Jul7 13, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
43 
Cleanse the trees of dust by means of the syringe or engine. Red spider 
or other insect pests must be subdued by the prompt employment of an 
insecticide. Keep the borders thoroughly moist, feeding with liquid 
manure if the trees have carried heavy crops, are at all weakly, or do 
not plump the buds. Stop all laterals to one joint on vigorous trees, or 
allow a little lateral growth if the trees have the buds in an advanced 
state, this preventing premature ripening of the foliage. When the 
wood is matured and the buds well formed remove the roof lights. The 
exposure to dew and rain has an invigorating effect. 
Trees Started in March. —The fruit of the second early and mid¬ 
season varieties, which only are worth growing for supplies after May 
under forcing treatment, are taking the last swelling, and should have 
the leaves drawn aside and the fruit raised by means of laths across the 
wires of the trellis, so that the apex will be to the light. Inside and 
outside borders must be watered, and liquid manure supplied until the 
fruit commences to ripen. A light mulch of lumpy manure will lessen 
the need of supplies of water, but avoid heavy mulching. Ventilate 
early, or rather increase it, as a little air on all night is beneficial, and 
syringe by 7 A.M., ventilating freely through the day. When the sun loses 
power in the afternoon begin to reduce the air and so as to raise the 
temperature to 85° or 90°, with a syringing and damping of the surface. 
This, however, must be done with judgment, for when the sun is power¬ 
ful and the house closed the water may be heated so as to scorch the 
leaves, which occurs in span-roofed houses running east and west. 
Water also hanging for any length of time on the fruit during the last 
swelling is liable to damage the skin, causing it to crack and imparting 
a musty flavour ; therefore have the fruit dry before nightfall, and in 
dull weather syringe only in the morning or damp the floors and borders 
instead of wetting the trees. Cease syringing directly the fruit com¬ 
mences ripening, but damp surfaces, especially the borders, whenever 
they become dry, and ventilate rather freely. 
Late Houses. —The fruit in these is quite three weeks earlier than 
usual and requires abundant ventilation to retard it. This necessitates 
frequent attention to damping and giving supplies of water at the 
roots. Syringe well in the morning and afternoon. Keep the shoots 
tied down as they advance, allowing no more than are necessary for next 
year’s bearing, or for furnishing the trees, so that the foliage will have 
full exposure to light and air. Stop laterals to one leaf, retaining 
growth to attract the sap to the fruit. Gross shoots which push laterals 
from the leaf buds, cut back to where the buds remain intact, or if 
likely to disarrange the equalisation of the vigour of the tree, remove 
them altogether. Draw the leaves away from the fruit, affording sa 
much light and sun as possible. This is important, for the higher the 
colour the better the flavour of the fruit. 
Unheated Houses or Wall Cases. —These generally contain several 
varieties and have the fruit in various stages. Ours consist of the mid¬ 
season and late varieties, the stoning being completed and now taking 
the last swelling. The trees are well supplied with liquid manure, it 
being run directly from the manure cart on the border by means of hose 
pipes. With plenty of nourishment at the roots and the foliage disposed 
so that it has light and air from all points, the fruit swells kindly and 
colours well. Keep the growths thinly disposed, every shoot given full 
exposure to sun and air. Syringe about 7 A.M. ; admit a little air 
constantly, and increase the ventilation with the advancing temperature, 
having it full at 75°. Syringe again in the afternoon about 5 p.m. If 
red spider appear, subdue it by forcible syringing or the prompt 
application of an insecticide. 
Figs. — Second Crop. —The fruit of planted-out trees started about 
the new year is in an advanced state, and this second crop must be 
thinned where too plentiful, reserving that at the base of the shoots, 
which swells and finishes better than at the points, where fruit must not 
be taken if a full first crop is desired another season. Avoid heavy 
second crops for a similar reason, for heavily taxed trees will not afford 
satisfactory early crops. Train the shoots thinly, allow plenty of 
space in the ties for the shoots to swell, and stop side shoots at about the 
fifth leaf, but only leave those for which there is room, and so as not to 
interfere with the extension or successional growths. Supply water 
copiously ; if the surface is mulched with sweetened horse droppings the 
manuiial elements will be washed into the soil each time water is 
applied and ammonia be given off, and the roots be attracted to and 
kept active at the surface. Trees in narrow borders may need water 
every day in hot weather, others once or twice a week according to the 
extent of the rooting area. Syringe twice a day forcibly to dislodge 
red spider. With proper feeding and attention to air moisture there will 
be little need for insecticides, but red spider must be kept in check, and 
scale removed with a brush and a soapy solution. Admit a little air 
constantly, increase it early, and close in good time with plenty of 
atmospheric moisture, then the fruit will swell to a good size, and a free 
circulation of rather dry air when ripening will insure Figs in 
perfection. 
Fig Trees in Pots for Early Forcing. —It is important that the trees 
have plenty of light, are not crowded, and are well ventilated to solidify 
the growths. Syringe the trees twice a day in hot weather and occasion¬ 
ally only in dull, keeping the foliage perfectly free from insects. 
Afford liquid manure at roots, as well-fed and properly matured growths 
only produce really good first crops. Stopping to induce a neat habit is 
necessary in young plants, but it must not be practised later than this, 
or the young growths will not have time to mature and form embryonic 
Figs at the joints. Trees for early forcing must only bear light second 
crops, taking care to remove any fruit showing now or later, and keeping 
the points of the shoots well exposed to the light. 
iK 
m BDE-KEEPBR. 
.~i~ I , i . I . r. I .T. 1 -7 »I ■ i~~r- r* f»r- I ■ 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
The first week of July was the busiest of the whole season. 
On the Ist I took several hives and nuclei to the Heather for the 
purpose of getting a little Wild Thyme honey, and to secure pure 
fertilisation of some Punic queens, also to prepare the site for 
sixty hives. I have never seen Heather so early and so promising. 
With ten days or so fine weather during the next four weeks there 
will be a large yield of honey. The bees are all in the best condi¬ 
tion for gathering. 
PuNics AND Crossed Syrians. 
Punics have done remarkably well in many places, and with 
myself. The hive referred to in the two last numbers of the 
Jour7ial of Horticulture has given to its owner in a day or two 
more than a month after being hived 75 lbs. in supers and sections. 
The gross weight on the 7th, including surplus removed, was 140 lbs., 
tare 30 lbs., nett 110. The parent hive has yielded about 56 lbs., 
the nett of it being 100 lbs. The second swarm from it was lost. 
It would be worth the while of persons in quest of information 
and instructions on bees to visit Blantyre, where both Punic bees 
and practical bee-keepers with their weighty hives may be seen. 
My crossed Syrians are wonderful heavy. These and the Punics 
are the only unswarmed ones, but others of the same breeds have 
swarmed. 
It is many years since I drew the attention of your readers to 
the fact that by caging a queen on top of a hive having a laying or 
virgin queen a swarm issued. I have several cases where I gave 
two Punic queen cells, thinking they might destroy one as they 
hatched out. Singular to say these queens were ripe for hatching 
on June 20th, and were still piping on July 7th. Three of them 
swarmed, but in every case went back to the parent hive. It is 
frequently advised to throw back an after-swarm on the parent 
hive after it has been off a few hours, and it will not swarm again. 
This, however, is erroneous advice, for so long as two queens 
exist in one hive they are liable to swarm at any moment, which 
may be prolonged for three weeks, as in the cases stated above, 
and that is the reason why we deposed one of the queens in the 
two-queens-in-one-hive system. 
I have also had several cases of swarming where stray young 
queens entered other hives than their own. The foregoing are but 
a few of many similar cases which I have experienced. Some bee¬ 
keepers argue that a fertilised queen sometimes takes an airing. 
I do not believe that, but in every case where queens were seen on 
the wing during any part of the year they were surplus queens 
from their own hive, or a neighbouring one ; because queens are 
bred if required during every month of the year. 
One important item I have omitted to mention is, that the 
supers and sections taken from the crossed Punic referred to were 
not supplied with foundation deeper than half an inch, only starters, 
or the yield might have been still greater.—A Lanarkshire Bee¬ 
keeper. 
Swarming. 
How does “ A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper ” account for bees 
swarming on a Sunday oftener than any other day in the week ? 
I have two stock hives side by side, which sent out their first 
swarms on Sunday, June 18th ; and as I have not had any 
swarms do the like before, I am at a loss to know whether I have 
acted rightly or not. The first swarm had just clustered on a 
Currant bush, when out came No. 2, and clusters with No. 1. 
Taking the branch and more than half of the cluster I placed 
them gently into a bar-frame hive, and supplied them with eight 
frames, two of them being filled with food and brood. The rest of 
the cluster was laying on the ground, which I thought, if properly 
hived, would possibly have a queen and settle ; but it was soon to 
be seen the bees were not settled, as they came out and clustered 
under the landing board of the other newly hived swarm. There 
they hung for two days, and when, on the 20th, I picked up a dead 
queen in front of this hive they joined the other inmates, and all 
have worked peaceably together. I then filled up the hive—a 
thirteen framed one—and placed a 28 lb. section rack on the top. 
Is this right, or is it possible to do anything more ? The stock 
hives are ten and eleven framed. I shall also be glad to know if 
any swarm will be of much use after this date. Any advice for 
the future working will be highly appreciated by—H. Richardson, 
Barnsley. 
[That bees swarm sometimes on a Sunday there is no doubt, 
but in my experience not more frequently than on any other day. 
Bees always make preparations from eight to ten days previous to 
