May 15, IKK). ] 
JOURXAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
411 
and west will not require shading. Little or no fire heat will be required 
by day, shutting the valves at about 8 A.M., and opening them again at 
about 5 p.m. Syringe the plants moderately between 3 and 4 P.M., keep¬ 
ing a good moisture all day by damping the floors. 
Pitg and Frames. —Sow seed for raising plants to occupy pits and 
frames, a fair bottom heat being first secured by using the less decom¬ 
posed material from Seakale, Vine borders, or exhausted hotbeds, which, 
with about a fourth of fresh material, will afford all the heat required. 
Close pits and frames as early in the afternoon as is safe, not allowing 
the temperature to exceed 90° to 95°, and employ good night coverings. 
^Maintain a good bottom heat by duly renewing the linings. Prepare for 
planting out ridge Cucumbers under handlights, the plants being har¬ 
dened off previously. 
Strawberriks IX Pots.— Noble is one of the finest Strawberries for 
growing in pots. It may not colour well to the “ tip ” when subjected 
to early forcing, but forced to ripen in late March or early April it is 
of fine size and colours well. Auguste Nicaise is unquestionably the 
best of second early forcing Strawberries, the fruit being large and bright 
in colour. We still give preference to La Grosse Suerde as a fir t early, 
following with Noble and Auguste Nicaise. These two last may be had 
with a dozen to the pound or dish ordinarily, and .are very attractive in 
appear.ance. La Grosse Suerde does not usually require above twenty 
fruits to the pound dish, and it is very bright and clear in colour. Those 
three have a happy knack of not flowering their vigour away in a 
number of useless blossoms, but give six to eight or a dozen fruits in a 
very full crop per plant, but number always tells against size of indi¬ 
vidual fruits, and mars the quality to a very serious extent. To follow 
those we have President and Sir Joseph Paxton, which are large, getting 
up in “ king ” fruit to H oz.. Sir Joseph Paxton being a heavier and firmer, 
as well as better forcer,"and sometimes reaches 2 ozs. Sir Charles Napier 
is a fine bright fruit, and crops splendidly, it, with Dr. Hogg, being the 
finest for late work. The latter is superb in flavour. It is necessary to 
grow Vicomtesse Ilericart de Thury as an early, both forced and outdoors, 
in order to secure succession of quality. We also find Unser Fritz a fine 
late sort, affording 2 oz. fruits of a brilliant glossy red. For quality 
there is none to equal Dr. Hogg or British Queen. Some like a glossy 
dark fruit like Sir Harry and Waterloo, but they are soft, which, how¬ 
ever, does not matter when they are grown for home consumption. 
There must not be any lack of moisture at the roots of Strawberries' 
as when the sun is powerful the fruits are apt to have the skins dried, and 
they do not swell freely afterwards. After the fruits commence swelling 
a brisk moist atmosphere is essential, supplying liquid manure liberally 
until the fruits change colour, when it must be discontinued, giving less 
water at the roots. Admit air freely whenever the weather is favourable, 
.avoiding drying currents. Nothing is so advantageous as well thinning 
the fruits, especially the large varieties. See that late plants are free 
from aphides, and fumigate if there be the least trace of them. Do not 
keep fruiting plants a day longer in the houses than absolutely necessary, 
as it is hardly possible to force Strawberries without their being infested 
with red spider. Water the plants twice a day, and in bright weather 
three times, at le.ast examine the plants for that purpose, and supply it 
if required. Liquid manure may be given at the afternoon watering. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
AUernanthcras, Coleus, and Iresine. —Now is a good time to put in 
a large batch of cuttings of these. They strike root in a few days, and 
by the time wanted for the beds, or say towards the middle of June, 
fine strong plants will be ready. The simplest method of preparing 
large or moderately large numbers of each or all of these useful plants 
is to either utilise a partially exhausted hotbed, or to form a shallow 
new one, in either frame or pit, sufficient material being thrown 
inside to raise the soil well up to the glass. A layer of about 4 inches 
of light fine sandy soil is sufficient, the cuttings being dibbled out 
3 inches apart each way direct into this. Every short piece will strike, 
and no time need be wasted in trimming them. The lights, if the beds 
are not dangerously hot, to be kept on closely, and shade must be afforded 
whenever the sun shines on them. Later on, or when the cuttings are 
well rooted, a little air must be given during the hottest part of the day, 
the plants being eventually well hardened and finally transferred 
direct to the beds. 
Late StrticU Verbenas. —The latest rooted plants not unfrequently 
grow more strongly than do those that have been longer exposed 
to various injurious agencies. They succeed well treated much as 
advised in the case of Alternantheras, the soft young tops striking root 
in a week. Being stopped soon after they commence to grow afresh, 
the plants break strongly and move well. 
Annuals that may yet be Sown. —French and African Marigolds and 
Tagetes germinate very quickly under glass, and may be sown thinly 
either in boxes or on beds of fine soil in frames, and from which they 
may be transplanted direct to the beds and borders. The miniature 
forms of French Marigold and T,agetes signata pumila are fairly good 
substitutes for Calceolarias, and should be raised in quantity if the 
latter are scarce or are liable to fail. Amaranthuses, of which there are 
several with ornamental foliage, grow very rapidly, late raised plants 
being less liable to receive a severe check either before or .after planting. 
Sow in pans in heat, prick out the seedlings singly into small pots, and 
keep growing in heat till large enough to harden off and plant out. 
They are somewhat tender, and ought not to be put out much before 
the middle of June. Ricinuses again are of rapid growth. Sow seed 
singly in 3-inch pots, and keep the pots in heat near the glass till the 
end of May, then harden off and plant out during the second week in 
June. Sunflowers may, as a rule, be sown where they are to grow, but 
early strong plants may be had by sowing seed in gentle heat, potting 
off the seedlings singly, and planting out when large and hardy enough. 
Balsams may be similarly treated. 
Hardening off Plants. —The time has now arrived for transferring 
the Zonal Pelargoniums well est.ablished in pots and boxes to a sheltered 
position where they can be temporarily protected if need be from late 
frosts. What bei^ding plants, more espeeially those in boxes, suffer 
from most is too jmuch moisture, heavy cold rains doing mueh harm. 
They ought not, therefore, to be watered in a reekless manner, and 
never in the evening. When the pits and frames are cleared of the 
more hardy plants, they will be available for the forwardest seedling 
and cutting raised plants of various kinds, but the tender Coleus and 
Iresine should not be too quickly transferred from w.arm quarters to 
much colder positions or they may experience a check from which they 
will not properly recover. They are best kept in gentle heat till near 
the end of May. 
SEASONABLE NOTES. 
The fine weather experienced at the beginning of the month, 
changed on the 4th with thunder showers, and it has been much 
cooler. The sky keeps cloudy, preventing the rapid evaporation of 
the moisture, so beneficial to the growth of all crops, although 
retarding the preparation of land for Turnips and other late crops. 
For the present bees are being deprived of the benefit of the- 
blossom of the Sycamores so plentiful this year. But we do not 
count it all loss. Rather I would see this than a superabundant 
gathering of honey, which sometimes hinders the breeding to the 
loss of the bee-keeper, the hives being not in the best condition for 
gathering from the Glover as when they are kept steadily breeding 
till the proper time, the older bees being preserved, and the- 
younger ones more numerous, and hives, as a rule, better conditioned 
in every respect for the gathering than when they are favoured 
with fine weather and an abundance of Sycamore honey during. 
May. 
Swarming. 
This has commenced, but the dull weather is retarding others. 
We prefer June to IMay swarms, but in some districts which are 
earlier May swarms are most desirable. Swarms not later than the 
15th of June is the best time for the young queens to mate. The 
two last weeks of June and the two first of July are commonly 
the warmest, and appear the most natural time for the fertilisation 
of queens. It not unfrequently happens that queens hatched in 
May are not fertilised till June, although drones may be numerous. 
The bee-keeper will study his own interest best to keep no queens- 
for profit but those fertilised in June or July, raised from strong 
stocks and by young bees. 
Removing Filled Divisions before Applying Supers. 
“ Is it advisable to take off the top body box previous to putting 
bn the box containing the supers on the Lanarkshire storifying hive ?' 
I am under the impression that by taking off the top box when filled 
with honey the bees would have less distance to travel before reach¬ 
ing the supers, returning the box after the harvest is over for the- 
bees to winter on.—R. A. 0.” 
The above query covers a wide and important field in bee¬ 
keeping. The system has been practised here for a long time,, 
both by removing the upper and under division, as circumstances 
demanded, the main object being to crowd the bees into the supers,, 
and prevent or delay swarming ; it cannot be prevented at all times- 
nor in every case, but ive use the means. 
There are times and seasons when it is inadvisable, but in others 
very advisable to so manipulate. In 1872 our bees missed the 
Gooseberries, and the spring throughout was untoward, conse¬ 
quently they were in a backward state. The Sycamores had 
abundance of bloom, and the weather was favourable, the bees soon 
filled every available space with honey, completely stopping breed¬ 
ing. Removal of the upper divisions of the storifying hives and 
the side combs of the one-divisioned frame hives would have been 
done, but the weather changed to cold and wet, which delayed the 
operation, and well it was so, for the season turned out a failure,, 
but had the weather kept fine the surplus honey would been 
removed and the bees encouraged to breed to be in strength for 
the Clover. 
At one time '■ raises ” were extensively used for maintaining 
strong stocks, affording a drying ventilation that the ventilating 
floor has superseded them. Just before the honey flow they were 
placed under the non-swarming hives for a day or two, sometimes- 
longer, depending altogether on the weather. The extra room 
