October  5,  It  99. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
301 
Early  Forced  Houses. — Early  in  November  is  sufficiently  soon  to  start 
permanently  planted  Vine3  to  afford  a  supply  of  ripe  Grapes  in  late 
March  or  early  in  April.  Where  there  is  convenience  for  growing  the 
Vines  in  pots  that  is  the  better  practice,  as  very  early  forcing  is  a  great 
strain  on  their  energies,  growth  having  to  be  made  at  the  dullest  period  of 
the  year,  and  to  rest  at  the  hottest.  Tho  Vines  ought  now  to  bo  pruned, 
and  rest  assured  by  keeping  them  cool  and  dry.  If  the  roots  are  partly 
•outside,  that  portion  of  the  border  should  have  a  covering  of  moderately 
dry  leaves  with  a  little  litter  to  prevent  them  blowing  about.  This  is  an 
effective  protection,  and  need  not  be  used  until  the  soil  has  been  well 
moistened  by  the  autumn  rains,  yet  before  the  ground  has  become  soddened 
and  much  reduced  in  temperature.  Vines  entirely  in  outside  borders  are 
not  desirable  for  early  forcing,  though  it  is  sometimes  necessary  to  make 
the  most  of  them  for  the  purpose,  and  in  that  case  a  supply  of  fermenting 
materials  must  be  held  in  readiness  for  placing  in  the  border  and  to  renew 
the  heat  as  required.  Fermenting  material  is  also  a  great  aid  in  forcing 
operations  where  the  roots  are  partly  or  entirely  inside,  as  they  generate 
and  maintain  a  genial  condition  of  the  atmosphere,  without  recourse  to  so 
much  fire  heat  or  sprinkling  from  the  syringe.  In  that  case  the  material 
should  be  placed  in  the  house  when  it  is  closed,  turning  the  heap  a  time 
or  two  so  as  to  become  somewhat  sweetened  before  use. 
Second  Early  Houses. — Vines  to  be  started  at  the  new  year  to  afford 
ripe  Grapes  in  late  May  or  early  in  June,  ought  now  to  be  pruned  and 
dressed,  removing  the  loose  bark  only,  and  washing  them  with  a  tepid 
solution  of  caustic  6oda  and  pearlash,  1  oz.  each  to  1^  gallon  of  water. 
The  house  also  must  be  thoroughly  cleans’d,  whitewashing  the  walls,  and 
painting  the  wood  and  ironwork  if  necessar3r.  Loose  surface  soil 
should  be  removed  and  a  couple  of  inches  thickness  of  fresh  loam 
be  supplied,  sprinkling  about  4  ozs.  of  the  following  mixture  over  each 
square  yard  :  Steamed  bonemeal,  two  parts,  and  one  part  double  sulphate 
of  potash  and  magnesia  ;  mix,  scratching  in  lightly.  The  house  should 
be  kept  cool  and  dry,  ventilating  fully  except  when  frost  prevails,  and 
only  use  fire  heat  to  exclude  it  or  prevent  the  hot-water  pipes  becoming 
frozen. 
THE  KITCHEN  GARDEN. 
Asparagus. — Since  the  rains  have  fal  en  Asparagus  plants  are  be¬ 
having  somewhat  peculiarly  in  many  gardens.  They  are  pushing  up  strong 
young  shoots  which  ought  to  have  come  either  earlier  in  the  season  or 
remained  dormant  till  next  spring.  Nothing  but  an  early  frost  will 
check  this  undesirable  activity.  Cutting  down  the  tops  before  quite  yellow 
is  a  mistake  at  any  time,  and  this  autumn  would  only  aggravate  the  evil 
alluded  to.  The  late  shoots  are  bound  to  suffer  from  frosts,  and  any  that 
escape  may  well  be  cut  off  with  the  matured  grow  ths.  Where  weeds  are 
springing  up  thickly  take  advantage  of  dry  sunny  days  to  hoe  among 
the  plants. 
Beet. — The  Beet  crops,  notably  of  varieties  possessing  a  good  consti¬ 
tution,  are  very  satisfactory  in  most  gardens.  The  roots  are  susceptible 
■of  injury  from  frosts.  At  present  they  are  well  protected  by  their  own 
leaves,  but  after  the  first  touch  of  frost  no  further  risks  should  be  run. 
If  the  ground  is  hird  a  fork  should  be  used  for  liffing  the  roots,  with  a 
view  to  breaking  as  few  fangs  as  possible.  The  coarsest  roots,  or  those 
approaching  the  character  of  a  Mangold,  as  well  as  the  very  small  roots, 
ought  to  bo  discarded.  The  rest,  alter  having  their  tops  either  twisted 
off  or  lightly  trimmed,  not  cutting  the  crowns  of  the  roots,  and  cleared 
of  the  rough  soil  clinging  to  them,  should  be  stored  where  they  will  be 
protected  from  frosts,  rats,  dry  air  and  excessive  damp.  They  may  be 
packed  in  sand,  fine  ashes,  or  soil,  crowns  outwards  and  just  showing. 
Carrots. — Much  that  has  been  advised  concerning  Beet  also  applies  to 
Carrots.  Only  those  roots  nearly  or  quite  fully  grown  ought  to  be  lifted, 
undersized  or  growing  roots  keeping  best,  and  proving  the  tenderest  and 
sweetest  when  drawn  from  the  open  ground  as  required.  An  ordinary 
frost  does  not  injure  small  Carrots,  but  when  a  severe  fro  J  is  anticipated 
it  is  well  to  cover  a  portion  of  the  bed  with  short  strawy  litter,  and  it 
will  then  be  possible  to  lift  rcots  in  all  but  the  severest  weather. 
Other  Root  Crops. — Chicory  roots  may  be  left  where  grown,  digging 
the  requisite  number  as  they  are  wanted  for  forcing,  or  they  mry  be  lifted 
and  stored  in  soil  against  a  cool  wall.  Jerusalem  Artichokes  also  keep 
well  where  grown,  or  they  may  be  lifted  and  stored  in  sand  or  soil, 
further  protecting  from  severe  lrost.  Parsnips  keep  best  undug,  stored 
roots  being  apt  to  become  shrivelled  and  tough.  Heavily  covering  a 
portion  of  the  bed  with  strawy  litter  renders  it  possible  to  lift  roots  in 
frosty  weather.  Salsafy  and  Scorzonera  may  be  treated  similarly  to 
Parsnips  with  advantage,  or  be  stored  as  advised  in  tho  case  of  Chicory. 
Parsley. — At  the  present  time  Parsley  is  looking  remarkably  well, 
and  if  we  experience  only  moderately  severe  frosts  during  the  winter 
doubtless  it  will  be  plentiful  enough.  So  constant  is  the  demand,  how¬ 
ever,  that  an  effort  ought  always  to  be  made  to  keep  up  a  supply  cf 
Parsley  in  the  event  of  the  open  air  plants  being  crippled  or  killed  by 
frost.  Only  a  limited  number  of  gardeners  can  devote  a  pit  or  frame  to 
its  culture,  but  in  most  cases  there  is  nothing  to  preven?  a  few  dozen 
plants  being  wintered  under  glass.  Strong  young  plants  lift  readily,  tho 
stout  tap  root  supporting  them  till  they  have  made  abundance  of  fresh 
root  fibres.  No  attempt  should  be  made  to  save  the  lower  old  leaves, 
and  if  these  are  picked  off  the  plants  can  be  packed  somewhat  closely 
together  in  deep  pots,  boxes,  or  beds  of  rich  soil. 
Protecting  Vegetables  and  Salading. — It  is  scarcely  possible  to  protect 
tali  rows  of  Peas  or  Runner  Beans,  bnt  it  sometimes  pays  well  to  afford 
some  sort  of  protection  to  medium  or  dwarf  rows,  and  also  breadths  of 
dwarf  Peas  and  Kidney  Beans.  Branches  of  forest  trees  before  the 
leaves  fall,  Pea  stakes  with  old  haulm  on  them,  and  branches  of  evergreens 
fixed  temporarily  over  the  rows,  will  frequently  save  them  from  partial 
destruction  by  frost  and  prolong  the  supply  of  choice  vegetables  till 
some  time  in  November.  The  dwarf  rows  can  bo  surrounded  by  boards 
and  covered  with  long  stakes,  blinds,  mats,  or  glazed  lights.  The  change 
from  dry  to  showery  weather  has  caused  Globe  Artichokes  to  grow 
strongly,  and  if  the  weather  remains  mild  some  good  late  head*  will 
yet  be  produced.  These  would  be  greatly  appreciated  in  many  estab¬ 
lishments  during  October  or  later,  and  they  could  be  saved  from  frost 
by  enclosing  the  productive  plants  by  tall  stout  stakes  and  Russian 
mats.  Productive  Vegetable  Marrows  should  be  protected  with  mats.  A 
portion  of  the  more  forward  Cos  Lettuce  ought  to  be  lightly  tied,  then 
carefully  lifted  with  a  ball  of  sod  about  the  roots,  and  replanted  some¬ 
what  closely  in  frames  where  they  can  be  protected,  if  need  be,  with 
glazed  lights,  mats,  or  both.  Endive  should  be  similarly'  treated.  Some 
of  this  might  be  stored  in  pits  or  on  the  borders  of  Peach  houses. 
Blanching  would  be  facilitated  by  tying  and  covering  with  8  inch  pots 
with  their  drainage  holes  stopped. 
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-IE  BEE-KEEPER. 
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Marketing  Honey. 
It  is  discouraging  to  bee-keepers  who,  hiving  obtained  a  surplus 
from  their  bees,  are  unable  to  find  a  market  for  their  produce.  Owing 
to  the  honey  hirvest  being  so  unfavourable  aud  the  lioneydew  so 
prevalent  last  year,  a  great  amount  of  foreign  produce  was  placed  on 
the  market.  Much  of  this  we  find  is  still  in  the  hands  of  the 
retail  i-hop-keepers.  It  is  of  inferior  quality,  and  does  not  command 
a  ready  sale,  as  in  many  instances  the  same  price  is  charged  as  would 
be  a-ked  for  the  best  samples  of  English  honey. 
Bee-keepers,  however,  have  the  matter  very  much  in  their  own 
hands.  If  they  ivill  supply  a  good  aiticle,  put  up  in  handy  form  and 
offered  at  a  fair  price,  there  is  always  a  good  mirket  for  English 
honey.  It  is  the  small  bee-keeper  who  has  the  greatest  difficulty  iu 
disposing  of  his  produce.  In  an  apiary  where  the  hives  containing 
bees  may  be  counted  by  the  dozen,  the  bee-keeper  will  often  dispose 
of  a  large  harvest  much  more  readily  than  one  having  only  half  a 
dozen  stocks. 
The  days  of  big  prices  are  gone,  but  by  close  attention  to  the 
details,  such  as  grading,  and  only  marketing  the  best  samples,  placing 
the  produce  in  neat  screw  top  glass  jars,  which  should  be  carefully 
labelled  with  the  producer’s  own  label,  which  will  be  a  mark  of 
genuineness,  and  may  be  a  great  help  to  future  sales,  is  more  than 
repaid.  If  sections  are  used  for  comb  honey  let  them  be  wtll  sealed 
over  before  removing  them  from  the  hive.  If  the  wood  is  discoloured 
with  propolis,  it  should  be  carefully  scraped  with  a  blunt  knife,  and 
those  that  are  badly  marked  will  be  improved  if  rubbed  over  with 
coarse  sandpaper. 
The  tops  of  the  sections  should  always  have  a  mark  placed  on  them, 
so  that  they  may  be  stood  in  the  same  position  they  occupied  in  the 
hiv.\  These  are  a  few  of  the  chief  points  that  make  all  the  difference 
between  success  and  failure  in  marketing  honey.  If  more  attention 
were  paid  to  neatness  and  the  general  get  up  of  our  produce,  bee¬ 
keepers  would  have  little  reason  to  complain  of  their  inability  to 
find  a  market  for  their  honey. 
Grading  Honey. 
As  mentioned  above,  it  is  most  important  that  honey  should  be 
graded.  It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  honey  obtained  from  different 
flowers  varies  in  a  marked  degree.  In  some  districts  a  surplus  is 
obtained  from  the  fruit  trees ;  this  has  a  greenish  tinge,  is  thin,  and  does 
not  granulate  readily.  If  a  large  bulk  of  this  were  mixed  with  say 
an  equal  quantity  of  while  Clover  honey,  the  whole  would  then  be  a 
very  inferior  sample.  But  by  keeping  each  separate,  they  would  stand 
on  their  own  merits. 
A  surplus  may  always  be  depended  on  from  field  Beans  if  they  ar 
grown  in  quantity,  and  that  all-important  factor  in  honey  production, 
the  weather,  is  favourable.  The  honey  obtained  from  this  source  is  of 
good  flavour,  brown  in  colour,  but  somewhat  coarse  in  the  graiu. 
Although  it  does  not  look  so  well  when  bottled  as  some  of  the  lighter 
honeys,  still  it  is  preferred  by  many  people. 
Mustard  is  extensively  grown  in  some  districts,  notably  in 
Lincolnshire,  This  plant  yields  a  great  amount  of  honey,  which  is 
very  white,  but  of  poor  flavour.  Next  comes  the  test  of  all  honey 
producing  flowers,  White  Clover,  which  is  extensively  grown  through¬ 
out  the  country  in  the  sheep  pastures,  and  if  the  weather  is  favourable 
it  is  surprising  the  large  amount  of  honey  that  will  be  stored  in  a  few 
hours.  It  is  of  exquisite  flavour,  very  light  in  colour,  and  fine  in 
grain.  It  is  the  beau  ideal  of  a  good  honey.  The  White  Clover  is 
closely  followed  by  the  Lime.  It  is  somewhat  difficult  to  keep  ihe 
two  separate.  The  latter  is  bright  yellow  in  colour,  and  when  mixed 
with  the  former  it  has  a  pleasing  effect. — An  English  Bee-keeper. 
