January  11,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
39 
The  outside  borders  should  be  amply  protected  against  frost,  for 
the  roots  cannot  derive  nutriment  from  a  frozen  soil  If  the  roots  of 
the  Vines  are  entirely  outside,  the  border  should  have  a  good  supply  of 
fermenting  material ;  and  if  this  may  not  be  possible,  owing  to  the 
scarcity  of  material,  afford  dry  litter,  or  Fern  or  leaves,  so  as  to 
modify  in  some  measure  the  chilling  tendency  of  cold  rains  or  snow. 
Attend  to  the  due  protection  of  the  stems,  for  if  these  become  frozen 
it  is  likely  the  crop  will  be  destroyed.  Sprinkle  the  Vines  two  or 
three  times  a  day  in  bright  dry  weather,  occasionally  only  when  dull. 
Maintain  a  night  temperature  of  50°  to  55'^,  60°  to  65°  by  day,  ventilat¬ 
ing  freely  about  65°,  and  close  at  that  point. 
£ate  Grapea, — These  are  best  removed  to  a  dry  rcom,  where  they 
will  keep  quite  as  well  or  better  than  if  left  on  the  Vines.  Keep  the 
temperature  of  the  room  at  about  45°,  examining  the  bunches  occasion¬ 
ally  for  decayed  berries,  which  must  be  carefully  removed.  The  Vines 
should  then  be  pruned  after  keeping  cool  for  a  day  or  two,  dressing 
the  cuts  with  Irench  polish,  patent  knotting,  or  other  approved 
preparation  as  a  safeguard  against  bleeding ;  also  thoroughly  cleanse 
the  house.  Admit  air  freely  in  favourable  weather,  striving  to  give 
the  Vines  as  long  and  complete  rest  as  possible.  If  the  borders  are 
unsatisfactory  lift  the  roots  of  the  Vines,  clear  out  the  bad  soil,  rectify 
the  drainage,  and  relay  the  roots  in  fresh  sweet  compost  within  1  foot 
of  the  surface,  and  the  fibrous  ones  not  deeper  than  3  inches.  Where 
the  Vines  are  planted  inside,  and  have  inside  and  outside  borders,  the 
renovation  may  be  accomplished  without  loss  of  crop  by  renewing  the 
former  one  year,  and  the  latter  the  year  following. 
THE  KITCHEN  GARDEN. 
Asparagus. — No  vegetable  is  more  easily  forced  than  Asparagus. 
The  genial  moist  heat  of  a  hotbed  formed  of  leaves  and  manure 
answers  much  better  for  forcing  than  the  dry  heat  of  hot-water 
pipes ;  but  if  hot- water  pipes  are  available  the  heat  should  be  turned 
on  during  frosty  weather.  The  roots  of  lifted  plants  must  not  be 
unduly  exposed  to  drying  winds.  When  preparing  for  forcing  cover 
a  mild  hotbed  with  a  thin  layer  of  rich,  moist  soil,  on  this  packing 
the  Asparagus  plants  closely,  spreading  the  roots  out  and  covering 
with  3  inches  of  fine  rich  soil.  Keep  the  soil  constantly  moist.  Form 
and  fill  successional  beds  according  to  requirements. 
Kidney  Beans. — From  this  time  onward  Kidney  Beans  in  pots  pay 
better  for  forcing  than  earlier  in  the  winter.  To  be  successful  with 
them  the  essentials  are  abundance  of  room,  heat,  light,  and  moisture. 
From  twenty-five  lo  fifty  9-inch  pots,  each  containing  about  six  plants, 
form  a  good'  stock,  a  considerable  amount  of  bench  or  shelf  room 
being  necessarily  devoted  to  them.  No  advantage  is  derived  by 
allowing  room  for  top-dressings  of  rich  compost,  the  plants  failing  to 
root  into  this,  and  the  simpler  plan  of  filling  up  the  pots  at  the 
outset  really  answers  better.  Sion  House,  Ne  Plus  Ultra,  or  other  well- 
tried  newer  varieties  and  new  seed  are  recommended  for  forcing.  WWter 
sparingly  at  first ;  but  when  the  plants  have  formed  abundance  of  roots 
they  require  water  and  liquid  manure,  with  frequent  syringing  to  keep 
down  red  spider. 
Carrots  and  Badishes. — The  mild  autumn  was  in  favour  of  a  late 
growth  of  Carrots,  and,  in  addition  to  what  resulted  from  sowing 
late,  many  unthinned  rows  have  made  extraordinary  progress,  an 
abundance  of  tender  young  roots  being  available.  These  keep  best 
in  the  ground,  but  a  covering  of  strawy  litter  should  be  afforded. 
A  supply  of  joung  roots  ought,  where  possible,  to  be  maintained  with 
the  aid  of  hotbeds  and  frames.  Leaves,  mixed  with  previously  fer¬ 
mented  stable  manure,  are  suitable,  as  only  a  mild  heat  is  needed. 
Form  rather  solid  beds  facing  south,  and  not  less  than  3  feet  deep  at 
this  early  date  ;  place  shallow  frames  on  these,  inside  of  which  more 
of  the  shorter  heating  material  shotild  be  placed,  or  sufficient  to  raise 
a  depth  of  6  inches  of  light  sandy  soil  close  to  the  glass.  Cover  with 
lights  and  mats  or  litter,  and  when  the  soil  is  well  warmed  through, 
and  there  are  no  signs  of  overheating,  sow  seed  thinly  in  shallow  drills 
8  inches  apart.  Between  these  form  other  drills  for  Radishes  of  good 
forcing  types.  Cover  all  the  seeds  with  a  little  sifted  soil.  Close 
the  frame,  placing  mats  or  litter,  or  both  if  severe  frost  is  anticipated, 
over  the  lights.  If  much  vapour  collects  in  the  frame  push  down  the 
lights  slightly. 
Onions. — The  exhibitor’s  plan  of  raising  a  number  of  Onion  plants 
under  glass  and  planting  out  in  April  is  equally  desirable  where  Onions 
are  required  for  ordinary  purposes.  Especially  is  this  plan  of  raising 
under  glass  and  planting  out  desirable  in  cases  where  the  Onion  maggot 
is  most  destructive,  strong  early  plants  to  a  certain  extent  proving 
impervious  to  attacks.  Sow  seeds  at  once  in  boxes  of  fine  loam,  leaf 
soil,  and  Mushroom-bed  refuse.  Place  in  gentle  heat  of  about  60°  to 
germinate,  transferring  to  shelves  when  the  seedlings  are  well  up. 
Potatoes. — Quick  if  comparatively  light  crops  may  be  had  by  pot 
culture.  Short-topped  early  varieties  are  suitable  for  forcing,  and  these 
ought  to  have  their  first  or  primary  sprout  attached.  One  strong  tuber 
is  enough  for  each  8-inch  pot  for  shelves,  while  three  may  be  placed  in 
each  11-inch  or  large  pot,  arranging  these  on  light  borders  in  houses 
where  gentle  forcing  is  being  carried  on.  When  filling  the  pots  with 
a  mixture  of  loam  and  Mushroom-bed  refuse  allow  room  for  a  top- 
dressing  of  soil  after  the  sprouts  are  showing  above  the  rim  level.  Give 
enough  water  to  keep  the  soil  uniformly  moist.  Time  will  be  gained 
by  first  starting  tubers  that  are  to  be  forced  in  pits  or  frames  in  gentle 
heat  and  a  moist  atmosphere. 
Crystallisation  of  Honey. 
The  crystallisation  of  honey  is  only  imperfectly  understood.  How 
is  it  that  honey  obtained  one  season  will  granulate  much  more  readily 
than  that  produced  say  the  previous  or  following  year  ?  That  such 
is  the  case  the  majority  of  bee-keepers  who  work  for  run  honey  will 
have  observed,  although  the  honey  has  been  obtained  in  the  same 
district,  and,  so  lar  as  one  can  judge,  from  the  same  variety  of  flowers. 
We  are  inclined  to  think  fine  weather  and  a  high  temperature  are  the 
chief  factors.  But  this  will  not  wholly  account  for  it.  One  year  in 
our  experience  stands  out  very  conspicuously  in  this  respect — namely, 
the  Jubilee  year  1887.  The  weather  during  the  honey  flow  in  that 
memorable  bee-ktepers’  year  was  perfect  from  a  bee-keepers’  point  of 
view.  The  days  were  fine  and  bright,  and  the  nights  warm.  The 
pastures  were  a  mass  of  white  Clover,  there  being  sufficient  moisture 
in  the  land  to  prevent  the  plants  suffering  fiom  drought.  The  result 
was  a  rich  harvest  of  honey  of  the  best  quality. 
During  the  last  week  of  June  we  extracted  the  honey  from  the 
supers  of  all  our  hives  that  were  being  worked  for  run  honey.  Being 
short  of  storage  room  we  commenced  bottling  it  the  following  day.  We 
were  surprised  to  find  it  had  already  that  clouded  appearance  which 
usually  precedes  granulation.  Within  a  fortnight  perfect  crystal¬ 
lisation  had  taken  place.  Since  that  time  we  have  obtained  honey 
under  a  variety  of  circumstances.  Similar  weather  has  prevailed  for 
a  short  time,  but  granulation  has  not  taken  place  so  quickly. 
The  nearest  approach  to  similar  weather  was  that  prevailing  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  our  apiary  early  in  July  last  year;  the  honey 
flow  was  at  its  height.  Owing  to  the  drought  there  was  not  such  an 
abundance  of  white  Clover,  and  the  Limes  were  just  bursting  into 
bloom.  The  stocks  were  in  similar  condition  to  those  mentioned 
above.  We  therefore  prepared  for  similar  results  to  those  obtained 
in  1887.  Although  we  examined  our  honey  almost  daily  we  found 
that  crystallisation  did  not  take  place  till  quite  late  in  the  autumn,  a 
very  fine  sample  of  honey  we  had  on  hand  being  quite  liquid  and  clear 
at  the  end  of  November.  Probably  the  honey  obtained  irom  the  Limes 
would  have  this  effect  on  it.  Honey  collected  in  dull  and  rainy 
seasons  does  not  usually  granulate  in  its  early  stages. 
Honey  for  Market. 
How  should  run  honey  be  placed  on  the  market  ?  Should  it  be 
clear  and  in  similar  condition  to  what  it  is  when  it  comes  from  the 
hive  ?  We  are  induced  to  ask  this  question,  as  we  have  found  in  times 
past  that  dealers  preferred  to  have  it  clear  and  not  in  its  granulated 
form,  as  their  customers  were  under  the  impression  when  offered  in 
the  latter  condition  that  it  was  adulterated  with  flour.  How  the 
latter  ingredient  could  be  mixed  with  the  genuine  honey  we  are 
unable  to  say.  The  above  fact  has  been  brought  to  our  notice  not 
once  but  many  times.  As  granulation  is  one  of  the  proofs  of  genuine 
honey  we  took  some  trouble  to  disprove  this  fallacy.  We  laid  stress 
on  the  latter  fact,  and  explained  how  easily  honey  may  be  made  clear 
again  by  placing  the  jar  containing  it  in  hot  water.  So  that  there 
should  be  no  misunderstanding  on  this  point,  the  above  facts  are  printed 
on  our  own  labels,  which  are  attached  to  all  our  jars  of  run  honey. 
What  has  been  the  result  ?  Dealers  now  often  inquire  why  the 
honey  is  not  granulated,  as  their  customers  prefer  it  in  that  condition. 
This  is  a  point  gained,  as  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that  much  of  the 
foreign  stuff  sold  under  the  name  of  honey  had  never  been  near  a  bee, 
or  in  a  bee  hive,  and  more  often  than  otherwise  is  in  a  clear  state. 
Thus  when  granulated  honey  in  a  pure  state  was  placed  on  the  market 
it  was  looked  on  with  suspicion. 
Honey  in  sections  that  has  not  been  marketed  should  be  kept  in  a 
warm  dry  place.  They  have  not  kept  as  well  as  usual  this  winter, 
judging  from  the  samples  to  be  seen  in  some  of  the  shops,  which  were 
quite  spoiled  owing  to  the  moisture  dripping  through  the  whole 
surface  of  the  comb. — An  English  Bee-keeper. 
BEES  IN  STRAW  SKEPS. 
I  have  five  or  six  weak  straw  skeps  and  a  dozen  bar-framed  hives, 
is  it  possible  to  drive  these  five  weak  stocks  into  one  hive,  and  if  so 
vhen  must  the  work  be  done  ? — S.  S.  M . 
[Any  attempt  at  driving  the  bees  from  straw  skeps  at  this  season 
vonld  only  end  in  disaster.  Are  the  stocks  really  short  of  stores  ?  It 
s  possible  to  form  a  fairly  correct  opinion  as  to  the  amount  of  stores 
jontained  in  each  skep  by  weighing  them.  “  S.  S.  W.”  does  not 
nention  the  size  of  the  skeps.  These  are  made  in  various  sizes  the 
najority  of  them  being  much  too  small  for  the  object  in  view.  If  Me 
skeps  are  14  inches  or  upwards  in  diameter,  and  are  filled  with  combs, 
;hey  should  weigh  at  this  date  20  lbs.,  and  will  have  sufficient  stores 
br  another  three  months.  If  the  skeps  are  small  an  allowance  may  be 
It' is  surprising  the  small  amount  of  stores  a  weak  colony  of  bees 
