June  30,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
543 
FRUIT  FORCING. 
Vines. — Early  Forced  Houses. — When  the  Grapes  have  been  cut  the 
Vines  should  be  thoroughly  syringed  to  cleanse  them  of  dust  and  insect 
pests.  The  worst  of  these  is  red  spider,  which  in  its  countless  numbers 
so  impoverishes  the  leaves  that  they  fall  prematurely,  and  the  buds  are 
then  80  ill-formed  and  nourished  that  the  growths  from  them  in  the 
following  year  are  weak  and  the  fruit  poor.  Moderate  extension  of  the 
laterals  should  be  encouraged  from  the  extremities  only.  Vines  must  not 
be  allowed  to  go  to  rest  prematurely,  or  they  will  make  a  second  growth 
late  in  the  summer.  Ventilate  to  the  fullest  extent  day  and  night,  and  if 
the  roof-lights  can  be  removed  all  the  better. 
Grapes  Colouring. — Free  circulation  of  rather  dry  warm  air  contributes 
to  high  flavour  and  finish.  The  temperature  should  be  maintained  at 
70°  to  75°  by  day,  and  60°  to  65°  at  night ;  with  sun  heat  a  temperature 
of  85°  or  90°  may  be  allowed.  Vines  struggling  with  a  heavy  crop  should 
not  be  subjected  to  so  high  a  temperature  as  those  which  are  luxuriant 
and  carrying  no  more  fruit  than  may  be  considered  a  fair  crop,  but  rest 
must  be  afforded  them  at  night  by  allowing  the  temperature  to  fall  to  60°. 
Afford  a  thorough  supply  of  water  to  the  border,  mulching  with  an  inch 
or  so  of  short  manure.  Outside  borders  in  most  cases  have  been  suf¬ 
ficiently  moistened  by  the  recent  rains.  Moderate  air  moisture  is  necessary 
for  the  foliage,  damping  down  in  the  morning  and  afternoon,  but  a  close 
atmosphere  is  fatal  to  colour  and  bloom,  and  is  likely  to  induce  “  spot  ”  in 
the  tender-skinned  white  Grapes,  such  as  Duke  of  Buccleuch  and  Muscat 
of  Alexandria. 
Late  Houses. — Thinning  the  berries  will  in  most  cases  be  completed, 
though  it  may  be  desirable  to  go  over  the  bunches  again  by  the  removal 
of  superfluous  or  stoneless  berries.  For  securing  highly  finished  berries 
it  is  necessary  to  thin  them  well,  especially  in  the  interior  of  the  bunches, 
leaving  the  large-berried  varieties,  such  as  Gros  Colman,  not  less  than  an 
inch  apart.  Oval  berries  do  not  require  quite  so  much  room,  but  all  must 
be  free  to  swell  without  wedging,  and  yet  the  bunches  should  retain  their 
shape  when  dished.  An  array  of  footstalks  is  not  pleasing.  Do  not 
spare  the  bunches  where  there  are  too  many,  but  reduce  them  to  the 
number  which  the  Vines  can  finish  satisfactorily.  Over-burdened  Vines 
never  finish  their  fruit  well,  and  it  will  not  long  keep  sound. 
Firing  and  Ventilating. — When  the  Grapes  are  thinned  they  swell 
rapidly  up  to  stoning,  and  then  remain  stationary  for  a  month  or  six 
weeks.  Cold  nights  render  fires  still  necessary,  and  it  is  the  reverse  of 
economical  to  let  them  out  and  lose  size  in  the  Grapes,  and  then  have 
to  fire  hard  later  in  the  season,  when  the  sun  has  less  power  to  ripen  the 
fruit.  All  late  Grapes  require  a  high  temperature  and  a  long  season, 
with  abundant  nutriment  at  the  roots  and  a  plentiful  supply  of  atmospheric 
moisture.  Maintain  the  night  temperature  at  60°  to  65°,  and  70°  to  75°  in 
the  daytime  artificially.  Admit  a  little  air  early  in  the  morning,  but 
never  to  lower  the  temperature  and  increase  it  with  the  rising  heat,  which 
should  go  up  to  85°  or  90°  from  sun  heat,  and  the  longer  that  is  kept  the 
greater  progress  the  Grapes  make.  Reduce  the  ventilation  when  the  sun 
heat  wanes,  closing  the  house  by  the  time  it  recedes  to  85°,  well  damping 
the  paths  then,  and  the  heat  may  rise  to  90°  or  95°  afterwards  with 
benefit.  It  is  always  desirable  to  make  the  most  of  sun  heat,  and  aid  it 
with  artificial  warmth.  A  little  air  at  the  top  of  the  house  at  night  will 
allow  the  vitiated  atmosphere  to  change,  and  the  foliage  to  become  dry  in 
the  morning  by  the  time  the  sun  acts  powerfully  upon  the  structure.  If 
care  is  taken  t  >  increase  the  ventilation  with  the  advancing  sun  scorching 
will  be  avoided. 
Watering. — The  warm  rains  of  summer,  charged  with  ammonia  and 
nitric  acid,  give  an  impetus  to  growth,  and  watering  inside  borders  with 
the  water  collected  in  tanks  on  rainy  days  acts  similarly.  The  water 
dislodges  the  air  and  admits  fresh,  as  well  as  cleanses  the  soil  from 
impurities  where  the  drainage  is  thorough.  After  properly  moistening 
the  borders,  follow  with  liquid  manure  or  a  top-dressing  of  fertiliser 
washed  in  where  the  Vines  are  c^rying  heavy  crops.  Sweetened  horse 
droppings  are  suitable  for  surfacing  heavy  soil,  farmyard  or  cow  manure 
answering  better  for  light  soils.  Do  not  apply  more  than  an  inch  or  two, 
and  then  add  to  it  from  time  to  time  so  as  to  keep  that  thickness,  and  so 
supply  nutriment  regularly.  To  let  the  border  get  dry  and  so  remain  at 
the  surface  causes  the  roots  to  strike  down  in  quest  of  moisture,  and  the 
Grapes  often  finish  badly  in  consequence. 
Begulating  the  Growths. — Avoid  an  excess  of  foliage,  and  have  all  the 
leaves  fully  exposed  to  the  light.  Do  not,  however,  occupy  all  the  space  at 
once  with  laterals,  but  leave  room  for  successional  growth  for  encouraging 
root  action.  The  foliage  should  be  rather  thinner  in  the  case  of  white 
Grapes  than  black.  Muscats,  especially,  need  the  foliage  and  Grapes  well 
exposed  to  the  light.  Avoid  large  reductions  of  foliage  at  one  time,  the 
merest  point  should  be  taken  out  of  laterals  and  sub-laterals.  Vines 
extending  may  be  allowed  to  make  as  much  lateral  extension  as  practi¬ 
cable,  but  the  principal  leaves,  that  nourish  the  buds  to  which  the  Vines 
are  to  be  pruned,  must  not  be  interfered  with,  affording  them  full  exposure 
so  that  they  may  elaborate  the  sap,  transmit  the  assimilated  matter  to  the 
buds,  and  store  food  in  the  adjacent  wood.  Lateral  growth  is  useful  in 
assisting  the  canes  or  main  rods  to  thicken,  and  this  laying  on  of  new 
layers  of  wood  is  important,  as  by  it  sap  is  readily  transmitted  from  the 
roots  to  the  growths.  8uch  extension,  however,  must  be  kept  subordinate 
to,  and  not  allowed  to  interfere  with,  the  principal  growths,  or  prevent 
the  access  of  light  and  air  to  the  main  leaves. 
I 
Many  stray  swarms  of  bees  have  been  reported  from  various  parts- 
of  the  country,  several  swarms  having  been  seen  on  the  wing  far  away 
from  any  apiary.  We  procured  a  small  cast  that  was  observed  hanging 
from  the  branch  of  a  tree  on  the  outskirts  of  a  wood.  The  bees  are 
very  black  and  evidently  Punics;  these  have  been  isolated  in  case  they 
have  come  from  a  diseased  stock. 
We  have  been  asked  on  several  occasions  how  to  prevent  the 
absconding  of  swarms,  which  more  often  happens  in  connection  with 
straw  skeps  than  with  the  moveable  frame  hive.  In  the  former,  the 
bees  are  often  restricted  for  room,  the  brood  nest  is  small  and 
altogether  out  of  proportion  to  the  laying  powers  of  a  young  active 
queen.  What  is  the  result  ?  Queen  cells  are  formed,  and  the  first 
fine  day  that  comes  out  will  come  the  swarm,  flying  away  without 
anyone  being  the  wiser.  In  the  case  of  swarms  headed  by  old  queens,, 
they  will  usually  cluster  within  a  few  yards  of  their  hive.  But  with 
young  queens  it  is  altogether  different,  as  when  they  once  get  on  the 
wing  they  will  often  fly  a  long  distance  before  alighting. 
If  bees  are  kept  in  frame  hives  they  usually  have  more  space,  and 
are  much  more  under  control  than  when  kept  in  small  hives  of  any 
description.  The  remedy  is  the  same  in  each  instance — provide  room 
in  advance  of  the  bees’  requirements,  attend  to  shading  and  ventila¬ 
tion,  and  swarming  will  be  reduced  to  a  minimum. 
Swarming  is  a  necessity  when  bees  are  kept  solely  in  straw  skeps,. 
and  if  the  bee-keeper  is  not  an  adept  at  swarming  bees  artificially, 
which,  by  the  way,  is  such  a  simple  operation  that  it  is  surprising 
anyone  should  run  the  risk  by  allowing  the  bees  to  have  their  own 
way,  when  they  will  probably  fly  to  some  hollow  tree  or  an  old 
building  and  be  lost.  Such  swarms  are  more  common  than 
many  people  imagine.  Within  the  past  few  days  we  have  destroyed 
a  strong  colony  that  had  had  possession  of  a  tree  close  to  a  public 
thoroughfare.  The  tree  was  large,  and  to  all  appearance  sound,  and  as 
the  bees  had  become  a  nuisance  to  the  general  public,  the  hole  by 
which  they  obtained  an  entrance  was  filled  with  cement,  and  the 
bees  suffocated. 
Swarming  Bees  Artificially. 
All  will  depend  on  the  nerve  of  the  operator,  his  quickness  of 
sight,  and  his  judgment  as  to  the  number  of  bees  in  the  hive,  whether 
the  operation  will  be  a  success  or  failure.  In  the  first  place  he  must 
know  when  the  stock  is  ready  for  swarming.  With  frame  hives  all 
that  is  necessary  is  to  divide  a  colony  into  two  or  more  stocks,  add 
the  necessary  frames,  place  the  hives  a  few  feet  on  either  side  of  the 
original  stand,  cover  up  warm,  and  the  work  is  complete. 
With  straw  skeps  all  that  is  required  is  to  know  when  the  hive 
is  crowded  with  bees.  This  may  be  done  by  giving  a  puff  or  two  of 
smoke  at  the  entrance,  remove  the  skep  from  the  stand  ;  if  the  combs 
are  all  covered  with  bees  as  well  as  the  floorboard,  they  are  then  in 
the  right  condition  for  swarming ;  if,  on  the  contrary,  the  skep  is  not 
well  crowded  with  bees  they  must  remain  a  few  days  longer,  when 
they  may  be  again  examined. 
How  often  one  sees  in  skeps  bees  bagging  out  at  the  entrance, 
forming  a  large  cluster  half  as  large  as  the  skep  itself.  There  they 
will  remain  for  several  days  or  weeks  until  favourable  weather  sets  in,, 
when  they  will  swarm.  During  this  period  but  little  work  is  being 
done,  whereas  had  they  been  swarmed  artificially,  and  supplied  with 
a  small  amount  of  thin  syrup  daily,  they  would  have  half  filled  a 
skep  with  comb,  and  would"  have  been  ready  to  store  a  surplus  when 
the  fine  weather  came. 
Bees  are  swarmed  artificially  similar  to  the  way  in  which  they  are- 
driven  in  the  autumn.  This  has  been  explained  in  previous  notes. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  skep  to  be  operated  on  should  be  removed 
from  its  stand  after  having  had  a  few  puffs  of  smoke  blown  in  at  the 
entrance.  This  will  cause  the  bees  to  fill  themselves  with  honey. 
Then  turn  the  skep  upside  down,  placing  an  empty  skep  on  the  top. 
A  couple  of  pieces  of  bent  wire  will  make  some  hinges  to  hold  it  in 
position.  The  operator  should  sit  with  his  back  to  the  light,  so  that 
he  has  a  good  view  of  the  bees  running  up,  and  that  the  queen  may 
be  seen  as  she  leaves  the  parent  hive  with  the  other  bees.  Continue- 
drumming  the  bottom  hive  with  the  hands  until  sufficient  bees  have 
ascended.  The  swarm  may  then  be  placed  on  the  old  stand,  when  the 
bees  on  the  wing  on  their  return  home  will  help  to  strengthen  ir. 
Care  must  be  taken  that  the  old  stock  is  not  robbed  of  too  many  bees,. 
or  it  will  suffer  in  consequence.  The  newly  hatched  bees  will  soon-, 
replace  those  which  have  been  taken  with  the  swarm. — An  English^ 
Bee-keeper. 
1  i.i 
-  1  ■  1  -  1  .  r.  T  ■  T  -  1  -  1  — r.  t  ■  i  -  1  -  1  -  t-T  ,  I'l.  i-l-.,!  -  -I  -  j:i— 1".  1 - TT^  1 
BEE-KEEPER.^1 
-J 
Stray  Swarms. 
