August 10, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
186 
ventilators, such as hexagon netting, for these insects are very numerous 
in some localities and voraciously devour the fruit, some before it is well 
coloured. Bottles half full of sweetened beer should be suspended 
outside, and bushels of wasps, bluebottle flies, and other predatory pests 
may be drowned in a short time. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Celery.— Showery weather has been very favourable to the growth 
of Celery. In some instances, however, the rains have not been 
sufficiently heavy to well soak the soil close up to the plants, and this 
should at once be made good by means of the watering pot. Showery 
weather is the best time for applying liquid manures or for washing in 
soot and salt. Soot may be very freely dusted along the rows, but salt 
must be more sparingly used. Both are excellent manures, and good 
slug deterrents. Exhibition Celery should have a good soaking of liquid 
manure about once a week, and only a little soil in the form of a top¬ 
dressing placed about the stems, the blanching being most cleanly 
effected by means of several folds of brown paper. Do not bind the 
latter to such an extent as to check the development of the hearts. 
About one-half of the leaves ought to be enclosed by the paper, and a 
month is not too much time to allow for perfect blanching. 
For ordinary use the blanching may be effected by moulding up. 
Commence by clearing small leaves and suckers from the plants of 
white varieties, weeds also being drawn out. Then dress with soot or 
salt, or the two in mixture, and wash some of this down to the roots the 
same evening. Next morning chop down some of the soil from the 
sides, and distribute about 3 inches of this in the trench. While this is 
being done the outer stalks of the plants should be held or tied well 
together. In the course of a fortnight or three weeks the hearts will be 
advanced considerably, and the second moulding up may be given. 
Avoid placing too much soil in the trench at one time. The final 
moulding up should be given about one month before the Celery is 
required for use. 
Celery lieaf ivxiner. —In some gardens the Celery is quite clear 
of this pest, and in others scarcely a leaf is free of them. A close look¬ 
out ought always to be kept for the first attack. This season the flies 
were unusually early at work among the plants, piercing the leaves and 
depositing the eggs, and unless all the grubs found eating their way 
between the two skins are destroyed the leaves will present a very 
ragged appearance. A free use of soot on and about the plants, applied 
when the leaves are damp, has a deterrent effect upon the newly hatched 
flies, driving them to seek fresh quarters, while if all the maggots found 
in the leaves are crushed between the finger and thumb not much 
harm will result. 
Celerlac.— Celeriac, or Turnip-rooted Celery, ought ere this to have 
been planted on the level, ground previously well manured for and 
occupied by early Cauliflowers suiting it well without any further pre¬ 
paration beyond a good surface hoeing. What is wanted is a large, 
quickly grown. Turnip-like root, a firm rich root-run being the most 
likely to produce these. Keep the plants well supplied with water in 
dry weather, liquid manure or soot also doing good. The surface of 
the ground should be kept free of weeds. There should be no moulding 
up of Celeriac, the root only being eaten either as a vegetable or 
salad. 
Winter Spinach. —This crop is of so much importance that more 
that ordinary pains should be taken in producing it. It thrives best on 
rather high, free working, fairly rich ground, the plan of growing it on 
raised Asparagus-like beds answering well where the site is naturally 
damp and cold. The ground ought to have been manured and dug some 
time ago, forking it over lightly once since. If lime has not been given 
to the selected plot during the past five or six years well whiten the 
surface with newly slaked lime now and lightly stir in prior to sowing 
the seeds ; no lime being needed then apply a dressing of soot. Draw 
shallow drills from 12 inches to 15 inches asunder. Moisten these drills 
if at all dry, and then sow the seed thinly. The Victoria or Monstrous 
Viroflay is the finest of all varieties, and with this should be sown a few 
long rows of either the round-seeded Summer or prickly-seeded Winter 
Spinach. Another sowing should be made a fortnight or three weeks 
later. 
Iiate Kidney Beans. —In the autumn a few late Kidney Beans 
may prove acceptable. The plants are far from being hardy, but if the 
seeds are sown on somewhat high ground, where the plants can be pro¬ 
tected during frosty nights, they may be preserved some time after the 
rest of either Runner or Kidney Beans have succumbed. Any of the 
early varieties and also Canadian Wonder are suitable for present sow¬ 
ing. Draw the drills 2 feet asunder for the stronger growers, 18 inches 
being enough for the dwarf early forms, of which Sion House is still 
one of the best. If the drills are at all dry, water before sowing the 
seed thinly. Thin out the seedlings to about 6 inches asunder and 
mould up. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
Bedding Antirrhinums.— The white bedding variety forms a very 
attractive bed, the flowering period being fully equal to that of the 
majority of other plants used. Several newer forms suitable for 
bedding have also been introduced. In order to have strong plants 
ready for planting early next season, and which only can be depended 
upon for a good effect, propagating should commence now. Short 
flowerless shoots, slipped off from old plants, will root readily in a 
cold frame or handlights at the foot of a north wall or other cool and 
not too dark position. Dibble three or four of the cuttings round the 
sides of 3-inch pots filled with gritty loamy soil, give a gentle watering, 
and keep close and shaded during the hottest part of the day till they 
are rooted. Some could be wintered in pots, and the rest planted in 
sheltered nursery beds. 
Antirrhinums from Seed. —The white bedding and other named 
Antirrhinums come quite true from seed, and this is the readiest means 
of raising a large number of plants. Now is a better time for sowing 
than early next year, and this season’s seed will germinate more strongly 
than older seed. Sow the seed thinly on the surface of previously 
moistened pans of light sandy soil and very lightly cover with fine soil. 
Cover with a square of glass and either moss or paper, and place in 
a cool frame or handlight at the foot of a north wall or fence. When 
the seedlings are large enough prick out in boxes of light soil. Being 
fairly hardy, some may be planted out in nursery beds and the rest be 
wintered in a cold frame. 
Pentstemons. —These again are seldom very effective the same 
season they are propagated, but plants raised now from either cuttings 
or seed would do remarkably well next summer. Both cuttings and seeds 
should be treated exactly as advised in the case of Antirrhinums. Where 
hardier bedding plants are preferred to the more tender kinds, Pent¬ 
stemons ought certainly to be given a place. Strong old plants are most 
suited to mixed borders, but late summer or autumn raised plants placed 
out early into large well prepared beds and lightly staked up would 
prove quite a feature in the display. A mixture of Pentstemons and 
Nicotiana affinis is both bold and pleasing. As many as are wanted 
should be wintered in cold frames or pits, as a very severe winter is 
sometimes fatal to most of the exposed plants. 
Tuberous Begonias. —If short flowerless side shoots of these are 
made into cuttings, dibbled rather thickly in pans or boxes of fine 
sandy soil, set in the full sunshine and sheltered from heavy rains, the 
majority will strike root and form tiny tubers before the tops die down. 
Left where they are and stored in a dry cellar or shed where severe 
frosts cannot reach them, these small tubers will winter well and be 
very handy for bedding next season. Now is also a good time to sow 
seed with a view to having abundance of small tubers to make an 
early start with next season. Quite new seed will germinate very 
quickly and strongly, and this should be preferred, though last season’s 
seed will not fail if sound at the time of sowing. Prepare several pans 
or boxes, by careful draining and filling up with fine light sandy soil. 
Make the surface very level and firm, but do not sand over, give a gentle 
watering, and about one hour later sow the seed thinly, quite on the 
surface, no covering over being attempted. Place in a cold frame on 
inverted pans or pots with a view to excluding worms, cover with 
squares of glass, and shade heavily. The soil must be kept uniformly 
moist, not by waterings, but rather by partial immersion in a tub or 
tank of water, the one thing to avoid being the disturbance of the 
germinating seed. The seedlings will not make much growth, but if 
undisturbed will form tubers near the size of Radish seed. Such, if 
kept plump till next March, will be available for growing into strong 
plants by the time they are wanted for the flower beds. 
Cbrysanthemums.— If there are any bad failures in the flower 
garden, and the late hot and dry weather proved very trying in many 
cases, some of these might be made good by either planting out or 
transplanting Madame Desgrange and Mrs. Hawkins. Both of these 
varieties are very sturdy and floriferous this season, and perhaps 
would do better service in the flower beds than under glass. If planted 
in a sloping direction, the tops well spread out, and lightly pegged or 
tied down, either variety would form a good groundwork for a few rather 
tall Cockscombs. A bed or beds thus filled would rank among the most 
attractive feature in a garden. 
HE BEE-KEEPER. 
Vf«ir—'nn 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
At the Moors. 
Four weeks have passed since our bees were taken to the 
Heather, but, excepting two days when the sun shone at intervals 
from fifteen to thirty minutes, it never blessed us with its presence 
for more than five minutes at a time, dense black clouds with strong 
winds prevailing through the day, and often the nights were frosty, 
the grass having more the appearance of Christmas than July and 
August. Bees are doing no good, but the Heather is not past yet, 
and with a few fine days the honey might come into it and cheer 
the desponding hearts of many bee-keepers. Although the experi¬ 
ence has been disappointing and provoking, I have had some 
valuable lessons. 
In past years it was puzzling to know the cause of dead bees at 
the front of many of the hives. Sometimes this arose from fight¬ 
ing, the robbers being attracted by smelling the honey through 
openings in the hive left for ventilation or being badly made. The 
real and worst cause, however, is swarming. The bees of one 
swarm, often with many queens, divide themselves into clusters 
over a number of hives, and, entering them, slaughtering as often 
as not takes place ; the queens escaping injury cause a swarm to 
issue and repeat the disaster over other hives. When the bees of a 
