November  8,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
347 
Cut  a  trench  not  less  than  3  feet  from  the  stem  and  a  foot  or  more  wide. 
All  the  fibrous  roots  met  with  may,  if  possible,  be  preserved,  the  strong 
ones  cut  cleanly  with  a  slanting  upward  cut.  Remove  the  soil  to  a  depth 
sufficient  for  reaching  the  whole  of  the  extending  roots,  and  undermine 
the  ball  half  way  to  find  those  that  grow  in  a  perpendicular  diiection. 
Any  roots  that  it  is  possible  to  raise,  especially  of  a  fibrous  character, 
may  be  brought  nearer  to  the  surface,  carefully  spreading  them  out  to  their 
full  extent  in  a  horizontal  direction  in  some  of  the  best  of  the  surface  soil. 
The  poor  subsoil  ought  not  to  be  used  for  filling  in  the  trench  again.  To 
make  up  for  its  absence  add  some  fresh  loam  and  wood  ashes  to  the  fertile 
material  removed  from  the  trench,  and  in  replacing  it  make  the  whole 
firm  between  and  among  the  layers  of  roots.  Afterwards  mulch  with 
decayed  manure,  but  before  doing  so  give  a  copious  watering  should  the 
soil  be  at  all  dr}'. 
Applying  liquid  Manure  to  Fruit  Trees. — Now  that  rain  has  fallen 
and  the  soil  has  become  moistened,  liquid  manure  may  be  given  to  old- 
established  Apples,  Pears,  Plums,  and  Cherries.  Assistance  given  to 
trees  that  have  borne  good  crops  will  be  very  beneficial,  inasmuch  as 
the  demands  upon  them  have  been  heavy  in  perfecting  the  fruit  ;  hence 
little  food  has  been  available  for  plumping  up  fruit  buds  for  the 
succeeding  season.  Trees  growing  strongly  will  not  require  rich 
stimulants  of  this  kind,  whether  they  are  in  a  fruiting  condition  or  not, 
but  weakly  trees,  if  healthy,  may  be  induced  to  make  more  vigorous 
growth  by  such  assistance.  The  drainirigs  from  stables,  cow-sheds, 
manure  yards,  the  contents  of  cesspools  and  sewage  tanks  may  all  be 
employed.  It  will  be  desirable  to  dilute  very  strong  liquid  with  water  : 
but.  a3  a  rule,  the  applications  of  liquid  manure  to  fruit  trees  at  this  season 
and  during  the  winter  may  be  stronger  than  at  other  periods,  especially  if 
the  soil  is  thoroughly  moist. 
The  roots  of  fruit  trees  extend  as  far  as  the  branches,  so  the  full  area 
of  soil  covered  by  them  ought  to  be  enriched  by  the  food,  either  liquid  or 
solid,  applied,  in  order  that  trees  may  receive  full  advantage.  In  the 
case  of  trees  in  orchards  or  grass  land  the  application  of  liquid  nutriment 
should  be  given  as  far  as  possible  direct  to  the  roots.  This  can  be 
effected  by  making  holes  with  a  crowbar  at  intervals  over  the  rooting 
area,  and  repeatedly  filling  them  up  with  liquid,  which  will  diffuse 
through  the  soil.  Afterwards  fill  the  holes  with  good  soil. 
FRUIT  FORCING. 
Cucumbers. — To  keep  the  plants  in  a  fruitful  state  they  must  be 
accorded  a  genial  atmosphere,  maintaining  the  night  temperature  at 
65°,  5°  more  in  mild  weather,  and  5°  less  in  the  morning  when  sharp 
frosts  occur,  70°  to  75°  in  the  daytime,  advancing  to  80°,  85°,  or  90°  from 
sun  heat.  IVhenever  the  weather  is  favourable  a  little  air  may  be  admitted 
at  the  top  of  the  house,  being  careful  not  to  lower  the  temperature  or 
admit  a  current  of  cold  air.  The  paths  and  walls  will  need  damping  in 
the  morning  and  afternoon  of  fine  days,  but  the  syringe  must  not  be  used 
over  the  foliage  unless  the  days  are  exceptionally  bright,  and  then  shortly 
after  midday.  The  water  or  liquid  manure  given  to  the  house  roust  be  ot 
the  same  temperature,  as  also  must  the  soil  or  top-dressings  applied  to  the 
beds. 
Autumn-fruiting  plants  are  now  in  full  bearing,  and  if  strong,  and  not 
overcropped,  will  continue  to  produce  fruit  for  a  considerable  time.  It  i> 
necessary  to  remove  the  fruit  as  soon  as  it  becomes  a  useful  size.  Attend 
to  the  plants  once  or  twice  a  week  for  the  removal  of  bad  leaves,  stopping 
irregular  growths  and  cutting  out  superfluous.  If  mildew  appear  dust 
the  affected  leaves  or  parts  with  flowers  of  sulphur,  or  form  into  a  paste 
with  skim  milk,  and  brush  a  little  on  the  hot-water  pipes.  The  fumes 
given  off  act  well  against  red  spider  and  “white  fly,”  but  aphides  must 
be  subdued  by  fumigations  with  tobacco  paper  or  the  advertised  substances, 
vaporisation  with  nicotine  essence  being  fatal  to  mealy  bug  as  well  as 
other  insects. 
Winter-fruiting  plants  are  by  far  the  most  difficult  to  manage.  The 
great  thing  is  to  get  them  well  established  and  furnished  with  sturdy 
growths  and  thick  leathery  leaves.  Stop  the  side  shoots  after  a  few  good 
leaves  are  made,  and  the  growths  from  the  wood  left  will  show  plenty  ol 
fruit,  and  such  may  be  stopped  one  or  two  joints  beyond  it.  This  will 
secure  growth  for  accelerating  root  action  and  the  proper  nourishment  of 
the  fruit.  Add  fresh  warmed  soil  to  the  ridges  or  hillocks  as  the  roots 
protrude,  and  be  careful  not  to  overwater,  affording  a  supply  only  when 
needed. 
Vines.  —  Early  Forced  in  Pots. — To  have  ripe  Grapes  at  the  end  ol 
March  or  early  in  April  there  must  be  no  further  delay  in  getting  the 
house  ready  and  placing  the  Vines  in  position.  To  increase  the  weight 
and  quality  of  the  Grapes  the  apertures  in  the  pots  should,  if  small,  be 
widened  and  some  turfy  loam  placed  within  easy  reach  of  the  roots;  This 
is  best  effected  by  erecting  pedestals  of  loose  bricks  for  the  pots  to  stand 
on,  and  then  building  up  against  them  turfy  loam  in  alternate  layers  with 
lime  rubbish,  from  the  bottom  to  a  little  above  the  side  apertures  in  the 
pots.  By  introducing  Oak  or  Beech  leaves  into  the  pit  they  will  supply 
a  genial  warmth  and  moisture  in  the  early  stages,  and  rich  stimulating 
food  towards  the  close.  The  heat  about  the  pots,  however,  must  not 
exceed  65°  at  the  start,  the  leaves  being  added  to  and  raised  to  the  rims 
of  the  pots  so  as  to  raise  the  temperature  to  70°  or  75°  by  the  time  th* 
Vines  are  in  leaf.  Although  it  is  necessary  to  have  the  soil  moderate!' 
moist,  an  excess  of  water  is  undesirable  in  the  early’  stage.  The  canes 
should  be  placed  in  a  horizontal  position  to  insure  the  buds  breaking 
evenly,  damping  the  Vines  and  house  two  or  three  times  a  day,  and  main¬ 
taining  a  temperature  of  55°  and  65°  on  fine  days. 
Early  Planted-out  Vines. — When  young  and  vigorous  Vines  have  to  bi 
started  for  the  first  time  to  afford  ripe  Grapes  at  the  end  of  April  or  ear)  \ 
in  May,  the  house  must  be  closed  by  the  middle  of  the  month,  for  they  do  ; 
not,  as  a  rule,  “  break  ”  so  quickly  as  Vines  that  have  been  forced  for  a 
number  of  years.  The  Vines  will  need  to  be  brought  into  a  horizontal 
position,  and  well  syringed  with  tepid  water,  or  about  the  mean  tempera¬ 
ture  of  the  house,  two  or  three  times  a  day.  The  temperature  of  the  house 
may  range  50°  at  night,  55°  by  day,  and  65°  on  bright  days.  Older  Vines, 
or  those  that  have  previously  been  forced,  need  not  be  started  until  the 
beginning  of  December. 
Bouses  Cleared  of  Grapes. — When  the  Vines  are  leafless  and  the  Grapes 
cut  attend  to  the  pruning  without  delay.  Vines  in  good  condition,  having 
stout  short-jointed  wood  thoroughly  ripened,  may  safely  be  pruned  to  a 
couple  of  buds.  The  latter,  however,  are  not  always  sufficiently  developed 
at  the  base  of  the  annual  growths  to  give  as  large  bunches  as  desired,  and 
in  that  case  the  bearing  wood  may  be  left  a  little  longer,  say  one  or  two 
more  buds.  Wash  the  house  thoroughly,  cleansing  the  glass  and  wood¬ 
work.  Remove  all  the  loose  bark  on  the  Vines,  but  avoid  injuring  the 
living  by  needless  peeling  and  scraping.  Wash  the  rods  with  tepid  soapy 
water,  4  ozs.  to  a  gallon  of  water,  using  a  brush  effectively,  yet  with  care 
and  judgment,  so  as  to  dislodge  any  hybernating  pests.  After  an  efficient 
washing  follow  with  an  insecticide,  such  as  those  advertised,  carefully 
following  the  instructions.  Remove  the  remains  of  the  mulching,  also 
the  surface  material  down  to  the  roots,  especially  near  the  collar,  and 
supply  a  top-dressing  of  fresh  turfy  loam  chopped  moderately  small,  and 
to  every  barrowload  (about  3  bushels)  add  a  pint  of  steamed  bonemeal, 
a  quart  of  soot,  and  2  quarts  of  wood  ashes,  incorporating  thoroughly. 
Do  not  employ  more  of  the  mixture  than  suffices  to  cover  the  roots  a 
couple  of  inches.  This  will  encourage  surface  roots,  and  when  these  are 
active  and  the  Vines  in  full  leaf  they  can  be  fed  to  any  extent  by  top- 
dressings  and  liquid  applications.  Where  the  houses  must  be  used  for 
plants  they  must  be  kept  cool,  not  exceeding  40°  to  45°,  ventilating  freely 
above  that  temperature. 
Handling  Bees. 
We  have  on  more  than  one  occasion  explained  in  these  notes  that 
it  is  from  fear  that  the  bees  will  allow  the  operator  to  handle  them 
with  impunity,  and  if  the  sides  of  the  hive  are  sharply  tapped  with 
the  hand  a  few  minutes  before  commencing  operations,  it  would  not 
be  necessary  to  use  smoke  or  anything  else  to  quiet  them.  It  is, 
therefore,  interesting  to  read,  page  309,  of  bees  being  handled  on  the 
lines  advocated  by  us  at  one  of  the  bi-monthly  meetings  of  the 
Walkley  Floral  Society.  We  agree  with  the  lecturer  as  to  the 
remarkable  control  that  can  be  obtained  over  bees  by  those  who  take 
the  pains  to  study  them  carefully.  It  is  not,  however,  necessary  to 
form  a  circle  with  carbolic  acid,  or  to  smear  the  edges  of  the  hive 
with  the  same  liquid.  The  latter  certainly  has  the  effect  of  preventing, 
the  bees  from  flowing  over  the  sides. 
The  mistake  many  people  make  in  handling  bees  is  in  using  more 
smoke  than  is  required  to  simply  frighten  the  bees.  Many  times  we 
have  seen  bees  nearly  suffocated  before  attempting  to  handle  them, 
the  would-be  operator  not  realising  the  harm  that  was  being  done. 
During  calm  warm  weather  bees  may  be  handled  without  smoke- 
or  carbolic,  if  the  operator  has  a  steady  hand  and  is  careful  not- 
to  crush  any  stray  bee.  It  is  advisable  to  have  the  smoker  to 
hand  in  case  of  an  accident,  as  a  sudden  jerk  of  a  frame  covered  with, 
bees  will  sometimes  set  the  whole  colony  iu  an  uproar. 
Marketing  Honey. 
As  good  honey  is  not  plentiful,  and  superior  samples  are- 
somewhat  scarce,  it  ought  not  to  be  difficult  in  a  season  like  the 
present  to  find  a  market  for  fair  produce.  But  that  such  is  not  the 
case  may  be  judged  from  a  query  to  hand  quite  recently,  in  which  the 
writer  says,  “  I  took  off  a  beautiful  lot  of  honey  on  Thursday,  but 
what  can  be  done  with  it  ?  No  one  here  wants  it,  and  I  have  over 
60  lbs.  in  section  ”  We  have  often  found  that  bee-keepers  having  a 
small  quantity  of  honey  on  hand  have  a  greater  difficulty  in  finding 
a  market  for  it  than  those  having  several  hundredweights  to  offer.. 
What  is  the  reason  ?  We  think  it  is  not  far  to  seek.  The  man  who- 
makes  a  business  of  it,  and  has  invested  capital  in  the  undertaking,, 
will  in  time  become  well  known  to  those  requiring  honey  in  large,  or 
small  quantities,  and  thus  form  a  connection  ;  then  by  close  attention 
to  details  that  he  will  usually  find  a  ready  market  for  all  his  produce. 
It  is  surprising  what  may  be  done  by  creatine:  a  local  demand. 
An  illustration  of  this  has  come  under  our  notice  within  the  past  few 
days,  the  details  of  which  may  be  useful  to  our  friend  who  does  not 
know  what  to  do  with  his  honey.  A  neighbouring  cottager  who  has 
kept  bens  in  straw  skeps  for  many  years  was  anxious  to  test  a  franm 
hive.  Last  spring  we  made  him  a  present  of  one,  with  the  promise 
that  we  would  attend  to  it  for  him  the  first  season.  In  due  course  a 
swarm  of  bees  was  placed  in  it,  and  as  the  weather  was  tine  a  crate 
of  twenty-one  sections  was  placed  over  the  frame5,  and  a  few  days 
afterwards  they  were  removed,  all  well  filled,  about  the  end  of  August. 
Meeting  h  m  a  few  days  ago  his  first  vorls  were,  “  T  have  sold  all  my 
