February 18, 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
139 
practised, and when commenced be followed up gradually. If there be 
a thick set of fruit gradually remove the smallest and worst placed. 
Third House .—The house started early in this month will have the 
flowers well advanced, and should as a precautionary measure against 
aphides be fumigated, having the trees dry, and repeating it on alternate 
evenings. Cease syringing when the authers show clear of the corollas, 
but maintain a genial condition of the atmosphere by damping available 
surfaces in the morning and afternoon. A temperature of 50° should he 
secured by day, and 40° to 45° at night will be sufficient for the present. 
Ventilate from 55°, allowing an advance to 60° or 65 c from sun heat, with 
a free circulation of air. If there be any doubt as to the moisture of the 
inside borders make an examination, and if necessary give a thorough 
soaking with tepid water. If there is a great show of blossom rub off 
those at the back or under side of the shoots. 
Late nouses.- —Keep these well ventilated by night and day, except 
w P rev ails, and when the days are bright some shading over the 
roof lights will prevent the temperature rising so as to excite the buds 
and get the borders properly moistened before the buds begin swelling, 
or many of them will fall. 
Melons. —Where the weather still continues severe a night tempera¬ 
ture of 60° to 65°, and day of 70° to 75° from fire heat will be suitable, 
rising to 80° or 85° with sun. Ventilate a little at 75° and close at 85°, 
rising to 90° with plenty of moisture. The plants that were shifted into 
6-inch pots wiil now be ready for planting out in the ridges or hillocks 
in the Melon house for trellis training. Train with a clear stem to the 
trellis, lubbing off the side shoots as they show, and allow the leading 
shoots to advance two-thirds the distance up the trellis before stopping, 
also rub off every alternate lateral on opposite sides of the principal shoots. 
Ihe laterals will show fruit at the second or third joint, or if no fruit 
show stop at the second joint. The soil should be moist when the plants 
are turned out and the soil pressed firmly around each stem, and keep the 
base of the plant a little higher than the surrounding level, so that the 
water may drain from not to the stem, for if the plant be low at the collar 
it is liable to become too damp and cause canker. Keep the bottom heat 
steady at 80°.. Water carefully and always at a little distance from the 
stem. Maintain a genial condition of the atmosphere by damping in the 
morning and afternoon, also before dark if Bharp firing is necessitated. 
Cucumbers. —Endeavour to insure a steady progress in the plants, as 
nothing is gained by undue excitement at any time, especially when the 
weather is adverse to growth. Let the ventilating with stopping, tying, and 
regulating the growths be attended to regularly. Keep the evaporating 
troughs filled with liquid manure, the ammonia arising from which is in¬ 
vigorating to the plants and detrimental to insects. 
Figs.—E arliest Trees in Pots— In a steady bottom heat of 70° to 75° 
the roots will now be very active and the trees have a number of fully 
developed leaves, which, when exposed to the full influence of light, need 
particular attention in the watering, as dryness at the roots will prove 
ratal to the most forward fruit. The pots being full of roots, hoops made 
ot lead or zinc 4 inches deep should be placed inside the rims and rich 
surface dressings given as the roots occupy it, not giving it all at once, but 
little and often, and liquid manure in a weak tepid state in suflBcient 
■quantity to pass through to the drainage. The atmosphere must be kept 
m genial condition by syringing twice a day when the weather is fine, 
and by damping the surface of the bed, walls, and paths when dull. Keep 
th f. c D1 temperature at 60°, falling 5° on cold nights, 60° to 65° by day 
iTvw,. on ?° ld days, and 10° to 15° rise with gleams of sun. Ventilate 
at 70 , keep with sun heat through the day at 75° to 80°, and close early, so 
as to run the temperature to 85°. Attend to stopping and tying as growth 
advances, and guard against overcrowding as one of the greatest evils, for 
f lgs to have flavour and colour must have full exposure to light and a 
ree circulation of air, to effect which the growths must be thin and evenly 
Early-forced Planted-out Trees. —Thoee started early in January will 
soon require disbudding and stopping, but where trellis room admits the 
leading shoots should be allowed to extend to the extremity without 
stopping, mulch the borders with rich compost as the roots rise to the 
surface, and water freely with tepid liquid manure, encouraging roots by 
keeping the surface of the border moist. 
nleted^T,^^' - ^Pruning and cleansing the trees mast now be com- 
Srowtht 1 h M h °u 8e ? 0,08ed the end of the month. In late houses the 
fhort iointpH U d ,1^ h? pt - j bln ’ 80 tbat tbe 7 0un g growths may be firm, 
satisfactory*,'' u J“ dlc ious management well matured, otherwise 
eati.factory crops can hardly be expected. 
the old ball, or, when water is applied it will pass through the new soil 
and leave the old ball dry. The old ball as well as the new soil at potting 
time must be in an intermediate state of moisture. Freely syringe the 
plants after potting, so that water can be withheld from the roots as long 
as possible. This gives them ample time to recover from injuries received 
in the operation. In potting, the old ball should not be disturbed further 
than the removal of the drainage from the base. All that it may be 
necessary to keep in small pots may have a little Standen’s manure applied 
to the surface, at intervals of about a month. Straggling shoots may be 
pruned back so as to keep the heads of the plants shapely and within due 
bounds. Watch for thrips, and if they appear destroy them with a weak 
solut'on of tobacco water. 
Epacrises .—As the flowers fade prune these close back and place them 
in a similar temperature to that in which they have been while flowering. 
If these are syringed twice daily they will soon break into growth. For 
this purpose these plants enjoy gentle heat, but as soon as they have made 
1 or 2 inches of growth, gradually harden them to cooler treatment until 
they can be grown under cool conditions. The roots of these plants are 
generally active by the time 2 inches of growth have been made, and in 
this stage they may be repotted if they require it, using the same soil as 
advised for Azaleas ; observe the same conditions as regards potting 
throughout. Artificial manure is also beneficial to those plants that do 
not need repotting. 
Heaths .—Such varieties as E. gracilis, E. hyemalis, and others of a soft- 
wooded nature that were cut back late last year and failed to flower will, 
if they have been properly treated, be in good condition for transferring 
into larger pots. If these plants have now young growing shoots upon 
them about 2 inches in length, they will make beautiful specimens for 
flowering early in autumn. Press the compost of soil, peat, and sand 
firmly into the pots. If the plants are crowded with shoots they may be 
tied out or thinned ; if the latter, those left will attain a greater size, and 
a few well-flowered shoots on each plant are more effective than those 
with a greater number of smaller shoots. Young stock in 3 and 4-inch 
pots with five or six young growing shoots upon them should be placed at 
once into 5 and 6-inch pots, according to their size and strength. These, 
if well cared for, will by autumn be equal to those plants grown by the 
trade in the neighbourhood of London. Grow these plants in frames 
where frost can be excluded by means of hot-water pipes or by matting 
during bad weather. The frames may be kept moderately close and the 
plants carefully watered until they have commenced rooting into the new 
soil. Ventilate freely afterwards to ensure a sturdy compact growth. 
Plants that flowered and have been cut back should be pushed into growth 
as quickly as possible, or they will fail to make their growth and ripen it 
sufficiently to flower well in autumn and winter. For this purpose the 
plants may be kept in a temperature of 45° to 55° by night, and syringed 
once or twice daily according to the state of the weather. 
Hardnooded Heaths .—All that require potting should be done at 
once, so that they will become partially established in their pots before 
the sun has too much power. Select some of the best peat for these, 
broken up with the hand and used in a moderately rough state ; in addi¬ 
tion to a liberal dash of coarse sand a little charcoal may be used with 
the peat. The soil should be pressed firmly into the pots, and the plants 
stood upon some moisture-holding material in the house in which they are 
grown. The ventilators may be kept closer for about a fortnight after 
potting, and the pots and stage being liberally syringed, so that water 
can be withheld from the roots as long as possible. After potting has 
been completed push on staking and tyiDg as rapidly as possible. No 
more stakes than sufficient to maintain the plants steady should be used. 
If the plants are tied with green thread very few stakes will be needed. 
The'only tying that young stock needs is to bring down the strongest 
shoots towards the rim of the pots, so that the smaller and weaker ones 
will have a chance of gaining strength. When growth commences strong 
shoots that take the lead should occasionally be pinched. Young healthy 
plants when potted may be placed into pots 2 inches larger than those in 
which they are growing. 
ABOUT BEES. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
u, a ;^'r:T Varie ‘ iea 0f « A - lndica as the y <*««> flowering should 1 
S; t P ? tUre ? f . 5 ° t0 55 °' When these plants have bee 
?o C d ed o ^^T by r ntl l hea V he ^ are seriousl y checked if placed i 
have fl r ered >’ but » W d ^edin S0II 
structure where the temperature advised can be maintained, they continr 
srowth 8 earW- er *r th ' 11 u mUch better to aa8ist P^nts to make the: 
the fieaa °r b y. gcn , tle heat than to force them unduly. The.- 
whi y, n° * 6 R y nn 8® d twice daily, and the atmosphere of the house i 
the roots of a 7 an , ged bept m< ? dera,el y “Oist. Under these condition 
tb™ tv! ♦ f th - P antS W1 1 80011 be m ful1 activity, and when in this stag 
nots aid t th eqU1I ' e re i P °’v ng u 8huuld be done - E “Pioy clean well-draine 
Dressed firm!^ e . w . 80 ’i» wh ‘ th must c<msist of peat and coarse sand, should b 
pressed firmly into the pot-. In fact, it must be made a little firmer tha 
In the spring of last year I gave your readers an account of 
my experience in bee-keeping. I had twelve stocks then, 
apparently flourishing, and as I had a swarm on the 1st of 
April it seemed likely that we should retrieve the disasters of 
the previous season. By May, however, two stocks and the 
swarm were lost, so I began the season with ten, all in Neigh¬ 
bour’s ten-bar-frame hive, No. 99 of catalogue. 
I set out with the intention of succeeding if possible, and 
was equally resolved to state my experience as a guide to other 
amateurs. I fed the bees with flour cake and sugar candy, and 
have one opinion upon them both-—viz., they may serve to keep 
bees alive, but need something to moisten them, and that bees 
cannot get without fetching it, which causes them to fly out in 
the cold air, get chilled, and die ; whereas if the food were 
