June  16,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
509^ 
loam,  but  if  this  cannot  be  spared  any  ordinary  soil  will  do.  It  should 
be  put  on  about  3  inches  thick,  and  beaten  down  firmly  with  a  spade  till 
it  has  a  smooth  surface.  If  it  is  too  dry  for  levelling  it  must  be  watered. 
To  maintain  a  constant  supply  abed  should  be  made  about  every  month. 
Worms  and  slugs  occasionally  attack  Mushrooms,  but  a  sprinkling  of 
salt  will  effectually  stop  them,  and  otherwise  act  beneficially. 
Outside  beds  ought  to  be  made  in  the  same  way  as  inside  ones  in  the 
matter  of  material  and  firmness.  Form  ridges  about  2  feet  6  inches 
through,  and  6  inches  less  in  height,  after  they  have  sunk.  They  should 
be  covered  with  long  litter  or  straw,  which  will  help  to  keep  the  heat 
and  moisture  in,  and  will  protect  the  bed. 
Many  recipes  are  known  for  the  making  of  spawn,  but  I  will  only 
quote  one.  Horse  droppings  one  part,  cow  manure  one-fourth,  and  loam 
one-twentieth.  These  are  incorporated  with  stable  drainings  until  the 
mixture  is  the  thickness  of  mortar.  When  it  is  fairly  set  it  is  cut  into 
squares,  and  about  an  inch  of  good  spawn  is  dibbled  in  them.  This 
is  the  white  substance  that  can  be  found  in  hotbeds  or  cattle  sheds, 
and  is  easily  distinguished  by  its  true  Mushroom  smell.  The  bricks 
are  afterwards  placed  on  a  hotbed  of  about  60°,  and  the  spawn  soon  fills 
them.  When  this  has  been  done  they  are  removed  into  a  dark  place, 
and  allowed  to  become  perfectly  dry  until  required  for  use. — S.  S. 
FRUIT  FORCING. 
Cucumbers. — When  the  night  temperature  can  be  prevented  from 
falling  below  65°,  artificial  heat  may  be  dispensed  with,  making  the  most  oi 
sun  heat  by  early  closing.  Look  over  the  plants  twice  a  week,  well  thin¬ 
ning  the  old  growths,  and  supply  liquid  manure  occasionally.  Syringe 
only  in  the  afternoon,  but  damp  in  the  morning  and  through  the  day,  so  as 
to  maintain  ample  moisture  in  the  house.  With  the  ends  of  the  structures 
north  and  south  a  slight  shade  becomes  necessary,  or  from  4  to  5  in  the 
afternoon  when  there  is  danger  of  the  foliage  being  scorched.  Pits  and 
frames  should  be  closed  at  3  to  4  p.m.,  assisting  plants  in  bearing  with 
liquid  manure.  Remove  bad  leaves,  cut  out  exhausted  and  too  close 
growths,  and  stop  young  shoots  one  or  two  joints  beyond  the  fruit.  Where 
plants  are  enfeebled  by  bearing  top-dress  with  lumpy  loam,  and  layer  some 
of  the  younger  growths  at  a  joint,  from  which  roots  will  be  emitted  and 
strengthen  the  succeeding  growths.  Night  coverings  will  .not  now  be 
necessary,  but  it  is  important  to  attend  to  the  ventilation  early. 
Vines.— 7n  Fots  for  Early  Forcing. — Stop  the  canes  when  from  6  to 
8  feet  long,  pinching  the  laterals  and  sub-laterals  at  one  joint  as  produced. 
This  applies  to  cut-backs  and  to  those  from  eyes  started  early  and  shifted 
into  the  fruiting  pots.  The  smaller  canes  intended  for  planting  need  not 
be  given  more  than  6  or  7-inch  pots,  as  good  fibrous  roots  are  of  more 
importance  than  luxuriant  canes. 
Vines  Cleared  of  their  Crops. — Syringe  occasionally  to  keep  the  foliage 
clean,  afford  water  to  render  the  soil  moist,  mulch  the  border  with  short, 
spent  material,  and  thus  prevent  the  surface  cracking,  whilst  encouraging 
the  roots  to  work  at  the  upper  part  of  the  border.  Allow  a  moderate 
extension  of  the  laterals,  and  admit  air  freely  above  60°.  There  is  no  fear 
of  the  wood  not  ripening,  and  the  difficulty  is  to  prevent  its  doing  so 
prematurely. 
Houses  of  Eipe  Grapes. — Black  Hamburghs,  and  also  Buckland 
Sweetwater,  will  be  the  better  for  a  slight  shade  from  powerful  sun. 
A  double  thickness  of  herring  nets  will  mostly  be  sufficient  shade,  and  a 
good  spread  of  foliage  will  assist  the  Grapes  in  keeping  their  colour. 
Moderate  ventilation  at  all  times,  and  free  in  bright  weather,  will  prevent 
injury  from  moisture.  Keep  the  laterals  fairly  under,  but  a  little  extension 
will  assist  in  the  retention  of  the  principal  leaves,  and  upon  their  con¬ 
tinuance  in  health  depends  the  maturity  of  the  buds  for  the  next  year’s 
crop. 
Grapes  Ripening. — When  the  Grapes  begin  changing  colour  admit  a 
little  air  constantly,  with  sufficient  heat  in  the  pipes  to  maintain  a  night 
temperature  of  65°  and  70°  to  75°  by  day,  with  80°  to  85°  or  90°  through 
the  day  from  sun  heat.  Avoid  an  arid  atmosphere,  damping  occasionally 
and  do  not  allow  the  border  to  become  dry.  Vines  ripening  heavy  crops 
will  be  assisted  in  perfecting  them  and  storing  nutriment  for  the  future 
by  an  application  of  tepid  liquid  manure,  or  a  top-dressing  of  fertiliser 
washed  in.  A  light  mulching  of  dry  spent  material  will  assist  the  Vines 
by  securing  uniform  moisture.  It  is  a  stagnant  atmosphere  that  does 
most  of  the  mischief  in  Grapes  spotting,  and  oftentimes  in  cracking. 
Thinning  Late  Grapes.  There  must  be  no  delay  in  thinning  the  berrie.s 
and  bunches.  Thin  well  to  secure  large  and  highly  finished  berries, 
leaving  those  of  the  large  berried  varieties,  such  as  Gros  Colraan,  about 
an  inch  apart,  the  oval-berried  varieties  not  requiring  so  much  room  as 
the  round  ones.  All  should  be  so  thinned  that  they  will  have  space  for 
swelling  fully  without  wedging,  and  yet  be  so  close  that  when  dished 
they  will  retain  their  form.  A  pound  of  Grapes  per  foot  run  of  rod  is 
usually  as  many  as  Vines  ordinarily  finish  well ;  therefore  reduce  the 
bunches  so  as  to  give  about  that  weight,  and  if  error  is  made  let  it  be 
on  the  safe  side,  as  Vines  that  are  overcropped  never  finish  their  fruit 
well,  and  the  Grapes  are  inferior  in  quality  and  keeping  properties. 
Regulating  the  Growths. — All  foliage  that  can  have  full  exposure  to- 
light  should  be  allowed,  but  when  the  space  is  nearly  covered  with  leaves 
keep  the  growths  closely  pinched.  The  foliage  should  be  rather  thinner 
in  the  case  of  white  Grapes  than  in  black — this  more  particularly  applies 
to  Muscats,  which  require  high  elaboration  of  the  sap  to  insure  their 
assuming  a  rich  golden  amber  colour.  Avoid  large  reductions  of  foliage 
at  a  time,  it  only  tends  to  cause  shanking  through  the  check  given  to  the 
roots.  Keep  the  growths  tied  down  from  the  glass,  and  so  prevent 
scorching.  Vines  extending  must  bo  allowed  to  make  as  much  lateral 
growth  as  practicable,  but  never  permit  them  to  interfere  with  the 
principal  leaves.  The  laterals  from  the  bearing  shoots  having  been 
stopped  at  the  first  joint  they  may  be  allowed  to  ramble  afterwards, 
subject  to  their  not  interfering  with  the  main  leaves. 
Watering. — Inside  borders  must  be  properly  supplied  with  water*- 
following,  in  the  case  of  Vines  carrying  a  full  crop  and  in  vigorous  but 
not  luxuriant  health,  with  liquid  manure,  or  a  top-dressing  of  fertiliser 
washed  in  and  mulched  with  a  little  sweetened  material  to  keep  the 
surface  moist  and  attract  the  roots.  Outside  borders  may  only  need  a 
light  mulch,  as  the  recent  rains  have  made  them  moist  enough,  but  if  dry 
a  proper  supply  of  liquid  manure  should  be  given  whenever  necessary. 
Temperature  and  Ventilation. — All  late  Grapes  thrive  in  a  high  tempe¬ 
rature  with  abundant  nourishment  at  the  roots  and  genial  moisture  in  the 
atmosphere.  Maintain  a  night  temperature  of  65°,  and  70°  to  75°  by  day 
in  dull  weather.  Admit  air  early,  and  allow  a  little  at  the  top  of  the 
house  constantly,  increasing  the  ventilation  with  the  temperature, 
advancing  to  85°  or  90°  from  sun  heat,  at  which  keep  through  the  day, 
reducing  with  the  declining  sun.  Close  at  85°,  damping  the  paths  then, 
and  again  before  nightfall.  It  is  well  to  close  for  a  short  time  and  then 
admit  a  little  air,  so  as  to  prevent  a  vitiated  atmosphere  and  allow  of 
pent-up  moisture  escaping.  Avoid  cold  draughts  or  sudden  depressions  of 
temperature,  as  they  cause  rust  and  favour  the  spread  of  mildew. 
1 
HE  BEE-KEEPER. 
%  V 
How  TO  Obtain  a  Surplus. 
The  majority  of  bee-keepers  are  anxious  to  obtain  a  surplus  from 
their  bees  in  some  form  or  the  other,  but  how  to  arrive  at  the  desired 
end  is  the  difficulty  we  all  have  to  contend  with.  Many  things  have 
to  be  taken  into  consideration,  the  chief  in  this  country  being  the 
weather.  Were  it  possible  to  have  the  bright  sunshine  and  cloudless 
skies,  such  as  are  experienced  in  some  other  countries,  for  several  days 
or,  it  may  be,  weeks  in  succession,  when  required  during  the  honey 
flow,  we  believe  there  would  be  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  as  large  a 
surplus,  and  honey  of  much  better  quality,  than  could  be  obtained 
elsewhere. 
It  is,  however,  with  uncertainties  that  we  have  to  contend,  and 
whether  the  season  is  likely  to  be  good  or  bad  we  must  make  careful 
preparation  beforehand.  If  the  chief  honey  harvest  is  obtained  from 
White  Clover,  by  knowing  the  date  it  is  usually  in  bloom,  we  shall 
find  the  last  week  in  June  and  the  first  fortnight  in  July  may  be 
depended  on  when  it  is  found  at  its  best  for  honey  production.  In 
the  Sonth  it  will  probably  be  a  week  or  more  earlier,  and  in  the  North 
a  few  days  later. 
The  secret  of  obtaining  a  surplus  is  to  have  all  stocks  intended 
for  honey  pr.oduction  crowded  with  bees,  and  it  is  for  bee-keepers 
individually  to  make  up  their  minds  how  this  shall  be  done.  Those 
who  have  numerous  stocks  will  always  find  some  of  their  colonies 
increase  at  a  much  greater  rate  than  others,  although  all  may  have 
had  the  same  treatment.  This  fact  is  observed  more  in  the  spring 
than  at  any  other  season.  If  such  is  the  case,  it  shows  how  useless 
it  is  to  expect  the  same  weight  of  honey  from  all  the  colonies  in  an 
apiary.  It  is  therefore  advisable  for  the  bee-keeper  to  make  a  given 
number  of  stocks  extra  strong  by  adding  bees,  which  will  mix  readily 
at  this  season  if  the  middle  of  a  fine  day  be  chosen.  But  as  this 
system  has  been  mentioned  on  several  occasions  in  these  pages,  it  is 
unnecessary  to  enter  into  details  now.  We  are  convinced  that  a 
greater  surplus  can  be  oblained  from  a  given  number  of  hives,  if 
worked  on  these  lines,  than  from  any  other. 
There  are  various  ways  of  doing  it.  Some  bee-keepers  prefer  two 
queens  in  a  hive,  and  allow  the  bees  from  the  two  stocks  to  unite 
in  the  super.  It  amounts  to  the  same  thing.  Two  or  more  queens 
will  supply  the  workers,  and  it  is  certainly  an  advantage  to  have  an 
extra  supply  of  workers  on  hand  when  required,  as  unity  is  strength 
when  a  surplus  is  required. 
Working  for  Comb  Honey. 
In  some  districts  honey  in  the  comb  finds  a  ready  sale,  and  bee¬ 
keepers  are  often  anxious  to  obtain  a  few  superior  samples.  Already 
we  have  seen  some  nicely  filled  much  earlier  than  usual  from  the 
fruit  blossoms  and  the  Sycamore,  but  the  bees  were  in  a  favoured 
spot.  It  is  an  advantage  when  using  the  ordinary  1  lb.  section  to 
have  a  few  fully  drawn-out  combs  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  crate,  as- 
