April  1,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OR  BORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
313 
with  a  fair  amount  of  atmospheric  moisture  where  there  is  means  of 
excluding  frost,  but  in  unheated  houses  afiord  moderate  moisture  only. 
Pines. — Carefully  avoid  a  soft,  drawn,  and  weakly  growth  in  young 
plants  in  course  of  preparation  for  fruiting  by  dispensing  with  fire  heat  as 
much  as  possible,  relying  on  sun  heat.  Maintain  the  temperature  at  60° 
to  65°  at  night,  and  70’  to  75°  by  day  artificially.  This  is  sufficient  to 
sustain  the  plants  in  a  steady  progressive  growth.  Commence  ventilating 
at  75°,  gradually  increasing  it  with  the  temperrture  to  85°,  keeping  it 
through  the  day  at  85°,  90°,  or  95°  from  sun  heat,  with  abundance  of  air. 
Close  at  85°,  but  not  so  as  to  greatly  raise  the  temperature.  Sprinkle  the 
paths  lightly  at  closing  time,  and  syringe  the  plants  moderately  about  twice 
a  week.  Examine  each  plant  before  water  is  given,  and  when  needed, 
supply  sufficient  to  moisten  the  soil  down  to  the  drainage. 
Fruiting  Plants. — Those  swelling  their  fruits  are  assisted  by  judicious 
applications  of  liquid  manure,  to  be  withheld  when  ripening  commences. 
Stake  the  fruit  to  keep  it  in  an  erect  position.  When  the  suckers  of 
fruiting  plants  become  large  enough,  screw  out  the  hearts  of  those  not 
required  for  stock  ;  one,  or  at  most  two,  should  be  retained  on  a  plant.  The 
temperature  ought  to  range  in  fruiting  houses  from  70°  to  75°  at  night,  and 
80°  to  95°  by  day.  As  the  fruit  ripens  the  plants  may  be  removed  to 
a  cooler  house,  and  the  fruit  will  then  keep  sound  for  a  lengthened 
period. 
Vines. — Early  Houses. — Where  the  Grapes  have  commenced  colouring’ 
give  the  border  a  thorough  supply  of  water  where  needed,  and  mulch 
with  rather  short  material.  A  little  air  should  be  left  on  constantly, 
BO  as  to  allow  of  a  circulation,  and  prevent  moisture  from  being  con¬ 
densed  on  the  berries.  When  the  Grapes  are  fully  ripe,  only  afford 
sufficient  heat  to  prevent  the  temperature  falling  below  60°,  maintaining 
a  moderate  amount  of  moisture  for  the  benefit  of  the  foliage.  If  the 
weather  prove  bright,  a  light  shading  will  assist  Hamburghs  in  retaining 
colour,  allowing  moderate  lateral  extension. 
Succession  Houses. — Thinning  the  bunches  and  berries  requires  early 
and  close  attention,  as  every  surplus  bunch  or  berry  kept  longer  than  is 
necessary  to  make  a  selection  of  the  best  takes  from  the  ultimate  size  and 
finish  of  those  left  for  the  crop.  Likewise  in  disbudding  and  stopping, 
every  needless  growth  is  only  so  much  wasted  energy.  It  is  not  good 
practice  to  allow  more  foliage  than  can  have  full  exposure  to  light  and 
air.  Borders  require  plenty  of  water,  and  weakly  Vines  improve  wonder¬ 
fully  with  tepid  liquid  manure.  Avoid,  however,  a  sodden  and  sour 
condition  of  the  soil,  as  this  leads  to  indifferent  colouring  and  shanking. 
Vines  swelling  their  crops  should  have  a  moist  atmosphere,  damping 
the  house  two  or  three  times  a  day  and  at  closing  time  with  weak  liquid 
manure.  Syringing  the  Vines,  except  for  special  purpose,  is  best  avoided, 
as  the  water  generally  leaves  a  stain.  Admit  a  little  air  early,  increasing 
it  with  the  advancing  temperature,  and  maintain  it  at  80°  to  85°  through 
the  day  from  sun  heat ;  close  early,  so  as  to  raise  to  90°  or  more,  and 
admit  a  little  air  at  the  top  of  the  house  before  nightfall.  This  prevents 
moisture  accumulating  on  the  foliage,  and  is  a  safeguard  against  scorching. 
A  temperature  of  60’  to  65°  at  night  and  70°  to  75°  by  day  is  sufficient 
from  fire  heat. 
Late  Houses. — The  thick-skinned  varieties  of  Grapes  are  now  making 
rapid  progress,  and  require  attention  in  disbudding.  As  soon  as  the 
best  shows  of  fruit  can  be  distinguished,  stop  the  shoots  one  or  two 
joints  beyond  the  fruit  where  the  space  is  limited.  Pinch  the  laterals 
at  the  first  leaf  above  the  bunch,  and  remove  those  below,  except  from 
the  two  lowest  joints,  which  pinch  at  the  first  leaf,  and  sub-laterals 
also  stop  to  one  joint  .of  growth.  This  treatment  is  best  where  the 
Vines  are  restricted  to  space.  Where  the  bearing  shoots  are  a  good 
distance  apart  it  is  advisable  to  let  the  laterals  above  the  bunch  extend 
two  or  three  joints,  or  until  the  space  is  covered  with  growths,  then 
keep  them  well  in  hand.  Close  the  house  early  in  the  afternoon  with  sun 
heat,  maintain  plenty  of  atmospheric  moisture  by  frequently  damping  the 
house,  and  syringe  the  Vines  at  closing  time,  but  not  after  the  bunches 
show.  Bottled  Grapes  in  the  fruit  room  should  be  examined  twice  a 
week  for  decayed  berries,  and  bottles  must  be  duly  supplied  with  water. 
Keep  the  room  as  cool  as  possible. 
Young  Vines  allowed  to  break  naturally,  and  assisted  with  a  little  fire 
heat  when  the  buds  have  grown  about  half  an  inch,  make  rapid  pro¬ 
gress  ;  but  they  need  not  have  a  higher  temperature  than  50°  to  55°  at 
night,  and  60°  to  65°  by  day  after  the  leaves  appear,  relying  mainly  on 
sun  heat,  with  gentle  warmth  in  the  pipes  on  cold  days.  Kemove  all  buds 
except  one  at  each  break,  retaining  the  strongest,  and  leave  the  shoots 
about  18  inches  apart  on  both  sides  of  the  cane.  Crop  permanent  Vines 
lightly,  but  supernumeraries  may  carry  full  crops. 
A  Starlight  Bouquet.— A  greater  anomaly  in  combination  than 
that  could  not  at  the  first  glance  well  be  perceived  ;  but  it  is  simple 
enough  when  explained,  and  a  substantial  fact.  It  means  a  new  kind  of 
toilet  soap,  on  which  Messrs.  Lever  Brothers  of  Sunlight  fame  have  long 
been  engaged  in  perfecting.  They  tell  us  the  results  of  their  experiments 
in  producing  an  article  of  elegance  and  usefulness  have  exceeded  their 
most  sanguine  expectations,  and  ask  us  to  tell  others.  The  Starlight 
tablets  sent  are  certainly  beautifully  finished,  firm  and  glossy,  and  are 
beyond  question  more  fragrant  than  half  the  bouquets  which  are  made  of 
real  flowers.  After  a  trial  by  an  experienced  judge,  the  verdict — 
short  and  sweet  —  was  as  follows  : — “  Ornamental,  serviceable,  and 
delicious.”  It  is  of  course  open  to  challenge  by  all  who  like  to  test  the 
matter  for  themselves. 
n  1  >  T-  ,1  .  f.TS  rr'-  ttt*.  i-i«^  ■  ■ 
■IE  BEE-KEEPER.^ 
TT-r- 1  •  r.  1  - 1  - 1  - 1  -T - 1 . 1  - 1  ■  t  -T-T^I  - T - 1  -  r.-r- r- 1  -t.  r-1  Ct, 
Seasonable  Notes. 
The  month  of  March  is  usually  noted  for  the  many  changes  that 
take  place  in  the  weather,  and  the  past  month  has  been  no  exception 
to  the  rule.  Fine  sunny  days  were  experienced  during  the  first 
half  of  the  month,  the  temperature  on  the  whole  being  high,  but 
though  the  days  were  bright  they  were  usually  followed  by  frosty 
nights.  The  latter  half  of  the  month  was  boisterous  in  the  extreme. 
High  winds,  accompanied  by  sleet,  hail,  and  snow,  kept  the  bees 
confined  to  their  hives,  and  the  country  bad  the  appearance  of  mid¬ 
winter.  The  snow,  however,  soon  disappeared  under  the  influence  of 
a  higher  temperature,  and  was  followed  by  a  downfall  of  the  much 
needed  rain. 
The  rainfall  during  the  first  three  months  of  the  year  is  phenomenal, 
as  only  slightly  over  2^  inches  have  been  registered.  There  is  much 
headway  to  be  made  up  before  there  is  sufficient  moisture  in  the 
land,  but  as  the  barometer  is  low,  and  the  weather  still  changeable, 
there  is  a  prospect  of  a  heavier  rainfall  during  the  present  month.  The 
frosty  nights  and  cold  boisterous  storms  have  had  the  effect  of 
retarding  vegetation.  The  meadows,  which  a  month  ago  were  as 
green  as  they  often  are  in  May,  are  now  as  brown  as  at  midwinter. 
This  is  a  fact  that  should  not  be  lost  sight  of  by  bee-keepers,  as  the 
bees  will  require  attention  for  some  time  to  come. 
The  early  blossoming  of  the  fruit  trees,  which  at  one  time  appeared 
likely,  has  received  the  much  desired  check,  and  with  the  exception  of 
the  early  varieties  of  Plums,  which  were  fast  bursting  their  fruit  buds, 
nothing  in  my  garden  has  suffered.  Although  they  were  only  partly 
open  the  bees  were  hard  at  work  on  them  during  short  spells  of  bright 
sunshine.  Pears  are  at  a  standstill,  and  are  not  forward  enough  to 
have  received  injury  from  the  late  inclement  weather.  Had  it 
continued  fine  they  would  now  have  been  in  full  bloom,  and  the  first 
frosty  night  would  have  destroyed  them,  so  that  they  would  have  been 
of  no  benefit  to  the  bees.  Apricots,  which  are  usually  the  first  fruit 
trees  to  open  their  blossoms,  have  not  bloomed  earlier  than  usual.  The 
mild  winter  does  not  appear  to  have  affected  them  in  the  same  degree 
as  other  fruit  trees. 
Whence  Pollen  is  Obtained. 
It  is  impossible  for  bees  to  increase  in  numbers  without  a  supply  of 
pollen,  either  natural  or  artificial,  as  it  is  used  in  conjuction  with  honey 
for  feeding  the  young  bees.  If  pollen  can  be  obtained  from  a  natural 
source  it  is  decidedly  better  than  the  artificial  article,  which  is  usually 
composed  of  pea,  lentil,  or  even  ordinary  flour  may  be  used.  In  the 
former  instance  the  bees  collect  it  from  the  various  flowers,  and  it  is 
stored  by  them  either  at  the  time  of  gathering,  or  whilst  on  the  wing 
in  what  is  termed  the  pollen-basket  situated  on  the  third  ]iair  of  legs. 
It  is  surprising  the  quantity  of  pollen  used  in  a  strong  colony  during  a 
season.  We  have  little  doubt  that  if  it  were  pos.sible  to  obtain  the 
weight  it  would  amount  to  as  much  as  the  surplus  of  honey  stored. 
Bearing  this  fact  in  mind,  bee-keepers  will  see  the  advantage  to  be 
derived  by  having  their  apiary  within  easy  reach  of  early  midseason 
and  late-flowering  ]iollen-producing  plants,  shrubs  and  trees.  It  is  not 
possible  for  all  to  be  in  this  favoured  position,  still  with  a  little  fore¬ 
thought  it  is  possible  to  assist  the  bees  in  this  respect  by  planting 
suitable  kinds  for  that  purpose.  When  pollen  is  scarce  and  the  bees 
are  seen  to  visit  the  flowers  without  obtaining  any,  it  is  good  practice 
to  place,  a  little  flour  in  the  flowers,  and  the  bees  will  take  it  freely. 
Pollen-producing  Flowers. 
As  has  been  shown  the  advantage  to  be  derived  by  having  a  good 
supply  of  pollen  near  the  apiary,  it  may  be  of  interest  to  bee¬ 
keepers  to  know  what  flowers  produce  the  most  pollen  at  this  season. 
First  and  foremost  we  would  place  the  common  Palm  Willow.  It  is 
one  of  the  earliest  and  best  pollen-producing  trees  known  in  this 
country,  and  will  last  for  several  weeks  in  good  condition.  All  the 
Salix  are  good  for  this  purpose,  but  none  of  the  others  is  as  good  as 
this  variety,  and  bloom  later  in  the  spring.  They  are  not  particular 
as  to  position,  but,  as  is  well  known,  they  succeed  well  in  a  wet 
situation.  The  common  Box  tree  is  also  excellent  for  the  bees,  as  at 
the  present  time  they  are  blooming  freely,  and  are  a  mass  of  pollen,  on 
which  the  bees  work,  fl'he  Box  tree  does  not  bloom  in  a  young  state. 
Pyrus  japonica  is  a  mass  of  bloom,  and  is  much  frequented  by  the 
Idccs 
Among  plants  may  be  mentioned  Arabia  alpina,  which  will  grow 
and  flower  freely  in  any  dry  spot,  and  should  be  planted  in  quantity 
where  it  is  possible,  as  the  bees  work  on  it  freely,  and  it  has  the 
advantage  of  lasting  a  long  time  in  bloom.  Wallflowers,  too,  will  soon 
be  a  mass  of  bloom,  and  many  other  occupants  of  the  flower  garden. 
Fruit  trees  will  doubtless  be  earlier  than  usual,  so  that  there  will  be 
no  lack  of  flowers  for  the  bees.— An  English  Bee-keeper. 
