526 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ June 29, 1883, 
crop fruit does not attain the size of the first, and more fruits may be 
had, yet overcropping is the greatest drawback to quality. If the plants 
have to be cut back allow a fair extension of fresh growth, and do 
not attempt to set the fruit until a good growth has been made, which 
thinly disposed will show and set fruit freely in a drier atmosphere. 
Jleplanting in Houses, Pits, and Frames .—When the plants are not 
in a condition likely to carry a second crop, clear them out at once, 
remove the soil and a portion of the fermenting material, adding some 
fresh, which will revive the bottom heat sufficiently for the young 
plants. Cleanse the house or structure thoroughly. Nothing answers 
better as an insect destroying agent and a deterrent of attacks than 
syringing every part with a petroleum mixture, a wineglassful to 
4 gallons of water, one person syringing into the vessel, while a second 
forcibly applies it to the woodwork. In a few days the smell will pass 
off, and the plants have the benefit of a clean start. Plant on hillocks 
or ridges in houses, and add soil afterwards, but in frames or pits a 
couple of barrowloads of soil in a light will grow a large plant, and it 
saves much trouble afterwards. Good strong loam is best, ramming 
it firm, and when warm plant the Melons. Those for frames should be 
strone, but not root-bound plants. Shade for a few days, and maintain 
a moist atmosphere, but ventilate freely after the plants become 
established. 
Setting the Fruit .—Though artificial impregnation is not so essential 
now as earlier in the season, it is a mistake not to attend to this operation 
at the proper time, that is, when the flowers are fully open. If there 
be any difficulty, as there sometimes is in frames in getting the fruit 
to set, apply good linings and admit air freely, ventilating a little at 
night, so as to prevent the deposition of moisture on the blossoms, 
for to set it is necessary that the pollen be dry and the stigmas not 
destroyed by moisture. It is not desirable to use the knife much during 
setting, nevertheless light and air are essential, therefore keep the 
foliage fairly thin, and stop the laterals one joint beyond the pistillate 
blossoms after fertilising. Avoid giving water if it can be helped at this 
stage, yet the foliage must not flag for lack of it, nor the surface be 
wetted more than can be helped in supplying the requisite quantity. 
If 
rr.-- ^ I—TT- 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
The Weather and Bees. 
The long-continued heat and drought gave way suddenly on the 
afternoon of the 22nd inst., and rain continued almost without 
intermission for twenty-four hours. This change was welcomed by 
bee-keepers, gardeners, and farmers. The thermometer on the 
18th in the shade stood at 85° for a great part of the day, and 
on the morning of 20th it stood at 40°. On several nights pre¬ 
ceding it registered 60°. Suchexcessive heat with dust and drought 
was not favourable to a honey flow. Our season is now on, and 
with a few fine days during the next two or three weeks bees will 
exert themselves, and heavy hives with well filled and sealed supers 
will result. 
Punic Bees. 
For the first time during the past three years I have been able 
to test the honey-gathering qualities of the pure race. The swarm 
referred to at page 512, owing to some of the bees on returning 
not finding their queen in the cluster, was not as large as it 
might have been. When weighed on the evening of the 18th it had 
risen in weight 25 lbs., although supplied with strips of foundation 
an inch broad only. The swarm of crossed Punic referred to on 
the same page with two working days added, weighed 102 lbs. ; 
24 lbs. of that have been taken in supers. With us these bees 
are working well, and I would advise bee-keepers to give them a fair 
trial. It is remarkable that only 5 per cent, of my Punics have 
swarmed, the others working as yet contentedly in their two tier 
of supers ready for additional room ; while my pure Punic swarm 
on a return of fair weather will be supplied with them. 
Ventilation—Wax Extracting. 
When the temperature was high the ventilating floors were 
dropped, but to little purpose, as it allowed a greater rush of 
heated air to enter the hive. Shading, by hanging a mat loosely 
round the hive, has a better effect when there are no cooling 
breezes. When the heat was at its greatest one of our Carniolan 
hives turned its drones outside, where they clustered till the even¬ 
ing, when they re-entered the hive. 
A sun wax extractor is of but little service in this country, the 
sun being too low when most wanted ; still it is a mistake to allow 
scraps of wax to lie about as a nidus for moths. All scraps of 
wax, either as a point of economy or as a deterrent to the increase 
of these pests, should be melted at once, or dropped into boiling 
water till a convenient time to extract properly. When the 
temperature rises to 75° and upwards a solar extractor is service¬ 
able. All that is necessary is a tin dish about 3 inches deep, of any 
size, but oblong is the best shape, covered with a pane of glass let 
into a light frame, having a projecting ledge to prevent slipping 
and escape of heat, and stood upon a slate or other conductor. 
The tin should have a gateway of glass from the lower end, raised 
a little to allow the melted wax, but not the refuse, to run through. 
It should be raised to a proper angle to catch the direct rays of the 
sun. I have one placed upon an elevator which turns to any angle. 
Although I have mentioned tin, it would be far more effective if 
made of copper, pewter, or any of the combination metals of a 
highly conductive nature. 
Honey Candying in the Comb. 
“ R. A. C.” wishes to know if honey candies in the comb. Honey 
sometimes candies in the comb, especially that gathered from 
Charlock, but more quickly out of the hive than in it, unless it is 
kept in a dry and warm place. Sugar also crystallises in the comb, 
but it partakes more of candy than honey crystals. Doubt¬ 
less the best samples of honey in the comh do not crystallise so 
readily as inferior ones. The care you exercise with your honey 
in keeping it clean and having it of the best quality is commendable. 
The Lanarkshire hives are a success, entirely through the 
impossibility of damp injuring the bees in the latter. It is clear 
proof that bee-keepers are the best judges.—A Lanarkshire Bee¬ 
keeper. 
•**A11 correspondence should be directed either to “ The 
Editor” or to “The Publisher.” Letters addressed to 
Dr. Hogg or members of the staff often remain unopened 
unavoidably. We request that no one will write privately 
to any of our correspondents, as doing so subjects them to 
unjustifiable trouble and expense. 
Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions 
relating to Gardening and those on Bee subjects, and should 
never send more than two or three questions at once. All 
articles intended for insertion should be written on one side of 
the paper only. We cannot reply to questions through the post, 
and we do not undertake to return rejected communications. 
Sparrow Guns (IF. Si ).—The address you require is E. P. Tim¬ 
mins, 90, Balsall Heath Road, Birmingham. 
Chrysanthemum Soil (Z>. M. Si )—The plant arrived too late for 
examination to give a detailed reply in this issue, but the matter 
shall he attended to next week. 
iright-bloomlng' Cereus (72. T. H .).—The facts set forth by our 
correspondents on page 498 show that it is not an unprecedented occur¬ 
rence for a Night-blooming Cereus to have more than nine flowers at 
one time. The remarks of Mr, Major on page 516 of this issue are 
interesting. 
Tomato Disease (Nf. Julien ).—The matter is being investigated, 
and a reply will be given in our next issue. The leaf, however, arrived 
in a very poor condition, and it would be better to always pack 
such in a box. The article “ What Pays Best ? ” by a “ Market 
Grower,” in the present issue, you will doubtless read with interest. 
Xiord Napier Nectarine Fruits Shrivelled and Rusted 
{J. Bi ).—The Nectarines are not matured, though of good size, but 
that is not the cause of the shrivelling nor of the rust, which are 
peculiarities of this variety. The shrivelling generally indicates fine 
fruit and high quality, vigorous trees being more subject to it than 
those only moderately so, and the fruit smaller, and it is less pronounced 
in early forced fruits than in those produced by trees in midseason or 
late houses. That the shrivelling is characteristic may be inferred from 
the fact that fruits grown on the upper side of the trellis, and exposed 
to the sun, are no more affected than those on the under side of 
the trellis, where they are shielded from direct sunshine, and that 
it almost invariably is most pronounced at the apex of the fruit. This 
greatly detracts from its appearance, but the quality is excellent, as 
is shown by ants preying upon it before it is ripe, leaving most every 
other variety for it. The rust is generally an accompaniment of the 
shrivelling, and rarely extends beyond the shrunken parts. We find 
the rust most pronounced where heavy or frequent syringing is practised, 
especially when the trees are vigorous, and the water hangs on them 
during the night and remains until the morning, and where the water 
used is impregnated with lime or iron. Both the shrivelling and rust 
are less prevalent where clear soft or rain water is used, but under no 
conditions have we seen full-sized and well-ripened fruit of this variety 
without slight shrivelling and its accompanying rusty appearance. 
