450 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 17, 1892. 
disease. This fungus (Oidium Balsami) has a penchant for some varie¬ 
ties or types of Strawberries—namely, Black Prince, Pioneer, and Sir 
Joseph Paxton, as La Grosse Sucr^e and Yicomtesse Hericart de Thury 
mostly are free from it, whilst it runs riot on Black Prince in the same 
house. 
Where there is convenience it is a great aid in early forcing to afford 
the plants the benefit, of a slight warmth at the roots by making up a 
bed of leaves about 2 feet in height, placing the plants in a frame or 
house upon it, packing the space between the pots with damp leaves. 
The bottom heat at the base of the pots should be 65°, the top being 
kept cool, 50° not being exceeded, and when mild draw off the lights. 
This will promote activity at the roots, and the crowns will push little 
or nothing, yet the plants after a month of this treatment—the bed 
then being cool or the pots withdrawn in preparation for removal to a 
vinery just being started—will go right away without having the leaves 
drawn or the trusses weakened by being placed direct from cool quarters in 
a house almost warm enough when started for the Strawberry when in 
flower. In fact, plants with well developed crowns and abundant roots 
do not always succeed in a vinery because they are brought into flower 
too rapidly, but treated in the manner advised excellent fruit of La 
Grosse Sucrde may be had in March from a vinery started at the 
new year. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Rhubarb. —This invariably forces the most readily after the roots or 
clumps have been exposed to a severe frost, slightly baring for a few 
days in frosty weather those to be lifted being a good preparatory 
measure. In most instances frosts cut down the leaves early, and a good 
rest has thereby been enforced. Strong clumps of the early forms such 
as Prince Albert, Johnstone’s, St. Martins, and Paragon, may, there¬ 
fore, be either forced where they are by means of deep tubs or 
boxes, and heating material, as advised in the case of Seakale, 
or better still they may be lifted and forced in either Mushroom 
houses, heated pits, or under the stagings in forcing houses. The best 
stalks are obtained in the former place, but they can be had more quickly 
in stronger heat if care is taken to guard against extreme dryness and 
also to well darken the crowns. 
Globe Artichokes.— The growth of these has been very vigorous 
and sustained later than usual. At no time are the plants really hardy, 
and in all probability are more likely to be injured by severe frosts this 
winter than they were last year. A heavy mulching of strawy litter is 
one of the best protections toat can be afforded, this being banked up 
well around the stalks of the leaves. The latter will most probably be 
killed down to the litter, but the crowns will escape and strong early 
growths or flower stems result next season. Failing strawy litter sub¬ 
stitute ashes. Leaves are of little service unless heavily surfaced over 
with strawy litter or soil to prevent them blowing away. 
Autumn Broccoli.— Veitch’s Autumn Protecting is not particularly 
hardy, and the same may be said of other varieties now being cut. It is 
not sufficient to merely tuck two or three leaves over the hearts as they 
form, this only saving the latter from moderately severe fros's. The 
better course to pursue is to lift a considerable portion of the later 
plants, or any only just commencing to form hearts, with a ball of soil 
and roots attached and to replant them under cover. Deep glazed pits, 
and the beds or pits in cool vineries, are good places for storing Broccoli, 
the roots being surrounded wi h rich moist soil. They may be bedded 
in rather thickly, and, if kept moderately cool, and the roots in a moist 
state, good sized very white hearts will form, the supply lasting for 
several weeks. In the event of severe frosts being anticipated lift the 
more forward plants as well, and store these either in a shed or where 
they can be well protected with mats and litter. Late Cauliflowers are 
still to be bad, and these ought now to be treated in the matter of 
storing and protecting similarly to the early Broccoli. 
The Weather. 
Since the 2nd of November, the date when the severe frosts 
for the season left us, the weather has been showery, mild, and 
genial, with more sunshine than we had in the same space of time 
during any of the summer months. Colchicums are stiil pretty, 
Wallflowers and Arabis are reviving. Chrysanthemums have 
recuscitated, and are blight with flowers. The same maybe said of 
the Marguerites, while single and double Hepaticas, Primroses, 
Christmas Roses, double scarlet Geums, Achillea tomentosa, &c., 
adorn our borders and attract our bees. Numbers of them are 
carrying pollen from the newly opened flowers. 
Blue Titmice. 
These scourgers of Currant and Gooseberry bushes and devourers 
of bees, which as a rule begin their depredations on the 1st of 
November, have not as yet made an appearance. To protect our 
Currant bushes I take a smooth rope, double it, and draw the bush 
together tightly, then tie the ends together. This plan I learned 
long ago from the Cottage Gardener. I then take some of the 
decayed annuals and hang them over the bushes, for affording 
protection. This secures a good crop, whereas without the little 
care the crop would be nil. 
Winter Feeding. 
No food keeps bees so well in winter as the best refined 
cane sugar. It is positively injurious to allow bees to winter on 
some kinds of honey, particularly Heather honey ; but it is by far 
the best for spring. The Carniolan hive referred to lately took 
up food from below during the severest weather and sealed nicely. 
Fourteen pounds of sugar dissolved in an equal weight of water 
were taken more quickly than 4 lbs. from one of my best top feeders, 
both feeders employed at the same time. Unless in extreme cases 
candy should not be given to bees. When bees take sugar they 
seal it ; the idea that they do not is mere imagination. 
Management of Hives for Early Work. 
Premising that bee-keepers have so managed their hives 
during autumn and winter as to be in a good condition, and the 
brood well forward about three weeks before the first honey 
flow, or about the time our hives begin to swarm, select the most 
forward hive to strengthen advanced ones. Never waste bees or 
brood upon weak stocks, nor, at least till you are master of the art 
of bee management, add one colony to another. In many cases of 
supposed successful uniting the bee-keeper is apt to deceive him¬ 
self, the bees showing no signs of killing each other for some time 
after the operation ; but if the bee-keeper go to the hives after 
dark he will to his surprise, if not mortification, hear and see 
them leaving the hive in a wounded state in rapid succession, and 
if the hive be examined next day no more bees will be seen than 
the original ones. Bees do strange things at times, and not unfre- 
quently kill off a portion of their own stock for some reason or 
other I cannot understand. The hives to be strengthened must 
not only be strong but be of full size, so that there will, with the 
hatching of its own and introduced brood, be ample space for the 
queen to deposit 4000 eggs daily. It is desirable that all the good 
from a prolific queen be taken at the proper time, and that necessi¬ 
tates a large hive. It is of no use keeping two queens in one 
hive that one queen can fill with eggs, nor joining brood to a 
small hive when the object is to gather honey. 
One good hive is sufficient to strengthen three other strong 
hives, but the bee-keeper may have to modify the distribution more 
or less according to his judgment. One caution is necessary, be 
quite sure there is no foul brood. 
The bees deprived of their combs may be treated as a prime 
swarm or for the purpose of raising queens to be ready to introduce 
to any hive that may swarm. There is as yet no plan devised that 
will prevent swarming, but introducing a young fertile queen with 
ample space in the hive for her enormous egg production will have 
effect. 
Super in time to delay swarming, but on no account after the 
bees are determined to raise royal cells attempt preventing it by 
cutting out queen cells or anything else, or you will be dis¬ 
appointed. 
Swarms contain the majority of the working bees, and work 
much better than any unswarmed stock, while all the honey 
gathered is stored in combs of the greatest purity.—A Lanark¬ 
shire Bee-keeper. 
All 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 
Croydon Chrysanthemum Show ( Inquirer ). — As the officials 
neither advertised the Show nor sent the usual press tickets to this 
office we concluded that a report was not desired in the Journal of 
Horticulture. 
