December  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
485 
the  roots,  4  ozs.  to  the  square  yard.  IF  plenty  of  wood  ashes  are  obtain¬ 
able,  a  dressing  of  them  will  supply  potash.  Basic  slag,  4  ozs.  to  the 
square  jard,  is  good  where  lime  is  deficient  in  the  soil.  It  is  a.  phosphatic 
manure,  but  also  contains  lime.  In  addition  to  the  artificials, decomposed 
manure  may  be  used  as  a  top-dressing,  and  liquid  manure  occasion  ally, 
FRUIT  FORCING. 
Cucumbers. — The  weather  has  been  mild  and  at  times  bright,  so  that 
the  growth  has  not  suffered  as  it  does  when  the  days  are  cold  and  the 
sun  obscured  for  lengthened  periods.  Cucumbers  like  light,  heat,  and 
moisture  ;  the  glass  should  bo  kept  clean  both  inside  and  outside.  Add 
a  little  soil  over  the  roots  as  they  protrude  through  the  sides  of  the 
ridges  or  hillocks,  using  warmed  sweet  soil,  and  moderately  moist.  A 
few  sweetened  horse  droppings  sprinkled  on  the  surface  of  the  bed 
occasionally  will  attract  the  roots  and  supply  them  with  food.  Supply 
water  only  when  the  soil  is  getting  dr}’,  then  afford  sufficient  to 
moisten  it  through  to  the  drainage.  Damping  the  path 3  and  sides  of 
the  bed  and  house  will  be  sufficient  to  maintain  a  genial  atmosphere  if 
it  be  attended  to  in  the  morning  and  afternoon  of  fine  days.  Remove 
surplus  fruits  as  they  appear,  also  tendrils  and  male  blossoms,  unless 
they  are  required  for  impregnating  the  fruit-bearing  flowers.  Stopping 
and  thinning  will  not  be  much  required,  but  it  must  not  be  neglected,  as 
crowding  is  the  sure  precursor  of  evil  consequences.  Tie  in  the  growths 
as  necessary,  ani  do  not  overcrop  tho  plants.  Red  spider  and  white  fly 
are  sometimes  troublesome,  but  will  succumb  to  the  fumes  of  sulphur. 
Green  and  black  aphides,  with  thrips,  may  be  destroyed  by  dusting  with 
tobacco  powd'  r,  vaporisation  with  nicotine,  or  fumigation  with  tobacco 
paper. 
Pines. — Wo  again  direct  attention  to  the  necessity  of  making  pre¬ 
parations  at  once  for  producing  ripe  fruit  during  May  and  June.  Black 
Jamaica,  Charlotte  Rothschild,  and  Smooth-leaved  Cayenne  plants,  which, 
however  promising  now,  failed  toshowfruit  during  October  and  November, 
will  not  throw  up  in  time  to  ripen  at  tho  period  named.  Attention  must, 
therefore,  be  directed  to  such  as  attain  perfection  in  less  time,  as  the 
Queens,  Envillo,  and  Providence  varieties.  Select  at  or.ee  those  plants 
which  have  an  cnlurged  base  with  a  tendency  to  open  in  the  centre, 
evidence  that  the  fruit  will  shortly  be  visible,  and  place  them  in  a  light 
house  or  pit,  affording  brisk  bottom  heat,  say  85°  to  90°,  a  top  heat  of 
60°  to  70°  at  night,  7u°  to  75°  by  day  artificially,  and  10°  to  15°  more 
fro  a  sun  neat.  When  the  external  conditions  are  favourable,  a  moderate 
amou' t  of  ventilation  must  be  given,  and  the  atmosphere  should  be  genia1, 
syringing  the  plants  once  or  twice  a  week,  and  then  very  lightly,  damping 
the  paths  and  walls,  but  not  the  hot-water  pipes,  on  fine  afternoons. 
Water  will  be  required  at  the  roots  about  every  ten  days,  but  do  not 
supply  it  until  the  soil  becomes  dry,  and  then  in  a  tepid  state,  with  a  little 
guano  (1  oz.  per  gallon)  or  some  other  fertiliser  in  it,  and  always  copiously, 
driblets  doing  more  harm  than  good. 
Peaches  and  Nectarines.— Earliest  House. — The  trees  must  not  be 
syringed  after  the  blossoms  show  colour,  but  a  moderately  moist  atmo¬ 
sphere  should  be  maintained  by  damping  the  paths  and  borders  in  the 
morning  and  in  the  early  part  of  the  afternoons  of  bright  days. 
Maintain  the  temperature  at  50°  to  55°  by  day,  with  an  advance  from 
sun  heat  to  60°  to  65°,  but  not  without  complete  ventilation,  50°  being 
sufficiently  high  for  the  night.  If  the  weather  is  cold  and  sharp,  the 
temperature  may  fall  to  45J,  or  during  severe  frost  to  40°  at  night, 
which  is  more  advantageous  than  a  higher  and  drier  heat.  The  house 
should  be  freely  ventilated  when  the  weather  is  favourable,  especially 
when  the  blossoms  show  the  anthers  clear  of  the  petals,  avoiding  cold 
draughts,  however,  but  admit  a  little  air  by  the  top  lights.  The  tem¬ 
perature  must  be  raised  early  in  the  morning  to  50°,  and  be  kept  between 
that  and  55°  through  the  day,  but  55°  must  not  be  exceeded  by  artificial 
means.  A  close  moist  atmosphere  favouis  growth  more  than  the  setting 
of  tho  fruit.  Under  favourable  conditions  of  climate  the  pollen  is  dis¬ 
persed  in  golden  showers  (clearly  visible  to  the  naked  eye  in  the  sun) 
when  the  day  is  clear  and  the  ventilation  has  been  attended  to  early, 
and  the  “set”  is  generally  a  favourable  one,  even  without  artificial 
fertilisation. 
Second  Early  House. — Tho  trees  must  be  started  without  delay  to  have 
ripe  fruit  in  May  or  early  in  June  according  to  the  variety.  Alexander 
and  Early  Louise  Peaches, with  Cardinal  and  Early  Rivers  Nectarine,  will 
ripen  the  fruit  in  May  if  now  started,  but  Stirling  Castle,  Royal  George, 
and  Dymond  or  Grosse  Mignonne  Peaches,  with  Stanwick  Elruge  and 
Lord  Napier  Nectarines,  started  at  the  same  time,  will  be  a  month  or  six 
weeks  later  in  ripening  their  fruit.  Fire  heat  should  only  be  employed 
to  keep  out  frost  at  night  and  to  insure  50°  by  day,  above  which  ventilate 
freely,  and  close  the  house  at  that  temperature,  except  that  a  little  air 
should  be  admitted  constantly  by  tho  top  ventilators  in  close  fitting 
houses.  Bring  the  trees  on  slowly,  not  hurrying  them  in  swelling  the 
buds,  and  if  these  are  abundant  rub  off  those  on  the  under  side  or  at  the 
back  of  the  growth^.  Sprinkle  the  trees  in  the  morning  and  early  in  the 
afternoon  of  tine  days  only,  damping  the  paths  and  borders  sufficing 
when  the  weather  is  dull.  Apply  water  it  necessary  to  bring  tho  soil 
into  a  thoroughly  moist  condition.  Outside  borders  may  be  covered  with 
about  3  inches  thickness  of  leaves  and  litter,  but  avoid  thick  and  rich 
coverings,  suffice  that  frost  be  kept  at  bay. 
Succession  Houses. — These  cannot  be  kept  too  cool  after  the  leaves  are 
all  down  and  the  trees  have  been  pruned  und  dressed.  If  the  roof-lights 
are  fixed,  tho  borders  must  be  carefully  examined,  and  water  supplied  to 
Peep  the  soil  thoroughly  moist.  Dryness  at  tho  roots  during  the  resting 
•period  is  a  fertile  source  of  the  buds  falling,  and  thorough  waterings  will 
cot  do  any  harm  provided  the  drainage  is  effective.  The  lights,  however, 
should  be  removed  from  the  roof  whilst  the  trees  are  at  rest.  The  frosts 
are  never  so  severe  as  to  injure  the  wood  of  trees  in  good  health  and 
profitable  use,  and  the  borders  become  thoroughly  moistemd  by  the  winter 
rains  and  snow,  so  that  they  seldom  require  water  until  the  fruit  is 
taking  the  first  swelling  and  entering  on  the  stoning  process.  Trees 
under  fixed  roofs  seldom  have  the  soil  thoroughly  moistened,  therefore 
the  buds  are  imperfectly  formed,  and  are  cast  when  they  should  be 
developing  iuto  blossom. 
Wall  Cases. — We  remove  the  roof-lights  from  these  directly  the  leaves 
are  all  down,  and  they  remain  off  until  the  beginning  of  March,  earlier 
or  later  according  to  the  season.  The  buds  are  then  commencing  to 
swell,  some  have  burst  their  scales  and  show  the  downy  integuments 
that  protect  the  blossoms.  Up  to  that  stage  they  are  simply  frost-proof, 
for  it  is  not  tho  buds  that  suffer  from  severe  frost,  but  the  unripe  wood, 
and  that  is  worse  than  worthless,  as  it  falls  a  prey  to  gum  disease.  We 
also  defer  the  pruning  of  these  trees  until  the  spring,  which  is  a  light 
affair,  as  they  are  grown  on  the  long  pruning  system,  and  all  the  useless 
wood  is  cut  out  directly  the  fruit  is  gathered,  so  that  tho  wounds  heal  at 
once,  and  the  winter  pruning  is  rendered  almost  nil. 
4 
m 
BEE-KEEPER. 
Qj  //*.' 
Protecting  the  Bees. 
It  is  now  midwinter,  and  the  weather  up  to  the  present  time 
has  been  extremely  mild  and  open,  similar  to  the  autumn  and 
winter  of  1897.  But  the  mean  temperature  has  been  even  higher  than 
it  was  then.  Whether  the  mild  weather  will  continue  throughout  the 
early  months  of  the  new  year  remains  to  be  seen.  \\Te  would,  however, 
remind  bee-keepers  of  the  necessity  of  having  their  bees  well  protected 
from  the  inclemency  of  the  weather,  whether  it  arises  from  a  constant 
downpour  of  lain,  heavy  snowstorms,  or  severe  frost,  as  one  and  all 
may  be  reasonably  expected.  If  the  advice  given  in  previous  notes 
has  been  duly  attended  to  there  will  be  little  danger  of  the  heavy  rains 
doing  injury  to  the  bees,  as  all  roofs  will  have  been  made  thoroughly 
waterproof. 
Bees  will  also  suffer  from  insufficient  coverings,  and  this  is  much 
easier  remedied  than  a  leaky  roof.  Any  warm  material  will  answer 
for  this  purpose,  such  as  old  pieces  of  carpet  or  sacking,  and  if  these  are 
not  conveniently  to  hand,  several  thicknesses  *of  paper  may  he  used 
with  advantage;  and  if  a  piece  of  board  is  placed  on  the  top  of  all,  and 
weighted  down  with  a  b:ick,  it  is  surprising  tho  amount  of  cold  bees 
will  withstand  with  no  other  covering  on  the  top  of  the  frames.  We 
fear  dampness  much  more  than  any  severe  weather  we  are  likely  to 
experience  in  this  country. 
On  several  occasions,  and  we  may  say  there  is  net  a  year  passes 
but  what  we  have  examined  one  or  more  stocks  that  have  been  care¬ 
lessly  covered  the  previous  autumn,  either  by  having  no  coverings 
whatever  placed  on  the  tops  of  the  frames,  or  they  have  been  partially 
removed  so  that  the  bees  had  free  access  to  the  roof.  When  in  this 
condition  there  is  a  constant  draught  through  the  brood  chamber,  and 
the  consequence  is  the  bees  make  little  headway.  \\  hat  do  the 
bees  invaiiably  do  when  left  in  this  unsatisfactory  condition?  If  it 
takes  place  in  ihe  spring  they  commerce  comb  building  downwards 
f.cm  the  roof  of  the  hive,  and  all  crevices  arc  carefully  filled  with 
propolis.  Should  it  be  iu  the  early  autumn,  which  is  often  the  case 
when  the  honey  lias  been  removed,  and  the  bees  have  probably  been 
troublesome,  they  will  at  once  take  steps  to  make  the  roof  air-tight  by 
sealing  over  all  the  crevices  with  propolis.  In  many  instances  wdrere 
the  roof  of  the  hive  has  been  made  of  stout  wood  and  the  bees  left  to 
take  their  chance  as  above  have  come  out  well  the  following  spring. 
But  if  it  is  late  in  the  autumn  they  usually  dwindle  away  and  die, 
although  they  may  have  ample  stores  iu  their  hive. 
Warmth  in  Straw  Skeps. 
It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  bees  in  straw  skeps  invariably  winter 
well  if  they  were  supplied  with  stores  the  previous  autumn.  The 
reason  is  not  for  to  seek.  They  would  probably  be  placed  in  the  skep 
the  previous  May  or  June.  In  due  course  it  would  he  filled  with 
comb  and  honey,  and  should  there  be  any  crevices  through  which  the 
air  could  pass  they  would  be  thickly  filled  with  propolis,  it  would  be 
impossible  for  the  careless  bee-keeper  to  expose  the  top  of  the  comb, 
as  has  been  shown  is  often  done  with  the  movable  frame  hive.  The 
bees  being  thus  left  to  themselves  require  little  attention  from  the 
bee-keeper. 
If  straw  skeps  are  placed  in  the  open  air,  some  protection  is  neces¬ 
sary.  A  hood  made  from  Wheat  straw  is  neat,  and  answers  the  purpose 
admirably.  This  is  done  by  taking  sufficient  straw  to  cover  the  skep, 
placing  the  ears  evenly  together,  and  holding  them  firmly  with  one 
hand,  whilst  tho  short  straws  are  combed  out  with  the  other. 
Fasten  the  straw  tightly  together  with  string  or  fine  wire  just 
beneath  the  cars,  about  6  inches  from  the  top  of  the  straws.  Then 
