290 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
April 12, 1894, 
the shoots, and, though this is best done before the flowers expand, it 
will materially aid the setting and swelling of the young fruit. 
In unheated houses observe 50° as the point for admitting air, and 
increase the amount with the advancing sun heat, not allowing an 
increase to or over 65° without full ventilation. Attend to fertilising 
the flowers, choosing the early part of fine days, always when the 
blossoms are fully expanded and the pollen flying in a cloud of gold¬ 
like dust when the anthers are disturbed. There must not be any 
deficiency of moisture at the roots. When there is an appearance of 
frost the house may be closed a little earlier, otherwise close at 50°. 
Melons. —The fruits of the earliest plants are growing large and 
must have the support lowered, while those commencing to swell should 
be provided with them. Stop the laterals frequently and thin them 
where thsy are crowded. Afford water or liquid manure copiously to 
plants on which the fruits are swelling, but avoid excess of liquid 
manure or top-dressings likely to injure the roots, or the fruit in con¬ 
sequence of loss of feeders may not finish satisfactorily. Plants coming 
into flower should only have water to prevent flagging, and a drier 
condition of the atmosphere is essential to a good set, especially so in 
the case of vigorous plants. 
Attend regularly to setting the blossoms. Stop the shoots one joint 
beyond the flowers when impregnated, and after the fruits are set pinch 
the sub-laterals to one leaf and remove superfluous growths. Avoid giving 
stimulants to plants until the fruit is swelling, when liquid manure may 
be afforded liberally, especially to plants carrying heavy crops, until 
they are well advanced towards ripening. Maintain a night tempe¬ 
rature of 70°, 70° to 75° by day, and 85° or 90° for sun heat, and close 
early so as to run up to 90° or 100°. Ventilate freely in favourable 
weather, closing early with plenty of sun heat, when the plants may 
be syringed lijihtly, except such as are in flower. If canker appear at 
the collar rub it out with fresh slaked lime, repeating if necessary. 
Cucumbers. —Grand fruit is the result of the good progress made 
under the brilliant weather. Attend to tying out the grow'ths, stopping 
one or two joints beyond the fruit, removing bad leaves and exhausted 
growths, so as to maintain a succession of healthy fruitful shoots. 
Water will be needed copiously by plants in houses, and liquid manure 
once or twice a week may be given with advantage. Syringe the 
foliage and walls daily at closing time or about 3.30 p.m., and damp the 
house well in the morning and in the evening. Shade only to prevent 
flagging. Available surfaces may be sprinkled in the evening 
occasionally with liquid manure, or fresh horse knobs sprinkled on 
the bed will answer the twofold purpose of evolving ammonia to 
the benefit of the foliage, and supply nutriment to the soil, as well as 
encouraging surface roots. 
Plants in pits and frames will hardly need shading as yet, but they 
must not be allowed to flag. Use tepid water through a fine-rose 
watering pot at about 3 P.M., closing the lights at the same time; but 
as the nights are jet cold, be careful that the foliage becomes dry 
before dark. Close early, employing a thick covering, as a double 
thickness of mats. Maintain a good bottom heat by linings, renewing 
them as necessary. Preserve a night temperature of 70°, 70° to 75° by 
day, 80° to 85° or 90° from sun heat, ventilating from 75°, being careful 
to avoid cold and drying currents of air, and close sufficiently early to 
run up to 90° or more. Sow seeds of ridge varieties, and keep young 
plants of these and other kinds near the glass. 
Iti 
HE BEE-KEEPER.!S 
iyiN'7 - 1 .,. 1 . 1 , 1 - 1 - r-1. i -. . j - ,. 1. r- 1 -1 - T - 1 - r-T-1 - 1. i% j - 1 vi' i(^ 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
We have experienced cooler weather since the end of March. 
The night temperature has been 3° to 5° higher, but during the day 
from 10° to 13° lower than the preceding fortnight. Bees have 
therefore been confined to their hives the greater part of each day. 
This was not to be regretted, as where they are well supplied with 
honey and pollen breeding goes on uninterrupted without loss of 
bees, It is a great advantage during the spring for bees to have 
an abundant supply of autumn gathered pollen. It enables them 
to carry on the breeding to the fullest extent without the attendant 
loss of eggs, as well as bees, the former being destroyed and the 
latter lost when foraging during bright glimpses of sunshine in 
bleak weather. But to have wholesome autumn gathered pollen 
in the spring the hives must be wintered in a rational manner, so 
that the pollen be not affected by mildew through damp. 
Owing to the advanced state of my hives I shall keep a strict 
watch that none suffers through want of a little timely feeding, but 
those not requiring it are better to be left alone. My best stocks 
are those that never have been fed beyond a few pounds of syrup 
in the autumn to insure safe wintering. The rich Heather stores 
are best for breeding purposes, but unsuitable for wintering 
where there are neither syrup nor Clover honey. My best hive, 
as it has been for years, is a crossed Syrian in an octagon hive, 
the best form of hive for wintering, as well as for abundant storage. 
The bees have never been fed for nine or ten years. The Heather 
honey gathered in 1893 was mostly stored in five storeys of supers. 
so that the three body boxes had abundance of Clover honey. 
The bees are already crowding the entrance, quite advanced enough 
for supering were we situated a little nearer the orchards on the 
Vale of Clyde. 
During warm days I remove the under floors of my hives 
repeatedly, brushing all the debris into a pail of water. This 
attention destroys the parasites that annoy bees greatly, as well as 
the eggs of moths. 
Swarming, 
Beginners are sometimes impatient when their bees are likely 
to swarm, and are anxious to know the signs of swarming. The 
circumstances which impel bees to swarm are various, such as an 
effete queen, irregular and ragged combs, encasements through 
robber bees, and the determination of youthful bees, from 
inexplicable causes, persisting to raise queen cells. Such bees 
may swarm at any moment, or what is as bad, or worse sometimes, 
kill their laying queen, throwing out their surplus young ones. Their 
chosen one remains owing to the earliness of the season, keeps a 
drone breeder, and the hive is ruined. Normal cases of swarming 
differ greatly from such abnormal ones. The experienced bee¬ 
keeper has a good knowledge when the former are likely to swarm, 
or, weather permitting, within a few days of it. 
The symptoms are these : Internally the hive becomes crowded, 
the hum of the bees, particularly in the evening, is loud, increasing in 
some cases to an actual roar where ventilating floors are not in use. 
The hum is never so great where these floors are used. Queen 
cells will be in all stages of progress. Externally the “scouts’' 
will be observed searching empty hives, chimney tops, crevices in 
trees and other places likely to accommodate them. Rallying 
until late in the afternoon is another indication of swarming at an 
early date. On the morning or early on the day of issue the bees 
will loiter on the landing hoard, and if inspected, the bees will bo 
observed to be busy feeding, emptying rather than filling supers. 
Swarming may take place at any time, whether the hive be 
crowded or not. The surest way to know when it is likely to 
occur is to examine the interior for queen cells ; if present swarming 
is sure to be premeditated. Some writers affirm that one hive 
swarming causes another to swarm. This is not the case. As is 
stated above circumstances sometimes regulate or cause swarming 
to an almost incredible extent, but the law that impels the first 
hive to swarm is the same that causes others to swarm. One hive 
does not affect another in the slightest.—A Lanarkshire Bee¬ 
keeper. 
^jj'^All correspondence should be directed either to “ The 
Kditor’’ 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 
unjusttfiahle trouble and expense. 
Corresi'Oiideuts 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 pa(ier only. We cannot reply to questions through the post, 
and we do not undertake to return rejected communications. 
Virgin Musbroom Spawn (Af. C. B .').— Your request is dis¬ 
tinctly ail ad vertisement, and can only be inserted as such on the terms 
ascertainable from the publisher. Were we to accede to your request 
we should be inundated with others of a similar character on a variety 
of SuLjpCfS. 
Grafting (A. B The method you describe of splitting the stock 
is clelt yrailing ; cutting a wedge out of the stock and fitting the scion 
in is w’ediie grafting ; slitting the bark and inserting scions between it 
and the w od, then binding as you suggest, is the simplest form of 
crown grafting. We do not know to what particular notes you allude, 
as you do not quote the page in which they appear. 
Unisexual Flowers and Catkins (^Ignoramus ').— The Birch, 
Willow, Hazel, Alder, Oak, Plane, Poplar, Hornbeam and Beech are all 
amentaceous or catkin-bearing plants. Catkins are male or female, 
that is, composed wholly of male or wholly of female flowers. The 
Elm and the Ash are not amentaceous or catkin-bearing plants, but by 
abortion the flowers have a unisexual character, except in the case of 
the Ash, when they are sometimes bisexual. 
