December 6,1894. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
527 
matter, which is often relegated to a convenient season to the prejudice 
of the Vines, their resting, and freedom from insects in the ensuing year. 
Early pruning conduces to a strong and even break without loss by 
bleeding when the time arrives for forcing ; cleansing the house and 
Vines as soon as the latter are leafless and the crops cleared prevents 
pests hybernating. In dressing the Vines do not remove more than the 
loose bark, and wash with tepid soap and water not too strong, for the 
excessive use of softsoap injures the bark, causing it to become hard and 
dry, the Vines break very irregularly in consequence, and sometimes so 
weakly that the bunches shrivel instead of expanding. Judgment must 
be exercised in such matters, and use only 4 ozs. of softsoap to the 
gallon of water. Thoroughly cleanse the glass with clear water, the 
woodwork and trellis with soap and water, using a brush, reaching well 
into the angles and crevices, and limewash the walls, adding a good 
handful of flowers of sulphur to each pailful. Remove the loose surface 
soil, and give fresh material; lumpy loam with a little charred refuse, 
and a sprinkling of steamed bonemeal, or some approved fertiliser may 
be similarly employed. 
Late Houses .—Where Grapes have been properly ripened they will 
keep satisfactorily on the Vines with the temperature falling as low as 
40°, with just sufficient fire heat to dispel damp and protect them from 
frost. Muscats and other thin-skinned Grapes, however, soon suffer in a 
low temperature, as they are sooner acted on by moisture than the thick- 
skinned varieties, being very liable to spot, and when that sets in all 
further chance ol keeping the Grapes is gone. On tie other hand, fire 
heat provokes evaporation, so that thin-skinned varieties soon begin 
shrivelling in a warm dry atmosphere. Muscats require a temperature 
of 50° to keep satisfactorily when the leaves are all down, and will not 
suffer depreciation so much from warmth (50° to 55°) as Grapes of 
the Sweetwater race. In damp weather, when the external air is 
charged with moisture, the house should be kept dry, cool, and close, 
and when the nights are frosty light non-conducting material, such as 
scrim canvas, or even fishing nets drawn over the roof, will prevent the 
radiation of heat and economise fuel, while the subdued light is rather 
beneficial than otherwiae to the Grapes. The prevention of moisture 
being deposited on the berries is the great thing to aim at, and that can 
only be done by preventing the atmosphere becoming stagnant. 
Pines. —Rapid progress at this time of year is inadvisable, it being 
better to rest content with a slow advance inastealy uninterrupted 
manner than to force the plants. Indeed, the temperature should 
now be lowered to its minimum in each section, which for the fruiting 
plants should range from 65° to 70°, successional houses 60° to 65°, and 
for suckers 55° to 60°, allowing a rise of 5° to 10° from sun heat. The 
house containing the fruiting plants will need attention in sprinkling 
the pathways and moistening other surfaces in the house as they become 
dry. In airy and light houses the plants will need sprinkling about 
once a day, having due regard to the fruit and plants in flower. The 
plants should be examined at intervals of not less than a week, affording 
tepid liquid manure liberally to such as are swelling their fruits ; but 
any that are well advanced therein and approaching ripening stages 
should be carefully watered, as an excess of water may cause the fruit 
to become discoloured at the centre. 
Plants in fermenting beds do not, as a rule, require nearly so much 
water as those subjected to the heat arising from hot-water pipes ; but, 
notwithstanding, the plants must be looked over at least once a week, 
affording a supply to such as need, and to those only. In succession 
houses and pits where less heat is appRed, a moderate and equable state 
of moisture should abound, and no more fire heat be employed than is 
absolutely indispensable, which with covering over the lights at night 
will in a great measure dispense with fire heat, and therefore should be 
employed wherever practicable, for it not only saves fuel but is better 
for the plants than an arid atmosphere. Afford the plants in every 
department ample space and the full benefit of light in every division 
by keeping the glass clean. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Forcing- iisparagus. —If a good supply of this choice vegetable 
is needed at Christmas, or thereabouts, it is time forcing should com¬ 
mence. It can be forced very rapidly, but in this case the produce is 
drawn and weakly compared -with what would have been had if the 
forcing had been less hard. Asparagus can be forced entirely on hot¬ 
beds or without the aid of fire heat, but if heated pits are available 
these should be used, a bed of leaves and manure providing the bottom 
heat of about 70°, a very little warmth in the pipes to ensure a tem¬ 
perature of 55° to 60°, will suffice. If frames or unheated pits have to 
be used keep the heat from escaping by means of heavy coverings of 
mats and litter, only admitting enough light to green the shoots. A 
hotbed made from 2 feet to 3 feet deep, and firmly put together, is 
usually ample for heated pits, but exposed frames and unheated pits 
should have an extra foot in depth. Cover the surface with 3 inches of 
rather rich moist soil instead of poor dry soil, as is too often used. The 
best results often attend the practice of preparing young roots, especially 
for forcing very fine shoots springing from three-year-old crowns. 
If roots have to be lifted from a bed commence at one end and 
gradually fork out all the roots till enough has been found to cover a bed 
under two or three lights. Exposure to either frosts or cold drying 
winds weakens the roots. Pack them closely together, well spreading 
out the roots an! cover with about 5 inches of soil, shorter, less succulent 
growths resulting from shallower coverings. Keep the soil uniformly 
moist, and when the shoots are long enough turn down and twist them 
off at the base rather than attempt cutting. Form successional beds 
every fortnight or three weeks according to the demand, conveniences 
and supply of roots. Asparagus may also be forced, packing the roots 
rather thickly in flat boxes, surrounding them with good rich soil, and 
place in Peach houses, vineries or other structures where gentle heat is 
kept up. Keep them well supplied with moisture. 
Forcing Seakale. —As a rule the finest and most succulent growth 
is had by adopting the old-fashioned practice of forcing where the roots 
are grouped. The ground about them should be loosened, and the 
crowns be then enclosed by bell-shaped or Seakale pots fitted with lids. 
Ordinary flower pots are not suitable, as when these are inverted over 
the crowns the forced growths cannot be examined without moving 
much of the heating material. Heavily cover with well prepared stable 
manure, or a mixture of leaves and manure, and see that no harm 
results from over-heating. Cover four or five groups every fortnight. 
Where breadths of young roots have been specially prepared for forcing, 
lift and place these at intervals in a Mushroom house, or pit, or frame, 
prepared as for Asparagus, with this difference, that a greater depth of 
soil will be needed in the first instance. Straight roots packed thickly 
in deep boxes or pots of rich soil may be set in brisk heat in either 
houses, stokeholes, Mushroom houses, or heated pits, but they must be 
kept well darkened or otherwise the growths will be valueless. Every 
week or ten days is none too often to start fresh supplies of roots, and a 
temperature of from 60° to 65° answers well. Keep the soil uniformly 
moist about the roots, cut the tops when ready cleanly off, and force out 
a second growth ; that given by the stronger roots frequently proving 
most acceptable. 
Rhubarb. —Not much heat is required to start the early red forms 
of Rhubarb, and the attempt ought to be made to have some fit to pull 
at Christmas or thereabouts. Enclose permanently planted roots in 
either large deep pots or bottomless boxes and tubs inverted over the 
clumps, moveable tops or lids being necessary. At this early date a good 
square bank of stable manure, leaves, or the two in mixture, is needed, 
a width and depth of 4 feet being none too much. Watch closely, as a 
sudden change from cold to mild weather may lead to violent heating, 
and much harm to the Rhubarb accrue accordingly. If a few clamps 
can be spared, for they are of no further use after being lifted and 
forced, dig them up with a moderate amount of soil about them, and 
either force in a Mushroom house, or they may be forwarded very con¬ 
siderably in a warm cellar. They need not be covered with soil. 
Forcing- Potatoes. —Whether it is intended to force Potatoes in 
pots, boxes, houses, pits, or frames, the preliminary details of starting 
the sets into growth should be observed. Pack them, small end upwards, 
in shallow boxes, and place in gentle heat, or say a newly started Peach 
house or vinery, to commence active growth. A light position should 
be assigned them, and they will then each form a single strong sprout, 
all others being rubbed off prior to covering with soil in which they are 
to grow. 
HE BEE-KEEPER. 
, I . 1 - I . I . I , , « I , I . > ^ T - 1 . 1 - T - 1 i V T - r- ~ ■ I « I ■ 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
The Lanarkshire STORiFYiNa Hive. 
{^Continued from page 508.) 
The adapting board is one-qaarter thick and about a foot broad, 
reaching to the middle of the two outermost bars. This, when 
the supers are in position, gives ample space for the bees to enter 
the supers from the side openings. A mortice half inch wide 
can be cut directly over a portion of the second spaces if the 
bee-keeper prefers it, but on no account should the top of the hive 
be exposed more than can be helped if pure supers are wanted, and 
draughts excluded from brood nest. The adapting board preserves 
the top bars of hive from being covered with wax or propolis, and 
gives additional strength to them ; it is altogether a good thing, 
and only costs one penny. 
Section crates take the place of supers 7 inches square, or large 
ones 14 inches. The protector holds three stories of them with 
ample space for the winter or summer. Crates are the same breadth 
as the supers, and may be one-sixteenth of an inch loss than 
14 inches, or in two forming the same size. When in two they are 
handy for keeping the bees at work when a glut of honey occurs, 
as the full and partly full ones are always kept above one another, 
but the larger size gives less trouble otherwise. The sides of these 
are cut to 13J inches long by 4 5-16ths inches broad by three- 
eighths of an inch thick. A piece one-sixteenth of an inch less 
than 14 inches, and of the same breadth, by a quarter of an inch 
thick, is nailed with inch nails to one end. The other end is cut to 
go inside. The crate is half an inch thick, and rounded on the 
bottom edge so as it will turn as if hinged. To do this a gauge the 
length of three sections is used to keep it in place, then with wire 
nail driven at the centre of what forms the knuckle it works as 
if hinged. When the sections are to be put in the crate it is folded 
down, and when filled is closed, pressing the sections close to one 
another, obviating much labour to the bees propolising between the 
sections. The pieces of wood used as rests are the exact length of 
