110 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  3,  1899. 
top  and  bottom  ventilation  will  be  necessary  constantly,  except  in  cold 
weather,  after  the  fruit  commences  ripening, 
Late  Houses. — Continue  syringing  the  trees  as  often  as  necessary  to 
hold  red  spider  in  check,  but  avoid  keeping  the  foliage  constantly  moist. 
Inside  borders  must  be  well  watered  and  mulched.  Tie  in  the  shoots 
regularly  and  evenly,  keeping  then  rather  thin.  Stop  any  gross  growths, 
or  preferably,  remove  them,  thereby  causing  division  and  equalisation 
of  the  sap  and  vigour  throughout  the  tree.  When  the  fruit  commences 
swelling  after  stoning,  and  it  being  desired  to  accelerate  the  ripening  of 
the  fruit,  close  the  house  somewhat  early  in  the  afternoon,  let  the 
temperature  rise  to  80°,  or  85°  or  90°,  ventilating  a  little  before  nightfall. 
Increase  the  ventilation  early,  and  keep  through  the  day  from  70°  to  85° 
whenever  practicable.  The  wood  is  so  unripe  in  some  case3  that  every 
possible  advantage  should  be  taken  of  the  solar  heat,  alike  to  perfect  the 
crop  and  mature  the  wood  and  buds  for  the  ensuing  season,  especially  in 
unheated  houses. 
Removing  Supers. 
The  honey  harvest  is  now  nearly  over.  It  is,  therefore,  necessary 
to  pay  attention  to  the  supers,  and  endeavour  to  get  them  as  well 
finished  as  possible.  It  is  a  great  mistake  to  he  constantly  removing 
the  sealed-over  sections  or  shallow  frames  late  in  the  season,  and 
replacing  them  with  empty  ones,  expecting  them  to  be  filled  and  sealed 
in  the  same  manner  as  they  would  have  been  when  bee  forage  was 
plentiful.  The  majority  of  the  colonies  will  be  of  a  great  strength 
at  this  season,  but  however  strong  they  may  he,  they  will  not  store  a 
surplus  after  the  end  of  July,  unless  the  Heather  is  conveniently  at 
hand. 
The  bee-keeper’s  aim  should  therefore  be  to  endeavour  to  get  his 
upers,  in  whatever  form  they  may  be,  as  well  finished  as  possible.  The 
desired  end  can  be  obtained  by  removing  all  sections  and  shallow 
frames  that  are  properly  sealed  over.  Those  that  remain  should  be 
placed  directly  over  the  brood  nest  in  the  middle  of  the  hive;  there 
will  then  be  a  much  better  prospect  of  them  being  finished  off  than  if 
placed  at  one  end  of  the  crate.  A.  piece  of  thin  wood  may  be  laid 
over  the  tops  of  the  frames  so  as  to  keep  the  brood  nests  warm 
until  the  crate  can  be  removed,  and  the  quilt  and  covering  placed 
in  their  proper  positions.  All  should  be  covered  up  warm.  A  few 
extra  coverings  after  this  date  will  be  an  advantage,  as  partly  filled 
supers  will  not  be  finished  satisfactorily  unless  they  are  kept  warm, 
and  what  is  equally  important  dark. 
IIow  often  one  has  seen  supers  placed  carelessly  on  the  hives 
without  being  properly  covered  ‘with  sufficient  wrap3  to  keep  up  the 
temperature  and  exclude  the  light.  With  what  result?  A  small 
harvest  of  honey  and  badly  finished  supers.  This  is  disappointing  to 
those  who  are  responsible  for  their  management,  and  in  practice  makes 
all  the  difference  between  success  and  failure  in  bee-keeping. 
Bell-glasses. 
Although  the  movable  frame  hive  has  made  much  headway  of  late 
years,  there  are  very  many  bee-keepers  who  still  use  the  time-honoured 
bell-glass  for  obtaining  comb  honey ;  and  what  is  more  beautiful  and 
interesting  than  a  well-finished  glass  super  of  honey  ?  It  is  interesting 
during  the  progress  of  comb-building  and  sealing  over  of  the  stores  to 
watch  the  busy  workers,  and  as  this  can  bo  done  without  any  danger 
ot  being  stung,  it  is  not  surprising  that  they  still  find  favour  with 
many  bee-keepers.  As  a  marketable  article  they  are  now  very  much 
out  of  date,  except  lor  special  purposes. 
It  is  sometimes  somewhat  difficult  to  clear  them  of  bees.  The 
plan  we  usually  adopt  when  removing  glass  supers  from  the  hives  is 
to  draw  a  piece  of  thin  wire  under  the  bottom  of  the  glass.  This  will 
make  a  clean  cut  through  the  combs  where  they  are  united  between 
those  in  the  glass  and  the  hive.  The  glass  is  then  wedged  up  with  a 
few  thin  pieces  of  wood,  but  not  of  sufficient  height  to  allow  the  bees 
to  escape.  The  bees  will  then  clean  up  the  leakage,  so  that  in  about 
an  hour  afterwards  the  glass  may  bo  lifted  bodily  from  the  hive.  It 
is  better  to  do  this  when  the  weather  is  warm  and  bright,  as  the  bees 
v\  ill  leave  their  combs  much  more  readily  than  when  the  temperature 
is  low. 
Take  the  bell-glass  into  a  shaded  corner  some  distance  from  the 
hive,  and  with  a  wing  or  feather  brush  off  the  bees  from  the  bottom 
ol  the  combs.  Wrap  some  dark  material  round  the  outside  of  the 
glass  so  that  the  light  strikes  on  the  bottom  of  the  comb  ;  continue 
to  remove  the  bees  as  they  come  to  the  light,  and  in  a  short  time  the 
majority  of  them  will  have  left  the  combs.  The  bees  will  at  once 
return  to  their  hive,  and  the  super  may  be  removed  to  a  cool  place 
where  the  bees  have  not  access  to  it. — An  English  Bee-keeper. 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  until 
further  notice,  be  directed  to“  The  Editor,”  a,  Rose  Hill  Road, 
Wandsworth,  s.w.,  and  not  to  12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers, 
Fleet  Street.  It  is  requested  that  no  one  will  write  privately  to 
any  of  our  correspondents,  seeking  information  on  matters 
discussed  in  this  Journal,  as  doing  so  subjects  them  to 
unjustifiable  trouble  and  expense,  and  departmental  writers 
are  not  expected  to  answer  any  letters  they  may  receive  on 
Gardening  and  Bee  subjects  through  the  post.  If  information 
be  desired  on  any  particular  subject  from  any  particular 
authority  who  may  be  named,  endeavour  will  be  made  to  obtain 
it  by  the  Editor.  Letters  of  inquiry  must  be  accompanied  by 
the  names  and  addresses  of  the  writers,  but  these  will  neither  be 
published  nor  disclosed  when  initials  or  nom  de  plumes  are  given 
for  the  purpose  of  replies. 
Judging  Wild  Flowers  (  Wild ). — There  is  very  often  something  to  be 
found  in  schedules  explanatory  of  certain  classes  as  briefly  set  forth,  and 
that  is  why  we  have  many  times  requested  that  a  schedule  should  be  sent, 
and  not  a  cutting  from  it,  when  inquiries  are  made  on  any  question  in 
dispute.  As  a  rule,  but  there  are  exceptions,  when  there  are  separate 
classes  for  Grasses  these  are  not  eligible  for  association  w  ith  wild  flowers, 
but  otherwise  arc  generally  admissible.  The  Secretary  ought  to  be  able 
to  tell  you  what  the  intentions  of  the  Committee  were,  and  whether  the 
Judges  acted  in  accordance  with  them  in  awarding  the  prizes. 
Strawberries  for  Shady  Ground  ( S .  G.  C.  C.). — We  have  had  good 
results  from  Princess  Alice  Maud,  Grove  End  Scarlet,  Filbert  Pine,  and 
Elton  Pine.  The  Alpines  do  fairly  well.  St.  Joseph  partakes  of  this 
character,  and  is  one  of  tho  best  of  bearers,  also  palatable  with  sugar 
and  cream.  It  should  be  grown  supplementary  to,  not  in  lieu  of,  the 
larger  and  richer  varieties  mentioned,  though  the  large  and  late  Eleanor 
is  not  rich  and  Grove  End  Scarlet  is  small.  In  a  rather  shady  situation 
a  grower  has  had  fairly  good  crops  this  year  from  King  of  the  Earlies, 
Viscomtesse  Ilericart  de  Thurv,  and  Latest  of  All. 
Peat  Moss  Manui’e  for  Tomatoes  (/clem). — A  grower  outdoors  has  his 
Tomatoes  mulched  with  peat  moss  manure  from  town  stables,  and  finer, 
healthier  plants  in  full  fruit  were  never  seen.  Another-  grower  not 
20  yards  distant  has  the  scabbiest  lot  of  Tomatoes  we  have  over  seen. 
The  ground  in  his  case  was  manured  and  surface  mulched  with  straw 
stable  manure.  Soil  in  both  instances  rather  strong  reddish  loam  (ferru¬ 
ginous)  over  calcareous  gravel  incumbent  on  chalk  with  flints.  The 
grower  first  alluded  to  uses  fowl  manure  from  houses  in  which  air-slaked 
lime  is  regularly  scattered,  so  that  the  manure  contains  about  three  parts 
lime.  The  other  does  not  use  any  lime.  If  you  use  peat  moss  manure  in 
moderation,  and  dress  with  a  mixture  of  three  parts  lime  and  one  part 
kainit,  using  a  good  handful,  or  4  ozs.  per  square  yard,  you  ought  to  be 
able  to  grow  good  crops  of  Tomatoes,  though  much  depends  on  the  soil 
with  which  you  have  to  deal,  and  on  this  you  say  nothing.  Your  other 
brevities  are  answered  on  another  page. 
Mealy  Bug  on  Vines  (It.  A.  C.). — You  will  find  the  pest  difficult  to 
eradicate.  Tho  practice  we  have  followed  very  successfully  was  to  syriDge 
the  Vines  thoroughly  as  soon  as  the  Grapes  were  cut,  with  a  mixture  of 
softsoap,  soda,  petroleum,  and  water.  The  water  was  at  a  temperature  of 
130°,  2  ozs.  of  softsoap  dissolved  in  a  3-gallon  watering-canful,  also  half 
an  ounce  of  washing  soda,  then  a  wineglassful  of  petroleum  placed  in,  and 
by  filling  the  syringe  quickly  and  forcing  it  back  into  the  vessel  a  few 
times,  the  oil  was  mingled  with  the  water.  This  done  the  syringe  was 
filled  and  the  contents  forced  on  the  Vines,  the  next  syringeful  being 
forced  into  tho  watering-can,  then  the  next  over  the  Vines,  and  the 
following  one  into  the  vessel,  and  so  on.  The  object  is  to  keep  the 
oil  mixed  with  the  solution,  and  to  wet  every  part  of  tho  Vines  and  house 
by  syringing  both  ways.  In  three  or  four  days  repeat  the  dressing,  and 
again  at  a  similar  interval.  When  the  leaves  are  ready  to  fall  take  them 
off  the  Vines  and  burn  them,  and  when  the  Vines  are  pruned  subject 
the  prunings  to  a  similar  ordeal.  Then  wash  the  woodwork  with  soap 
and  water,  using  a  brush  ;  the  glass  with  clear  water.  Limewash  the 
walls.  Kemove  the  loose  bark  from  the  rods,  not,  however,  peeling 
them  into  the  live  bark,  and  wash  them  with  either  a  solution  of 
soluble  petroleum,  according  to  the  instructions  supplied  with  the  article 
by  nurserymen  and  horticultural  sundriesmen  ;  or  with  a  preparation 
of  2  ozs.  caustic  soda,  and  2  ozs.  of  commercial  potash,  dissolved  in 
1J  gallon  of  boiling  water,  applying  with  a  brush  at  a  temperature  of 
130Q.  If  you  reach  every  mealy  bug  or  its  eggs  with  either  of  these 
applications  you  will  do  well,  and  end  the  trouble,  hut  the  pest  lurks 
in  all  kinds  of  places,  such  ns  in  dry  soil  near  hot-water  pipes,  in 
fissures  anywhere,  and  tho  under  sides  of  dry  shelves.  The  surface 
soil  of  the  border  must  be  cleared  away,  and  a  top  dressing  given  of 
fresh  turfy  loam.  If  any  hug  come  next  year,  vaporise  with  nicotine 
at  intervals  of  about  ten  days  or  a  fortnight  a  few  times,  and  that  will 
clear  out  the  pest. 
