October  6,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
273 
Under  no  circumstances  must  the  trees  be  allowed  to  become  dry  at  the 
roots,  nor,  on  the  other  hand,  be  soddened  by  needless  waterings. 
Midseason  Houses. — If  the  trees  are  in  an  unsatisfactory  condition  have 
recourse  to  lifting,  the  wood  being  firm  and  the  foliage  beginning  to  fall. 
It  must  be  done  with  dispatch,  all  the  materials  being  in  readiness. 
Provide  efficient  drainage,  shorten  strong  roots,  and  bring  any  that  are 
deep  nearer  the  surface,  employing  the  compost  moderately  firm.  Good 
loam,  rather  strong,  with  an  admixture  of  one-sixth  of  old  mortar  rubbish 
will  grow  Peaches  well.  If  the  soil  be  light  add  a  fourth  of  clay  marl, 
dried  and  pounded,  and  if  very  heavy  a  similar  quantity  of  road  scrapings. 
If  the  soil  is  deficient  of  calcareous  matter  add  a  tenth  of  chalk.  Unless 
very  poor,  avoid  manure  except  at  the  surface.  Give  a  good  watering, 
and  the  roots  will  soon  get  established  in  the  fresh  compost.  Trees 
judiciously  treated  at  the  roots  whilst  they  have  foliage,  but  not  before 
the  wood  is  ripe,  seldom  fail  to  set  and  stone  the  fruit  satisfactorily. 
Borders  that  are  sound  in  drainage,  but  the  surface  soil  a  soapy  mass, 
and  it  is  is  not  possible  to  remove  it,  may  have  a  good  dressing  of  best 
chalk  or  land  lime,  not  magnesian,  about  2  lbs.  per  square  yard,  leaving 
it  on  the  surface  for  a  few  weeks,  then  mixing  it  with  the  surface  soil  as 
deeply  as  the  roots  allow  without  much  disturbance. 
Late  Houses. — October  Peaches  are  as  much  valued  as  those  of  May. 
They  are  fine  in  appearance,  and  when  properly  supplied  with  moisture 
and  nutriment  during  the  growing  season  the  fruit  is  juicy  and  well 
flavoured.  Walburton  Admirable  is  of  excellent  quality,  also  Sea  Eagle, 
one  of  the  best,  largo,  showy,  good  flavoured,  and  free  from  the  strirginess 
and  mealiness  too  prevalent  in  some  late  Peaches.  Comet  and  Golden 
Eagle  are  good  juicy  fruits.  As  the  wood  in  many  late  houses,  especially 
unheated,  may  not  be  too  ripe,  the  house  should  be  almost  closed  by  day  so 
as  to  secure  a  good  heat,  admitting  sufficient  heat  to  insure  a  circulation, 
increasing  the  ventilation  at  night,  except  when  frost  prevails.  Any  trees 
that  make  too  gross  wood  should  have  a  trench  taken  out  as  deep  as  the 
roots,  and  about  one-third  the  distance  from  the  stem  the  trees  cover  of 
trellis,  and  left  open  for  a  fortnight,  then  filled  in  again  firmly. 
Strawberrres  in  Pots. — Where  autumn  and  winter  fruiters  are  grown 
the  plants  must  be  placed  under  glass  and  on  shelves,  so  that  they  enjoy 
a  free  circulation  of  air,  ventilating  so  as  to  dispel  damp.  The  fruit 
swells  better  and  the  flavour  is  improved  in  a  house  with  a  moderate 
degree  of  heat,  50°  to  55°  as  a  minimum  and  65°  to  75°  as  a  maximum 
by  artificial  means,  in  which  they  should  have  air  on  all  favourable 
occasions. 
Plants  for  Next  Year's  Fruiting. — Those  intended  for  early  forcing 
should  be  placed  on  a  base  impervious  to  worms,  either  in  a  warm  sunny 
situation  or  in  frames  or  cold  pits,  exposing  them  fully  to  every  gleam  of 
sun,  employing  the  lights  only  to  ward  off  heavy  rains,  and  at  night  when 
frost  prevails.  Keep  the  remainder  of  the  plants  in  a  sunny  position,  but 
sheltered  from  cutting  winds,  as  they  will  require  every  ray  of  light  and 
sun’s  warmth  to  enable  them  to  mature  the  crowns  properly. 
THE  KITCHEN  GARDEN. 
Chicory. — Lettuce  is  scarce,  and  Endive  in  many  gardens  is  very 
backward,  so  that  there  is  all  the  greater  need  to  take  more  pains  with 
Chicory  than  usual.  Where  a  row  or  rows  of  Chicory  were  sown  and 
duly  thinned  out  in  the  spring,  roots  varying  in  size  from  those  of  Salsafy 
to  Ir.termediate  Carrots  ought  now  to  be  available  for  lifting.  Lift  a 
dozen  or  more  at  a  time,  according  to  the  demands  of  the  establishment, 
twist  off  the  tops,  and  pack  the  roots  with  rich  loamy  soil,  in  deep  pots 
or  boxes.  Place  either  in  a  Mushroom  house  or  cellar,  gentle  heat  and 
darkness  being  essential  to  the  production  of  abundance  of  well  balanced, 
tender,  and  slightly  bitter  leaves.  Keep  the  soil  steadily  moist,  and 
before  the  crop  of  leaves  is  exhausted  more  roots  should  be  brought  in. 
Endive. — Only  those  who  have  kept  their  plants  well  supplied  with 
moisture  at  the  roots  can  point  to  a  good  supply  of  Endive.  With  late 
Lettuce  a  comparative  failure,  the  attempt  will  be  made  in  many  instances 
to  hasten  forward  Endive,  but  it  should  be  remembered  that  half  grown 
produce  is  neither  fit  tor  storing  nor  blanching.  The  centres  ought  to 
be  well  filled  up  before  either  process  is  attempted.  If  the  weather 
remain  dry,  water  with  liquid  manure,  also  protecting  from  frost.  Some 
that  are  forward  enough  may  be  blanched  for  use.  Late  Endive  may  be 
carefully  transplanted  to  shallow  pits  previously  occupied  by  Melons, 
Cucumbers,  or  Tomatoes,  where  if  properly  protected  they  should  continue 
to  grow  all  through  the  winter. 
Mushrooms. — The  field  supply  will  be  late,  and  if  heavy,  yet  of  short 
duration.  Unfortunately  the  dry  hot  weather  has  not  been  in  favour  of 
open  air  ridge-shaped  beds,  as  these  heated  violently  and  dried  quickly. 
Any  that  have  been  spawned  for  five  weeks  or  more,  and  are  too  dry  to 
produce  Mushrooms,  should  have  a  gentle  yet  thorough  soaking  of  tepid 
water,  and  be  then  heavily  covered  with  strawy  litter  with  a  view  to 
excluding  frosty  air  and  cold  saturating  rains.  Fresh  beds  formed  now 
and  spawned  directly  the  heat  has  declined  to  about  80°,  may  produce 
heavy  crops  of  Mushrooms  either  in  December  onwards,  or  if  the  weather 
is  too  cold,  and  a  sufficiently  heavy  covering  of  litter  has  not  been 
afforded,  they  will  probably  do  good  service  next  spring.  Those  beds  in 
Mushroom  houses  proper,  outhouses,  disused  stables,  and  the  like,  should 
be  treated  similarly  to  the  open  air ’beds  as  far  as  the  watering  is 
concerned,  these  also  requiring  to  be  moderately  heavy,  covered  with 
strawy  litter.  Beds  in  cellars  do  not  dry  so  quickly  ;  care  must,  therefore, 
be  taken  not  to  overwater  these,  and  no  covering  of  litter  is  needed.  Beds 
formed  now  in  these  most  suitable  positions,  as  well  as  heated  structures, 
and  duly  spawned,  should  produce  Mushrooms  during  the  winter,  or 
when  most  wanted. 
Protecting  Vegetables. — Frost  has  already  damaged  Kidney  Beans 
and  Vegetable  Marrows  in  low  lying  positions,  but  their  career  of  use¬ 
fulness  might  have  been  considerably  lengthened  if  a  light  protection 
of  some  kind  had  been  afforded.  In  many  positions  it  may  not  be 
too  late  to  protect  these  tender  vegetables  with  mats,  boards,  frame 
lights  and  shutters,  branches  of  trees,  or  other  makeshift  coverings 
whenever  needed,  a  mild  time  frequently  following  upon  a  sharp  snap  ” 
in  September  or  October.  Late  Globe  Artichokes  are  not  nearly  so 
plentiful  as  they  were  last  autumn,  but  where  this  vegetable  is  appreciated 
it  might  pay  well  to  protect  plants  producing  late  heads,  doing  this  with 
stakes  and  mats.  Where  possible  breadths  of  late  Kidney  Beans  should 
be  protected  with  portable  frames,  glazed  lights,  and  mats.  Dwarf  late 
Peas  could  be  protected  by  benders,  and  either  mats  or  blinds. 
Storing  Root  Crops. — Beet  is  most  susceptible  of  injury  from  frosts, 
and  should  be  lifted  and  stored  by  the  middle  of  October.  Care  must  be 
taken  to  break  as  few  roots  as  possible,  damaged  roots  losing  their  colour 
when  boiled.  In  dry  weather  a  fork  should  be  used  for  lifting  the  roots. 
The  tops  ought  either  to  be  twisted  off  or  be  shortened  with  a  knife 
moderately  hard,  not  cutting  any  of  the  root  away.  Pack  the  roots, 
crown  outwards,  in  sand,  ashes,  or  fine  soil  in  a  cool  somewhat  moist 
position.  They  will  shrivel  in  a  warm  dry  place.  If  stored  in  the  open 
cover  with  straw  and  soil,  if  in  a  shed  protect  from  severe  frosts.  Fully 
grown  Carrots,  or  the  early  and  main  crops,  may  also  be  lifted,  sorted 
over,  and  all  the  best  roots  trimmed  and  stored  much  as  advised  in  the 
case  of  Beet.  This  crop  is  a  poor  one  in  many  gardens,  and  all  the  more 
care  must  be  taken  of  the  late  sown  Carrots  accordingly.  These  will 
continue  to  improve  whenever  the  weather  is  mild,  and  roots  drawn 
straight  from  the  ground,  when  large  enough  to  cook,  are  sweeter  and 
tenderer  than  any  older  roots  that  have  been  lifted  and  stored.  Onions, 
after  they  are  well  harvested,  should  be  stored  in  a  cool  dry  shed, 
roping  or  bunching  them  in  wet  weather,  and  suspending  in  a  cool  shed, 
where  they  will  keep  much  longer  than  when  stored  in  heaps.  The 
Tripoli  varieties  are  the  worst  and  the  late  Globe  type  the  best  keepers. 
Jerusalem  Artichokes,  Parsnips,  Salsafy,  and  Scorzonera  keep  best  left 
where  grown,  but  forward  Turnips  ought  to  be  stored. 
r-  i .  t.  i 
IE  BEE-KEEPER. 
1  _ Uiik - --1U 1  I  -  1  -.1  -  1  -  1  •  1  -  i  «  1  -  I  -  -1-I-1-!  !  1  ■  V'  L 
Uniting  Bees. 
From  various  causes,  but  chiefly  owing  to  the  fine  weather  that 
has  been  general  throughout  the  country,  we  find  many  bee-keepers 
have  delayed  the  necessary  operation  of  driving  their  bees.  The  art 
of  driving  and  bumping  bees  to  cause  them  to  leave  their  hive  having 
been  explained  in  recent  notes,  it  will  now  be  only  necessary  to  show 
how  easily  driven  bees  may  be  united  to  either  weak  or  strong  colonies, 
or  in  building  up  strong  stocks  with  driven  bees  alone. 
In  the  majority  of  apiaries  in  which  there  are  numerous  colonies, 
whether  in  straw  skeps  or  frame  hives,  there  will  at  this  season  be 
some  that  are  much  stronger  than  others.  It  is  therefore  advisable  to 
make  all  of  as  equal  strength  as  possible,  as  it  is  a  well-known  fact 
strong  colonies  will  winter  much  better  than  weak  ones. 
At  this  date  all  hives  should  be  crowded  with  bees,  and  if  they 
have  ample  sealed  stores  nothing  further  will  be  required  for  the  next 
five  months  if  they  are  covered  warmly  and  protected  from  the 
inclement  weather  that  may  be  expected  during  that  time.  Those 
that  have  only  five  or  six  frames  covered  with  bees  are  the  stocks  that 
require  attention,  either  by  adding  driven  bees  or  dividing  one  stock  to 
strengthen  several  colonies.  If  the  former  it  will  be  necessary  to  make 
the  bees  homeless  for  a  short  time.  This  is  done  by  brushing  the  bees 
off  the  combs  into  an  empty  sbep  and  mixing  the  driven  bees  with 
them.  Bump  the  skep  on  the  floor  two  or  three  times,  then  quickly 
shake  them  into  the  hive  on  the  top  of  the  frames  from  which  the 
bees  were  previously  brushed.  A  puff  or  two  of  smoke  will  drive  them 
down  into  the  hive;  the  quilt  and  covering  may  then  be  placed  in 
position  without  the  loss  of  a  bee. 
In  carrying  out  this  operation  it  is  not  necessary  to  sprinkle  the 
bees  with  syrup,  flour,  or  any  other  ingredient,  as  owing  to  the 
excitement  caused  by  driving  one  stock,  and  brushing  the  bees  from 
the  combs  of  the  other,  they  will  not  fight,  as  they  certainly  would 
under  ordinary  circumstances.  Anyone  may  soon  test  this  for  them¬ 
selves  by  placing  some  strange  bees  in  a  hive  without  taking  some 
steps  to  make  them  all  smell  alike,  as  it  is  from  the  smell  that  the 
rightful  owners  of  a  hive  can  select  strangers,  and  when  found  they 
will  turn  them  out  of  the  hive  in  an  incredibly  short  time. 
If  the  bees  are  all  in  frame  hives,  and  the  frames  are  interchange¬ 
able,  which  they  always  should  be,  it  is  a  very  simple  matter  uniting 
one  with  the  other,  but  on  totally  different  lines  to  the  other. 
In  the  first  place  it  will  be  necessary  to  remove  the  queen  from  the 
stock  intended  to  be  divided,  and  in  no  instance  should  a  frame  with 
the  adhering  bees  be  given  to  another  colony  before  this  has  been  done. 
Commence  by  carefully  examining  each  comb  until  the  queen  is  found. 
With  a  little  practice  this  is  easily  done  if  a  fine  day  is  chosen  for  the 
purpose.  When  found,  the  queen  should  be  placed  in  a  small  box 
with  half  a  dozen  worker  bees,  and  if  kept  supplied  with  a  little 
honey  daily,  and  put  in  a  warm  place,  she  may  be  kept  for  several 
