60 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
January 18,1894. 
will much water be needed, after which the plants will take it freely 
and alio liquid manure. 
Frame Culture of Peas. —Where rough moderately deep frames 
are at present utilised for storing Strawberries in pots, these, as well 
as other frames or pits, might well be turned to good account for the 
production of a few dishes of Peas to succeed those gathered from plants 
in pots. In anticipation of this prepare the requisite number of plants 
in pots or boxes for turning cut directly the beds are ready for them. 
The varieties already named are the best also for frame culture. About 
a pint of seed should give enough plants for filling a fairly large three- 
light frame. The seed may be either sown in shallow boxes, the plants 
being eventually shaken out of the soil and planted Box-edging fashion, 
or they may be sown in 4-inch pots and planted out from these. These, 
if placed in heat and kept moist, will germinate rapidly, and care 
should be taken to harden oflE and put out before the plants become 
root-bound, or otherwise premature flowering will result. It is yet too 
early to raise plants for turning out into the open ground. 
Early Eettuces. —Lettuces grown quickly in frames are far 
superior in appearance and quality to any cut early in the open. 
Whether, therefore, there is a good supply of autumn raised plants 
or not, no mistake will be made in resorting to frame culture and 
gentle forcing. For the latter purpose the best varieties are Golden 
Queen, Early Paris Market, and Commodore Nutt—all Cabbage varieties 
of neat growth. Autumn raised plants would be suitable if not far 
advanced in growth, but would not be far ahead of any raised by sowing 
seed at once. Sow thinly in pans, place on a gentle hotbed, and, before 
the plants become drawn, transfer to shelves in cool house. A portion 
of the plants thus prepared could be gently forced, and the rest be 
pricked out 6 inches asunder on a warm border, where, with little or no 
protection, they will yet heart in early. Those in frames should have 
the benefit of a mild hotbel surfaced over with 6 inches of good loamy 
soil. If the plants are pricked out in this 5 inches asunder each way, 
every other one can eventually be cut out for use before they are fully 
grown, the rest having then a good chance to develop to their full size. 
Hard forcing would lead to a spindly growth of leaves only. Admit air 
freely whenever the weather is favourable, and protect with mats or 
litter during cold nights. Lettuces may also be had early from boxes of 
good soil, these being placed in a light position and gentle heat. Those 
who grow Peas in frames should plant these early Lettuces midway 
between the rows of Peas, the salading thus obtained alone more than 
paying for all the trouble taken. 
A. Frame of Parsley. —The severe frosts experienced early in this 
month did not greatly injure unprotected Parsley, but it may not 
escape so satisfactorily if other severe frosts take place. In any case it 
will be several weeks before serviceable fresh growth will be made ; and, 
before it is too late, some of the roo's might be lifted and bedded 
rather thickly in rich soil in frames over a mild hotbed, or they could be 
placed in deep pots and set in Peach house or vinery being forced. If 
this is done before the hearts are injured it may be the means of 
preventing a very undesirable break in the supply of Parsley in the 
spring. An early supply of Parsley can also be had by sowing the seed 
at once in a frame or hotbed prepared as for Carrots. Sow thinly in 
drills 4 inches asunder, and keep dark, close, and warm till the seedlings 
appear, after which give a little air and admit plenty of light. Koughly 
thin out where at all thick, and when the plants have made a few 
leaves, thin out very freely, the thinnings being dibbled out on a warm 
or sheltered border, where they will be ready to gather from long before 
any Parsley can be had by sowing in the open. Those left in the frame 
should have a gentle watering after the thinning out; and if kept in a 
moist condition at the roots, will produce a good supply of fine leaves. 
r . 1 . » . 1 - r • 1 • I - 1 - 1 . 1 . 1 . 1 . I . 1 -• i . - -rr-rr-T-rr- 1 - T'- 1 - J • 1 - 1 • ■ " 
Im bee-ke)eper.IJ 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
Bees and the Weather. 
With the exception of a few days early in the month, bees 
have been daily on the wing, which is very favourable for 
consumption of stores, as well as loss of bees. Breeding, no doubt, 
has been going on in most hives for some weeks past, but not in 
so satisfactory a manner as to insure strong hives at the proper 
time. In the neighbourhood where I reside many chilled bees are 
to be seen, and this may be to such an extent as to depopulate the 
hives till the internal economy may cease. The same news comes 
from other localities, and some persons consider them to be the 
old bees—an easy way of getting over a difficult question to those 
who are not acquainted with facts. 
Doubtless most hives went into winter quarters extra strong in 
numbers, so that the evident loss may not materially affect them. 
The ulterior evil lies in the probable deposing of queens in the 
early pmmer. Let us hope for the best. The bees are now 
searching every nook for flowers that are likely to yield the 
smallest grain of pollen. Snowdrops, Wallflowers, Aconites, 
Jasminum nudiflorum. Ivy, and Hellebores are in bloom, and in a 
few days other early flowers will commence to expand. A bee¬ 
keeper was on a visit to me from the 5th to the 8th of the month. 
and while showing him the various parts of the hive, when 
examining the mouthpiece of one that in September was a nucleus 
covering two shallow combs, he was surprised to find it crowded 
with bees to the entrance, so much has it bred during the winter. 
The case is perhaps excessive, but not abnormal. I do not believe 
there is such a thing in Nature as an entire cessation of activity in 
plant or animal. 
The fine, but changeable spring-like weather we have been 
enjoying since the 6th inst. is every way favourable for feeding 
hives that may be suspected short of stores. Bees feed more 
readily during January than in the two subsequent months when 
there is more brood in the hive than at present. My advice, then, 
is to embrace the opportunity and feed all those liberally that are 
likely to be short of stores before April ; but let well provisioned 
ones alone. Many hives well stored in September are now very light. 
In saying that the weather during the winter has greater 
influence on the future prosperity of bees than some persons 
imagine is keeping within the bounds of facts and reason. Unless 
we preserve our bees during the winter in proper strength the 
profitable returns the autumn following will be almost, if not 
entirely, nil. We prepare our hives in the autumn with the 
view of them withstanding the rigours of an arctic winter. In 
such cases the bees content themselves to live within doors, and 
when spring comes, out they rush, with their joyous hum, with an 
eagerness to enjoy the airing, and to visit every opening flower. 
At this first airing, the day calm and sunny, scarcely a bee will be 
lost, while the hive is stronger than it was in October. Such is a 
glimpse of the sort of winters that delight the bee-keeper. 
On the other hand, when the winters are changeable, often with 
high temperatures, such as the present one has been, it is beyond 
the power of man to preserve his bees as he would wish. I have 
sometimes spread dry sawdust or rough husks from Oats thickly in 
front of my hives, which while they were dry bees alighting on 
them rose again, but there is of course no material that remains 
perfectly dry during all weathers. Dried bracken is sometimes 
useful, but even this we cannot strew so thickly as to prevent bees 
alighting on the ground.—A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
'’0*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. 
Book on Ceometry (Al R, E .').—“The School of Art Geometry 
will answer your purpose. The price of this book is Ig., and it can 
doubtless be obtained through any bookseller. Messrs. Geo. Gill & Sons, 
23, Warwick Lane, Paternoster Row, London, are the publishers. 
Variation In Calanthes. —Some varieties of Calanthe Veitchi 
are darker than others, and there is a difference also in the shape of 
the pseudo-bulbs. Your “ spikes 3 feet 6 inches long, bearing three 
dozen flowers,” were creditable examples of culture. Your letter was 
incorrectly and insufficiently addressed. 
Foreign Honours (P.).—It is unusual for emissaries to tout at 
flower shows for members of scientific institutions at home or abroad ^ 
and it is at least prudent on the part of exhibitors to investigate before 
subscribing to anything which they know nothing about. We think it 
reasonable to expect that evidence should be forthcoming that the 
foreign society, or whatever it is, which offers diplomas, should be 
recognised as a scientific institution of standing by the government of 
the country in which it is established. Can such evidence be produced ? 
Pear Tree Scale—Beurre (A’. A/. M ,),—The growths of the 
Pear tree are infested with mussel scale, which may be destroyed 
by painting with petroleum emulsion and other advertised insecticides, 
or a wash formed of half a pound each of caustic soda and pearlash to 
six gallons of water, applying with a brush at a temperature of 120° to 
130°, wetting every part. This wash must only be used w hilst the tre3 
is dormant, and care taken not to dislocate the buds. The whole tree 
must be treated with the solution, without allowing it to lun down the 
