220 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 18, 1886. 
Late Houses .—The houses to ripen fruit in August will now be in 
flower, and will need a day temperature of 50° by artificial means, and 
10° to 15° advance from sun heat, with a free circulation of air, the night 
temperature falling to 45°, with a little night ventilation to prevent the 
deposition of moisture on the blossoms. Late houses should have a free 
circulation of air with a view to retarding the flowering, but after the 
blossoms expand they should be kept safe from frost, and the heat turned 
on in the morning so as to raise the temperature to 50° and admit of 
ventilation. See that the inside borders are in a thoroughly moist 
condition. 
Cucumbers. —Stopping, thinning, and tying the shoots will now 
require frequent attention. More especially is this the case with the 
plants that have been fruiting all the winter, which with favourable 
weather will now be making growth freely. Remove all decayed portions 
of wood and leaf, encouraging a free growth of young wood, which, as a 
matter of course, should be tied to the trellis, removing the old wood 
where practicable to make room for the young. Take off an inch 
or two depth of soil from the surface of the bed, not unnecessarily dis¬ 
turbing the roots in so doing, and give a dressing of two parts light 
turfy loam and one of well decomposed short dung, free from worms, and 
a sprinkling of charcoal. Fresh roots will push freely into the new compost, 
after which, when circumstances require it, water them copiously with 
tepid liquid manure in a diluted state. These matters being attended to, 
the plants will continue in a fruitful state some months longer, being 
nearly, if not quite equal, in prolificness to plants raised from seed in the 
early part of January. Maintain a night temperature of 65° to 70°, and 
70’ to 75° by day from fire heat, allowing an advance of 10° to 15° with 
sun, and maintain the bottom heat steady at 80°, never less than 70° nor 
higher than 90°. Add some more soil to the hillocks of young plants as 
the roots protrude through the soil. 
Melons.— Rapid progress has been made during the bright weather of 
the last few days, hence the stopping, tying, and thinning of the shoots 
must be attended to almost daily now that the growth is active. Remove 
all blossoms from the plants swelling their fruits in the early house or pit, 
and place the supports to them in due time to relieve the plants of the 
weight. Pieces of deal half an inch thick and 6 or 7 inches square, sus¬ 
pended in a sloping direction by four pieces of wire from the trellis 
answer well, as do square pieces of small-meshed garden netting fastened 
to the trellis by four pieces of string. Examine the soil and see that the 
plants do not suffer from insufficient supplies of water. They will now, 
especially if the roots are growing in a rather confined space, be in a 
condition to take a weak application of liquid manure, keeping it away 
from the stem, which brings on canker, upon the appearance of which 
quicklime should be rubbed into the affected parts. Ventilate a little on 
bright mornings when the thermometer registers 75°, increasing it as the 
temperature advances, keeping the house through the day at 80° to 85°, 
and closing sufficiently early to allow of a rise to 90°, with plenty of 
atmospheric moisture, syringing the plants and house twice a day during 
bright sunshine, closing about 3 P.M. Make additional plantings, pressing 
the soil around each plant, and should the sun be powerful at the time 
shade the plants for a couple of hours for a few days, when it must be 
discontinued. Keep young plants near the glass to prevent their becoming 
drawn, and make suceessional sowings as circumstances require, keeping a 
sharp look ont for slugs, searching for them after dark with a lantern, 
as if allowed to have their own way they in a short time do irreparable 
mischief. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Cattleyas .—If C. Trianae, C. Mossise, C. intermedia, C. gigas, C. 
Mendelii, and C. Percivaliana have been wintered in a night temperature 
of 60° they will now be starting, and should be top-dressed or repotted, 
as the case may be. Those that require repotting are best done before 
new roots have extended to any length, for they are almost certain to be 
injured in the operation. We prefer repotting these plants just as the 
roots show signs of starting from the base of the pseudo-bulbs, and there¬ 
fore they should be pushed on from time to time as they are ready. 
Those repotted lad year will only need the surface peat and as much of 
the sphagnum moss as possible removed without breaking or otherwise 
injuring the roots. Supply fibry peat and living sphagnum. All the top¬ 
dressing should be completed before those that require potting are com¬ 
menced. Cattleyas are amongst the most difficult of Orchids to repot 
without injury to their roots more or less, for the roots cling tenaciously 
to the sides of the pot. Pans are the best for these plants, and plenty of 
various sizes should be in the house in readiness, also plenty of clean 
crocks in various sizes, charcoal in lumps, peat fibre, and sphagnum. 
These are worked in separately as the work of potting proceeds. It is 
impossible to turn these plants out of the pans in which they are growing 
without destroying a large quantity of their roots ; therefore, the pans 
should be broken. The base of the old pan should be removed and as 
much of the remainder of the pan as possible, all the portions clinging to 
the roots being left. The old compost, if very much decomposed, must be 
removed ; but, if in good condition, only those portions that can be taken 
without disturbing the roots. When all the old compost is removed 
potting must be carefully performed or the plants will decline in health. 
A pot, according to the size of the pan, should be inverted in the centre, 
and then the plant placed into position and crocks and charcoal carefully 
laid amongst the roots until the pan has been more than half filled. Place 
a little moss over them, and fill the remaining space amongst the roots 
with peat and mos=, using about one-third of the latter. As the work pro¬ 
ceeds lay large pieces of charcoal amongst the peat and moss, so that the 
new roots, when they are made, will have something near the surface to 
cling to. The moss used must be so placed—not too far below the surface 
—that it can be picked out annually, for it decomposes much more 
quickly than peat fibre. When these plants are potted a good shift 
should be given them, so that they will stand for three years, or as long as 
the fibre will remain in good condition. It is important that the peat 
fibre be good, for these plants do not long remain healthy with de¬ 
cayed compost about their roots. They must be watered with great care 
for some time yet, especially those newly potted, giving no more water 
than will keep the material about their roots moist and the pseudo-bulbs 
from shrivelling. Syringing amongst the pots may be freely practised, and 
a little more moisture may now be maintained in the atmosphere of the 
house. Plants growing on rafts may be mossed and top-dressed, and the 
same applies to those growing in baskets ; if larger are required they may 
be placed in them without attempting to disturb the old basket. 
Oiicidiums .—All that are growing with the Cattleyas may be top- 
dressed, except those that it is necessary to place into larger pots, pans, 
or baskets. These plants are less difficult to pot than Cattleyas, for their 
roots are not so easily destroyed. Many Oncidiums will flourish in the 
same basket for years provided they are top-dressed with moss and peat 
annually. When these plants are placed in baskets plenty of charcoal 
should be given them, and their roots will soon become attached to it; 
the compost used for them should be near the surface, so that it can be 
removed when decomposed. It is sometimes difficult to pick out the 
whole, but it can generally be washed out, and when this is done the 
baskets must be allowed to drain thoroughly before the new compost is 
applied. Those in pots or pans that need a larger size should have them 
most liberally drained, for these plants root most freely upon the surface. 
The majority do well in peat fibre and a little charcoal intermixed, with a 
good layer of moss on the surface. When repotting any plants decomposed 
soil should be removed and the roots washed clean in tepid water. If the 
material used for potting is good, aDd too large shifts are not given, they 
will be in sweet condition in the space of two years, when they should 
require larger pots or pans. More water may now be given to the roots 
of those starting, while those repotted must be watered very carefully 
until they are growing and rooting freely. If these or any Orchids are 
overwatered after they have been repotted they are certain to suffer, but 
with care they will start freely and vigorously into growth. For the 
present make no attempt to grow the sphagnum on the surface of these 
plants; they can be surfaced after they have commenced growing freely, 
and then the moss can be encouraged. 
Thunias .—These have been resting in some moderately cool place, and 
may now be introduced into a temperature of 60°. If given a good 
soaking of water and syringed daily they will soon commence growing, 
when they should be shaken out of their pots and repotted in fresh ones. 
These Orchids are not very particular about soil, and will flourish in 
almost any compost. They do wonderfully well in fibry loam, one- 
seventh of cow manure passed through a fine sieve, sand and a little 
charcoal, or they may be grown in equal portions of peat and loam. 
Water carefully until they are growing and rooting freely, then liberal 
supplies may be given. 
EXTRACTING HONEY. 
Advanced bee-keepers are always ready to expatiate upon 
the merits of the extracting system, and to denounce the old- 
fashioned cottage skep, not only because of its inhumanity, 
nor yet because the weight of honey derived from stocks so 
managed is less, but because they say honey taken from 
combs which have at one time contained, or at the time of 
taking honey do contain, some pollen, brood, or other con¬ 
taminating substance which is extraneous to pure honey, 
takes away its rich flavour and the sweetness appertaining to 
honey taken from white comb in which pollen has never been 
stored nor brood raised. It is, of course, admitted that honey 
taken from such combs is inferior to that taken from virgin 
comb. The old system is, then, essentially at fault. Every 
new one must directly aim at getting pure honey and un¬ 
tainted ; but do these advocates of extracting extract from 
pure comb ? Do they not rather choose old tough combs in 
order that they may the better withstand the action of the 
apparatus which is to throw out the honey ? Are not these 
combs used for extracting from often partially filled with 
brood in all stages of existence and with bee bread ? Is it 
possible, can anyone imagine, to extract the honey only 
without throwing forth some brood and pollen ? Where, 
then, is the superiority of this honey over that taken on the 
old plan with less trouble, less expense, and a minimum of 
risk ? 
In order, however, that the extractor may be of the 
