February  i,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OP  BORTICtJLTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
105 
points.  Be  careful  that  they  do  not  become  dry  at  their  roots.  Stan¬ 
dards  and  pyramids,  where  the  flowers  are  not  needed,  may  be  removed, 
and  the  growths  tied  down  ;  give  these  a  little  artificial  manure  to  the 
surface  of  the  soil,  water  carefully,  and  keep  the  plants  standing  on  a 
moisture-holding  base. 
Trench  and  Taney*  Pelargoniums. — Pinch  out  the  points  of 
late-rooted  cuttings  and  place  them  in  5-inch  pots.  Use  for  a  compost 
fibry  loam,  sand,  and  one-seventh  of  manure.  Place  the  plants  on  a 
shelf,  keep  them  cool,  and  water  carefully.  Pinch  all  shoots  on  plants 
that  need  it  that  are  not  required  for  early  flowering.  Some  of  these 
will  need  repotting,  and  in  doing  this  press  the  soil  firmly  to  prevent 
soft  leafy  growth.  All  that  is  needed  at  present  is  to  keep  the  plants 
slowly  moving.  Although  they  need  careful  watering  do  not  keep  them 
so  dry  as  to  injure  their  soft,  active  roots.  Watch  for  aphides,  and 
fumigate  at  once  upon  their  first  appearance. 
Zonal  Pelargoniums. — Bushy  little  plants  in  3-inch  pots  may  be 
placed  into  5-inch  size,  using  the  compost  advised  above.  Merely  keep 
them  growing,  but  do  not  pinch  their  shoots.  As  soon  as  the  days 
lengthen  they  will  bear  gentle  heat  and  come  early  into  flower.  Select 
from  amongst  those  which  have  been  flowering  dwarf  free-blooming 
varieties,  and  if  these  are  given  a  little  artificial  manure  and  kept 
slowly  moving  they  will  not  be  long  before  they  commence  flowering 
again.  Those  that  need  cutting  back  should  be  kept  rather  dry. 
Place  all  that  have  done  flowering  and  need  pruning  in  a  cool  house, 
and  give  them  little  or  no  water  ;  if  cuttings  are  needed  from  them  early 
they  will  root  all  the  better  and  be  much  less  subject  to  damp  if 
moderately  firm  than  if  they  are  soft. 
Calceolarias. — Give  the  earliest  plants  their  final  shift.  Use  a 
moderately  light  but  rich  compost,  keep  the  plants  cool  and  on  a 
moistsre-holding  base.  Repot  successional  plants  as  they  need  more 
root  room.  Do  not  allow  them  to  become  dry  nor  keep  them  in  a  dry 
atmosphere,  or  they  will  soon  be  attacked  by  aphides. 
Cinerarias. — For  those  in  small  pots  that  are  required  for  flowering 
in  May  a  small  shift  only  is  necessary.  Keep  the  plants  cool,  only  be 
careful  that  the  foliage  does  not  suffer  from  damp.  .They  will  be  safe 
in  the  greenhouse  where  fire  heat  is  uied  to  keep  out  frost  and  occa¬ 
sionally  to  expel  damp.  Give  those  which  are  throwing  up  their  flower 
spikes  soot  water  in  a  clear  state. 
Primulas. — Place  in  3  or  4-inch  pots  those  required  for  late  spring 
flowering.  Keep  the  plants  cool,  but  in  a  position  where  they  will  be 
free  from  damp.  If  close  or  confined  they  suffer  from  damp,  the  foliage 
draws  up  weakly,  and  the  plants  flower  imperfectly.  Sturdy  growth 
must  be  aimed  at,  and  the  result  is  abundance  of  large  flowers. 
Carnations. — Fumigate  at  once  if  aphides  attack  the  points  of  these 
plants.  Miss  Jolliffe  will  continue  to  unfold  its  flowers  if  the  tempera¬ 
ture  in  which  they  are  grown  dops  not  fall  below  45°  at  night.  Autumn 
rooted  plants  in  small  pots  may  be  placed  in  the  5-inch  size.  Well- 
rooted  layers  of  Souvenir  de  la  Malmaison  and  other  varieties  may 
also  be  placed  into  5  and  6-inch  pots.  If  these  are  kept  where  frost 
can  be  excluded  they  will  continue  to  root  and  make  slow  growth. 
Watch  for  any  brown  fungoid  growth  on  these  plants.  Move  those 
infested,  and  scrape  out  with  the  point  of  a  knife  every  trace  of  the 
disease,  and  then  dust  the  affected  part  with  sulphur.  If  a  solitary 
plant  only  is  attacked  it  will  be  wise  to  burn  it  at  once.  A  sharp 
look  out  should  be  kept  for  this  disease  ;  if  allowed  to  spread  it  will 
quickly  destroy  the  plants. 
Xiillum  Harrlsl. — Watch  for  aphides,  which  are  liable  to  attack  the 
points  of  the  plants,  and  fumigate  at  once  if  they  are  observed.  It  is 
surprising  how  quickly  they  cripple  the  foliage.  If  the  plants  are  not 
needed  in  flower  quickly  keep  them  close  to  the  glass,  where  the 
temperature  is  about,  40°.  If  given  intermediate  treatment  they  soon 
run  up  to  a  height  of  4  feet  or  more.  This  cannot  well  be  avoided  if 
they  are  wanted  in  flower  early.  As  soon  as  L.  eximium  has  grown 
through  the  plunging  material  place  the  plants  on  a  shelf  close  to  the 
glass  in  a  perfectly  cool  house.  African-grown  bulbs  of  L.  Harrisi  appear 
to  be  of  larger  size  than  those  grown  in  America,  and  as  they  are  issued 
about  Whitsuntide  they  will  prove  invaluable  for  flowering  during  the 
closing  weeks  of  the  year. 
SEASONABLE  NOTES. 
Pure  Honey. 
No  apology  is  needed  for  referring  to  this  subject,  as  it  is  of 
great  importance  to  bee-keepers  in  this  country.  It  is  a  fact  well 
known  to  many  people  in  the  trade  that  there  is  a  vast  amount  of 
foreign  produce  sold  under  the  name  of  honey  which  has  very  little 
of  the  genuine  article  in  its  composition.  That  I  am  not  alone  in 
this  opinion  I  may  be  allowed  to  make  a  few  observations  affecting 
this  qnestion  on  what  has  been  done  in  Belgium. 
According  to  a  correspondent  the  Belgian  authorities  have 
set  an  example  which  might  with  advantage  be  followed  in  this 
country.  The  large  imports  of  honey  in  a  more  or  less  adulterated 
state  greatly  interfere  with  the  sale  of  the  genuine  home  product, 
and  therefore  hinder  the  development  of  bee-keeping  for  com¬ 
mercial  purposes.  The  Government  of  Belgium  has  promulgated 
a  decree  as  to  what  is  to  be  considered  honey,  and  regulating  the 
sale  of  this  commodity.  Under  this  decree,  says  a  contemporary, 
the  denomination  “  honey  ”  is  to  be  applied  solely  to  the  substance 
produced  by  bees  from  the  nectar  of  flowers  or  other  juices  gathered 
from  plants.  Honey  produced  by  bees  fed  with  other  substances 
(excepting  such  as  are  supplied  to  them  as  provision  for  winter) 
must  bear  a  denomination  indicating  the  material  given  to  the  bees, 
as,  for  instance,  “  honey  from  sugar,”  “  honey  from  glucose,”  or 
“  mixed  honey.” 
Honey  substitutes  and  mixtures  of  honey  with  such  substitutes 
or  with  other  foreign  substances  must  be  denoted  “  artificial 
honey ,”  or  honey  mixed  with  such  and  such  substances,  or  some 
term  not  involving  the  word  honey  must  be  used. 
The  sale  of  honey  containing  more  than  1  per  cent,  of  pollen, 
wax,  or  other  substances  insoluble  in  water,  or  more  than  0  5  per 
cent,  of  mineral  matter,  and  all  spoilt  honey  is  prohibited. 
Yessels  containing  honey  or  mixtures  of  honey  must  be  labelled 
in  such  m  inner  as  to  specify  the  exact  nature  of  the  contents  as 
defined  by  the  present  decree. 
If  something  like  the  above  could  be  carried  out  in  this  country, 
what  a  boon  it  would  be  to  bee-keepers  throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  British  Isles  1 
Honey  placed  on  the  market  by  bee-keepers  who  have  a  reputa¬ 
tion  to  lose  may  always  be  depended  on.  As  a  proof  that  it  is  the 
foreigner  who  gluts  our  market  with  the  spurious  concoction,  I  may 
state  that  a  few  years  ago  a  well-known  analyst  examined  upwards 
of  twenty  samples  of  honey  obtained  from  various  sources,  with  the 
result  that  all  the  samples  of  English  honey  were  found  to  be  pure, 
but  the  foreign,  without  exception,  was  adulterated.  Some  of  the 
samples  experimented  on  had  no  honey  whatever  in  its  composition. 
I  do  not  wish  to  give  the  impression  that  I  consider  all  foreign 
honey  to  be  adulterated,  as  one  sometimes  meets  with  some  really 
first  class  samples  ;  but  the  above  shows  that  it  is  largely  adul¬ 
terated,  as  the  samples  under  notice  were  obtained  from  all  possible 
sources. 
As  showing  the  amount  of  honey  that  is  annually  imported  into 
this  country  I  may  say  that  during  the  past  year,  according  to  a 
return  furnished  by  the  Statistical  Office,  H.M.  Customs,  honey  to 
the  value  of  £29,296  was  imported.  Although  great  strides  have 
been  made  in  apiculture  during  the  past  quarter  of  a  century,  and 
hundredweights  of  honey  are  now  gathered  where  none  was 
obtained  before,  still  there  is  not  sufficient  for  our  requirements, 
as  the  above  figures  show.  Let  us  endeavour,  then,  to  place  the 
produce  from  our  apiaries  before  the  public  in  such  a  manner  as  will 
claim  attention.  All  sections  of  comb  honey  should  be  well  sealed 
over,  and  if  glazed  it  will  prevent  them  being  damaged  when  handled. 
Run  honey  should  be  put  in  1  lb.  glass  jars  and  neatly  labelled 
with  the  producer’s  name  and  address,  which  will  be  a  guarantee  of 
its  purity.  Honey  of  inferior  quality  should  not  be  offered  for 
sale,  but  given  back  to  the  beet  for  storing  purposes  By  this 
means  bee-keepers  may  create  a  ready  market  for  their  produce 
at  remunerative  price*,  which  will  benefit  themselves  as  well  as 
the  consumer,  who  will  thus  obtain  the  genuine  article. 
If  bee-keepers  as  a  body  will  work  on  these  line*  they  may 
before  many  years  hope  to  have  a  ihare  of  the  large  amount  of 
capital  that  is  now  paid  to  the  foreigner  for  honey  and  its  substi¬ 
tutes  ;  but  it  is  only  by  paying  close  attention  to  detail  that  we 
can  hope  to  succeed. 
Storing  Honey. 
Some  bee-keepers  have  a  difficulty  in  keeping  their  honey  in 
good  condition.  With  run  honey  it  is  not  so  difficult,  but  with 
honey  in  the  comb  the  case  is  different,  and  what  is  more  dis¬ 
couraging  to  the  beginner  on  examining  his  sections  a  few  weeks  or 
months  after  storing  them  for  future  use  to  find  them  all  leaking, 
although  they  were  well  sealed  over.  This  is  usually  caused  by 
storing  in  a  low  damp  atmosphere.  They  are  then  useless  except 
for  home  consumption,  and  even  then  the  flavour  is  not  first-class, 
reminding  one  of  *ermented  honey.  If  allowed  to  remain  in  this 
state  for  several  months  much  of  the  product  will  granulate,  and  is 
then  of  but  little  use. 
Honey  to  be  kept  in  prime  condition  should  be  placed  in  a 
temperature  of  about  50°  ;  a  few  degrees  more  or  less  will  be  of  no 
consequence  if  the  atmosphere  is  dry. 
A  room  in  which  there  is  a  fire  daily,  or  occasionally,  will  keep 
comb  honey  in  admirable  condition.  I  have  occasionally  kept 
sections  of  honey  for  two  years,  and  after  being  kept  for  that 
length  of  time  it  was  difficult  to  distinguish  them  from  these  just 
removed  from  the  hive. 
All  sections  should  be  kept  free  from  dust  or  they  will  soon 
become  disfigured.  A  high  temperature  will  usually  prevent  run 
honey  from  granulating  ;  but  I  do  not  see  what  advantage  there  is 
to  be  derived  from  doing  so,  as  honey  may  be  made  liquid  at  any 
time  by  placing  the  vessel  containing  it  in  hot  water  for  a  few 
minutes. — An  English  Bee-keeper, 
