January SO, 1880. ] 
JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
97 
produce crops ready for use several weeks before the main quarters. 
The soil should be thrown back from the front to form a good incline, 
adding fresh soil if necessary for securing the desired advantage. 
Carrots.— Those sown in frames on hotbeds are showing through 
the soil, and a little air must be admitted on fine days, as it is a great 
mistake to allow them to be drawn at first. So soon as they can be 
handled thin out the surplus plants, but only sufficiently to allow the 
others to form roots for drawing for early use. Another frame m-ty 
be sown to succeed these, and early in February, when the soil on the 
south border is in good working condition, sow a few rows or a bed 
there, using seed of Early Horn variety in each case. 
Potatoes. —Those in hotbeds are pushing strongly. We admit a 
little air on all favourable occasions, and place mats on the glass every 
night, whether it is frosty or not, as the plants are so delicate that any 
neglect in this way might ruin the crop. The soil in which they are 
growing must be kept moist, but not too wet. More may be planted on 
other beds, and it will be found that these will make rapid progress, 
and may in the end equal those planted several weeks ago. Tubers 
intended for planting in the open for the first crops should now be 
spread out in a suitable place to induce the formation of robust 
shoots. 
Peas under Glass. —We do not raise many Peas in pots on turves, 
as we find sowing in favourable positions in the open ground answers 
our requirements. However, a’l have not favourable positions who desire 
very early Peas, and these should now make a good sowing in pots 
under glass, with the object of securing healthy plants for transferring 
to the open ground in March. 
Cauliflowers.— Stir the surface of the soil between the plants that 
have been in frames and under handlights since last autumn, and water 
them with liquid manure, to induce the production of new roots before 
planting them out. Seed of the earliest varieties may be sown in 
shallow boxes and placed in a gentle heat. We raise many plant's 
in this way, and often find them as early as the others and better. 
PL\NT HOUSES. 
Crotons .—Large heads that were rooted in August, wintered in 6 and 
7rinch pots, and intended for growing on, may be placed into 10-inch 
pots. Do not disturb the roots further than is necessary to remove the 
old drainage. The pots should be liberally drained, and the soil pressed 
firmly into them. Young stock that has been preserved in various sized 
pots for decorative purposes may now be potted. If possible plunge the 
pots in a bed of litter and leaves, the gentle bottom heat they will enjoy 
will soon start them into root activity and growth. The syringe may be 
used lightly once or twice daily, according to the weather. Supply care¬ 
fully with tepid water until the plants are rooting freely in the new 
soil. Crotons do well in a compost of fibry loam, sand, and one-seventh 
of manure. A 6-inch potful of soot mixed with each barrowful of loam 
will prove beneficial to the plants. Before potting be careful to place 
the soil in some position where it can be thoroughly warmed. Pot the 
plants in the house in which they are to be grown. Too much care 
cannot be,taken to prevent their receiving a check. Where a close 
frame and brisk bottom heat can be supplied, cuttings in quantity 
according to demands should be inserted without delay. Be careful to 
take the cuttings where the wood is thoroughly soft. Cuttings with a 
moderately soft base root in one-third the time that is the case with 
those that have firm wood. The cuttings will also root without losing a 
single leaf, but when the wood is firm at the base, nearly every leaf will 
fall before the cuttings are rooted. 
Marantas .—Where division of these plants or the reduction of large 
plants is necessary the work should be done at once. These plants 
dislike strong sunshine and must be repotted early, so that they will 
become thoroughly established before the sun gains much force. The 
plants have then a long season’s growth before them. Drain the pots 
liberally, and render the soil open and porous by the addition of sand 
and charcoal. Some kinds do well in fibry peat, others in loam, but 
the majority succeed in a mixture of both, with charcoal and sand added, 
or the addition of broken crocks. Strong-growing Marantas of the 
zebrina type succeed in fibry loam, a little manure, charcoal, and sand. 
Plunge the pots in brisk bottom heat, where the atmosphere is moist and 
the temperature ranges about 65° at night. 
r - ' 
Ihe bee-keeper.II 
HINTS FOR BEGINNERS. 
The 'Weather. 
After ten days of extremely wet and stormy weather we have 
had a fall of snow with a temperature of 14° Fahrenheit, the lowest 
record of the season. For some days previous to the fall of 
snow the temperature fluctuated greatly, running from freezing 
point to 52° in an hour’s time, which is always sure to occur when 
the elements are so disturbed as they have been since the end of 
December. The effect such storms have had on the bees was to 
bring them out when the temperature rose. When calm no loss 
of bees occurred, but when windy some never returned. This was 
more noticeable with bees located in hives with solid projecting 
floors than in ventilated ones. Such hives are now in a thoroughly 
saturated condition, which creates cold and is fatal to bees, anff 
makes them restless, consequently dwindling hives. All hives of 
such a nature should have their floors immediately changed, and 
the hives, which are sure to be damp, thoroughly dried, or the- 
frames with bees transferred to clean and dry hives. All hives 
having wide entrances will be found to be the dampest. 
SWARMIXC! V. XON-SWAR.MINC:. 
About thirty years ago the advantages of non-swarming hives 
were fully explained, while recently considerable attention has 
been paid to them, and all that was of value to the bee-keeper and 
beginner made clear. Swarming can only be prevented by intro¬ 
ducing a young and fertile queen at the proper time, taking care 
that ample breeding room has been provided. Bees will swarm 
from a hive not more than one-third full, but I need not take up 
space in repeating what was made clear so lately in these pages. 
“ A Howdenshire Bee-keeper ” says, “ Some bee-keepers have tried 
the non-swarming system, and failed simply because they did not 
attend to the wants of the bees in time to prevent the desire to 
swarm.” 
Giving room in time appears to be the means adopted by 
your correspondent. The plan may succeed for a time when 
under-sized hives are used, but will not when non-swarming 
hives are of the proper size. Adding supers in any case is not the 
proper thing to do, but more breeding room, and unless worker 
comb is provided drone comb will be built, which will only hasten 
what we wish to prevent, and this in some cases when foundation 
has been given. 
Scarcely a season passes without some of our non-swarmers 
swarming, but we do not mind this, as an interchange of partly 
filled supers and some of the frames from the stock to the swarm 
puts all right, and then swarmers always give the greatest results 
when we have a prolonged season. The past year was no excep¬ 
tion to non-swarmers swarming, particularly at the Heather, 
where taking it all round 70 per cent, of the hives swarmed, and 
yet every one of these was provided with ample room in good 
time, but swarmed notwithstanding. 
Young Queens. 
Apropos of the above a query has been addressed to me, “ What 
is the best kind of queen to keep to increase swarming?” I 
replied that a youthful queen was certainly the best for swarming 
purposes. This answer provoked another query, “ How can I 
reconcile the statements that young queens are best for both 
purposes ?” My reply was that bees only prepare to swarm when 
breeding does not go on in accordance with what appears to be 
their desire, therefore a young queen having plenty of breeding 
space meets the bees’ desires, and royal cells are not formed. On 
the other hand a young queen is the best stimulative of bees, and 
young bees are brought forth in greater numbers, filling the hive 
more quickly and earlier than where there are aged queens. The 
swarms, too, are larger provided extra room is not given to a 
moderate-sized hive ; but after a queen has laid constantly for 
months she does not deposit so many eggs, and this may be the 
sign for bees to raise successors. There is nothing paradoxical in 
this, and the beginner should bear all that in mind, and keep a 
constant watch upon all non-swarming hives, or some day when 
least expected, and when the expectation of a harvest is high, they 
will swarm. 
The Lanarkshire Hive. 
In reply to “ J. D. L., Northumberland^ it may be said that 
it is immaterial whether the top bars be 14f or 14f long. The 
main thing to be guided by is the size of the hive, which should be- 
square, having nine frames spaced at H inch apart from centre to> 
centre, having the outer spaces a quarter inch wider, 14 inches bemg- 
the exact size inside. The rebate to receive the frames is the same 
as the check in the ends being nearly i, leaving fully three-eighthsi. 
