Januaryi , 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
displacing any that have the spurs too long. Remove loose bark only, 
avoiding the peeling and scraping usually practised. Wash the rods 
with softsoap and water, and then apply, if necessary, an insecticide, 
avoiding the pigments which leave a deposit on the Vines calculated 
to interfere with their power of respiration. Remove the surface soil 
or mulching down to the roots, and add fresh material. Keep the house 
cool, but if utilised for plants the temperature artificially must not 
exceed 45°. 
Late Houses .—Vineries in which Grapes are hanging should have a 
dry atmosphere, with a mean temperature of 45°. Examine every 
bunch frequently, and remove all decayed berries. Ventilate the house 
on fine mornings, keeping it closed when the weather is damp. Where 
late Grapes were ripened comparatively early, and it is desired to start 
the Vines soon after the middle of February, the Grapes may be cut, 
the ends of the stems being inserted in bottles of rain water with a 
small piece of charcoal in each, securing it in an inclined position so as 
to admit of the fruit hanging clear of the bottles. Any dry room will 
be a suitable place where an equable temperature of 40° to 45° is main¬ 
tained. This will admit of the Vines being pruned, the house cleaned, 
and kept cool and dry to assure a few weeks’ rest before starting time. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
The Weather. —It is many years since our vegetable crops have 
had to contend with such severe weather as that experienced lately. 
The frost has been excessive, the north wind most cutting. Snow has 
fallen frequently, and this has afforded some protection ; but altogether 
vegetable crops are in a very unprofitable condition. Broccoli have 
ceased forming heads. It will take them some weeks to do so after the 
frost departs, and the plants are very much injured, especially the 
midwinter varieties. The spring and early summer varieties are better. 
Winter Spinach has shrivelled greatly, and it will be a long time before 
it becomes luxuriant; but, judging from past experience, the roots 
will be sound, and should be retained to give a supply in spring. 
We are always much troubled with birds in summer, but generally 
escape them in winter. Only at present the larks are picking the tops 
of the spring Cabbage, so much that we have had to net them to prevent 
the whole being destroyed. The root crops under cover are well 
protected, and are beeoming more valuable than ever. Parsnips, 
Salsafy, and sueh like under the soil are sound, but a quantity of each 
have been lifted to meet the demand until the frost ceases. Unfortu¬ 
nately vegetables were not so well ripened last autumn as they always 
are in a bright warm summer and autumn, and they will consequently 
suffer all the more. At the proper time in the spring we suggested 
planting a large quantity of Leeks and Curly Greens as vegetables that 
would become most valuable in a severe winter or afterwards, and those 
who acted on this advice will now find the advantage of it. 
Forcing. —This will have to receive extra attention. The deficieney 
of supplies out of doors must be compensated for by extra quantities 
here. Aspargus, Seakale and Rhubarb will force more readily now than 
in November, and roots should be lifted and introduced to the forcing 
quarters. Cucumber pits may be utilised in this way for the next two 
months, when hotbeds and odd corners everywhere with the necessary 
amount of heat may be turned to account. 
Kidney Beans. — Those showing flower are not likely to bear 
heavily. They have had little or no sun, and the severe weather is 
against them, but if scarce now they will be equally valuable in 
February and March, when the open air vegetables are sure to be 
scarce, and all who can should sow seed at once. The Ne Plus Ultra 
type are the best. The long-podded varieties are useless at this time. 
In April and May they will grow and fruit freely under any condition so 
long as they have a little heat, but at present they require more care. A 
good mode of raising the plants is to sow from six to ten seeds in a 3-inch 
pot, and grow them in these until they are ready for G or 7-inch pots. 
Place a little drainage in the bottom of each small pot, half fill them 
with a light rich soil. Place the seed on the surface and cover to 
near the top with more soil. From 100 to 200 pots will afford a useful 
supply, but where the glass accommodation is extensive double this 
quantity may be introduced at once. Do not give much water until 
the young plants appear, as too damp soil may cause the seed to 
decay. If they are placed in a temperature of from G0°to70°they 
will make satisfactory progress. If not overcrowded at any time 
they will remain dwarf and robust, and when fruited in a light 
position it is astonishing the quantity of pods each pot of plants will 
produce. 
Mushrooms. —Like everything else the Mushrooms have felt the 
cold. Our open air beds are not very prolific at present, and those in 
cool sheds are slower in forming than they were a month or more ago. 
We have none in a heated place, hence our reason for anxiously trying 
to induce the cool beds to continue bearing. This we have little fear of 
accomplishing, and our principal aid is to increase the amount of hay 
or straw covering on the surface, and cover all over with mats or 
oilcloth. In mild weather a layer fi inches deep of hay is sufficient, but 
when the thermometer is below 32° this should be doubled or more, and 
the whole kept dry. No one should make an excuse that they have 
not a hothouse as a Mushroom place, and cannot, therefore, grow 
Mushrooms, as a shed or stable is ample to produce fine crops at all 
seasons. 
Salading. —Lettuce and Endive are now very scarce. The frost 
has destroyed all that were exposed, and those in cold frames are 
somewhat withered, Forced salading must be thiefly depended on. 
la 
Lift quantities of Chicory or Witloof roots. Place from eight to a 
dozen of them in a 10-inch pot, and plunge them in a dark place in a 
bottom heat of about 80°. They will quickly produce a large head of 
tender cream-coloured leaves invaluable for winter salad. Sow a 
quantity of Mustard and Cress weekly according to demand. They may 
be raised in shallow boxes, and with a temperature of G0° will be. 
ready for cutting in a week. 
Protecting Celery. —We have all our Celery covered with bracken 
which was harvested like hay in September. This is a good protection*,, 
but no Celery covering should be taken oil too soon after the frost 
departs, as it is by exposing it too soon then that much of it becomes, 
pulpy and is spoiled. 
m BEE-KEEPER. 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
WiiAT Guides the Bee in Flight? 
I PUT the question because I believe the movements of the bee ■ 
are as yet but imperfectly understood. I am convinced they 
possess senses unknown to man. They recognise colour, and the 
position as well as form of their.hive, and undoubtedly the odour,. 
but whether it is from the sense of smell I am not prepared to say. 
Sounds they do recognise. Repeatedly have I brought the bees to 
the outside by tinkling sounds when about to feed, and the hum at" 
swarming and hiving time cannot fail to strike the most casual' 
observer that it is for the sole purpose of collecting the myriad of" 
bees that form the swarm. Remove a hive a short distance from 
its original stand ; at first the bees fly directly to the original site,. 
then shortly they spread in a seeking direction until one bee finds 
it, when immediately the hum draws others, until in a short time 
the whole of the bees are on the right track, the humming increas¬ 
ing as the bees enter. But this is not all ; the humming has< 
another purpose to serve than gathering the swarm. If that hum 
is raised by any other means the hive may be removed without 
fear of any of the bees returning if it should be but a few yards. 
In order to prevent fighting and loss of bees when setting bees at' 
the Heather the skill of the bee-keeper is sometimes sorely taxed; 
To lead the bees to their proper hive coloured devices properly 
arranged are the best means to adopt, but the bees must have been 
accustomed to them at home. It may be safely said that sight is 
the sense that guides the bee in that respect. 
But again in an open space. If a row of hives is extended by 
new ones being placed alongside the bees of the first set ones 
become puzzled, and for a time enter the other hives, which strikes ■ 
one forcibly that it is not sight alone that guides the bee. Think-: 
over it as I may can discern no difference in this trait of the bee • 
from that in blind persons. Often have I when accompanying a 
blind person caused him to deviate from his course by similarly 
obstructing him, and have known the same individual wander when 
there was a mist or a fall of snow which prevented his “ seeing 
where to go.” 
When a hive is so placed that the light of day is upon it the ’ 
bee flies directly to the entrance ; but place it in a dark retreat 
some distance from the light, the bees will only fly as far as the 
light penetrates, creeping towards the hive through the darkness 
without error. But remove what has obscured the hive, ard thn 
bees will for a time be puzzled to reach the hive. In this instance 
something more than sight has been at work guiding the bees. It 
would be easy for me to go over a great many interesting cases of 
bees being puzzled and the methods they took to find their home, 
which were always in a uniform manner, as regular as is performed 
in all the internal economy of the hive, but limited space forbids 
detailing at present. I have at various times expressed my opinion-- 
of the magnetic influence in bees, and the more I think of it tho- 
more I am convinced that it has much to do with the guidance of 
the bee in her aerial flights as well as inside the hive. I have seeir- 
a number of hives in the centre of a clump of trees which were 
removed before the lees were aware, and yet I could not observe 
