168 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 19, 1886. 
weeks later in ripening than the Alexander and Waterloo Peach. Second 
early houses—Hale’s Early, Early Alfred, Large Early Mignonne, and A 
Bee. Nectarines—Hunt’s Tawny and Lord Napier. Early houses— 
Royal George, Stirling Castle, this is certainly only a form of Royal 
George, but an excellent Peach and a capital forcer ; Dr. Hogg, a capital 
sort; Grosse Mignonne, Dagmar,Condor, and Crimson Galande. Nectarines 
—Elruge, Yiolette Hative. These can hardly well be forced to ripen before 
the middle of June. If forced hard so as to ripen in May they are not 
nearly so satisfactory as those previously named. They are excellent for 
ripening at and after the time named, and to them for midseason houses are 
Belle Beauce, Violette Hative (Galande), Noblesse, Goshawk, Bellegarde, 
Earrington, and Dymond. Late houses—Walburton Admirable, Princess 
of Wales, Lady Palmerston, Osprey, Gladstone, Sea Eagle, and Condor. 
For a cool house or wall case to succeed each other in ripening—Alexander 
or Waterloo, Hale’s Early or A Bee, Early Alfred or Rivers’ Early York, 
Dagmar or Dr. Hogg, Crimson Galande or Magdala, R >yal George or 
Grosse Mignonne, Belle Beauce or Goshawk, Bellegarde or Noblesse, 
Dymond or Barrington, Walburton Admirable or Princess of Wales, 
Gladstone or Lady Palmerston, Sea Eagle or Comet; twen'y-four of the 
best Peaches in cultivation, two of each being given so that the number 
is easier of reduction. 
Nectarines for a wall case to succeed each other—Advance or Lord 
Napier, Elruge or Violette Hative, Byron or Humboldt, Pine Apple or Im¬ 
proved Downton, Milton or Newton, Albert Victor or Victoria. For 
midseason houses—Pine Apple, Rivers’ Pitmaston Orange, and Byron. 
Late houses—Improved Downton, Milton, and Victoria. Trees of Peaches 
and Nectarines for planting in houses are best when two or three (or even 
four if due regard has been had to lifting) years trained to walls or in cool 
houses, and failing these an early selection should be made of trees in 
nurseries, choosing the best furnished, most evenly balanced, clean and 
healthy, and with medium sized short-jointed wood. Carefully lifted 
when the wood becomes firm they will experience but little check. 
Cucumbers. —The autumn-fruiting plants should be encouraged to 
make a strong growth by earthing betimes, not making large additions, 
but enough each time to cover the protruding roots, taking care to have it 
warm and moist. Afford plenty of water at the roots, but keep from 
driblets. When any is wanted—and none should be given before it is— 
afford a thorough supply. Syringe at 3 to 3.30 P.M., damping in the 
morning, noon, and before nightfall in bright weather, at the latter time 
with weak liquid manure. Maintain a night temperature of 65° to 70°, 
70° to 75° artificially by day, keep it through the day at 80° to 90° from sun 
heat, and close between 85° and 90° sufficiently early to rise to 90°, 95°, or 
100°. Attend to tying in the shoots. Train rather thinly 9 to 12 inches 
apart— i.e., the side growths, and stop them at about 12 to 15 inches 
growth to give the needful fruiting and furnishing growths. Remove all 
fruits as well as male flowers as they show, so as to get the plants strong, 
the early part of September being sufficiently early to allow fruit to show 
for cutting at the end of the month, and by cropping lightly at first a good 
supply can be bad later on, when in November and December the plants 
will need all the vigour that has been got into them to swell off the fruit 
properly. 
Plants in bearing will require attention in thinning old growth, 
removing old leaves, stopping at a joint beyond the show of fruit, so as to 
maintain a succession of fruit. If seed is wanted any knobby ended ones 
should be left. They come freely enough on old plants ; if not, impregna¬ 
tion will have the desired effect. Plants in frames that have fruited for 
some time will be restored to vigour by a good thinning-out of the old 
shoots and the addition of a little fresh loam, giving a moderate watering, 
and a sprinkling overhead on bright afternoons, closing at about 3 p.m. 
With linings and the protection of mats over the lights Cucumbers will 
be produced for a lengthened period. 
Houses that are to be used for supply of fruit at Christmas—the plants 
having been raised from seed about the 10th of this month—should be 
cleared, so that the needful cleaning, repairs, or painting may be done 
thoroughly before the house is wanted. Pot the plants as they require 
it, keeping well up to the light, and place a small stick to each for the 
support of the young plant, which should be grown without stopping, 
rubbing off side shoots as they appear to the height of the trellis. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Calanthes.— The earliest of these have filled their pots with roots, 
and should be given weak stimulants every time they need water. Liquid 
male from cow manure is good for them if liberally diluted with water 
previous to use. They should be arranged close to the glass and grown 
from the present time under the influence of as much light as is con¬ 
sistent with maintaining their foliage of a deep green healthy colour. 
When too much shade is employed the foliage is drawn up weakly, while 
on the other hand it turns yellow if exposed to too much sunlight. Ex¬ 
tremes in either case must be avoided ; admit air liberally when the 
weather is favourable to induce the formation of sturdy growth. Good 
flowers and large spikes are the result of solid well ripened pseudo-bulbs. 
Later plants started in 3 and 4-inch pots may be transferred into others 
2 inches larger. This operation must not be delayed, or else the plants 
will not benefit so much as if feeding only was resorted to. If potted at 
once the plants will develops rapidly, unless they have become checked by 
confinement in the small pots. Water carefully for a time after potting, 
then give liberal supplies. These plants should be grown in a tempera¬ 
ture at night of 75°, with a rise by day of 10° or 15° by sun heat. 
Phajus grandifolius .— These will be growing rapidly and rooting 
freely in their pots, and will bear feeding every time they need water. 
Grow them by the side of the earliest Calanthes, and the treatment advised 
for them will suit well. Stimulants applied in a weak state are preferable 
to strong doses occasionally. 
Cattleyas .—Healthy plants are growing freely, and will need abun¬ 
dance of water at their roots for the next two months. The atmosphere 
should be moderately moist. Admit plenty of light and air, only sha iiug 
them from bright sun. The foliage and pseudo-bulbs of plants grown in a 
close, confined, shaded house are long and weakly, and never produce 
such fine flowers as those of plump sturdy formation, with Btrong leathery 
foliage. The leaves of healthy plants will be a deep green colour if 
shaded only from strong sun, as long as they are not starved by too low a 
temperature. Sickly yellow foliage is frequently the result of too much 
sunlight and too low a temperature. These planes should be sorted, and 
such species as C. Trianse, C. Mossiae, and others that have nearly com¬ 
pleted their growth, and only need thoroughly ripening, should have the 
lightest position in the house. Those still making their growth should 
have a little more shade. Care must be taken that such varieties as C. 
Eldorado and others that flower from the pseudo-bulbs directly they are 
made, are not checked while in this stage, or the growth another 
year instead of being stronger will be the reverse. These root abundantly 
after flowering, and the supply of water should not fail until they are well 
ripened in autumn and root-action has ceased. The ripening process 
should be gradual, and not prematurely brought to that condition by with¬ 
holding water and checking the plants. Some attention is needed to 
prevent yellow thrips from becoming established in the young growths* 
for if neglected for a few days or a week the appearance of the foliage is* 
entirely destroyed. If thrips exist the whole of the plants should be gone 
over and sponged with a weak solution of tobacco water, and tobacco 
powder dusted into the young growths. This must be removed again 
directly the insects have been destroyed. The house should also be lightly 
fumigated two or three evenings in succession. 
Bis a grandiflora .—This Orchid is often grown too warm, and fails to 
do satisfactorily in consequence. To be successful it must be grown 
perfectly cool, with plenty of air circulating about them. They must 
also have moderate heavy shading and abundance of water. The best 
time to repot them is directly they have flowered and the old flower stems 
are cut down. The old soil, which is certain to become sufficiently sour 
for removal in the space of a year, should be carefully picked from 
amongst their roots and then fresh supplied. The plants appear to 
succeed best in fibry loam from which all the soily particles have been 
removed, and charcoal in lumps. They must be carefully watered for a 
time after potting until young growths issue from the base, when liberal 
supplies of water should be given and the surface of the pans covered 
with living moss. As these plants require a large quantity of water the 
drainage provided for them must be liberal. Slugs are also very fond of 
the young growths and must be searched for diligently. 
mm BEE-KEEPER. 
M 
QUEENS AND QUEEN INTKODUCTION. 
Since last August there has not been a month free from 
frost, and only one month free from snow in this locality. 
The temperature of July ranged from 30° to 84°. In many 
places the Potatoes were blackened in July. With such 
variable weather it was impossible for honey to be abundant. 
The work of raising queens at the end of May and beginning 
of June had to be delayed till July and August. The majority 
of our queens were three weeks old before they were fertilised. 
I have not lost a single young queen. Last year I arranged 
my hives, fixed my plans, and the bees did all I wished; this 
year they have reversed things and given much trouble, with 
one exception, and that is, at least 70 per cent, of last year’s 
queens have been superseded by young ones, so I have been 
saved the trouble of “re-queening” stocks before going, to 
the moors. All my hives are in the best order for gathering 
honey from the Heather, which I intend taking to on the 
14th, being about two weeks later than usual. As all these 
queens are in large and strong hives they will be well taxed 
in depositing eggs, so will all be deposed in September and 
special queens introduced which I have in nuclei, bred from 
pure queens. These queens will be in the best order for 
having strong and early colonies in 1887. Most of my nuclei 
will by the end of September be in a fit state to stand the 
winter without any assistance. In the stocks to be re¬ 
queened I shall remove the queen regnant, and in eight days 
after shall make a thorough examination of every comb, 
removing all royal cells. After the bees make the commotion 
usual on such occurrence will, if queen only, put her into 
my safety queen cage, placing it on the top of the hive 
