June  14,  1900.' 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
517 
WOKK/outheWEEK..  RS 
Fruit  Forcing. 
Cucumbers. — Any  pits  or  low  houses  that  have  been  used  for  forcing 
Strawberries,  Vines  in  pots,  or  wintering  bedding  plants  may  be  utilised 
for  growing  a  late  supply  of  Cucumbers.  The  plants  may  be  grown  in 
pots  12  inches  in  diameter,  or  larger,  draining  them  well,  and  only 
partly  (illing  them  with  compost,  so  as  to  leave  space  for  fresh  additions, 
or  they  may  be  grown  in  shallow  boxes  or  troughs  about  18  inches  wide, 
and  7  inches  deep,  they  being  easily  improvised  on  the  staging.  A  wood 
or  other  trellis  may  bo  provided  with  little  trouble  at  about  1.5  inches 
from  the  glass.  No  fire  heat  will  be  necessary,  the  house  being  closed 
between  8  and  4  p.m.,  syi’inging  then,  and  damping  the  floors  and  other 
surfaces  in  the  evening,  also  in  the  morning,  but  not  then  syringing  the 
plants,  it  often  being  the  cause  of  groat  injury  to  the  foliage.  Admit  a 
little  air  at  75°,  and  allow  the  temperature  to  rise  to  85“  or  90°  with 
sun,  and  close  early,  never  later  than  between  80°  and  85° ;  if  the 
temperature  rise  afterwards  to  90“  or  95°,  or  even  100°  all  the  bettor. 
Train  with  a  single  stem  to  the  trellis,  rubbing  off  all  laterals  to  that 
height,  then  allow  them  to  grow,  pinching  the  leader  after  it  has 
advanced  about  two-thirds  across  tho  trellis.  The  laterals  may  be 
stopped  one  or  two  joints  beyond  the  show  for  fruit,  covering  the  trellis 
evenly  without  overcrowding. 
In  tho  Cucumber  house  6re  heat  will  only  be  necessary  to  prevent 
the  temperature  falling  below  05°  at  night  and  to  insure  70°  to  75"  by 
day.  Attend  well  to  stopping  the  shoots,  removing  bad  leaves,  thinning 
tho  old  growths,  and  watering  with  liquid  manure  about  twice  a  week. 
Sprinkle  some  sweetened  horse  droppings  on  the  bed  once  or  twice  a 
week  to  encourage  surface  roots,  and  occasionally  a  little  soot  may  be 
used,  both  of  which  give  a  deep  green  colour  to  the  foliage  and  fruit. 
Pit  and  frame  Cucumbers  may  be  watered  about  4  p.m.,  closing  then, 
or  earlier,  according  to  the  weather,  but  it  is  not  advisable  to  close  so 
early  as  to  raise  the  temperature  above  90°  or  95°.  Liquid  manure  may 
be  given  occasionally,  but  it  is  not  desirable  to  apply  it  over  the  foliage, 
or  too  frequently.  Keep  the  growths  fairly  thin,  thinning  out  old 
shoots  and  encouraging  others  in  their  place  so  as  to  keep  up  a 
succession  of  bearing  wood.  Stop  one  or  two  joints  beyond  the  fruit. 
Avoid  overcropping  and  allowing  the  fruit  to  remain  on  the  plants  a 
day  longer  than  can  be  helped.  Shade  only  to  prevent  flagging,  and 
admit  a  little  air  early  as  a  safeguard  against  scorching. 
Vines. — In  Pols. — Stop  those  for  fruiting  next  season  when  from 
6  to  8  feet  in  length,  and  pinch  the  laterals  and  sub-laterals  to  one 
joint  as  produced.  Obtain  as  much  stored  up  matter  in  the  Vines  as 
possible  by  judicious  feeding  and  cleanly  foliage  fully  exposed  to  light 
and  air.  Vines  intended  for  planting  should  be  kept  in  comparatively 
small  pots,  and  in  that  case  they  will  not  make  a  largo  amount  of 
lateral  growth  which  need  not  bo  closely  pinched,  but  it  is  better  to 
stop  at  the  first  joint,  and  afterwards  not  allow  the  sub-laterals  to 
interfere  with  the  principal  foliage. 
Late  Qrapes. — These  must  be  thinned  immediately  they  are  large 
enough,  the  berries  swelling  so  rapidly  at  this  season  that  they  soon 
become  too  large  to  be  thinned  properly  and  expeditiously — besides, 
when  the  work  is  deferred  too  long  the  size  of  the  fruit  is  impaired. 
The  laterals  must  not  be  allowed  to  extend  so  as  to  interfere  with  the 
principal  foliage.  The  growth  may  be  permitted  to  extend  where 
there  is  space  for  its  full  exposure  to  light,  but  not  otherwise,  as  over¬ 
crowding  and  overcropping  are  often  the  causes  of  indifferent  results, 
and  more  frequently  so  than  any  other  error  of  culture.  Remove  all 
superfluous,  badly  placed,  deformed,  or  small  bunches.  Crop  lightly, 
which  means  size,  quality,  and  high  finish ;  bulk  signifies  small  fruit, 
bad  colour,  poor  quality,  often  shanking,  and  always  non-keeping. 
Water  thoroughly  when  necessary ;  one  good  watering  is  worth  many 
driblets.  Afford  top-dressings  of  chemical  manures  occasionally,  and  a 
light  mulch  of  sweet  lumpy  manure  will  prove  beneficial  in  most  oases 
by  encouraging  surface  roots  and  maintaining  uniform  moisture. 
Grapes  Scalding. — Muscat  of  Alexandria  and  Lady  Downe’s  are 
more  liable  to  “  scald  ”  that  most  other  varieties,  but  Ilamburghs,  Cros 
Maroc,  and  even  Alicante  sometimes  Buffer  severely  whan  completing 
the  stoning  process,  and  in  some  seasons  at  a  much  earlier  stage,  this 
year  being  one  of  them,  we  having  received  examples  at  thinning  size 
and  also  when  swelling  fast  after  thinning.  The  only  preventive  is 
early  ventilation,  as  it  is  keeping  close,  moist,  and  cold  that  renders 
Grapes  liable  to  scald  if  the  weather  prove  bright.  In  the  early  stages 
a  temperature  of  00°  to  65°  at  night,  70°  to  75°  in  the  daytime,  leaving 
a  “  crack  ”  of  air  at  the  top  of  the  house  at  night,  and  increasing  the 
ventilation  by  or  before  the  sun  acts  powerfully  upon  the  house,  is  a 
certain  means  of  avoiding  scorching  and  scalding.  When  the  Grapes 
are  about  completing  the  stoning  process,  and  from  then  until  they 
are  advanced  in  colouring,  air  should  be  given  abundantly,  sufficient 
warmth  being  kept  in  the  hot-water  pipes  to  maintain  a  night 
temperature  of  05°  to  70°,  and  6°  to  10°  more  by  day,  leaving  venti¬ 
lation  on  at  night,  and  increasing  it  before  the  sun  acts  powerfully 
upon  tho  house  in  the  morning. 
Grapes  Ripen iw-gr.-  Alford  these  a  free  circulation  of  air  oti  all 
favourable  occasions,  with  enough  constantly  to  insure  a  change  of 
air,  as  it  is  a  confined  atmosphere  that  does  the  mischief  in  Grapes 
“spotting”  and  “cracking.”  Keep  sufficient  heat  in  the  pipes  to 
maintain  a  night  temperature  of  05°,  and  70°  to  75°  by  day,  with  80°  to 
90°  through  the  day  from  sun  heat.  Avoid  a  very  dry  atmosphere, 
damping  occasionally,  and  do  not  allow  the  border  to  become  dry. 
Moderate  lateral  growth  will  favour  Ilamburghs  and  Madresfield  Court, 
but  Muscat  of  Alexandria  colours  beet  when  exposed  to  tho  light,  yet 
a  little  lateral  growth  is  desirable  as  a  safeguard  against  shanking  and 
for  the  maintenance  of  healthy  root  action. 
— - - 
w. 
1 
HE  BEE-KEEPER. 
■  i-z-T  ■  i^n-.  r^-n;  i  - 1 t~. 
Work  In  the  Apiary. 
All  is  now  activity  in  the  apiary,  tho  majority  of  colonies  are 
in  good  condition,  and  if  wo  are  favoured  with  fine  weather  for  a 
month  or  six  weeks,  bee-keepers  will  have  no  reason  to  complain  of 
the  result  of  tho  honey  harvest.  Stocks  are  not  as  forward  as  usual, 
as  dull  weather  and  cold  winds  wore  experienced  throughout  tho 
month  of  May,  and  it  was  only  those  colonies  which  received  careful 
attention  during  that  time  that  are  now  storing  a  surjilus.  It  is  many 
years  since  there  was  such  a  wealth  of  blossom  as  during  tho  past  few 
weeks.  The  different  fruit  trees  have  all  flowered  well,  and  only  a  few 
of  tho  late  flowering  A pyiles  remain.  Many  of  our  forest  trees  have 
bloomed  much  more  freely  than  is  usual.  Tho  Th6rn8  are  now  a 
sheet  of  bloom,  and  the  bees  will  derive  a  much  greater  benefit  from 
tho  May  than  if  they  had  flowered  earlier. 
Field  Beans  are  now  in  bloom,  and  should  they  be  within  two  miles 
of  the  apiary  tho  bees  will  work  much  more  freely  on  tliern  than  on 
any  other  flowers  open  at  the  present  time.  The  honey  obtained  from 
tho  above  sources  when  mixed  is  brown  in  colour,  somewhat  coarse  in 
tho  grain,  but  of  good  flavour.  Attention  should  be  giv('n  to  all 
stocks  on  the  lines  mentioned  in  previous  notes.  Colonies  that  were 
too  weak  a  fortnight  ago  for  siiporing  ought  now  to  bo  strong  enough. 
Honey  is  coming  in  freely,  and  it  this  operation  is  delayed  much 
longer  less  honey  will  bo  stored  than  if  they  had  received  attention  at 
the  right  time. 
Boos  Swarming. 
Although  tho  modern  bar  frame  hives  have  to  a  certain  extent 
done  away  with  the  system  of  increasing  the  number  of  stocks  by 
allowing  the  bees  to  swarm,  we  cannot  hide  the  fact  that  there  are 
numerous  stocks  in  straw  skops  in  various  parts  of  tho  country.  Witli 
these  swarming  is  a  necessity,  and  the  earlier  the  swarms  are  obtained 
tho  greater  the  chance  of  obtaining  a  surplus.  In  our  own  apiary  w'e 
practise  both  systems.  As  bees  invariably  winter  well  in  straw  skejis 
it  is  often  an  advantage  to  have  some  early  .^warms.  Swarms  work 
well,  and  if  obtained  early  a  surplus  may  be  procured  from  them. 
The  earliest  swarm  in  this  (listrict  (SoRth  Yorkshire)  came  off  on 
the  27th  of  May.  The  warm  wea‘luT  experienced  on  the  3rd  and  4tli 
inst.  caused  many  bees  to  swarm.  Those,  if  well  managed,  will  give 
a  good  account  of  themselvis.  Should  the  weather  become  dull  and 
cold  such  swarms  must  be  fed  with  thin  syrup. 
M^here  frame  hives  are  at  hand  it  is  advisable  to  place  the  swarms 
in  them.  It  will  be  an  advantage  to  give  them  full  sheets  of 
foundation,  and  not  more  frames  than  they  can  cover  well;  six  frames 
will  be  ample  for  an  ordinary  swarm  weighing  about  4  lbs.  The 
divi'ion  board  should  be  placed  close  up,  and  as  soon  as  tho  cells  are 
all  drawn  out  another  comb  may  bo  inserted  in  the  middle  of  tho 
brood  nest.  This  can  bo  repeated  as  often  as  may  he  considered 
necessary.  If  the  honey  season  is  likely  to  be  a  short  one  it  will  bo 
an  advantage  to  keep  the  brood  nest  reduced,  and  place  a  crate  of 
sections  on  the  top  of  the  frames.  If  honey  is  coming  in  freely  tho  bees 
will  commence  to  store  a  surjdus  at  once. — An  English  Bee-kkepku. 
Leaving  Sections  on  In  Winter. 
While  agreeing  with  “An  English  Bee-keeper”  on  general  topics, 
as  to  the  desirability  of  putting  sections  on  when  “honey  is  coming  on 
freely,”  I  may  say  that  in  several  cases  which  have  come  into  my 
hands  to  manage  I  have  found  crates  of  sections  filled  and  ready  to 
take  off  (before  the  bulk  for  the  season  had  been  put  on)  from  leaving 
on  through  the  winter,  and  with  very  little  covering.  I  have  already 
taken  off  some  beautifully  filled  sections  from  a  crate  left  on  all  tho 
winter,  which,  if  I  remember  rightly,  the  bees  did  not  enter  last 
summer,  although  “  honey  was  coming  in  freely  ”  at  the  time  I  put 
them  on  just  in  the  Clover  harvest.  So  we  have  to  “  live  and  learn  ” 
from  experience. — J.  IIiam. 
