April 4,1819. ] 
■JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
285 
the strongest growers must he allowed 6 or 8 inches more. Some 
time ago we planted them still wider than this, and put a row of 
Broccoli or some other winter green in between ; but the growths of the 
Potatoes induced these to make such long weals; stems that we did not 
consider the system profitable in the end, and have given it up. We 
now plant the Potatoes a little closer, and plant the greens elsewhere, 
and both profit by it, especially the latter. Where seed Potatoes are 
sprouting freely, and there is no chance of immediate planting, spread 
them out in the light and air to induce the shoots to remain sturdy, and 
do not break these off in planting. 
Sowing Seeds. —The whole of the Broccoli seed may be sown now 
on some piece of ground that is not suitable for main cropping. Cover 
the seeds to the depth of 1 inch, and protect from birds. Sow a 
succession of Turnips. Many of the earliest plants are sure to bolt or 
produce flower stems prematurely. Those sown now will not be so apt 
to do this. Sow more Peas. These will bear in July, and as the weather 
may be hot and dry at that time sow in well manured trenches. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Lapagerias .— These must be shaded at once, for they cannot endure 
bright sunshine during the season of growth. The young growths will 
show signs of distress if exposed to the sun even for an hour at this 
period of the year. The syringe may be used freely twice daily, and 
abundance of water should be given at the roots. The plants should be 
gone over at least twice a week, and the young growths drawn from the 
glass and tied into position. When plants have been trained evenly after 
flowering strong shoots only need be tied ; all the weaker ones can be 
drawn downwards, so that by the time they come into flower they 
will hang gracefully from the plant. Lapagerias not only flower better 
by this method, but are much more attractive than when the shoots are 
trained in a formal manner close to the roof. Watch for strong shoots 
from the base and protect them from slugs. It is a good plan to place 
a bottle over them with the bottom broken out directly they are visible 
through the soil, and if well dusted at the base with soot after every 
watering slugs will not give much trouble. Plants that have limited 
root room may have weak stimulants occasionally. 
Cyclamens .—These are generally ruined in their early stages by 
keeping them too close and warm. The leafstalks are often 2 or 3 inches 
high when the young plants should not exceed an inch. Plants raised 
from seed in August and transferred Horn pans to small pots early in 
the year should now be dwarf, sturdy, compact little specimens, and the 
largest of them ready for placing into 3-inch pots. They should be 
grown near the glass fully exposed to the sun in a light house, which 
can be freely ventilated on bright days. The night temperature should 
not exceed 50° to 55°. The plants should stand on a moisture-holding 
base, and be well syringed twice daily. The soil should never be 
allowed to approach dryness. Use for a compost two parts rich loam 
and one of leaf soil, to this add sand according to the texture of the 
loam, and one-seventh of decayed manure. Plants raised from seed 
sown early in the year should now be placed in 2-inch pots, and 
grown under the conditions advised above. Do not attempt to apply 
shade ; half the plants are ruined by overshading them. If the struc¬ 
ture in which 1 hey are grown runs north and south it is questionable 
whether shade need be applied, even during the summer. The after¬ 
noon sun is the most trying to them, but its effects are counteracted 
by syringing the plants heavily early in the afternoon, and again 
when the day is fairly advanced. 
Fvclisias .—Old plants that were started sometime ago, and have had 
their shoots pinched, may be placed into their flowering pots, if this 
was not done after they had broken into growth. Pot cuttings that 
are rooted singly into 3-inch pots, and insert others. Old plants 
that have been retarded up to the present time may be started. 
Lantanas that were cut back and started at the same time may be 
placed in their flovering pots. The soil for these should be made firmer 
than for Fuchsias. Good loam, one-seventh of manure, and sand suit 
them well. 
Isolepis gracilis .—Where a quantity of these are needed in good 
condition throughout the year for edging it is necessary to break up a 
few plants at intervals of a month until July. These plants are soon 
ready for duty again if they are only split in two and placed in 4-inch 
pots again after the fading portions have been removed. It takes con¬ 
siderably longer to grow them into good plants when they are broken 
up very small. This, however, is a good plan, and one or two plants 
will yield a large number. In this case place them into thumb pots. 
For various furnishing purposes we find this p’ant invaluable in 2-inch 
pots, and plants gTOwn from very small pieces are decidedly the best 
when it is necessary to use them in such small pots. 
Hoses .—As Hybrid Perpetuals go out of bloom they must be well 
cared for in some light structure, so that they will have an opportunity 
of making fresh growth. They should be encouraged to do this, and 
will with good treatment soon commence pushing up freely from the 
base. If well looked after when they are removed from the forcing 
house they soon regain strength, and in a short time are none the 
worse lor having been subjected to early forcing. But when crowded 
together and practically left unattended, as is too often the case, they 
soon become so weak that they are useless for forcing again. 
Adiantums.— Plants that have a good quantity of young, developed 
fronds may be kept cooler to harden them. The night temperature 
need not exceed 55°, and air should be admitted freely during the day. 
The plants will bear full exposure to the sun for some weeks yet without 
injury. 
i 
isms 
m BEE-KBEPBRlfe 
HINTS FOR BEGINNERS. 
SECURING- DRYNESS. 
It is now nearly thirty years since my first article appeared ir» 
the Cottage Gardener , now the Journal of Horticulture , on insen¬ 
sible upward ventilation. The communication appeared alongside 
with one from Mr. Langstroth on the same subject. I do not' 
know whether that veteran still holds the same ideas, but I have 
never seen the slightest cause to alter my opinion, which I have- 
carried out for forty years now. The principle consists in 
carrying off the vitiated air above the bees, and prevents it con¬ 
densing upon unoccupied combs or any part of the hive, which it, 
must necessarily do if the opening between the combs and right 
above the bees is impeded in any way, either by enamelled cloths- 
or even large slabs of candy. Many persons know the cooling effect- 
condensed moisture has upon many things. A hive saturated witb 
damp extracts the heat from the bees, extra food is required to- 
replace it, and if the weather is cold and protracted the bees suffer 
accordingly, and death in many instances is inevitable. 
A large per-centage of the vitiated air passes up during winter,, 
but in summer time, when the bees are active, they expel it at 
the entrance. When the crown of the hive is lion-porous the 
vitiated air falls back upon the bees and discommodes them, in. 
addition to other evils mentioned. Wide entrances act beneficially 
to hives, having non-porous crowns, and if the weather is not 
severe no ills may arise, but if it continues severe for a long time, 
the hive is cooled too much, and the bees are often unable to move 
from one part to another, so die of starvation. To avoid all these 
evils, and have healthy and strong hives through long confinement, 
have the crowns porous and the entrance small, with a ventilating: 
floor. 
I have received many letters during the past week, all speaking 
highly of the ventilating floor both with and without peat. One 
writer says, “ I could not preserve the necessary dryness, even after 
I had employed two thick boards, so converted one floor into a. 
ventilating one ; it is all right now.” The foregoing remarks do 
not exhaust the subject, but are sufficient for the purpose intended. 
I hope beginners will profit by them, and I will now say a little, 
upon 
SWARMS. 
These may be classed. I will first notice abnormal swarms. 
These are swarms which leave their hive in a body about this 
season of the year. There may be different causes, but the exciting- 
one is when the bees have been improperly wintered. When a 
swarm of this kind leaves and is captured, do not put it into the 
hive it vacated, but into one with fresh combs. If these are not at 
hand, a comb taken from a few strong hives will answer the 
purpose well, all vacancies to be made up with full sheet comb- 
foundation. 
The second are what I term compulsory swarms. They are 
those that leave the hive, not on account of crowding or heat, but 
when queen cells have been raised, the bees being dissatisfied in 
some way with the queen regnant. Sometimes these swarms come- 
off at a time when the novice, and even some practical bee-keepers, 
would not suspect anything unusual. They often come when the 
hive is not nearly full. Generally on such occasions the old queen, 
if seen, will be observed to be much mutilated, and the swarm will 
seldom prosper. Sometimes the old queen is deposed and the hive 
sends off one or more small swarms with young queens at their 
head. It is necessary beginners should try and grasp the whole of 
these phenomena and understand them, although experience can 
alone direct them. The above compulsory swarming often ends 
with the loss of all the swarms as well as old stock. 
NATURAL SWARMING. 
This never takes place unless when the hive is crowded and the 
