November 14,1839. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
431 
days after the roots are introduced, and they will bear for a fortnight. 
The roots may also be introduced to warm corners near boilers or flues, 
and propagating boxes and pits may be profitably filled with Asparagus. 
In all cases a layer of soil should be placed under the roots. Pack them 
closely together in a layer, and cover the crowns with light soil, water 
them afterwards, and provide the temperatures suggested. If the forc¬ 
ing bed is near the g’ass and in the full light the heads will be more 
robust and green than if far away from the glass. Asparagus roots are 
of no further use after being lifted and forced at this season, and those 
who have not sufficient to give a full supply in the open at the proper 
time will make a mistake by forcing too freely, but surplus roots may be 
employed with advantage. 
Sowing Peas in Autumn. —This is an old-fashioned way of secur¬ 
ing an early supply of Peas in spring that is not so much practised now 
as formerly. It is simple and sure, and merits general attention. We 
have many means of forwarding Peas sown in spring, but we sow some 
now, and it is decidedly advantageous to amateurs and others deficient 
of protectors in spring, as the Peas remain hardy throughout the winter, 
not requiring artificial protection at any time. Their position should be 
in a sheltered but warm and sunny aspect, such as is afforded on a south 
or east border. The soil must be rich, and not heavy or retentive, as 
this may cause some of the seed to perish instead of germinating, and 
the young plants do not grow freely in a stiff wet cold soil in winter. 
If the seed is sown on the same day as the soil is dug it will germinate 
better than if placed in a soil that has not been disturbed for some time. 
Only the round-seeded earliest sorts should be sown now. The rows may 
follow each other if on a border, but if taken across a large quarter one 
or two long rows may be sufficient, and we generally find these do as 
well, particularly when podding in May, as those sown in rows 6 feet 
or 8 feet apart on a border. Open the drills to a depth of 4 inches, cover 
carefully, and tread the soil down over the seed. This will make 
the plants robust, and they will not suffer so much in severe weather 
as those growing in loose soil. But it is no use anyone sowing Peas 
in autumn unless they intend taking care of them. If mice are 
allowed to destroy part of the seed before it has been long underground, 
or slugs to devour the p'ants as soon as they come through the soil, 
it would be better not to attempt culture at this time ; but if the 
same attention be given to them as is generally afforded young crops in 
spring these November-sown Peas will undoubtedly prove a great boon 
as a first and cheaply secured crop in 1890. 
Broad Beans. —Broad Beans sown at this time also will pod before 
any sown in spring. They succeed in a heavy but not a wet soil. One 
pint of seed would furnish sufficient plants to produce several dishes of 
early Beans. Plant 4 inches below the surface, and see that the seed 
or plants are not injured by the pests that are injurious to the Peas. 
Young plants allowed to be partially eaten at this season fail to recover 
like those similarly checked in the spring and summer months. 
Celery Ridges. —Large heads of Celery are apt to suffer consider¬ 
ably by the soil around them being excessively moist at this season. 
Heavy and frequent rains soon saturate it, and premature decay fol¬ 
lows ; but much damage may be prevented by going over the ridges and 
beating the sides smooth and firm with the back of a spade. This 
should always be done after frost or whenever the ridges have become 
loose and porous from any cause. 
Mushroom Beds. —Form more of these in sheds as fast as materials 
can be collected. They will yield a supply of Mushrooms at a time 
when vegetables are becoming scarce on the table and expensive in the 
market. This produce never exceeds the demand in winter. Gardeners 
and amateurs should therefore grow them largely, and many vacant sheds 
might be profitably filled with beds. The manner of forming these and 
their principal after treatment is now so well known as not to require 
detailing here, but' for quick returns the beds shou'd be spawned before 
the heat recedes from 88°, as unless the spawn becomes active at first it 
will never make satisfactory piogress. Extremes of heat and cold, as 
well as extremes of wet and dryness, should not be allowed, as any of 
these conditions will injure the crop and check the supply. One of our 
large beds formed in a cool shed and spawned on October 1st is now 
bristling with “ buttons.” 
Land for Carrots and Parsnips next Year. —It is well 
known that Carrots and Parsnips cannot be grown straight and clean in 
soil that has been manured immediately previous to sowing, as when 
they come in contact with the rough manure they twist and fork and 
become deformed. It is therefore desirable that all land for these crops 
that require manure should have it applied as soon as possible, and if 
dug or trenched well under the soil it will be decayed by February or 
March, and the soil will be in faultless condition for the production of 
the roots, especially if a quantity of soot and a little salt be added to 
the manure. 
NOTES ON BEES. 
The present year, generally speaking, cannot be said to have 
been a very productive one in honey, although in certain localities 
the yield has been abundant. Taking it all over, however, the 
yield has been rather under than above the average ; but even with 
that there will be a balance in favour of most bee-keepers. 
I am in correspondence with many bee-keepers, and the general 
tone amongst them is in accordance with the foregoing. One bee¬ 
keeper and farmer from the east of Scotland writes, “ I shall have 
less time now r to attend to my bees, yet have no thought of giving 
them up, for they have been again this year not the least profitable 
item on the farm. I did not lose a single stock last spring, and I 
have taken on an average 40 lbs. from each stock ; the best one 
yielded me 85 lbs. I put three swarms into one of the ‘Lanark¬ 
shire ’ hives, and in less than a fortnight they had over 50 lbs. of 
super honey in addition to this. All my stocks are extra heavy,, 
and will require no more attention till next summer.” 
The above has been copied, not because there is anything extra 
in the quantity of honey gathered, but because it has the ring of 
candour in it, showing only what has been taken, not what might 
have been, which would be at least as much again. The labour wais- 
reduced, and at the same time the probability of a full harvest 
next season without expense secured, in every way suitable for a 
busy man. Some bee-keepers take all the honey they can, and 
then feed the bees, which swells the profit to outsiders, but conceals 
the other side. The success of the above bee-keeper dates back 
some three years, when he became a convert to my system of bee 
management, as is the case with many others, and I trust that 
the number will increase. 
FOUL BROOD. 
Foul brood was ably written about in this Journal thirty years 
ago, and was fully mastered by “A Renfrewshire Bee-keeper” by the 
“ Purgatorial process,” much on the same lines, but a more radical 
process than what had been practised in Scotland for at least a 
century before. In all my experience I never knew a recurrence 
of the disease when bees and hive were properly treated, which 
cannot be said of other so-called cures. 
In giving advice on the treatment of foul brood some writers 
have stultified their opinions on other things relating to the hive 
and the bee. For example, it was ludicrous to attempt to cure a 
colony of bees that was not in existence, because according to the 
writer’s theory bees existed about forty days only, so that before 
the disease became virulent there would not be a living bee.. 
Happily bees live much longer, and there should not be any half 
measures to eradicate the disease ; but on its first appearance 
consign the contents of the hive to the melting pot, but not the 
bees. Disinfect the hive, then bake it and submit it to sulphur 
fumes, and after a few months repeat the process. In the mean¬ 
while feed the bees ; after two days’ starving, and after combs 
are being built destroy them again, and repeat the process a second 
or third time, after which put the bees into their permanent hive,, 
and if possible discover the cause of the malady. 
The causes of foul brood are various, apart from contagion. It 
arises from some exciting cause or other, overheating being the 
worst, but damp brings about the same condition of things. It 
is many years since foul brood existed in my apiary, the first- 
named cause being the direct one prior to 1860. I had some 
trouble with it afterwards through infection from bought-in stocks, 
and have experienced much of it since in other apiaries, every case 
pointing to overheating or dampness. It is the latter I wish to 
caution bee-keepers against. 
When the floor and the alighting board were in one piece, as is 
in many cases at the present day, the rain often entered, either from 
the alighting board or at the back, or some other part of the board 
that was improperly protected, until the whole of the floor was 
saturated, which cooled the interior of the hive so much that 
the perspiration from the bees was condensed inside, upon the- 
combs and walls of the hive, and even so when of straw, while the 
damp condition of the floor was inimical to bee life, the resnlt 
being that dysentery was prevalent, and few bees could reach the 
entrance, the greater part of them dying as they touched the floor,, 
until the doorway became blocked, and the greater part, if not all,, 
