October 18,1894. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
373 
apart each way and 4 inches deep, or dotted among dwarf bedding 
plants. Choicer varieties ought to have some fresh loam and sand given 
them to root in. 
otber Bulbous-rooted Plants. — Narcissi should always be 
planted as early in the autumn as possible, but will flower if not put 
in before December. Treat the commoner forms as advised in the case 
of Hyacinths, but the choicer named varieties should be given the 
benefit of a well prepared border where they can be taken better care 
of both during and after flowering. Arrange them in groups or lines, 
and plant 4 inches deep. Snowdrops, Crocuses, and Scillas should be 
planted somewhat thickly, the two former 4 inches deep and the latter 
3 inches deep. Winter Aconite is also best planted permanently in 
patches. Tuberous-rooted Anemones can also be planted now, a suc¬ 
cession being had by planting again in December. The ground for these 
ought to have a dressing of decayed farmyard manure, and deeply dug. 
Open drills 6 inches asunder, and partially All with fine sandy compost, 
then plant the tubers 4 inches apart, and cover with another 3 inches 
of fine compost. These again are best left undisturbed for several 
years, Keep the Ranunculi out of the ground till February. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Asparagus. —When the tops are nearly brown cut them down to 
within a few inches of the ground. Select dry weather for this work, 
as it will also be necessary to clear the beds of weeds and rubbish 
generally. Unless quite dry no hoeing should be resorted to, but hand- 
weeding adopted, in order that little or no soil be taken away from the 
beds. Skimming over the surface and turning-in the weeds with a 
spade is too destructive of roots ; nor should the old plan of heavily 
manuring the beds, cutting down the sides and digging soil out of the 
alleys, and spreading this on the manure be practised. This cannot be 
done without cutting into and exposing many roots at the sides, and 
the destruction of a large number in the alleys. The Asparagus is 
perfectly hardy, therefore requires no covering of manure, while the 
latter is liable to keep the heavier soils in such a cold saturated con¬ 
dition as to cause the loss of many crowns. Keep the surface of the 
beds free of weeds, and defer manuring till the spring, is the best advice 
that can be given generally. As usual there is abundance of Asparagus 
seed, and if properly harvested and not sown till next March and April 
it will germinate quickly and strongly. Cut a few growths with seed 
pods hanging on them, and suspend till the seed is wanted in a dry shed. 
It will clean readily enough after a thorough drying. 
Forming- Asparagus Beds. —In gardens where Asparagus is 
forced extensively, one or more of the oldest beds are broken up and a 
similar number of fresh ones formed and planted or sown every year. 
During the next few weeks the start should be made with the latter, 
especially if the soil happens to be of a heavy retentive nature. A clay 
subsoil is most unsuitable, and ought to be changed. Narrow raised 
beds are preferable for low lying cold districts, and these under more 
favourable circumstances are invariably the first to give strong young 
growths in the spring. A bed 42 inches wide at the base would hold 
two rows of plants, and 5 feet wide beds are suitable for three rows. 
Drive in stout permanent stakes into each corner, and line out the ends 
and sides. All the best of the surface soil must be thrown on each side, 
after which it should be decided what to do with the subsoil. If very 
clayey, wait for a dry time or a few frosty mornings, and then dig and 
wheel the clay away. Next collect all the road trimmings, mortar rubbish, 
decaying garden refuse, some of the ordinary garden soil, and a liberal 
addition of strawy manure', and mix all together in the trench. On this 
should be placed the surface soil, with which mix enough sand, leaf 
soil, decayed manure, and fine mortar rubbish to convert it into a light 
porous compost. In a bed prepared in this manner Asparagus could be 
grown to perfection. 
Seakale for Forcing. —Not till they have been given a severe 
check by frosts can Seakale roots be depended on to start into growth 
quickly and strongly in heat. Where the breadths were planted early 
the crowns will be strong and well matured, the leafstalks soon parting 
freely from them. Directly they do part away readily clear them away, 
and weeds as well, and then partially bare the roots with a view to 
exposing them more to the action of frosts. A few dozen roots might be 
wholly dug up and more fully exposed, taking care, however, not to 
unduly expose them to sunshine or drying winds. The Lily White is 
the best for forcing, the colour and flavour of this form surpassing that 
of the ordinary Seakale. It should be remembered, however, that this 
variety is not so hardy as the purple-tipped Seakale, and the crowns 
ought, therefore, to be heavily moulded over by way of protection, or 
the bulk of roots, when fit, should be lifted and bedded in closely in 
moist soil where they can be protected if need be. 
Rhubarb for Forcing. —Much that has been advanced concerning 
Seakale also applies to Rhubarb. In order to have an early supply the 
roots must he lifted and forced in some way, a warmer place than a 
Mushroom house being desirable. Give the preference to large old 
roots of Early Scarlet, Royal Albert, or Johnston’s St. Martin’s, and if 
these have been previously started somewhat early where they were 
planted they will force all the more quickly. Directly the leaves come 
freely away from the crowns dig up some of the roots, and leave them 
exposed to cold winds and frosts for a fortnight or so, after which they 
will force with ease. 
Kidney Beans.— If the late sowings were made on a warm raised 
border, what little frosts we had in September would not have greatly 
injured them, and a few acceptable late dishes should be forthcoming, 
especially if the rows are well protected. Those in frames also should 
be protected, and a fairly brisk heat maintained for the benefit of any 
in heated pits. If room can be spared, a few score of 8-inch pots should 
be stood on the walls and shelves in Pine stoves and other light well- 
heated structures. Fill the pots with good soil in the first instance, 
top-dressings not doing any good, and do not leave more than four 
plants in a pot. New seed of Sion House or other approved forcing 
variety should be sown. 
Parsley. —This is abundant at present, but may be just as scarce 
before the winter is past. Seeing that it is in constant demand an 
attempt ought always to be made to keep up a regular supply all the 
year round. The superior strains of Parsley that have replaced the old 
forms do not prove so hardy as the latter and cannot be depended upon 
in the open. Fortunately Parsley transplants readily at this time of 
year, and a good number of roots should be wintered under glass. Give 
the preference to the older plants, and which have thick roots. Fork 
these up carefully, making no attempt to save much soil about them. 
Remove the older outside leaves, and then replant somewhat thickly in 
deep boxes or large pots filled with rich loamy soil. They can be kept 
in a light place in any house or pit where enough fire heat can be turned 
on to keep out the severest frosts, and will grow moderately strongly 
throughout the winter, good leaves being ready for gathering when the 
time the open air supplies fail. 
Iiate-so-wn Iiettuce. —Slugs have had matters very much their 
own way of late, and Lettuce plants have been cleared off wholesale. 
As it happens many of the plants would have been too large to pass 
uninjured through a severe winter, and later raised plants will perhaps 
more than compensate for the loss of those first sown. Quite small 
autumn-raised plants of All the Year Round, Commodore Nutt, Early 
Paris Market, or other favourite Cabbage Lettuce, would be preferable 
for planting out in frames or in the open next spring to any raised early 
in heat, and seed should therefore be sown either in boxes or broadcast 
in frames. The plants obtained in this way must not be coddled, but 
should have all the light and air possible whenever the weather is 
sufficiently mild. If there are many nearly or full-grown Lettuces 
unprotected lift a portion of them and place in cold pits or frames, 
surround the roots firmly with rich moist soil, and protect from severe 
frosts. 
HE) BE)E-KE)EPBR. 
. I . 1 . 1 . r ~ 1» i - T » f ■ rf» 1» I»I 1 = 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
The ’Weather. 
We are now enjoying excellent weather, the night temperature 
being 43°, and that of the day 65°. After a mild rain during the 
night of the 10th and morning of 11th, the first rain we have had 
since early in September, the day 'orightened, and the bees wrought 
such as they had not done previously on any day this season. 
Many bees carried huge pellets of pollen, and what honey they 
could gather from late fiowers. The whole scene appeared more 
like days we would expect during May rather than so far in 
October. 
Hints to Beginners. 
The Punic bees are not only good honey gatherers collectively, 
but are so individually. They are, in my opinion, the most 
“ shifty ” bees introduced to this country, and are valuable owing 
to their great fertidty, and were I a younger man I would not part 
with them, but have decided to have few other than Carniolans. 
Taking the current year as a criterion the low yield of honey 
in many cases has, in my opinion, been due to keeping bees in 
too limited hives. Large hives at the moors have outstripped the 
smaller ones, some of which have neither supers nor surplus in the 
body of the hive. The honey being stored in the body of the hives 
is due to the low temperature during August stopping breeding ; 
but where young queens were introduced at the beginning of that 
month not only are there supers, but two of the body divisions are 
completely sealed, with a good deal in the third one. A little 
feeding during unsettled weather will keep most of the hives in 
the best condition for storing surplus in supers instead of in the 
body of the hive, consequent of the cells being empty through 
stoppage of breeding. It is also worthy of being remembered that 
while breeding is going on the bees are more or less secreting wax, 
therefore are ready to commence comb-building immediately the 
honey flow commences. 
In a future article I will deal with some of the modes of 
strengthening hives other than by introducing young queens before 
Heather time.—A Lanarkshire Bee-keerer. 
Flowers for Bees. 
The fine weather of the past few weeks has enabled the 
bees to add to their winter stores. A thermometer placed in the 
shade to-day (October 12th), registered 62°, and Mignonette, 
of which we have some wide breadths, is just now at its best, as 
owing to the sunless weather, and our soil being very cold and 
heavy, it absolutely refused to grow early in the season, but 
by making successive sowings it is now better than it has been at 
