October 17, 18?9 ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
343 
Reduce the supply of water at the roots, but not so much as to cause 
flagging. A few horse droppings sprinkled on the beds occasionally will 
benefit the plants through the waterings and the ammonia given off. 
Keep the foliage thin and the glass clean to secure thorough solidified 
growth. 
Melons. —In houses the supply of fairly well flavoured fruit will 
be kept up for some time longer, the latest fruits being only swelling. 
Sufficient moisture will be secured to this crop by damping in the. 
morning and again early in the afternoon, affording water to the roots 
moderately ; a supply once a week will be sufficient. All superfluous 
laterals must be cut out so as to afford the principal foliage the benefit 
of the autumn sun. Plants with fruits approaching ripeness must be 
kept dry and a brisk heat maintained with rather free ventilation, the 
temperature being kept at 65° at night, 70° to 75° by day, rising to 85° 
or 90° from sun heat, affording a little air at the upper part of the 
roof whenever the weather is favourable. 
One of the best Melons for late work is Scarlet Premier, the fruit 
keeping a considerable time after cutting. Any fruits approaching 
ripeness should be cut with a good portion of stem, and placed in a 
house with a gentle warmth, where they will ripen and be welcome 
additions to the dessert. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
The Potato Disease. —At one time in July and August we thought 
the present was going to be an exceptionally good Potato year, but it 
has proved otherwise, as the disease made rapid progress in September, 
and many of the late crops are badly affected. Some of those which 
were stored in apparently good condition have since become diseased. 
All such should be examined and every decaying tuber removed. Late 
crops which it is intended to store in clamps under straw and soil should 
be kept in a cool airy shed for a week or two before being put away, 
as if once under the soil they cannot be readily examined ; and to 
enclose diseased tubers, however little they may be affected at the time, 
may soon end in the destruction of the bulk of the crop. 
Protecting Materials. —Winter is fast approaching, and pro¬ 
tecting materials should be in readiness. Old mats, straw, and bracken 
are useful for sheltering young Cauliflower plants, Lettuce, Endive, 
Celery, &c. The bracken is especially useful. It should be cut before 
it is too much withered, and it should be stored before it has become 
very dry to prevent it crumbling away prematurely. Where Carrots, 
Beet, &c., cannot be lifted and stored, a covering of bracken put over 
their tops in frosty weather will give a great amount of protection. 
Potatoes that are difficult to be all accommodated in the dark may be 
kept from becoming green by placing a layer of bracken over them. It 
does not lie so close as straw or hay, and the air can circulate through 
it as long as it is kept dry. 
Tomatoes. —Open air fruits have ripened well during the last six 
weeks or more. The cold nights, however, are now impeding their 
swelling, and unless they can be protected with glass lights it will be 
best to cut the fruit off and hang it in a warm room to mature. If 
touched by frost before being cut they will decay. Plants under glass 
that are still carrying some fruit and a great deal of foliage should be 
relieved of much of the latter, as the fruit will both swell and colour 
better. We have some plants on a shelf in a lean-to Pine house that 
are bearing more fruit than leaves, and the fine clusters attract the 
attention of all who see them. We make sure of retaining a good 
variety by cutting in the autumn, and keeping these on in small pots as 
stock plants for spring. Inserted in sandy soil and kept in a close 
atmosphere the cuttings root in a fortnight. In saving seed of 
Tomatoes only the best fruits should be chosen. 
Mulching Asparagus Roots. —Where Asparagus roots have 
failed to make satisfactory progress during the summer they may be 
improved to a considerable extent by placing some half-decayed 
manure round the stems at once. This will be found particularly bene¬ 
ficial in light soils, and Asparagus should never be planted in heavy 
material. The roots are very thick and fleshy, and absorb food in 
winter. Roots intended for early forcing will be much benefited by 
this treatment. 
Brussels Sprouts. —These have grown and buttoned very freely 
this season. They are more forward than usual, and as the sprouts are 
ready some may be tempted to use them, while other vegetables are 
spoiling It would be much better to reserve the sprouts until nearer 
midwinter, as, although they are ready for use now, they will not 
deteriorate if allowed to remain on the stems for three or four months 
at least. 
Early Savoys. —We have cautioned readers against having these 
too early. We recently saw about quarter of an acre raised in April now 
all burst and useless. Our own, that were sown and planted much later, 
are in prime condition. 
ilBE BEE-KEEPER 
■'I'-lS*-'' 1 / 
T3B£S»-fr- 
NOTES ON BEES. 
FEEDING BEES. 
There are two extremes in this—namely, slow and rapid 
feeding. The former worries out the bees, wastes sugar, and serves 
no good purpose whatever. The latter is apt to engender foul 
brood, and sometimes the combs collapse through the excessive! 
heat raised by the bees. From 2 to 4 lb3. of sugar daily is quite 
sufficient for any hive, and by this method safety is ensured. Of 
course where under feeders are used, feeding should only be done 
between sunset and sunrise. 
FOUL BROOD. 
In three different apiaries this season foul brood has appeared 1 ,. 
and in all the three, on inquiry being made, old honey had been-, 
used as food, in combination with sugar during the spring and 
early summer. Sugar alone is the best and safest food to give, 
bees at all times. 
JOINING BEEk 
This is a practice still followed by many bee-keepers, but one 
which I have for many years abandoned at this season, seldom 
seeing or experiencing any benefit from it, my nuclei often 
proving the most profitable stocks the following summer. There- 
are various ways of uniting two colonies. Some make a very 
bungling job of it, often getting more than half of the bees killed, 
and not unfrequently both queens. A safe way of uniting two 
colonies is to drive both lots and cage the queen to be kept on the 
combs, and while the bees are gorged with sugar or honey shake 
both together, or set that having the queen over the others and let 
them gradually creep together. A little essence of peppermint ini 
the syrup the bees are sprinkled with is an advantage, or if a few 
hours previous to joining a bit of camphor is placed on the floor of 
each hive, and both lots of bee3 are fed, there will be no fighting, 
especially if a frame of bees and comb from each hive is placed 
alternately in the permanent hive. Bees so mixed seldom fight. 
Where surplus hives are at command, immediately before the 
great honey flow is the best and proper time to unite bees, not at. 
any time after. 
AGE OF BEES. 
At the present time I observe bees in my apiary that were 
hatched not later than in May. I doubt not but many of the bees, 
living now will be alive in May, 1890. 
MODES OF PREPARING BEES FOR HEATHER. 
To those who are within reach of Heather it is absolutely 
necessary if profit is expected to have strong stocks. The stocks 
we have been most successful with have always been unswarmed 
ones, having a young queen introduced about a month previous to- 
the Heather being ready ; but as the swarming system requires 
less capital to work during bad seasons or winter it is not to be 
despised, because when they are so managed to :swarm early it 
gives three stocks instead of one during the ingathering of honey, 
and by the time the Heather is in order all are equal to any non- 
swarmer, and if the work of uniting takes place at the proper time- 
are far superior. The surest thing to prevent swarming at this 
season after a young queen is to deprive the bees at the first 
opportunity of some of their honey—supers if possible. 
Some years since I described a system of driving the bees into 
empty hives before taking them to the moors, and acting as the year 
wasfavourable or unfavourable with bees and deserted hives, the chief 
aim being to renew the combs annually, and at the same time to secure 
the largest amount of pure white Heather comb, so much desired 
by lovers of honey—a qualiiy of honeycomb many know little or 
nothing about, unobtainable from hives where the bees have access 
to the supers right over the brood nest. 
Others, again, after the bees have been driven from their 
combs and stores about three weeks after the issue of the first 
swarm, break up all the comb, giving the bees an empty hive, atten¬ 
tion being paid to prevent death only should unfavourable weather 
occur. I have known hives so dealt with in a good season rise in 
weight 70 lbs. during the month of August. Others, again, take all 
their stocks, first and second swarms and old stock, to the Heather, 
and at the end preserve the second swarm with the bees of the old 
stock and first swarm added. This system has sometimes proved 
remunerative, but taking one year with another I am inclined to 
think that uniting the first swarm bees to the queen of the old.* 
