Janaary 57,1587. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
77 
used inside the house, still continue to turn and add fresh but properly 
sweetened, as rank manure will give ammonia too powerfully, and the 
foliage and young f uit will be injured. Where there are evaporation 
troughs, charging them with liquid manure will be useful not only in pre¬ 
venting the atmosphere becoming too dry in the immediate vicinity of the 
pipes, but in giving oil ammonia. Where there are not fermenting ma¬ 
terials or evaporation troughs damp the house in the afternoon after the 
foliage becomes dry with liquid manure—the drainings of the stables 
diluted with six times the bulk of water. If aphides appear fumigate 
moderately on two or three consecutive evenings, but very carefully, as an 
overdose is fatal to the foliage and tender fruit; or syringe with a solution 
of 2 cz. softsoap, and 1 p nt tobacco juice to a gallon of water, straining 
it through tiffany or muslin before use. It is good against aphides, red 
spider, and mildew. If the latter appear dust promptly with sulphur, and 
keep the house rather drier and more freely ventilated ; but this must he 
done carefully, as cold draughts give a check which may cause the fruits to 
fall. In clear frosty weather it is safer to allow the temperature to rise a 
little higher than to open the ventilators too much. In watering inside 
borders liquid manure will assist weakly trees to swell their fiuit in the 
first stage, and always apply it or water slightly in advance of the tempera¬ 
ture of the house. 
Trees Started Early in the Year .—When the trees started early in 
the month are swelling their buds and showing colour, the night tempera¬ 
ture may be advanced to 45° to 50°, and 50° to 55° in the daytime by 
artificial means, and 60° to 65° from sun heat, ventilating freely above 
55°, and leave a little constantly at the top of the house. Cease syringing 
the trees, but damp the border occasionally so as to maintain a genial 
condition of the atmosphere. 
Trees to Afford Ripe Fruit Early in July .—The house must now be 
closed, syringing the trees two or three times a day, turning on the heat 
in the morning for an hour or two or to raise the temperature to and keep 
it at 50° through the day, above which ventilate freely, not allowing an 
advance to 65° without full ventilation, and at night fire heat should only 
be used to prevent the temperature falling below 40°. Syringe the trees 
twice a day. The inside border must be well watered, if need be 
repeatedly, to insure it thorough moisture throughout. 
Later Houses. —The buds of the trees in these, notwithstanding the 
severe weather, are swelling fast, therefore ventilate freely in bright 
weather, so as to retard them as much as possible, not omitting to water 
inside borders if they show the least indication of dryness. 
Cucumbers.— Seedlings from the sowing made at the beginning of 
the year should be earthed up in preference to potting, about which there 
must not be any hurry, and keep them near the glass so as to have short 
stems, maintaining the temperature at 70’ to 75°. If the seeds were sown 
in frames, linings to the beds will be necessary with mats over the lights at 
night. If, however, the material for making up the bed for the seedlings 
is only now in a fit state, choose a site for a bed with a southern aspect 
having shelter from the north, as that of a hedge or wall. If the ground 
be rather higher than the surrounding level it will be an advantage, and 
if not place some peasticks so as to keep the materials from being 
saturated by the wet of hollows. Beat the dung and leaves well down 
with a fork as the work proceeds, making the bed about 5 feet high 
at the back and 4 feet 6 inches in front, which will allow for settling, 
as it will do about a third. A few peasticks placed across and along 
the bed at intervals not only prevent overheating but admit of the 
heat from the lining being conveyed to the interior of the bed. For 
early work we have frames with double sides, formed by placing 
inside a lining of half-inch boards, less in depth by 9 inches 
at the back and 6 inches in front, than the frame, kept an inch from the 
box by nailing narrow strips of board upright on the inside of the box, 
so as to form an inch cavity all round the inside, and thus top heat is 
furnished by means of linings against the sides of the box. The bed 
should be but a few inches larger than the box, so as to admit of linings 
from the bottom of the bed. Trie frame should be put on, which will 
raise the heat in about a week; Level the surface of the bed, replace the 
frame, and put in sufficient manure 10 raise the inside to within 4 inches of the 
top of the inner frame or cavity, placing sawdust or dry leaf soil, or spent 
tan, on the dung for plunging the pots in. For raising the plants 3-inch 
pots are half filled with soil—1 ght, rich, and moist—placing one seed in 
the centre of each pot, and covering lightly about half an inch with fine 
soil. Space is left by this plan for top-dressing the plants, which is 
Preferable to potting them. A square of glass may be placed on each, 
which will hasten the germination, but it must be removed as soon as the 
plants appear. The plants from a sowing made early in February in 
the manner described will be ready for planting in March, and will afford 
a supply of fruit nearly as early as those from seed sown early in Januarv. 
Seed having been sown early, the plants will be fit to place out soon, and 
u , “8 should be prepared for their reception, forming it as 
above described for the seedlings, only using manure for levelling the 
surface of the bed, and forming a r dge or hillock of soil in the centre of 
each light, about 10 inches deep, and a flattened top of about that width 
across, the surface of the bed being covered lightly with soil. The best 
soil for Cucumber, is undoubte tly fibrous loam inclined to be light 
rather than heavy, to which is added a fourth in equal proportions of old 
mortar rubbish and charcoal thoroughly incorporated. The loam must 
be laid up so as to reduce the turf to the extent of killing ihe grass ; but 
we find it better to use the turf fresh, and subject it to a temperature of 
j more, which not only kills the roots of the grass and 
weeds, but destroys worms, and is one of the best preventives of disease. 
Manure is best given as a mulch, and in liquid form. 
WT 
HE BEE-KEEPER. 
PRACTICAL BEE-KEEPING. 
A little more than a year ago the attention of bee¬ 
keepers was specially drawn to the necessity for practising 
strict economy in the apiary. This can only be done by 
keeping accounts of income and expenditure in a methodical 
and systematical way. The best of memories is apt occa¬ 
sionally to mislead, and few bee-keepers at the end of the 
year can calculate all the expenses attendant upon the man¬ 
agement of the apiary unless they have put down on paper 
all those trifling sums which are continually being expended 
during the busy season. It is useless for anyone to attempt 
to discourse upon the profit of keeping bees if he cannot draw 
a balance correctly and be able to show the exact amount of 
his income and expenditure. How often is a man who 
attempts to persuade his neighbours that he gains a profit 
from his bees met with the reply, “ Ah ! yes ; but how about 
the expenses ? ” Now, if in answer to such a query a balance 
sheet can be produced showing clearly all capital and current 
expenses and income, a great point is gained with very little 
trouble. 
Talking of the pleasure and profit to be derived from bee¬ 
keeping a few weeks ago to a clergyman who was evidently 
somewhat sceptical, I was informed that a certain lady was 
most anxious for every labourer to keep a cow. So great 
were the profits derived from one she herself had kept, to 
prove her success she would show gold and silver that had 
been paid to her for the milk and butter. A truly grand 
profit ! But on inquiry being made it was found that her 
husband supplied the cow, the food, and labour; the wife 
received the profit. Is this not sometimes the case with 
bee-keepers ? Are their profits always actual profits ? Do 
these so-called profits actually represent the sum remaining 
when interest on the capital, all current expenses, including 
those of maintaining the stocks in the condition in which they 
were found in the preceding autumn have been disbursed ? 
or are these the result of mere haphazard calculations, liable 
to mislead and to give a false idea of the benefits likely to 
arise from keeping bees ? There are stocks to be seen in 
most localities which never yield a profit; the bees work 
well and produce much honey, but the owner does not keep 
down his expenses sufficiently to reap the result of his bees’ 
labour. Now, it is the simplest thing in the world to some 
people to keep an account; to others apparently it is most 
difficult. But, surely, everyone can take a book with three 
blank pages in it, head the first page “ capital account,” the 
second, “ current expenses;” the third, “income.” Some 
may say, What is capital aocount ? It is the money origin¬ 
ally expended when purchasing a hive, bees, section racks, 
and all other appliances in the apiary which are not sold 
with the honey. So section racks form part of the capital; 
sections of the current expenses. Again, under “ current 
expenses” must be set down all such essentials as foundation, 
sections, supers of all descriptions if sold with the honey ; and 
under “ income ” the proceeds of all honey, wax, and bees 
sold during the season. If rent is paid it must be put down 
under the “ current expenses,” and also interest for the 
money employed as capital. Before declaring a true profit, 
rent, and interest—say at 5 per cent.—should always be de¬ 
ducted from the gross income. 
To make my meaning quite clear I will suppose that in 
the past year my account stood thus:— 
“ Capital Account.” “ Current Expenses." “ Income.” 
(Including rent and interest) 
£10 £5 £10 
My profit [is £5. But this is only a true profit provided my 
stock and appliances are in a condition to realise £10if sold; 
if they are not in such condition a further sum must be 
deducted from my profit in order to bring up the stock to it3 
