October 25, 18S8. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
391 
shoots that have been allowed to grow up to the glass will be thickly 
studded with embryo fruits, which must be protected from injury when 
the trees, &c., are cleaned, as well as from the effects of sudden and 
severe frosts, by being unfastened and drawn down below the trellis 
until the time arrives for thinning out the branches that have reached 
the extremity of the trellis. The best soil for Figs is a good friable 
loam with a liberal addition of lime rubble, broken bricks, and steamed 
bonemeal. Stimulants, in the form of solid manure or liquid, should 
always be applied to the surface when the trees are growing. 
Late Trees. —Have all root-pruning finished, bearing in mind that 
strong-growing varieties, when confined to limited root space, can only 
be kept fruitful and manageable by limiting the rooting area and feeding 
when carrying heavy crops of fruit. The houses should then be freely 
ventilated, especially at night, except when frosts prevail. 
Strawberries in Pots. —Much of the successs in Strawberry 
forcing depends on the treatment the plants are subjected to at what is 
commonly known as the resting period prior to forcing. The wintering 
of Strawberries in pots by stacking them one upon another in sawdust 
oriother material against a wall, or housing them on the borders of fruit 
houses, is not only unnecessary but absolutely injurious, as the soil not 
infrequently becomes dry, and the dry atmosphere induced by the free 
ventilation wastes the energies of the plants. Plants that have had the 
crowns thinned in the season, the side shoots removed and kept to one 
crown, will have them well developed, having made their growth early, 
and have the pots filled with healthy roots. If intended for early 
forcing they will be the better for having lights placed over them, the 
pots being plunged in ashes or cocoa-nut fibre refuse, or even tree 
leaves, but not so thick as to heat, but the lights must be withdrawn in 
mild weather, and only used in case of heavy rains, when they must be 
tilted, or in case of frost. They should be regularly supplied with 
water at the roots, as the Strawberry never suffers so much as when 
allowed to become dry at the roots. Place late plants in a raised bed 
or plunged in ashes or other material on the flat in a sunny position to 
finish the ripening process, and they will require to be well supplied 
with water. Sun and sharp winds ripen the growths and solidify the 
crowns far better than the atmosphere of houses. 
Autumn fruiting plants require a steady night temperature of 55° 
to 60°, and 10° to 15° rise by day ; ventilate freely so as to prevent the 
condensation of moisture on the fruit, as that will cause its speedy 
decay. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
The Stove. —The temperature of this structure should now range at 
night from 60° to 65° according to external conditions, while the day 
temperature by sun heat may range 10° to 15° higher. The day tem¬ 
perature by fire heat, when necessary to apply it, should not exceed 70°. 
Considerably less moisture will be needed from the present time, and 
judgment must be used in syringing. On fine days syringing may still 
be done twice, while on all damp dull occasions it must be dispensed 
with, only damping between the pots. When syringing, however, do it 
liberally, in order to keep Crotons and similar plants free from red 
spider and thrips. Shading will no longer be needed, for all plants in 
this structure will now bear full sunshine without injury. If Phalae- 
nopses or Orchids of a similar nature that cannot bear strong sunshine 
are suspended in this structure they will still need a little shade, but 
these can be protected by sheets of light paper without interfering with 
the other occupants of the house. 
Crotons. —All well-grown highly coloured young plants in 5 to 
10-inch pots that have been specially grown for room and table decoration 
should still be kept in a lower temperature than the stove. To excite 
fresh growth now would spoil them for the purpose for which they have 
been prepared. It is impossible to colour any foliage that may be made 
after the present time. Keep them in a night temperature of 55°, and 
ventilate on sunny days to prevent the temperature rising above 75°. 
Do not subject the plants to cold draughts, rather allow the temperature 
to run up 10° higher. 
Draecenas. —Plants of the D. Cooperi and D. terminalis types are 
much better under similar conditions to those advised for Crotons than 
in a close moist atmosphere, that is, when they are required for the 
various forms of room ornamentation. They last in good condition nearly 
double the length of time. Plants of Goldieana should not be starved, 
for they are liable to lose the brightness they would otherwise possess, 
while D. Lindeni will bear the treatment advised for D. Cooperi without 
injury. 
BEES AND THEIR ENEMIES. 
Bees have numerous enemies, but few have the power to 
annihilate them. The elements and man are perhaps the two greatest 
they have to contend with. The former can, to a great extent, be 
combated, and evils arising therefrom be avoided with a little 
care ; but, alas ! the manipulation they are subjected to ! Often a 
floor has been provided. There will be little damp inside the hive, 
but where not there will be dirt, and the health of the tees 
jeopardised. We have never observed anyone but ourselves warning 
against this evil. The time to remedy it is not, as yet, too late. 
All those who have been trying the injudicious rapid feeding lately 
should make an examination of the interior of their hives, and if 
damp, change the frames and bees to a warm and dry hive. 
Where that cannot be done change the floor-board. Damp 
during winter is the bane of bee-keeping, but dryness is the sure 
way to success. 
There can be no better lesson than either to see an apiary 
properly prepared for the winter, or to have an accurate de¬ 
scription of one. As usual I have parted with my surplus bees 
to persons in want of such. My stocks for the winter comprise 
small nuclei and strong stocks in equal numbers. With one 
exception all are prepared as stated in the number of October 
the 18th, and supplied with plenty of honey that will last then* 
till next summer, and as they have gathered much pollen this fine 
October, are in a fit state to stand the winter and come out strong 
in spring, although my nuclei, as usual, are weak in bees. 
One of my hives had an imported Carniolian introduced a month 
ago. It had then been queenless for some time, and had dwindled 
down to less than a teacupful of bees, but the persecuted drones 
from the other hives previously mentioned as being queenless or 
having unfertilised queens, took shelter in this hive, enabling it to 
put in a good patch of brood that when hatched will greatly benefit 
it, and I expect it will survive the winter. It is rather singular to 
see one hive in direct need of drones, yet the bees turning them out, 
while another having a fertile queen retaining them. The only use 
they are now is to assist in hatching the brood, which without them 
could not be accomplished. To-day while I write is the twenty- 
seventh day since the introduction of the queen and the first attempt 
to kill the drones. As the brood hatches they will be turned out. 
I may, before closing this article, state that while it is unadvisiblg- 
with any variety of bee to change their site or appearance, Car- 
niolians are very sensitive to any change being made either of site 
or of hive. It is therefore important not to make the slightest 
alteration or change now with Carniolian bee hives ; no variety 
clings to a position taken up like them.—A Lanarkshire 
Bee-keeper. 
BIRDS AND BEES. 
I am surprised that any bee-keepers should have doubted that 
martins as well as swallows and sparrows are most destructive to 
bees. From my own observation I should say there is not a pin to 
choose between them, though sparrows are far the boldest. The 
other day I saw an old cock sparrow catch five bees on the wing in 
two minutes ; he sat on the top of the hive and pounced at them 
as they came home, but I have never seen them eat drones. When 
the ground was covered with the dead and dying the sparrows care¬ 
fully picked out live workers, while the swallows and martins 
(chiefly the former) scud after the bees as they come home before 
a shower, and catch hundreds on the wing, and when a swarm has 
turned out they will fly backwards and forwards through the cloud 
of bees. I have seen this times out of number.—W. E. Burkitt, 
Buttcrmere Rectory. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
James Cocker & Sons, Aberdeen.— Catalogues of Roses, Trees, 
Herbaceous Plants, fyc. 
All correspondence should be directed either to “Ths 
Editor” or to “ The Publisher.” Letters addressed to Dr. 
Hogg or members of the staff often remain unopened un¬ 
avoidably. 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 communica¬ 
tions. 
Addresses (S. Bacchus'). —Write to Mr. E. Molyneux, Swan more- 
Gardens, Bishop’s Waltham, Hants. (J. <?.).—Mr. W. Collins, Martinhoe. 
Terrace. Martindale Road, Clapham Park, London, S.W. 
