June 8, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
467 
much space to allow these, but if planted on firm ground manured for 
preceding crops only 2 feet is enough. 
Celery. —If wanted extra early the plants ought, ere this, to have 
been put out; but for ordinary purposes, and to meet the requirements 
of most places, the early part of June is soon enough to put out the 
earliest raised plants. In any case they ought to have been pricked 
out and grown into sturdy plants before being transferred to the beds 
or trenches, and any delay in transplanting after they touch each other 
should be avoided. Exhibition Celery is most surely had by planting 
on the level or even slightly raised beds, the site being well in the open 
and prepared by a liberal admixture of loam, ashes from a garden 
smother, and solid manure. They may be planted from 15 inches 
to 18 asunder each way, and being kept well supplied with water and 
liquid manure. Celery thus treated grows more rapidly and strongly 
than it does as a rule in trenches. The blanching can be effected by 
means of brown paper bandages. For ordinary purposes trenches 
18 inches wide with 4 feet spaces between answer well, though trenches 
another 6 inches wider are frequently made to hold a double row of plants, 
solid manure being freely forked in in each case. Give the plants a 
good soaking of water before they are moved, lift with a ball of 
soil about the roots, and replant 8 inches apart in a single row, or a foot 
asunder in double rows. After planting give a watering, and keep 
them constantly moist during the rest of the summer. Sprinkling the 
foliage in the evenings of bright days is beneficial, and if these few 
details are observed sturdy plants will not flag in quite the hottest 
weather. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Iilllum Harrlsl. —Plants that have flowered may be stood outside 
and cut down within a foot of their base, when they will start again 
into growth and produce flowers in the autumn. Later plants must be 
kept perfectly cool and free from aphides by fumigating or dusting 
them w'ith tobacco povrder. The latest of all will do well in cold frames, 
where the lights can be thrown off daily in order to keep them back as 
much as possible in addition to keeping them dwarf, 
Epacrls. —Those that have started well into growth should now 
have air admitted to them liberally by day, and a little may be left on 
during the night. If the pots are standing on ashes or other moisture¬ 
holding material, shading should be dispensed with. These plants need 
abundance of light to ripen and harden the vpood as it is made. This is 
essential if they are to bloom profusely another season, 
Erica hyemalls. —These should be in frames and abundance of air 
should be given them. If possible raise the frames slightly at the base, 
so that a good circulation of air can penetrate freely to the lower portion 
of the plants. Eapid growth can be produced by close confined treat¬ 
ment, but this is unwise if the plants are to flower freely. Sturdy, well- 
ripened growth is the secret of success. Close confined treatment soon 
ruins such kinds asE. autumnalis and B. caffra. The decaying flowers 
should be removed from the varieties of E. ventricosa as they go out of 
bloom. The base on which all hard-wooded Heaths stand should be kept 
moist, and too much air cannot well be given them. 
Cytlsus. —Plants that have commenced growth after being cnt 
back may be potted if they need more root room. These plants do well 
in good loam, sand, and one-seventh of decayed manure. After potting 
place the plants in a cold frame and give them plenty of air. Any 
shoots that take the lead should be pinched, so that the plants will form 
close compact bushes. Nothing is gained by inducing these plants to 
make rapid soft growth by keeping them close. Acacias of various 
kinds that flowered early and have started into growth may also be 
potted and given the same treatment. 
Solanums.— Be careful that plants which are placed in the pots 
in which they are to be used for decoration are not allowed to become 
dry at their roots, or else they will fail to set berries. Plunge the pots 
if practicable, and give air liberally. Soot water, after they are rooting 
freely, is also beneficial. If large plants are needed they may be 
planted out in frames ; but a firm base should he provided, so that the 
plants can be lifted with good balls of soil at potting time. 
Salvias and Eupatorlums. —Young plants must be pinched 
from time to time as they need it to induce them to branch freely. 
These plants may be gradually hardened to cool-frame treatment, ready 
for eventually planting outside, or they may be grown in pots and stood 
out when thoroughly hardened. If the latter do not allow them to 
become root-bound before they receive their final shift. 
Heliotropes.— Cuttings that are rooted for autumn and winter 
flowering may be placed into 3-inch pots, and grown in gentle warmth 
until they are established, when they may be hardened to cool frame 
treatment, and finally placed into pots 2 inches larger and stood outside. 
The only attention needed is to pinch the shoots to induce them to 
branch. 
Zonal Pelargoniums. —Place all that are ready into their flower¬ 
ing pots, and gradually harden them in cold frames ready for standing 
outside whenever the weather is sufficiently favourable. All flowers 
that show should be removed, as well as the points of the shoots, to 
induce the plants to branch. The soil should be pressed firmly into the 
pots, good loam being used, with the addition of sand and one-seventh of 
manure. Ivy-leaved kinds may be given the same treatment, and will 
then flower profusely during the autumn and winter if well ripened. 
Plants that are only just rooted may have their points removed and 
grown for a time under glass before placing them outside, in fact they 
should be kept under glass until they are ready for the pots in which 
they are to flower. 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
_ Just when swarming was beginning to be general about the 
middle of May the weather changed unfavourably, and continued 
so t’.ll the end of the month. Hives that were prepared to swarm 
did so with the improved weather on June 1st, having in most 
cases many queens. The queens of one hive mixed with others, 
and soma entered stock hives, unsettling many swarms. The 
stocks in every instance killed the invading queens, but swarms 
swarmed again. As the only remedy to prevent them I inserted 
a strip of zinc queen excluder in the entrance. This, in some 
cases, kept the queens inside, but the bees flew out, and although 
the stock hives were removed 30 yards or more away, the bees 
found them, and to prevent them entering I had to take them 
within doors until they settled. 
Unsettled Swarms, 
Strange bees, or several queens, give much trouble. They 
task the bee-keeper more than all other manipulations put 
together, and annoy and bewilder the beginner completely. It is 
not easy to advise what to do under the circumstances. Bees are 
so capricious, and the best thing the bee-keeper can do is to study 
their many ways of acting, then be prepared to take advantage of 
it, It would be an easy matter to advise catching the surplus 
queen, but then there are sometimes from a dozen to a score in one 
swarm. If we could rely upon the first swarm coming when it is 
just prepared to do so, before there is a single young queen hatched, 
the task is easy to depose all the surplus queen cells about a week 
after the issue of the first swarm. It is no remedy to attempt 
artificial swarming with a low temperature and amidst rain, because 
it cannot be performed successfully. 
Another difficulty is having several drone-laying bees in a hive. 
In such cases any attempt of the apiarist to cause the bees to raise 
queens will be resented by them, or if they do so the queens will 
be undersized, while it is even more difficult to get the bees in a 
proper mood to accept a queen. When there are no egg-laying 
bees present there is no difficulty whatever to introduce an alien 
queen to any queenless stock, no matter whether the bees be young 
or old. 
Feeding. 
During the past fortnight I have been feeding swarms as I 
recently advised, but sparingly. We usually have to feed till 
June 20tb, but it is probable that we shall finish before that date 
this year. I would ask inexperienced bee-keepers to think well 
over the matter before spending money on cumbrous hives. 
Although I was the first to explain our well tried system it was 
not enough to warrant me to advise all to rush headlong into the 
method without experience. Some persons have argued that 
moderately strong hives gathered more honey than extra strong 
ones. Only last year one of these writers told us that swarms 
gathered no honey, or rather if colonies were allowed to swarm 
there would be an end to honey gathering. I have one hive that 
has swarmed four times ; all are hived and doing well. If it turns 
out a good season I will let your readers know the result of the 
hives gathering, and of their increase should any of them swarm 
again. 
Foundation, 
Although I have manufactured comb foundation for thirty-one 
years, and at one time advised its use extensively, since I proved 
the fallacy of 20 lbs. of honey to the 1 lb. of wax theory with 
the great reduction in the price of sugar, I have modified my views 
somewhat. Sugar is much cheaper and more satisfactory to use 
for comb building than much of the comb-foundation in the 
market. Of course when a laying queen is with the swarm I do 
not allow time and eggs to be lost, but give all such a proper 
supply.—A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
H. & E. Albert, 17, Gracechurcli Street, London, E.C .—AjyiMcation 
of Artificial Manures. 
F. C. Calvert &; Co., Manchester. — Carbolic Softsoap and Dis¬ 
infectants. 
Michael Cuthbertson, Public Park Nursery, Rothesay.— Florists' 
Flowers and Seeds, and Competitors' Guide. 
Dammann & Co., Naples, Italy.— Bulbs, Boots, and Orchids, 
