406 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
r May 18, 1889. 
placed either in very gentle heat or in a cold frame to germinate. Fail¬ 
ing either of these conveniences the boxes or pans may be set in a 
sheltered but not very sunny position, and kept covered with squares of 
glass till the seed has germinated. In any case the boxes or pans ought 
to be shaded from bright sunshine and kept uniformly moist. When 
the seedlings are well up they ought to receive plenty of air and be 
pricked off into other boxes or pans, preparatory to planting out where 
they are to flower the following summer. 
Pansies .—Beautiful collections of these can also be easily raised 
from seed, and as strong seedlings survive in the open ground during 
most winters a very attractive display may be cheaply provided every 
spring. Where possible the pans or boxes containing the seeds should 
be placed in gentle but not a strong heat, this materially hastening 
germination ; but the seedlings can also be raised without heat as 
advised in the case of Carnations, the other cultural details also being 
much the same. 
Polyanthuses and Primroses .—These again are much improved, fine 
strains being supplied by the leading seedsmen. They are of the greatest 
service for spring bedding, and are among the most effective this season. 
If not already done seed ought to be procured and sown at once, and 
this will germinate more quickly and surely if the pans or boxes con¬ 
taining it are placed in gentle heat or under glass. When the seedlings 
are large enough to handle they should be pricked out about 4 inches 
apart each way on a fairly rich and rather cool border, and without 
much further attention will soon attain a good size, being finally trans¬ 
planted to the flower beds after these have been duly cleared of their 
summer occupants. The hybrid or coloured Primroses may be raised in 
•quantity in exactly the same way as Polyanthuses, and these form 
showy edgings to flower beds, borders, or shrubberies. Strong plants 
will flower nearly all the winter, and are very gay in the spring. 
Alpine Auriculas .—This charming class of hardy plants are easily 
raised from seed, but this should have been sown in March or early in 
April. It is not, however, too late to attempt raising a stock of plants, 
and with a little extra pains these may yet grow to a good size. The 
seeds should be sown in pans of fine light soil previously moistened and 
•only lightly covered. They will germinate most quickly if given the 
benefit of a gentle hotbed, but will also come up in a cold frame. 
Water very carefully, and prick out the seedlings when large enough to 
handle, taking care not to loosen the surface more than absolutely 
necessary, as there may be a considerable number of seeds not yet 
started, but which if not disturbed will eventually germinate. Auriculas 
require quite cool treatment, but ought not to be planted out till strong 
and well rooted. 
Campanulas .—The pyramidalis and calycanthema varieties are 
•quite hardy and very beautiful border plants. The seed should be sown 
in gentle heat at once, and the seedlings treated exactly as advised in 
the case of border Carnations. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Thinning Young Chops. —In many instances this may be less 
necessary than in former years, as we find many of our seeds from the 
best sources have not germinated freely. Parsnips, Turnips, and 
Spinach are, however, already demanding attention. Draw all out except 
a single row of plants that should be left at a distance of 3 inches from 
•each other. By crowding nothing but small produce inferior in form 
and flavour is the result. 
Lettuces for Summer. —Hitherto the demand for Lettuces has 
not been great, but they are much wanted in summer, and a good sup¬ 
ply of luxuriant heads is very acceptable in the hottest part of the year. 
The seed sown in the open air in April has produced plants that are now 
Teady for planting in their bearing quarters, and our favourite position 
■for summer Lettuces is on the Celery ridges that are raised between the 
trenches. Let the weather be as hot and dry as it may in June, July, 
•or August, the Lettuces on the Celery ridges never fail, and they 
•do not show the same disposition to bolt in this position that they do in 
many others. But it is a mistake to plant too many summer Lettuces 
at once ; a few scores of plants are sufficient, and if these are planted 
every ten days or a fortnight the supply of tender crisp Lettuces will be 
ample throughout the summer. To keep up the supply of young plants 
sow a small pinch of seed at the same intervals as planting is done. 
Tomatoes for the Open Air.— The summer of 1888 was not a 
favourable one for Tomatoes in the open air. We have grown them 
many years in this way, but never with such poor results as last year. 
We are not, however, discouraged by this, but will try them again as 
freely as before. Others may safely do the same. Success in all seasons 
depends to a considerable extent on the condition of the plants when 
first placed in the open. If they are weakly they will never become 
profitable, but if they are good plants well hardened before planting 
they will bear ripe fruit before July is over, and continue doing so until 
•cut off by frost. Efforts should be made to get the plants in a desirable 
condition at once. Forward specimens may be planted out at the end 
of May, but backward ones should be encouraged to grow under pro¬ 
tection a little longer, and do not attempt to plant them out until June. 
In no case let the soil be very rich. This only induces superfluous 
■growth, whereas moderately strong growths are invariably the most 
fruitful. In a season such as the summer of 1887 they will succeed as 
■standards or bushes in the open quarters, but the surest way is to plant 
them near a wall and train them to it, so as to face the sun. 
Spring Cabbages. —These are as successful as ever we had them. 
We are now cutting daily, and the absence, of bolting is more marked 
than we ever experienced before. In one piece containing 2500 plants 
vve had only lost three from flowering prematurely. We attribute their 
success in a great measure to the time of sowing the seed, and we shall 
not fail to point it out when the time comes round again for sowing. 
Planting Celery. —A few rows of early Celery are always valued, 
and where the plants are ready they may now be placed out. We only 
grow two rows in each trench. These are made 18 inches in width, and 
the plants are put in opposite to each other for convenience in earthing. 
They are planted about 10 inches apart. We do not approve of having 
a layer of manure at the bottom of the trench, and only a layer of soil 
on the top in which to plant, as is often done. In such cases should 
hot weather be experienced the layer of manure becomes so dry that 
the roots cannot exist in it, and the plants soon flower and become use¬ 
less, but where the manure is well mixed through the soil this seldom 
occurs. In taking the plants from where they are now, and putting 
them into the trenches, it is a great advantage to secure a good ball of 
soil to the roots. Sow seed for the main crop of Celery, and as this will 
be the last, put sufficient in to secure the desired number of plants. 
Transplanting Young Vegetables. —Broccoli, Cauliflower, and 
Brussels Sprouts in the seed beds are now becoming rather crowded, 
and yet they are haidly large enough to be planted in their permanent 
quarters. If they arc all allowed to remain together until they gain 
this size, many of them will be spindly—a very undesirable condition ; 
but if the largest are drawn now and dibbled into some good soil, about 
3 inches or so apart, the whole will gain a robust state. 
Seed Failures. —It will now be noticed if any of the crops have 
failed from using seeds of an inferior character, and further sowings 
should if necessary be made at once of other seeds from a more trust¬ 
worthy source. “ They may come yet,” is an expression often applied 
to overdue seedlings, but we have no faith in it, as if they should they 
would be sure to be weakly and unsatisfactory to the end. 
Forcing Frames. —These are now becoming vacant by the digging 
of Potatoes and drawing of Carrots, and where they are not required for 
the accommodation of plants in pots, they should be filled up with 
Vegetable Marrows, ridge Cucumbers, Sweet Basil, and other half¬ 
tender vegetables. In cold backward localities this arrangement will 
be found admirable, and secure early and abundant supplies. 
Savoys.— The mistake commonly made with this most useful winter 
vegetable is to sow the seed too early, and have the produce ready 
before it is wanted, or before its proper season has arrived. The Savoy 
supply should not begin until November, and if the seed is sown at 
this time the heads will be excellent by then. We prefer the medium 
sized ones to those of the Drumhead type, and they should be grown in 
considerable quantity, as by the time they are ready for planting there 
will be many vacant spots in the kitchen garden. The present is also a 
good time to sow the Borecoles. 
I 
HE BEE-KEEPE 
APICULTURAL ITEMS. 
Since my last letter I have been on the sick list, which accounts 
for my silence during the past two months. My glass sections 
have also been delayed ; in fact, it will be impossible to get them 
out in time to be of much use this season. 
THE PAST WINTER. 
"With the opening of spring the general complaint all over the 
country is dead and weak stocks, and these by “ old hands,” who 
profess to thoroughly understand bees, and be up to the times. 
Stocks of bees dead, with plenty of food all round them, seem to 
be the rule, and no one appears able to give a correct reason ; late 
feeding, unsealed stores, bad sugar, candy, syrup, &c., all being 
given as the cause. As regards late feeding, I had the pleasure of 
examining a stock seven days ago headed with a Cyprian queen of 
my rearing that fully covered 9 square feet of combs, six of which 
were nearly full of eggs and brood. This stock was not fed till 
late in November, it was continued up to Christmas, and went into 
winter quarters with unsealed stores, and when I examined them 
what were left were mostly still unsealed. None of my own was 
fed until late in October, yet I never had such strong stocks at this 
time of the year before. So late feeding has certainly nothing to 
do with it ; in fact, for five years I have always had one or more 
lots to feed in November, mostly driven bees, and these were 
always amongst my best stocks in the spring. 
The result this spring is just what I expected, and this is how I 
account for many weak and dead stocks where plenty of food was 
given them in the autumn. In July most stocks were starving* 
consequently the queens ceased laying ; and because no stores were 
coming in large numbers of queens also ceased, even if the stocks 
