September 26, 18 9 ] 
■JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
277 
the soil should be preserve 1 with the roots, as this is usually too close 
and heavy for plants in pots, and sours quicky. Avoid overpotting, and 
place the plants in gentle heat at once. Heliotropes, Ageratums, and 
Petunias as a rule cannot be well potted, but some, if cut rather hard 
back, will survive. Fuchsias ought not to be lifted and stored in pots 
or boxes until after the principal portion of the leaves have fallen. 
Marguerites can be readily potted, and will flower in a conservatory or 
greenhouse for some time longer. Strong autumn-struck plants are the 
best for window boxes and vases, or for an early display in any position. 
Salvia patens having tuberous roots may be treated exactly the same as 
Dahlias, or if not numerous the roots may be stored thickly in boxes of 
fine soil. Abutilons are readily potted, and the majority, whether 
flowering varieties or grown for their fine foliage only, will help to 
brighten a conservatory. Asters are in many instances past their best, 
but any not so forward may be potted, and will be found very service¬ 
able. As a rule Dahlias do not move well out of the open ground, but 
occasionally plants carefully lifted and potted pay well for the trouble. 
Succulents, notably the choicer Echeverias, Pachyphytums, and Semper- 
vivums must not be left in the open till a severe frost cripples them, or 
otherwise they will keep badly through the winter. The middle of 
October is, as a rule, quite early enough to put in cuttings of Violas and 
shrubby Calceolarias. They will be firmer by that time, and the less 
growth they make before midwinter the more serviceable they are 
subsequently. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Housing Plants .—Tender plants are not safe outside after the close 
of this month without some protection. It is important that all avail¬ 
able structures be thoroughly washed and cleaned before the plants are 
arranged in them. All needing stove or an intermediate temperature 
should first be provided for. The pits and frames they have occupied 
can be devoted to the protection of plants that have been grown outside. 
All plants that need cleaning should be attended to before they are 
arranged in their winter quarters. In the neighbourhood of towns it is 
not only necessary to wash the glass inside, but it must be done outside 
as well. The latter can be left, however, until all plants are safely 
housed, and during showery weather outside washing does not take up 
much time. 
Shading .—Discontinue all shading, take the blinds off, and thoroughly 
dry them before they are stored away for the winter. If placed away 
damp they will be useless when they are required next spring. Where 
thicker blinds are used during the winter on stoves and other warm 
houses place them on at the same time as the summer blinds are 
removed. Covering the roof of warm houses during cold severe weather 
should be more generally practised. It prevents the overheating of the 
pipes, which is of the"utmost value for the well-being of the plants, and 
the saving in fuel will soon more than cover the first outlay for blinds. 
Callas .—Lose no time in lifting those planted out, as although they 
will bear a few degrees of frost it checks them. Carefully shake the 
soil from the roots, and place plants into convenient sized pots in a 
compost of good loam and one-third of decayed manure. One large 
crock, even in 10-inch pots, is ample drainage for them. Pot firmly, 
soak the soil with water at once after potting, and syringe two or three 
times daily until root activity has commenced. The plants may be 
stood outside for ten days or a fortnight before they are housed, but 
where they can be covered with a piece of tiffany. Lift also Salvias, 
Eupatoriums, Bouvardias, and other plants of a like nature. These 
should be placed in cold frames, and shaded for a time from the sun. 
Solanums .—Where these have been plunged outside in pots, and have 
rooted out at the base and over the rim, no harm will be done by cutting 
them off. If stood afterwards in a dry place the foliage is liable to turn 
yellow. Place them in a frame for a fortnight, and keep the soil moist 
at their roots, and syringe freely. This is all that is needed to keep the 
foliage fresh and healthy. 
Hydrangeas .—If cuttings have been rooted and stood in a sunny 
position outside it is necessary to look over the plants before they are 
checked or injured by frost. Those with plump flower buds can be left 
outside until frost sends them to rest, but those in a backward 
state may be placed in a sunny position under glass on a shelf, and it is 
surprising how quickly the buds will plump up. Plants subject to this 
treatment are not, as a rule, good for early forcing, but will prove all 
that will be required for successional purposes. 
Chrysanthemums .—All plants required for flowering during Novem¬ 
ber should be placed under glass. The early frosts of last year, and the 
slight warning we have already received this year, warrants the advice 
that they should be placed under glass as quickly as possible. Those 
required for late flowering should be so arranged that slight protection 
can be given when necessary. Bushes for decoration are being arranged 
three rows together. Long canes are placed into the ground on each 
side, and tied together in the centre. An upright stake is placed in the 
centre, to which these are secured. A few lengths of tar twine run 
along each side completes the arrangement as far as the framework is 
concerned. Long strips of tiffany are then secured at the top and rolled 
up and tied against each other. With this or any similar provision 
large quantities can have the covering drawn over them in a very short 
time, the tiffany only needs securing to the stakes at the base. Where 
practicable the pots should be plunged, which prevents the plants being 
rolled about by rough winds. When these plants are first housed dis¬ 
continue feeding for a few days, and give abundance ©f air. Syringe 
liberally two or three times during bright days. Syringe lightly just 
before dark. 
Carnations.— Tree varieties should be housed at once, and if aphides 
exist upon their shoots fumigate them slightly with tobacco. Arrange 
them in a light airy position on a moisture-holding base. Water the 
plants carefully, but do not allow the soil to approach dryness. 
Azaleas, Heaths , and Epacris. — Place these in their winter quarters, 
as heavy rains will soon prove injurious to them. Arrange them on a 
base covered with gravel or ashes. The flowers of Heaths and Epacrises 
failing to come forward is frequently due to placing the plants on dry 
stages, and maintaining about them a dry atmosphere. Where plants 
have to be placed on dry stages the pots and stages should be frequently 
syringed. On all fine days the plants will be benefited by being syringed 
lightly twice daily. 
THE HEATHER SEASON IN HALLAMSIIIRE. 
Tiie past contributions of “ A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper” have 
been very interesting, and as the Heather here behaves very 
differently from that in his locality, a few notes on the subject may 
be acceptable. 
He speaks of bees filling supers from Heather in July, and 
swarming when working on the Heather. Here the Heather 
yielded no honey before August 10th, which was earlier by five 
days than the average, this being the earliest date I have ever 
known. How is it that the Heather in Scotland yields honey so 
much sooner than here ? Perhaps the reason is they get more sun¬ 
shine in the north, which helps it forward. It is a fact not always 
remembered, that the sun shines longer in summer the further 
north we go, and this may account for the wonderful Scotch 
Heather harvests. _ 
I have never seen or heard of bees swarming while the Heather 
is in bloom here, no matter how strong they might be, and I often 
have them supersede their queens whilst it yields honey ; in fact, 
I have had far too many queens superseded this year. 
This year has not been good, the best days being August 3Qcb 
and September 10th ; from the 14th to the 28th, when the Heather 
was at its best, the weather prevented their procuring anything,, 
but it has yielded longer than usual this year, and most stocks will 
yield twenty 1-lb. glass sections sealed over, with 30 to 40 lbs. in the 
combs below. I feel quite disappointed, as I never saw the Heather 
look so well before, and the only consolation is we had none last 
year. _ 
Our friend speaks of one stock collecting 30 lbs. in one day, 
and as I understand him to say that he weighed the hive in the 
evening I think a large deduction should be made to obtain the 
equivalent in ripe honey—that is, assuming his Heather honey is 
anything like ours. When first gathered it is as thin as water, and 
is scarcely sweet. The bees evaporate it down, which, with the- 
honey used as fuel, avill at least, reduce the weight to one-fifth. 
In 1887 I had one stock of hybrid Syrians increased 70 lbs. in. 
weight, all sealed honey, which was gathered in seven days, but- 
I never saw Heather honey so thick when first gathered as it 
was that year. _ 
I do not question or doubt the possibility of bees collecting: 
30lbs., or oven 100 lbs., of crude Heather nectar in one day ; but I 
am rather sceptical that they can possibly ripen 30 lbs. per day ^ 
This brings me to an idea I have been thinking of to help them— 
—viz., all who have had any experience with Heather honey know 
that it cannot be extracted when ripe, though when fresh it is 
extracted most readily. Even on the third day, in fact, every bit 
of Heather honey can be extracted if the combs are run through 
the extractor once in three days. I have been thinking that if the 
super combs were extracted every alternate day the watery part 
could be separated by centrifugal force, like cream is separated. 
This water would contain a large portion of the bitter flavouring. 
