282 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND vOTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 29, 1887. 
the ball and moistening it thoroughly. A little dried horse droppings 
or cowdung applied to the surface will keep all right there. Remove 
ail runners as they appear, also weeds, and do not allow the plants to 
suffer through insufficient supplies of water. The plants should have 
plenty of space for the full exposure of the foliage to light and air, 
which is essential to sturdy growth and plump well-developed 
crowns. 
Cucumbers. —The autumn fruiters must have careful attention, 
affording copious supplies of liquid manure, removing superfluous male 
blossoms and tendrils, avoiding overcropping, and not allowing the 
fruit to hang too long. The syringe should only be employed at closing 
time on bright afternoons. Earth up the roots as the plants advance in 
growth from time to time. Pinch out the growing point one or two 
joints beyond the fruit, examining the plants at least once a week for 
that purpose, retaining no more foliage than can be fully exposed to 
light. All water must be given at the same temperature as that of the 
roots. Pot the plants from seed sown at the beginning of the month 
for winter fruiting directly they are large enough, plunging the pots in 
bottom heat until the plants are established, then raise them near the 
glass, maintaining a temperature of 70° at night, 75° by day, with an 
advance from sun heat of 10° to 15°. The fermenting materials, if such 
are used for bottom heat, must be in preparation for the formation of 
the beds in due time. For producing a good supply of fruit in late 
January or early February seed should be sown at the beginning of 
October. 
Plants in dung-heated frames or pits must have the linings renewed 
as required, the foliage being kept rather thin, the shoots well stopped 
to a joint beyond the show of fruit, and no more water should be given 
than to secure healthy moisture for the roots, placing mats over the 
Lights on cold nights. 
Pines. —To maintain the sturdy healthful appearance of young 
growing stock free ventilation is necessary, maintaining the bottom heat 
about the roots at 80°, watering the plants whenever they require it, 
employing weak liquid manure occasionally, and avoiding the use of the 
syringe too frequently ; merely sprinkling the paths, Ac., morning and 
evening daily will suffice. Fire heat must be resorted to to maintain a 
■night temperature of 60° to 65°. Newly potted plants should have a 
bottom heat of 90° to 95°, with a view to the roots speedily penetrating 
the soil. Recently started suckers should, as soon as roots are plentiful, 
be raised near the glass, it being essential that those intended to be 
wintered in small pots be brought on gradually. Fruiting plants should 
have a night temperature of 70°; 80° to 90° during the day, closing 
at 85°. 
When the suckers started this autumn are rooted pot them 
without delay, draining the pots well. Employ the fibry part of turfy 
loam, and do not tear it up too fine, but use it in lumps proportionate to 
the size of the pots. The strongest plants may be transferred to the 
fruiting pots at once, the size of the pots being proportionate to the 
•robustness of the varieties. Jamaicas do well in 9 or 10-inch pots, Queen 
in 10 or 11-inch pots, Smooth-leaved Cayennes and similar varieties in 
11 to 12-inch pots, and Providence in 12 to 13-inch pots, which will 
afford fruit of the largest size. Where smaller plants and fruit are the 
objects aimed at, pots an inch or two less in diameter will answer. The 
•plants not of a size fit for transferring to the largest pots can be shifted 
into 8-inch pots, in which they may be kept until spring and then be 
transferred to a larger size. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Gesneras .—These should occupy a shelf close to the glass where 
the temperature at night does not fall below 65°. The plants should 
now be strong with large leaves, and the pots moderately full of 
roots. A little artificial manure applied to the surface of the soil at 
intervals of a fortnight will prove beneficial, or clean soft water in a 
weak state may be given every time water is needed. The last is 
perhaps the best stimulant that can be given to these plants, for it 
brings out the beautiful markings of their foliage. Water carefully, 
but do not allow the plants to suffer by an insufficient supply. At the 
same time be careful that water does not lodge upon their foliage, which 
will turn it brown, and thus destroy their beautiful appearance. 
Tydceas .—Many of these grown for autumn and early winter flower¬ 
ing will be showing signs of dowering. These must be brought forward, 
for no advantage is gained by attempting to retard them. They will do 
.under the same treatment and conditions as Gesneras. T. Madame 
Heine for flowering during February and March must not be grown too 
warm, or they will soon become tall. They should be grown close to the 
glass where the temperature does not exceed 60°, and where a circulation 
<?f air can be provided on fine bright days. Some of the latest of these 
may now be transferred into 4-inch and 5-inch pots, and will form a 
capital succession to those that are well established in those sizes. Be 
careful not to syringe the foliage of these plants. 
Gloxinias .—Late in the year the flowers of these plants are equally 
as useful as they are early in the season. During the dull days of 
November and Decefnber their bright yet delicate flowers are very 
effective in small or shallow vases associated with Adiantum cuneatum. 
Plants now in small pots, whether seedlings or raised from leaves, may be 
placed into 4-inch pots and grown on a shelf close to the glass where a 
temperature of 60° to 65° is kept at night. Under these conditions they 
•will grow rapidly and soon commence pushing up their flowers. Old 
plants that have thoroughly gone to rest may have the old soil shaken 
irom them and then stored in boxes amongst sand until they are 
.wanted. For the present they will do in any cool dry shed. Those that 
have been flowering recently must not be hurried to rest. Water them 
carefully and judiciously until their foliage naturally dies away, and 
afterwards keep them dry. 
Achimcnes .—The latest that were raised from cuttings will be 
getting past their best, and may be thrown out provided the old stool 
plants have been reserved for next year’s stock of plants. Ripen these 
gradually by diminishing the supply of water. From this time they 
will do very well on a shelf at the back of a late vinery where the 
Grapes are about ripe. The moderately dry air of this structure will 
suit them exactly. 
Evcharis amazonica .—If the supply of blooms from these is required 
over a long period during the autumn and winter, those that have completed 
their growth may be removed to cooler quarters for a few weeks to rest. 
Do not remove too many plants at one time ; select a few of the most 
promising, and a few more at intervals of ten days or a fortnight accord¬ 
ing to the time they complete their growth. The rest they enjoy in 
cool quarters can either be of short or long duration according to cir¬ 
cumstances. Those that have first flowered must be pushed into growth, 
and with good management should flower again in January. With 
care and judgment in pushing plants forward and retarding others there 
is no difficulty in having Eucharises during the whole of the year, 
though intervals of a week or fortnight may elapse without blooms even 
under the best of management, as it is very difficult to time the plants to 
a few days. Before the plants are removed to cooler quarters allow 
them to become somewhat drier at their roots, and keep them in this 
condition until they are returned to the stove. At the same time they 
must not be allowed to flag or suffer by an insufficient supply of water 
at their roots. 
PRACTICAL BEE-KEEPING.—No. 19. 
Swaump, it is well known, can be taken artificially 
from either sleeps or frame hives, hut it is rather more 
difficult in some cases to take them from the former class 
of hives than the latter; in fact, some bee-keepers of con¬ 
siderable experience seem to consider it hazardous to 
attempt to take an artificial swarm from a skep unless the 
conditions are more than usually favourable. It can 
hardly be denied that unless considerable care is exercised 
a great injury may be done to a stock. It is a dangerous 
experiment for anyone who does not understand the 
necessary conditions to which attention must be paid if 
success is to attend the attempt to try to take an artificial 
swarm. For the benefit of those who prefer to take a 
forced increase rather than to risk the possible loss of a 
swarm by its unexpected issue when no one is at hand to 
hive it, an attempt shall be made to show how and when 
an artificial swarm may most easily be taken. 
Driven bees must be placed on their old stand or re¬ 
moved to a distance of not less than two miles. An 
artificial swarm cannot be placed in any position the bee¬ 
keeper may desire, like a natural swarm must hold a 
certain position, according to the method of taking the 
swarm adopted, and no other. This is the great drawback 
to taking swarms artificially, and although there are 
certain ways of overcoming the difficulty still the loss of 
time to the bees and the trouble laid upon the bee-keeper 
in effecting the object are scarcely commensurate with the 
gain achieved in its attainment except under unusual cir¬ 
cumstances. These methods must be reserved for future 
discussion. 
Again, a swarm must never be taken from any stock 
until it is evident that there is a large surplus population. 
From ten to fifteen days after a stock is ready to work in 
supers is a very good time to take a swarm, but it is far 
wiser to delay for a few days biter than to depopulate a 
hive before the population has become excessive. When 
a stock is crowded with bees and the weather is mild and 
favourable, the bee-keeper may proceed in the middle of a 
fine sunny day to drive the bees from the stock until at 
least one-half of the whole population has left the old 
