■November 22,1894. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
483 
with tobacco. Strong doses must be avoided, or they may damage the 
foliage irreparably. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Protectingr Broccoli and Cauliflowers. —That valuable variety, 
Veitch’s Autumn Protecting Broccoli, is far from being hardy, but 
pays well for protection. Merely tucking old leaves over the more 
forward hearts has been up to now equal to preserving them from frosts, 
but it is not well to depend upon such light protection after this date. 
Those that are nearly or quite fully grown should now be raised out of 
the ground and laid in thickly in a shed, or where they can be matted 
over when a severe frost is expected, and these will then keep for a 
fortnight or longer. Those with hearts only just forming ought to be 
lifted with a small ball of soil about the roots, and be replanted in 
either deep pits, frames, or in cool vineries, protection from frosts being 
afforded in either case. Pack them only moderately closely together, 
removing only the very oldest outside leaves, and firmly surround the 
roots with rich moist soil. If kept airy and not allowed to become dry 
at the roots they will produce medium-sized, very clean, and most 
acceptable hearts during December and the early part of January. Other 
varieties of autumn Broccoli might be similarly treated, but it is some¬ 
what early to interfere with Snow’s Winter White. If there are any 
late planted Autumn Giant Cauliflowers not yet cut, or still to produce 
hearts, these also should be treated similarly to early Broccoli. 
Celery. —Advantage should be taken of a dry time to push on with 
the earthing up of Celery. If once the leafstalks are frozen through 
they will soon commence decaying, and this decay gradually spreads 
downwards, till at last the hearts are reached. The very latest will not, 
in many cases, be forward enough for the final moulding up, but the 
leafstalks ought to be brought up together, and enough fine soil placed 
round them to keep them so, a final moulding being given early in 
December. It should be remembered that Celery does not keep any 
better for not having soil banked up around it till very late in the 
autumn, and undue delay may have quite the contrary effect. What 
the cultivator has to guard against is premature earthing up the soil, 
pinching the stalks together to the extent of preventing the proper 
development of the hearts. Soil only moderately moist is the best 
protection against frosts, and if it is banked up high enough to enclose 
at least the lower half of the leaves, and so smoothed over and rounded 
off as to throw off much of the water that falls, there will not often be 
many losses. In low wet positions surrounding the Celery with ashes, 
or, better still, fine ballast answers well, this also keeping the hearts 
•cleaner or freer from slugs. In all such cases high planting rather than 
planting in deep trenches should be practised, and grips ought also to 
be cut with a view to running the top water away quickly. If further 
protection is thought necessary let it be in the form of boards nailed 
together V fashion, and inverted over the rows. Strawy litter and 
bracken hovered over the plants when dry protect effectively, but when 
it gets wet it does more harm than good. 
Endive. —Quite small plants or any put out late are not injured by 
a moderately severe frost, but any either three parts or fully grown are 
far from being frost-proof. If only the tips of the leaves are damaged 
the rest of the plant soon becomes a mass of decay. Luckily Endive 
transplants readily, and will keep well in pits, frames, cool vineries, 
Peach houses, and even open-fronted sheds—this in preference to tying 
them up together in the old-fashioned method, and packing in dry sand 
under cover of a shed. Select a dry day for lifting the plants, and if 
tied up together they are less liable to be broken in moving. Lift with 
a moderate amount of soil about the roots, and carry on handbarrows to 
where they are to be replanted. Those to be blanched and used quickly, 
and which would be fully grown when moved, may be packed closely 
together and the ties removed from a portion of them, blanching taking 
place without much further trouble. That which is to keep as long as 
possible should be given sufficient room to admit of their opening out 
considerably, and these should have some good rich soil to root in. 
Keep them moist at the roots, give abundance of air and protect from 
severe frosts, also guarding against an excess of fire heat. Merely tying 
them well up together, the outer leaves quite enclosing the hearts or 
excluding light from them by means of brown paper and mats spread 
over a breadth at a time, will have the effect of blanching the hearts in 
three weeks or rather less; but if a few dozen plants are introduced to a 
Mushroom house once a week the hearts will blanch quicker. It is the 
green curled forms that should be principally used first, the Broad- 
leaved Batavian keeping best, and Lettuce can also be wholly dispensed 
with when the Batavian forms are in good condition. 
Xiettuce. —The growth of late raised plants has been well sustained. 
When fully grown a slight frost will spoil the hearts, whereas if the 
greater portion of the plants were lifted and stored as advised in the 
case of Endive, the supply of good Lettuce might be carried oh till mid¬ 
winter. All the Year Round is the best keeper, and neat little close 
hearts are plentiful enough as yet. 
SowlDgr Peas and Beans.— Very few persons take the trouble of 
sowing these in the autumn nowadays. A more regular plant, and quite 
as early gatherings, can be had by sowing under glass in February, 
transplanting to the open when the plants are fit and the weather 
favours the work. Those who still prefer the older practice, and it 
answers fairly well on the lighter soils where slugs are not over-plentiful, 
should sow the early round-.seeded forms, of which William I. and 
Eclipse are hard to surpass. The ground ought to have been matured 
and got ready long enough for it to settle and break down finely, and 
the drills should be drawn from 3 feet to 4 feet asunder, rather wide. 
and 2 inches deep for Peas, sowing the seed rather thickly. Mazigan 
and Veitch’s Early Longpoi Broad Beans may also be sown now, 
dropping the seed in freely in drills 30 inches apart. The seedlings of 
either kind must be well protected from birds and sluga. 
Ml 
IE BEE-KEEPER. 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
Chloric Dropsical Fever. 
During the past spring this disease, first experienced by me in 
1863, was prevalent, few apiaries being free from it; but in the 
majority of cases the disease left before the whole of the bees 
died, though not before it had rendered them profitless. Near me 
numerous bees of different breeds were affected during the 
spring and summer, but are now in a healthy condition. A hive of 
Carniolans, in my own apiary was badly affected during the 
summer, though it gave me a fair surplus of honey and appears 
now to be healthy, but some of the progeny seem affected. In 
one case the disease manifested itself at the beginning of October, 
from fifty to a hundred bees dying daily, while the symptoms of 
the hive generally were unmistakeable. Great heat, a quivering 
motion of apparently healthy bees, fanning constantly through the 
daytime were symptoms, those further advanced being swollen and 
listless. 
I have been trying different medicines, including sulphate of 
iron dissolved in honey, but owing to the advanced time of year the 
bees did not partake of it. About 4 o’clock P M. on the 12th many 
bees were leaving the hives in a manner similar to wounded bees 
do, the greater number rolling from the entrance. In several 
hours after the entrances were completely stopped, and the fioors 
were covered with a deep coating of dead bees, leaving very few 
bees and the queens still alive. Whether the remnant left will 
remain healthy time only will disclose, but never in all my 
experience have I witnessed so rapid an extinction from the worst 
disease bees are attacked with. 
As yet no remedy is known for it, but from the fact that the 
disease becomes arrested in some hives, bee-keepers will have a 
better opportunity of grappling with it, especially so if the source 
of the disease can be traced. Had my bees taken the medicated 
food it would have been attributed by some persons to the sudden¬ 
ness and enormity of deaths. The disease appears to be hereditary, 
but does not affect the health of the queen, only her progeny, 
which may be perpetuated for generations. — A Lanarkshire 
Bee-keeper. 
STARTING BEE-KEEPING. 
When is the best time to start bee-keeping ? What is the best 
kind of bee? and What hive should I use? These and similar 
questions I am often asked. A few remarks on this subject may 
be of interest to intending bee-keepers. Now is a good time to 
commence, either by purchase or otherwise ; but the buyer should 
be certain that the stock has ample stores to last until the spring. 
If there is any doubt in the matter it will be better to wait until 
April. By that time the fruit trees will be coming into bloom, 
and from then onwards the natural supply of food will be coming 
in freely. In many country districts there are still a number of 
bees kept in straw skeps, and these can usually be obtained at a 
reasonable price. If there are several stocks to select from choose 
those that are strong in bees and sealed stores. A good stock in a 
straw skep should at this time of the year weigh at least 28 lb?. 
Turn up the hive and select those that have good straight combs, 
as they will be much better for transferring into a frame hive than 
crooked or damaged ones. The colony should be headed by a 
young fertile queen. 
The advantage of starting with a good stock at this time of the 
year is being able to get a good early swarm from it, and three 
weeks afterwards transfer the combs of old stock to a frame hive. 
It is better for a beginner to start with a single stock, and as 
experience is gained it can be increased to whatever number may 
be required either by swarming or divisions. Should it be a 
forward season the bees will probably swarm in May. These 
ought to be put in a frame hive, each frame having a full sheet of 
comb foundation, or a strip of guide comb fixed on top bar. This 
will enable the bees to build their combs straight, which is a great 
advantage in handling them ; for if the combs are crooked they 
will not be interchangeable with others. Were there no guide 
comb fixed in the frames the bees would be just as likely to build 
their combs in an opposite direction, in which case they could not 
be examined, and would be practically useless in that form, and 
