September  22,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
235 
abundant  ventilation,  and  if  the  wood  is  not  well  ripened  keep  the  house 
rather  warm  by  day,  and  throw  the  ventilators  open  at  night,  but  a  warm, 
close,  moist  atmosphere  must  be  avoided,  as  that  would  be  more  injurious 
than  otherwise. 
Late  Trees. — When  the  fruit  is  gathered  the  trees  will  need  to  have 
the  shoots  thinned  where  too  crowded,  and  those  which  have  borne  fruit 
and  are  not  required  for  extension  can  be  cut  out  to  a  suceessional  shoot  at 
the  base.  This  with  free  ventilation  and  gentle  fire  heat  in  dull  weather, 
in  cold  localities,  and  the  wood  strong,  will  assist  in  ripening  the  growth, 
which  is  of  primary  importance  as  regards  next  year’s  crop.  Avoid  a  too 
dry  condition  of  the  border.  The  trees  must  not  lack  moisture,  and  yet 
a  rather  drier  condition  of  the  roots  is  advisable  when  the  fruit  is  ripening. 
Some  soft  netting  will  be  useful  to  save  any  falling  fruit,  but  it  must  be 
looped  up  in  small  pockets  to  prevent  the  fruits  bruising  each  other. 
With  an  examination  of  the  fruit  every  morning  by  an  experienced  person 
and  again  late  in  the  afternoon,  the  ripe  fruit  being  removed,  there  is  no 
necessity  for  the  netting.  The  fruit  is  better  gathered  before  it  is  dead 
ripe,  and  kept  in  a  light  airy  fruit  room  until  in  prime  condition. 
Prince  of  Wales  is  a  magnificent  fruit,  so  also  is  Gladstone,  when 
grown  under  glass.  Princess  of  Wales  is,  perhaps,  the  grandest  of  all  the 
late  summer  Peaches,  attaining  to  a  large  size  and  assuming  fine  colour 
under  favouring  circumstances.  Sea  Eagle  also  attains  a  large  size  and 
has  good  qualities  ;  Late  Admirable,  Comet,  and  Golden  Eagle  are  all 
good  October  Peaches.  Tne  trees  must  not  lack  water  or  the  fruit  may 
be  mealy. 
THE  KITCHEN  GARDEN. 
Cabbage. — There  is  every  prospect  of  a  scarcity  of  green  vegetables 
next  winter  and  spring,  and  every  effort  should  be  made,  therefore,  to 
grow  as  much  Cabbage  as  possible.  Unless  wanted  particularly  early, 
planting  in  succession  to  spring-sown  Onions,  not  manuring  or  digging 
the  ground,  answers  well.  A  surface  cleaning  and  stirring  with  hoes  is 
needed  in  this  case,  and  the  plants  may  be  put  out  in  drills  15  inches 
apart,  a  like  distance  dividing  the  plants  in  the  row’s.  Market  growers 
follow  early  and  second  early  Celery  with  Cabbage,  dressing  the  ground 
with  as  much  manure  as  they  can  well  turn  in.  The  plants  are  first 
pricked  out  in  nursery  beds,  and  finally  planted  1  foot  apart  each  way. 
Early  in  the  spring  any  plants  with  a  tendency  to  bolt — which  may  or  may 
not  be  the  result  of  sowing  too  early  in  July — are  drawn,  bunched,  and 
sold  as  greens,  those  left  or  the  greater  proportion  hearting  in  early  and 
strongly. 
Cardoons. — Only  the  blanched  stems  or  stalks  and  hearts  of  these  are 
of  ai.y  value  as  a  vegetable.  The  leafstalks  should  be  brought  well 
together  and  kept  so  by  hay-bands,  which  further  serve  to  exclude  the 
soil  from  the  hearts.  Bank  the  soil  up  around  the  banded  plants  much 
as  large  Celery  has  to  be  earthed,  this  answering  the  double  purpose  of 
protecting  from  frost  and  excluding  light. 
Cauliflowers.— If  there  are  not  enough  plants  raised  in  the  open  for 
storing  in  pots  and  boxes  in  a  cold  frame,  or  for  planting  thickly  under 
hand-lights,  more  seeds  should  be  sown  in  a  shallow  frame  or  pit  in  succes¬ 
sion.  say,  to  Melons  or  Cucumbers.  Level  the  soil,  make  it  fine,  give  a 
good  watering,  sow  the  seeds  thinly  broadcast,  and  cover  with  fine  soil. 
The  plants  obtained  in  this  way  will  not  make ’much  progress  before  the 
spring,  and  should  be  left  where  they  are,  covering  with  lights  and  afford¬ 
ing  other  protection  when  needed  in  frosty  weather. 
Leeks. — These  rank  amongst  the  hardiest  of  vegetables,  and  with  a 
scarcity  of  others  would  be  appreciated  more  than  usual.  In  order  to 
have  extra  fine,  well  blanched  stems  a  number  of  plants  ought  to  have 
been  put  out  in  trenches.  Celery -fashion,  or  dibbled  in  rich  ground  several 
weeks  ago,  but  Leeks  keep  growing  whenever  the  weather  is  mild,  and  if 
planted  now  on  rich  freshly  dug  ground  may  yet  attain  to  a  serviceable 
size.  Form  holes  8  inches  deep  and  12  inches  apart  with  a  stout  dibber, 
drop  a  strong  plant  into  each,  and  fix  with  water  poured  into  the  holes. 
Lettuce. — Much  that  was  advanced  concerning  sowing  Cauliflower 
seeds  also  applies  to  Lettuce.  If  raised  in  the  open  after  this  late  date 
they  would  be  so  small  as  to  fall  an  easy  prey  to  slugs,  but  a  sturdy 
stock  might  be  raised  in  a  cold  frame  and  wintered  there.  Varieties  less 
hardy  and  of  better  quality  than  the  Hammersmith,  Hicks’  and  Bath 
Cos,  notably  Early  Paris  Market,  Golden  Queen,  Commodore  Nutt,  and 
Perfect  Gem  Cabbage  varieties,  and  good  stocks  of  Paris  White  and 
Green  Cos,  may  be  raised  and  wintered  in  frames. 
Spinach. — Good  care  should  be  taken  of  all  the  Spinach  grown  to 
stand  through  the  winter,  as  this  may  prove  exceptionally  valuable  early 
next  spring.  Once  a  week  is  not  too  often  to  run  the  Dutch  hoe  lightly 
between  the  lines  of  plants,  this  serving  to  keep  down  slugs  and  weeds 
and  to  let  in  the  warmth  and  air,  also  conserving  the  moisture  in  the  soil. 
Thin  out  the  plants  where  crowded,  leaving  them  from  4  to  6  inches 
apart. 
Turnips. — There  is  a  likelihood  of  these  being  scarce  next  winter. 
Plants  that  ought  now  to  be  growing  strongly  are  at  a  standstill,  and 
unless  heavy  rains  fall  soon  they  will  be  ruined.  There  should  be  no 
undue  delay  in  thinning  out  the  later  breadths,  doing  this  lightly  at  first, 
and  eventually  leaving  the  plants  about  8  inches  apart.  Where  possible, 
water  freely  after  thinning,  that  is,  if  the  ground  is  still  dry,  a  surfacing 
of  soot,  prior  to  the  watering,  doing  good. 
Tomatoes. — If  the  houses  are  wanted  for  purposes  other  than  Tomato 
culture,  but  the  plants  are  still  carrying  a  fair  weight  of  fruit,  this  will  be 
found  to  ripen  better  on  than  off  the  plants,  and  an  effort  should  be  made 
to  save  the  latter  as  long  as  possible.  Cut  away  all  superfluous  growth, 
also  removing  two-thirds  of  each  sound  old  leaf  left  on  the  stems,  wholly 
removing  all  that  are  dead  or  dying.  Plants  in  variety  may  then  be 
arranged  between  and  under  the  Tomatoes  without  detriment,  and  the 
fruit  will  ripen  in  due  course.  Roof-trained  Tomato  plants  are  the  best 
for  producing  winter  crops,  but  even  these  fail  to  set  fruit  during  the 
dull  days  of  late  autumn.  The  fruit  to  ripen  during  the  winter  ought 
to  be  set,  and  some  of  it  swollen  to  a  good  size  now.  Top  those 
that  are  weakly  as  an  aid  to  setting,  and  tap  the  stems  of  those  in  flower 
towards  noon  each  day.  Maintain  a  genial  heat  with  the  aid  of  a  little 
fire,  a  warm  dry  atmosphere  being  imperative. 
ffcW  >  ^  I.T>  j  i  -r  -  r-  i-  i  .  i  -  »  .  i  -  t  -  f  -  i  --r:  ,  -  ,  -  i  .-i  -  i-  T-  i-  i-  i  -T  -  i  -  J  •  1  -  1~*  '  T\l?m 
IE  BEE-KEEPER. 
.  I  .  I  .  1-  I  .  !-  1 . 1  ■  1  . 1 .1  .  I  -r-r-1  ii-r.  r.  r-j.-'l-CHi£a» 
Destroying  Wasps. 
One  of  the  greatest  pests  that  bee-keepers  have  had  to  contend 
with  during  the  past  few  weeks  has  been  the  plague  of  wasps.  Not 
only  has  the  bee-keeper  suffered,  but  the  fruit  grower  has  fared  even 
worse.  Strong  colonies  of  bees  will  not  allow  the  wasps  to  gain  an 
entrance  to  their  well-sealed  sfores ;  it  is  the  weak  stocks  and  those 
which  are  short  of  food  that  are  attacked  and  rendered  homeless  by  the 
wasps. 
The  only  chance  fruit  growers  have  is  to  gather  their  fruit  before 
it  is  ripe,  and  to  destroy  all  nests  found  in  the  neighbourhood.  There 
are  various  methods  of  carrying  out  the  latter  operation.  By  means 
of  gas  tar,  which  is  poured  into  their  holes  at  night,  their  nests  may 
be  destroyed  at  a  rapid  rate.  This  was  the  plan  we  adopted  for  many 
years,  but  as  it  often  entailed  a  long  tramp  after  it  was  dark  at  night 
we  were  anxiously  on  the  look  out  for  something  that  would  take 
effect  in  the  daytime. 
After  trying  several  experiments  we  have  found  nothing  better 
than  cyanide  of  potassium.  It  is  a  deadly  poison,  and  care  is  needed 
in  its  use,  but  with  ordinary  caution  it  is  perfectly  safe.  We  have 
used  it  in  small  crystals,  when  a  teaspoonful  is  placed  in  the  hole  of 
each  nest.  We,  however,  prefer  large  crystals  about  half  an  inch  in 
diameter,  6ne  piece  being  sufficient  tor  an  ordinary  nest,  and  two  pieces 
for  an  extra  strong  one.  It  must  be  placed  at  the  entrance  to  the 
nest,  so  that  it  is  impossible  for  the  wasps  to  gain  admittance  without" 
passing  over  the  poison.  It  should  be  sprinkled  with  water  after  being 
placed  in  the  hole,  which  will  cause  it  to  give  off  fumes  more  readily. 
These  strike  downwards,  and  will  destroy  all  the  wasps  in  the  nest. 
The  nests  may  be  operated  on  at  any  time  during  the  day,  and  all  the 
wasps  that  are  on  the  wing  wdl  return  to  their  nest,  and  will  not  pass 
out  again  owing  to  the  deadliness  of  cyanide  of  potassium. 
The  poison  should  be  kept  tightly  corked  in  a  wide-mouthed 
bottle  in  a  dry  place,  otherwise  it  will  evaporate  and  be  useless.  If 
the  cyanide  when  not  in  use  is  kept  under  lock  and  key  and  used  as- 
above  the  most  nervous  person  need  have  no  fear  of  it. 
Bees  Cleaning  Combs. 
“  I  always  place  my  combs  from  which  the  honey  has  been 
extracted,  cappings,  and  any  debris  in  which  there  is  honey,  in  the 
open  air  for  the  bees  to  clean,  and  have  never  found  it  caused  any 
mischief.  I  have  been  told  by  some  bee-keepers  in  the  district  that 
I  ought  not  to  do  so,  but  would  like  your  opinion.”  The  above  query 
comes  from  a  well-known  gardener  who  is  also  a  bee-keeper,  and  it  is; 
encouraging  to  observe  the  numerous  members  of  the  craft  who  are 
interesting  themselves  in  bee-keeping. 
Since  the  above  was  written  we  have  experimented  on  the  same 
lines  by  placing  a  quantity  of  capping  and  dark  honey  during  the 
middle  of  a  fine  day  in  the  open  air.  Although  it  was  placed  some 
distance  from  the  hives,  of  which  we  had  upwards  of  three  dozen 
crowded  with  bees,  many  of  the  hives  contained  twenty  standard 
frames,  so  one  can  imagine  the  number  of  bees  there  were  on  the 
wing.  In  a  few  minutes  after  the  debris  was  placed  in  the  open,  the 
air  was  darkened  with  bees,  and  the  whole  apiary  was  in  such  a  state 
of  excitement  that  it  took  them  several  days  to  settle  down  quietly 
again.  Fortunately  all  the  colonies  were  strong,  and  nothing  more 
serious  happened.  On  a  previous  occasion,  when  a  number  of  combs 
were  placed  in  the  open  air  for  the  bees  to  clean,  instead  of  placing 
them  on  the  hive  again,  a  weak  stock  was  attacked  and  nearly 
destroyed  by  the  robbers.  We  do  not  recommend  the  plan,  it  being 
so  much  better  to  place  any  refuse  combs  on  the  hive  at  night,  when 
all  will  be  cleaned  up  by  the  following  morning,  and  the  bees  will  not 
become  excited  in  consequence. — An  English  Bee-keeper. 
TRADE  CATALOGUES  RECEIVED. 
G.  Bunyard  &  Co  ,  Maidstone. — Fruit  Trees  and  Botes. 
H.  Cannell  &  Sons,  Swanley. — Bulbs. 
B.  It.  Cant,  Colchester. — Boses. 
Farnley  Iron  Co.,  Farnley,  Leeds. — Bricks,  Porcelain  Goods,  <$’c, 
R.  C.  Notcutt,  W oodbridge. — Bulbs. 
A.  Perry,  Winchmore  Hill. — Bulbs  and  Plants. 
