considering our prospects in the event of a fine warm 
sunny month after the bleak, cold, wet, and miserable weather 
we have experienced since last September. 
At the close of the Clover season, unless it is intended to 
try for a harvest from the Heather, attention must be given 
to every stock, and later on a supply of food be afforded 
sufficient to last not only over the winter months but well 
into spring. No one can imagine the trouble and anxiety 
saved by having a sufficiency of stores in every hive to tide 
over periods of adversity ; but it is perhaps early to consider 
the question of wintering, although the foundation for success 
in a future year must be laid in the preceding summer or 
autumn, and if no such pains are taken for the welfare of 
the bees in the winter months no profit can fairly be expected 
in the summer season. Success follows energy. 
It may be well to warn those who are this year attempt¬ 
ing to follow the tiering system, that great judgment will be 
required in order that the super room may not be in excess 
of what it may reasonably be hoped the bees will require, 
while on the other hand no stock must be in the least cramped 
for room, or the swarming impulse will be awakened. At 
present my stocks are working sixty-three 1-lb. sections each 
in various stages of completion, but if fine weather continues 
it may be necessary to considerably augment this number; 
while, on the other hand, if wet again follows, the number 
will be reduced and the comb carefully stowed away for 
another season. Sections filled with clean white comb are 
invaluable, especially for placing in the racks of sections at 
the beginning of the season. The honey, if any is in them, 
must first of course be cleared by the bees unless sufficient 
in quantity to make the honey more valuable than the comb. 
Let each one use discretion and judgment.— Felix. 
THE HONEY SEASON. 
Notwithstanding the hot weather at the beginning of 
July, owing to the arid winds very little honey has at yet, July 
12th, been stored in supers; consequently where hives are in 
good condition bees in tiered hives have had an inclination to 
swarm. Wherever this occurs we will keep the swarm off 
and place it on the site of the old stock. The combed supers 
on the old stock will be transferred to the swarm in two 
hours after hiving. This little delay will enable the bees to 
prepare the comb foundation for the reception of eggs, which 
we have seen deposited in foundation in less than an hour 
after hiving. The old stock, after getting as many bees 
outside as possible, will be removed to some secret place 
until the flying bees have all taken to the swarm. When 
this precaution is not taken and carefully carried out, both 
in natural and artificial swarming, many of the bees will 
search out and return to the old stock. The other day, in a 
case I had, the hive was carried inside the house, and yet 
the flying bees found it. As the much-needed rain both 
for bees and vegetation has now fallen, one week’s fine 
