February  8,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
12o 
however,  peculiarly  British  that  much  of  this  so-called  recreation  is 
characterised  by  an  exhibition  of  physical  force.  Some  say  they  find 
hard  work  easier  than  stndj'.  They  get  terribly  bored  at  the  start,  and 
of  all  the  bores  that  lurk  in  the  hody  this  is  the  biggest  bore  of  the  lot. 
Many  a  lad  contemplates  with  almost  horror  the  idea  of  placing  himself 
under  restraint  during  his  hours  of  absolute  freedom.  He  knows  that 
he  should  do  so,  for  young  gardeners  are  far  from  being  deficient  in 
common  sense.  But  these  bores  are  for  ever  showing  a  flag  of  truce, 
so  they  are  temporised  with.  Something  or  other  prompts  putting  off 
the  settlement  to  a  more  convenient  season,  when  a  grand  attack  will 
be  made  with  all  the  artillery  of  splendid  designs  and  elaborate  plans. 
It  is  magnificent,  but  it  is  not  war.  Fight  ’em  at  once,  boys;  and  fight  ’em 
to  a  finish.  Yon  don’t  exactly  know  how  to  begin.  To  show  you  how 
to  begin  and  how  to  finish  will  be  both  a  pleasure  and  a  privilege  to — 
The  Old  Brigadier. 
(To  be  continued.! 
early  part  of  the  day,  so  as  to  insure  sturdy  growth  and  well-developed 
stout  foliage. 
Ripe  Orapea,—  Avoid  fire  heat  as  much  as  possible  in  the  Grape 
room  ;  but  the  cold  weather  necessitates  recourse  to  constant  firing, 
and  moisture  is  apt  to  be  drawn  out  and  deposited  on  the  cooler 
surfaces  of  the  Grapes.  This  sometimes  results  in  “  spot,”  both  with 
and  without  fungal  growth,  for  it  is  certain  that  without  the  moisture 
the  fungoid  germ  could  not  develop,  and  their  germinal  tubes  not 
enter  the  tissue  of  the  Grapes  until  the  cuticles  were  weakened,  if 
not  actually  ruptured,  by  the  contact  and  continued  presence  of  the 
moisture.  A  little  air  will  prevent  such  accumulations  of  water  on 
the  berries,  and  the  Grapes  will  not  shrivel  unless  the  evaporation  be 
excessive  and  the  temperature  high.  An  equable  temperature  of 
about  45°  is  most  suitable,  and  the  less  light  the  Grapes  receive  the 
longer  will  they  retain  their  colour.  As  the  water  in  the  bottles 
diminishes  it  should  be  replenished  with  clear  soft  water,  taking  care 
to  avoid  spilling  any  or  allowing  drops  to  fall  on  the  Grapes. 
FRUIT  FORCING. 
Vines. — Early  House. — The  Vines  in  flower  should  have  a  tempera¬ 
ture  of  60°  to  65°  at  night  and  70°  to  75°  by  day,  but  Muscats  require 
5°  more  both  day  and  night.  A  somewhat  drier  atmosphere,  secured 
by  freer  ventilation  rather  than  withholding  moisture,  favours  the 
development  of  the  organs  of  fructification.  Care,  however,  must  be 
exercised  in  ventilating  during  severe  and  sharp  weather,  avoiding  an 
inrush  of  cold  air,  which  chills  and  stagnates  the  growths,  producing 
rust  in  the  berries  and  crumpled  foliage.  A  genial  atmosphere  must 
be  insured  by  keeping  the  floors  sprinkled  two  or  three  times  a  day  in 
bright  weather,  but  occasionally  only  in  dull  periods.  Stop  the  laterals 
below  the  fruit  at  the  first  leaf,  and  keep  those  stopped  to  one  joint 
throughout  the  season,  but  those  above  the  bunch  may  be  allowed  to 
make  two  or  more  joints,  provided  there  is  space  for  the  full  exposure 
of  the  foliage  to  light  and  air. 
Vines  Started  at  the  Hexv  Tear. —  The  Vines  are  in  leaf  and  showing 
the  fruit  at  the  points  of  the  shoots.  Do  not  hasten  disbudding,  but 
perform  the  operation  gradually,  removing  the  weak  and  least  promising 
growths  in  the  first  instance,  then  give  further  attention  when  it  is 
seen  which  shoots  are  likely  to  give  the  best  bunches  .One  cluster  on 
a  spur  is  as  much  as  is  likely  to  finish  satisfactorily,  but  judgment 
must  be  exercised.  When  the  spurs  are  widely  distant  along  the  rods 
two  shoots  may  be  left  on  each  spur,  but  only  one  must  be  allowed 
to  bear  fruit.  Weak  Vines  may  be  allowed  more  space  so  as  to 
secure  stouter  wood,  larger  and  plumper  buds,  and  better  “bunches  in 
the  following  season.  When  the  growths  are  advanced  about  two  or 
three  joints  beyond  the  bunches  their  points  may  be  pinched  off, 
this  being  effected  when  the  leaves  at  the  stoppin  r  joint  are  about  the 
size  of  a  shilling.  Give  the  needful  protection  to  outside  borders, 
keeping  the  soil  from  becoming  frozen. 
Vines  to  Afford  Ripe  Grape  in  Jxtly  and  August. — The  Vines  must 
now  be  started,  and  as  they  break  more  evenly  and  strongly  when 
assured  a  moist  genial  atmosphere,  damp  the  rods  two  or  three  times  a 
day  in  bright  weather,  and  sprinkle  other  surfaces.  Occasional  damp¬ 
ing  only  will  be  necessary  in  dull  weather.  A  temperature  of  50°  at 
night,  55°  by  day,  and  65°  from  sun  heat  is  suitable  until  the  buds 
begin  to  move.  Bring  the  inside  border  into  a  thoroughly  moist  state, 
but  not  saturated  condition,  by  repeated  waterings  with  tepid  water, 
and  if  the  Vines  are  weak  and  the  soil  open  afford  a  supply  of  liquid 
manure  after  it  is  watered  sufficiently  for  healthy  growth.  The  soil 
will  then  retain  most  of  the  manurial  elements,  and  they  will  pass  into 
an  assimilable  form,  or  sirch  as  is  available  for  taking  in  by  the  roots, 
and  will  accelerate  root  activity  as  well  as  supply  nourishment.  The 
outside  borders  should  have  sufficient  protection  to  prevent  chill. 
Late  Houses. —  The  Vines  being  cleared  of  the  Grapes  early  in 
January,  then  pruned,  dressed,  and  the  structures  thoroughly  cleansed, 
afterwards  removing  the  lotse  surface  soil,  and  supplying  a  top¬ 
dressing  of  fresh  loam  with  an  admixture  of  fertilising  ingredients, 
they  will  be  ready  for  starting  whenever  desired.  The  varieties  taking 
a  long  time  to  grow  and  mature  perfectly  must  be  started  in  good  time, 
so  as  to  give  them  the  benefit  of  the  summer  for  developing  and 
maturing  their  crops.  A  start  should  be  made  without  much  further 
delay,  as  it  is  essential  to  the  perfecting  of  the  Grapes,  especially  those 
subjected  to  the  highest  cultivation,  that  the  Vines  be  started  so  as  to 
have  the  crop  peifectly  finished  by  the  middle  of  September.  Strong 
rods  should  be  brought  into  a  horizontal  position  or  lower,  and  a  good 
break  secured  by  maintaining  a  genial  condition  of  the  atmosphere,  and 
syringing  the  Vines  occasionally  in  dull,  or  two  or  three  times  a  day 
in  bright  weather.  A  temperature  of  50°  to  55°  at  night  and  on  dull 
days,  with  10°  advance  from  sun  heat,  will  be  sufficient  until  the  buds 
break,  then  allow  5°  to  10°  more  by  day,  husbanding  the  sun  heat  by 
early  closing,  but  losing  no  opportunity  of  ventilating  freely  in  the 
Dysentery. 
Showers  of  sleet  and  snow  have  been  of  frequent  occurrence  for 
some  weeks,  and  although  not  much  frost  has  been  registered,  the 
temperature  has  been  low.  This  has  had  the  effect  of  confining  the 
bees  to  their  hives.  The  first  fine  day  after  a  period  of  inactivity 
will  cause  the  bees  to  leave  the  hives  in  great  numbers,  and  should 
the  weather  suddenly  become  dull  and  cold  many  will  become  chilled 
and  will  be  unable  to  return  to  their  hive.  A  cleansing  flight  at  this 
season  is  necessary  for  the  welfare  of  the  bees.  Bee-keepers  recognise 
this  fact  when  they  observe  the  foecal  matter  which  will  be  much  in 
evidence  on  the  oiitsi  m  of  the  hives,  or  wherever  the  bees  alight.  , 
It  must  not  be  taken  for  granted  that  the  bees  are  suffering  from 
dysentery  when  these  spots  aie  first  seen.  If  it  is  of  a  pale  yellow  or 
chocolate  colour  it  is  the  ordinary  excrement,  and  if  they  have  not 
taken  a  flight  for  several  weeks  will  usually  have  a  disagreeable  smell. 
If  the  weather  is  favourable  and  the  bees  are  healthy  the  majority  of 
them  will  return  to  their  hive. 
If  a  stock  is  affected  with  dysentery  it  is  much  more  serious. 
Fortunately  this  disease  is  easily  detected  by  a  close  observer.  The 
matter  voided  by  the  bees  wfill  be  found  to  be  much  darker  in  colour  ; 
in  fact  in  bad  cases  it  will  be  nearly  black.  The  bees  from  a  diseased 
colony  will  be  unable  to  fly  many  yards  from  their  hive,  while  the 
floorboard  and  everything  within  a  few  yards  of  the  hive  will  be 
discoloured  with  the  unpleasant  smelling  excrement.  If  the  combs  are 
examined  they  will  also  be  found  in  the  same  condition.  This  is  never 
observed  in  a  healthy  stock.  The  bees,  too,  will  be  reduced  in 
numbers,  many  of  them  being  swollen,  and  only  having  sufficient 
strength  to  crawl  to  the  alighting  board;  or  if  they  take  wing 
they  are  not  able  to  fly  more  ihan  a  tew  yards,  and  rapidly  become 
chilled  on  the  cold  surroundings. 
Bees  observed  in  this  condition  are  supposed  by  some  bee-keepers 
to  be  suffering  from  a  distinct  disease  known  as  dropsy.  After, 
however,  carefully  examining  many  stocks  thus  affected,  we  have  no 
hesitation  in  pronouncing  it  dysentery.  Owing  to  various  causes 
this  disease  has  been  more  prevalent  since  the  advent  of  the  modern 
frame  hive  than  it  was  when  the  majority  of  the  bees  in  this  country 
were  kept  in  the  homely  straw  skep. 
Causes  of  Dysentery. 
There  are  several  causes  of  the  disease.  Feeding  stocks  late  in  the 
autumn,  so  that  the  bees  have  not  time  to  seal  their  stores,  is  one  of 
the  most  frequent.  For  this  reason  we  always  advise  bee-keepers  to 
feed  their  stocks  for  winfi  r  as  soon  as  the  honey  harvest  is  over,  as  it 
is  then  sealed  at  a  rapid  rate  when  the  temperature  is  high.  We 
cannot  do  better  than  imitate  the  bees  in  this  important  matter.  If 
they  are  lelt  to  themselves,  and  are  not  robbed  of  iheir  stores,  the 
honey  is  sealed  over  as  soon  as  it  is  in  proper  condition.  This  takes 
place  during  the  long  days  of  summer,  and  will  account  for  the  bees 
bemz  less  affected  with  this  disease  in  straw  skeps,  as  the  stocks 
intended  for  wintering  purposes  usually  had  all  their  natural  stores 
left  in  the  hive. 
Dysentery  may  also  be  caused  by  keeping  the  bees  m  a  darnp, 
cold  hive,  where  they  cannot  be  exp)ected  to  do  wmll.  Our  attention 
was  called  to  a  hive  of  this  description  not  many  weeks  ago.  The 
first  fine  day  afterwards  we  carefully  removed  the  bees  and  combs  that 
were  not  mouldy  into  a  dry  hive,  a  cake  of  candy  being  placed 
directly  over  the  cluster.  Extra  coverings  were  also  used,  with  every 
prospect  of  the  bees  doing  well  in  the  future.  Warm  weather  will 
work  wonders  with  a  colony  if  it  is  not  too  much  reduced  in  numbers. 
A  dry  hive,  warmth,  and  good  food  will  do  the  re.st.  Prevention, 
however,  is  better  than  a  cure. — An  English  Bee-keeper. 
