January 3, 1-95. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
19 
time. Give a gentle watering and plunge in brisk bottom heat. Soon 
after the seedlings appear transfer to shelves near the glass in a forcing 
house. When they have formed a pair of rough leaves, shake them out, 
and either place singly in 2J-inch pots or in pairs down the sides of 
larger pots. Plunge in a mild hotbed and afford top heat of 65° or 
thereabouts. Thus treated they will soon recover from the check given, 
and after a few days’ existence nearer the glass they will be ready for a 
shift into larger pots or for their fruiting quarters. 
IVXarket Growers’ Houses. —Too often these are crowded with a 
variety of pot plants, which greatly interfere with the more profitable 
occupation of growing early crops of Tomatoes. The borders ought 
now to be in the course of preparation for Tomato plants. If there is a 
good depth of workable soil underneath, some of this ought each season 
to be brought to and mixed with the surface soil in the process of 
bastard trenching—the shovellings of that portion loosened. Tomatoes 
are great impoverishers of the ground, and something ought to be 
done each season towards restoring the fertility taken out of it. Much 
solid manure, such as that obtained from farmyards and stables, is apt 
to promote rank and non-productive disease-inviting growth of the plants, 
but a light dressing forms a good adjunct to an application of chemical 
manures. It has been found that an early dressing of the latter 
applied just prior to planting gives better results than later applications. 
Tomato manure may consist of four parts superphosphate to two of 
muriate of potash, and one of nitrate of soda. These should be 
thoroughly well crushed and mixed, then forked into the surface at the 
rate of 4^ ozs. to the square yard. Should the plants give signs of 
failing vigour before the end of the season apply nitrate of soda alone, 
at the rate of 1 oz. per yard. Where the soil is thin, and cannot there¬ 
fore be improved by trenching, bring in a heavy dressing of fresh loam. 
After a few years the soil gets “Tomato sick,’’ and if it cannot be 
completely or largely changed, then pot culture ought to be resorted to, 
in order to give the old soil a rest and a chance to recover. The wood¬ 
work and glass in the houses should have a thorough cleansing, and 
painting the houses every third or fourth year is desirable. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Polnsettlas. —If the heads are cut while the plants are in strong 
heat the foliage flags at once, and the bracts do not last very long, but 
if given a lower temperature and a little air they last well in a cut [ 
state. When gradually hardened these plants will retain their foliage j 
in the conservatory, and last for a long time in good condition if kept i 
rather dry than otherwise at their roots. If given too much water the \ 
roots fail, and the foliage turns yellow and quickly falls. Plants ! 
from which the bracts have been removed should not be placed direct 
from a warm house into a cold one, or they may go off. They should 
be gradually hardened and then kept dry. 
Allamandas. —Roof plants that have practically done flowering 
may be well cut back, and all the foliage removed, so that as much 
light as possible can reach those plants that are grown beneath. Every 
ray of light possible is necessary for these plants at this period of the 
year. Allamandas should be kept dry after they are pruned ; the 
abrupt cutting back and removal of foliage does not appear to be in the 
least injurious. Our plants flower most profusely under this system of 
treatment. 
Bougainvilleas.— Plants which have been kept dry in cool houses I 
and at their roots, and are shedding their foliage, may be well pruned j 
back. All weak growths may be removed, and strong ones not needed | 
for furnishing the plant cut back to one eye. Strong shoots needed j 
for main branches should have all the unripened wood removed from i 
them. Keep the plants dry at their roots until they are started 
into growth. At the same time do not allow the wood to shrivel from 
over-dry ness. 
Clerodendron Balfourlanum.— The earliest of these having 
enjoyed a good rest may be started in the forcing house where the 
temperature ranges about 65° at night, if slight bottom heat can be given 
them all the better. These plants will do in the same pots for several 
years, provided they are top-dressed with rich material and liberally 
supplied with stimulants during the growing season. When repotted they 
need more care than either Allamandas or Bougainvilleas. They should 
be started into growth before repotting, and the old ball reduced by 
about one-third, taking care of all fibry roots. Two-thirds fibrous 
loam, and one-third made up of leaf mould and coarse sand with the 
addition of a seventh of decayed manure, form a suitable compost. 
Very little water is needed previous to repotting, and very little beyond 
syringing afterwards, until the roots are active and the plants growing 
freely. Those which are going to rest or are resting must not be 
placed in a lower temperature than 55° or they may never start into 
growth. 
Baphorbla jacqulnlaeflora.— Plants in flower should be hardened 
on the principle advised for Poinsettias, then they will stand without 
the least injury the temperature and conditions of the conservatory. 
Un no account should they receive too much water while in this position. 
Few plants are more conspicuous in the conservatory, rising above 
others of a dwarf nature. The racemes of brilliant flowers are also 
effective for light arrangements on the dinner table. This plant is not 
grown in such numbers for furnishing purposes as it deserves. 
Stepbanotls florlbunda.— After having been fully exposed to the 
light and kept moderately cool, the plants may be thinned out and all 
unripened wood removed. It is a mistake to leave them too crowded, 
nr after they once commence growth they soon become a dense mass. 
Under these conditions it is almost impossible to keep them free of 
mealy bug. Infested plants should be removed from the trellis and 
thoroughly cleansed, the trellis and woodwork of the house also 
painted with petroleum. Subsequently well syringe the plants with 
petroleum and water, 1 oz. of the former to each gallon of the latter, 
several times before growth commences. Keep the temperature about 
50° and the soil dry enough to induce complete rest. This combined 
with thoroughly matured wood will result in a profusion of flowers 
another season. 
Plumbago rosea. —As the plants go out of flower and the stock is 
ample, half may be thrown away, the remainder being cut hard back for 
yielding cuttings for next year’s stock of plants. If only partially 
shortened the first growths produced will terminat3 with flowers, but 
when severely pruned vigorous growths are certain to follow. The 
plants are liable to be attacked by thrips, and should be well washed 
with a solution of tobacco water or other insecticide before they are 
placed in the position in which they are to stand to yield cuttings. 
Adlantum cuneatum. —The fronds of this Fern are always in 
demand, and the supply even from cool houses will gradually begin to 
diminish after this date. It is a good plan to keep a number in a cool 
airy structure, and if the fronds are used from these the plants are 
ready for starting again into growth by the close of the year. Plants so 
treated and cut clean over are showing signs of growth already. If 
these are placed in a temperature of 60° they will grow rapidly, and in 
a very short time produce useful fronds for cutting. The drying 
process to which these plants are sometimes subjected is a mistake. Do 
not pot the plants when fronds are needed as early as possible, but when 
they commence growing give them soot water in a clear state, or a little 
artificial manure. Nothing is better than the former, while the latter 
acts beneficially when applied in small quantities. 
fPTTT— — t j'i —. 1 ■ >' . 1, 1 . 1 ■ 7 ■" 1 . . . 1 ■ .. T-. . ___ ■ 1 - . - i ■ [ . 1 - 1 . t > 1 . 1-rr=a \ 
im BBE-KEDPER-^l 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
A Retrospect. 
By the time this appears in print the eventful year of 1894 will 
have passed away and 1895 will hold the sway. 1894 saw the last 
of many cherished friends and old bee-keepers, while not a few 
youthful ones have joined the ranks. 
The low temperature of the summer, with the mild autumn, 
greatly in contrast to the late winter and early spring months, has 
afforded many lessons to horticulturists as well as to bee-keepers, 
being disastrous alike to plants, flowers, and bees. The latter with 
us had to be fed up to the last week in July, and at the Heather 
got little or no honey till the end of August and beginning of 
September. With me it has been a record year, as I have had the 
most equal and heaviest hives I ever possessed, due entirely to 
having them strong at the right time ; and had I kept my hives at 
the Heather till the middle of October they would, I believe, have 
been heavier than any hives ever recorded in this country. 
Hardy spring flowers had scarcely expanded their blossoms ere 
a storm destroyed them, and this continued till June, the only 
exception being the soft, silky Sisyrinchiums, which came into 
bloom at a time for them to show their beauty for many days. 
Daffodils, Snowdrops, and others had their foliage so destroyed 
that there were in consequence many blanks where but for these 
causes we would have had numbers of blooms. Plants such as 
Hepalicas only began to grow in April, when their succulent leaves 
became an easy prey to the myriads of aphides which infested 
nearly every plant. So that I have to enumerate them amongst 
my departed friends. 
A severe gale on the evening of the 2l8t and the morning of 
the 22nd December wrought much havoc. Christmas came as an 
average summer day, smiling with beauty, as if laughing to scorn 
the destructiveness of the late gales. Not only was it cheering by 
the bright sunshine, but by its genial warmth of 50°. To the bees 
the day was one of extra merriment, for not only did they avail 
themselves of the opportunity to sport in the sunshine, but 
searched the various flowers for pollen. 
The mildness of the season has caused bees to breed a little 
earlier than they usually do. Young bees are now appearing in 
some hives, while in others in a normal state the drones have been 
permitted to live up till date, which in both instances tends to 
shorten stores, a state of affairs that bee-keepers must bear in mind, 
as success depends very much on preventing any stoppage of 
breeding when once it has naturally begun.—A Lanarkshire 
Bee-keeper. 
SEASONABLE NOTES. 
All hives should now be examined for any leakage that may 
have taken place, and steps at once be taken to make all rain and 
