April  30,  1886. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
40? 
will  not  require  sprinkling  so  often,  once  a  day  sufficing  when  the 
weather  is  bright,  and  none  at  all  when  the  weather  is  dull.  Give  the 
necessary  waterings,  using  liquid  manure  to  plants  in  full  bearing. 
Avoid  overcrowding  the  growths,  and  to  secure  clean  fruit  in  rapid 
succession  eschew  overbearing.  Straight  fruits  are  secured  under  such 
conditions,  or  if  not  place  the  fruit  in  glasses  as  soon  as  set.  Attend  to  the 
necessary  stopping,  thinning,  and  tying,  keeping  a  succession  of  fruitful 
growths.  No  more  fire  heat  should  be  used  than  is  absolutely  necessary. 
Strawberries  in  Pots. — The  present  is  a  trying  time  to  forcers  of 
Strawberries  in  vineries  and  Peach  houses,  for  however  good  the  manage¬ 
ment  red  spider  appears.  Arrangements  will  need  to  be  made  so  as  to 
have  a  succession  of  plants,  and  crops  that  are  ripening  too  fast  may 
be  retarded  in  various  ways  for  several  days  in  case  an  extra  supply  is 
needed  for  particular  occasion*.  The  expedients  are  turning  the  plant* 
so  that  the  fruit  will  be  from  the  sun,  shifting  to  a  north  house,  or 
removing  to  an  airy  fruit  room  or  shed  after  the  fruits  are  fully  ripe. 
Much  may  be  done  at  this  time  of  year  with  judicious  management. 
Plants  can  be  accommodated  in  cold"  or  low-heated  pits,  and  if  they 
have  the  pots  plunged  in  ashes  with  the  plants  well  up  to  the  glass, 
but  leaving  room  for  a  circulation  of  air  to  play  between  the  glass  and 
the  leaves,  will  make  sturdy  development,  and  the  forward  plants  from 
these  structures  can  always  be  picked  to  take  the  place  of  those  that 
have  the  fruit  ripe  and  ripening.  Supply  liquid  manure  at  every 
alternate  watering  to  plants  swelling  the  crops,  but  care  must  be  taken 
not  to  give  it  too  strong. 
THE  FLOWER  GARDEN. 
Asters. — Those  already  raised  with  a  view  to  having  an  early 
display  ought  to  be  pricked  out  in  boxes  of  rich  loamy  soil,  from  which 
each  plant  may  be  lifted  with  good  roots.  Keep  them  in  gentle  heat, 
shading  lightly  only  for  the  next  three  weeks,  afterwards  gradually 
hardening  the  plants.  Now  i*  a  good  time  to  sow  Aster  seed  extensively. 
It  will  germinate  in  three  days  if  placed  in  gentle  heat  and  well  shaded. 
Gradually  expose  and  harden,  pricking  out  sturdy  little  plants  thus 
obtained  in  boxes  or  beds  of  rich  loamy  soil  in  frames  by  the  end  of  April. 
Balsams. — When  either  raised  early  or  in  strong  heat  only  leggy, 
worthless  plants  result.  Sow  the  seed  thinly  in  boxes  or  pans,  place  in 
a  greenhouse  or  other  moderately  warm  place,  and  shade  till  the  plants 
are  up,  when  a  greenhouse  shelf  or  cold  frame  is  the  best  place  for 
them.  In  this  way  sturdy  little  plants  may  be  had,  which  should  be 
placed  singly  in  3^-  inch  pots. 
Carnations  and  Picotees. — The  Marguerite  section  of  Carnations 
ought  now  to  be  quite  forward  enough  to  place  singly  in  3-inch  pots. 
Keep  them  in  gentle  heat  or  rather  close  in  frames  till  they  are  rooting 
strongly,  when  they  may  be  hardened  and  planted  where  they  are  to 
liower.  Seedling  border  Carnations  and  Picotees  flower  grandly  in  the 
open  during  the  year  following  that  on  which  they  were  raised.  If 
already  large  enough  to  pot  singly  they  would  attain  an  extra  large 
size  by  the  autumn  and  flower  profusely  next  season.  It  is  not  yet  too 
late  to  sow.  Layered  plants  ought  not  to  be  kept  in  small  pots  any 
1  mger.  Plant  out  in  slightly  raised  beds  in  a  mixture  of  fresh  loam, 
old  Mushroom  bed  manure,  and  either  road  grit  or  sharp  sand.  Stir  the 
soil  about  the  old  plants,  and  top-dress  with  loam  and  manure. 
Gladiolus. — Corms  of  these  ought  now  to  be  planted  in  good  loamy 
compost.  Form  holes  4  inches  deep  with  a  trowel,  place  a  little  sharp 
sand,  wood  ashes,  and  charred  soil  in  the  bottom,  on  this  disposing  the 
corms.  They  may  either  be  arranged  in  groups  or  singly  from  15  inches 
to  18  inches  apart  each  way.  A  carpeting  of  Violas  or  Mignonette  can 
be  grown  with  them.  When  Gladioli  are  wanted  for  mixed  beds  and 
borders,  and  the  sites  are  not  yet  ready,  start  them  in  5-inch  pots,  and 
plant  out  late  in  May. 
Stocks. — Very  early  raised  plants  of  these  are  apt  to  become  spindly 
and  to  flower  prematurely.  Any  that  are  forward  enough  ought  to  be 
pricked  out  in  pan*  or  boxes  of  good  soil,  and  grown  in  frames  till  large 
enough  to  plant  out.  The  Ten-week  section  is  the  first  to  flower,  a 
succession  being  had  by  sowing  East  Lothian,  Earliest-flowering  Autumn, 
and  Princess  Alice  varieties. 
Hardy  Annuals. — It  would  be  a  mistake  to  longer  defer  sowing 
these  where  they  are  to  flower.  They  are  most  effective  arranged 
according  to  their  height*  in  patches  in  mixed  borders.  The  ground  for 
them  ought  be  manured  and  freely  worked,  taking  care  to  fine  it  down 
properly,  seeds  generally  failing  to  germinate  and  the  plants  to  grow 
satisfactorily  in  lumpy  soil.  Form  circular  shallow  depressions,  water  if 
at  all  dry,  sow  the  seed  thinly,  and  cover  lightly  with  a  little  sifted  soil 
obtained  from  the  frame  ground.  Trap  slugs  by  means  of  small  heaps  of 
Broccoli  leaves,  a  necessary  precaution  in  most  instances  this  season. 
Various. — Ornamental  Grasses  ought  to  be  sown  at  once.  They 
can  either  be  grown  in  rows,  where  they  may  be  cut  directly  they  are 
fit  for  drying,  or  in  patches  similarly  to  hardy  annuals.  Sunflowers 
may  be  raised  in  heat,  and  either  potted  singly  or  pricked  out  in  boxes. 
They  will  transplant  readily  enough.  Dianthuses  and  Phlox  Drum- 
mondi  ought  now  to  be  large  enough  for  pricking  out  into  boxes,  and 
given  a  fresh  start  in  a  warm  frame  will  develop  into  strong  plants  that 
may  be  hardened  and  planted  where  they  are  to  flower  before  the  busy 
time  commences.  Campanula  media  calycanthema  should  be  sown  at 
once  under  glass,  and  if  the  seedlings  are  not  neglected  they  ought  to  be 
strong  enough  to  flower  next  year.  Sow  Wallflowers  and  Forget-me- 
nots,  either  in  the  open  or  in  boxes,  at  once.  They  cannot  well  be  got 
too  forward.  Plant  out  Mignonette,  Sweet  Peas,  and  Iceland  Poppies 
raised  in  pots  before  they  become  badly  root-bound.  Hollyhocks  in 
small  pot*  to  be  given  a  shift  into  6-inch  pots,  and  kept  in  a  warm  frame 
or  pit  for  another  fortnight  or  three  weeks. 
J  rr~-  r'.i  -  i  -  r--  i  .  i  ;  r  -  i  .  i  .  i  ...  i  i  .  i  .  i  i  .  i  .r:  i  .  i  .  W"  TVal 
Utm\ 
4E  BEE-KEEPER.^ 
PRACTICAL  NOTES. 
It  is  one  thing  to  write  and  advise  but  another  to  put  into 
practice.  Many  contingencies  arise  to  upset  preconceived  theories 
and  compel  departure  from  stereotyped  rules,  consequently  the 
best  teaching  is  that  of  practical  workers,  who  detail  their 
experience  and  point  out  what  brought  about  success  or  failure. 
Bee*  are  not  exempt  from  occurrences  of  a  perplexing  nature, 
including  those  induced  by  adverse  weather. 
The  present  spring  has  been  the  most  trying  and  fatal  one  to 
bees  during  my  lifetime.  Until  tbe  18th  April  there  was  only  one 
day  on  which  the  bees  could  fly  with  Bafety  and  were  able  to  return 
to  their  hives  without  loss.  Previous  to  the  18th  inst.  we  had  severe 
wintry  weather  for  ten  days,  and  not  more  than  forty  hours  of 
sunshine  since  December.  On  the  11th  the  thermometer  *tood 
at  23°,  and  the  snow  covered  the  hills  from  top  to  bottom,  on  some 
of  them  to  a  considerable  depth.  The  wind  continued  north  by 
north-west,  and  was  very  high  nearly  all  the  time,  withering  fruit 
blossoms  and  flowers  and  keeping  bees  in  their  hives. 
There  was  no  opportunity  to  feed  with  either  peameal  or  syrup, 
and  fortunately  no  need  ;  when  bees  do  not  require  it  feeding  does 
more  harm  than  good.  I  never  knew  a  case  where  fed  have 
surpassed  unfed  one*.  Bees  know  their  time  to  increase  a*  well 
as  the  cuckoo  and  the  swallow  know  their  time  of  coming. 
A  favourable  change  for  tne  better  came  on  the  18th  ;  the 
wind  had  lulled,  the  sun  shone,  the  temperature  began  to  rise,  and 
on  the  22ad  stood  at  60°,  the  highest  of  the  year.  Bees  flew  out 
strongly,  carrying  so  much  honey  and  pollen  that  it  was  necessary 
to  widen  the  entrances  of  all  hives  except  two,  and  by  night  the 
sweat  stood  on  the  alighting  boards  to  the  full  breadth.  Now 
they  appear  more  like  swarming,  betraying  no  weakness  on  account 
of  the,  to  them,  untowaxd  season,  or  through  want  of  food. 
My  best  hive  is  a  crossed  Carniolan,  followed  closely  by  a 
number  of  crossed  Punics.  They  are  now  all  free  from  chloric 
dropsical  fever,  and  one  hive,  the  queen  of  which  was  hatched  in 
July,  1895,  and  fertilised  in  the  following  October,  is  hard  upon 
my  earliest  one,  although  most  of  its  original  bees  died  through 
disease  in  the  autumn. 
All  the  rest  are  queens  of  1894,  with  five  exceptions,  hatched  in 
August  and  September,  and  fertiliied  in  these  months.  The 
other  five  were  hatched  in  July. 
The  hives  to  depend  on  for  profit  when  properly  managed  in 
storyifying  hives  are  those  having  queens  which  have  bred  little 
during  the  previous  year  and  not  stimulated,  but  having  abundant 
stores  in  large  hives.  At  the  present  time  I  have  several  two- 
thirds  in  size  only,  and  they  are  my  weakest  colonies.  — 
A  Lanarkshire  Bee  keeper. 
FLOWERS  FOR  BEES. 
The  wealth  of  flowers  prevailing  in  all  directions  at  this  season 
is  apparent  to  the  most  casual  observer,  not  »o  much,  however,  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  large  towns,  where  it  is  pleasing  to  know 
many  bee-keeper*  follow  their  hobby,  though  not  always  under  the 
most  favourable  Conditions.  But  in  the  country,  far  removed  from 
the  smoke-laden  atmosphere,  may  be  seen  flower*  in  abundance  at 
almost  every  turn ;  some  are  small  and  insignificant,  and  would 
probably  pass  unnoticed  by  an  ordinary  observer,  but  not  so  by 
the  bees,  which  are  ever  on  the  alert  for  the  pollen  and  honey- 
producing  flowers. 
Among  our  trees  that  produce  the  latter  may  be  classed  the 
different  varieties  of  Box,  of  which  there  is  a  great  number,  and 
I  have  never  previously  observed  such  a  quantity  of  bloom  on 
them.  As  they  produce  a  large  amount  of  pollen  they  are  much 
frequented  by  bees. 
The  different  varieties  of  Willows,  too,  are  excellent  for 
producing  pollen  early  in  the  year,  and  during  a  forward  season, 
like  the  present,  honey  is  also  obtained  from  them.  As  there  are 
many  varieties,  the  season  is  prolonged  for  several  weeks — the 
earliest,  the  Palm  Willow,  commencing  blooming  in  February,  and 
other  kinds  are  still  in  flower.  The  early  Rhododendrons,  that 
withstood  the  extreme  cold  of  last  year,  are  now  a  gorgeous  mass 
of  bloom,  the  pollen  of  which  is  much  sought  after  both  by  the 
worker  and  the  humble  bee. 
In  the  woods  and  hedgerow*  may  be  seen  the  wild  Sloe,  a  sheet 
of  white  flowers,  reminding  one  of  the  Thorn  trees  that  will  be  in 
bloom  later  on.  The  wild  Cherry,  of  which  there  are  many  fine 
specimens  in  the  wood*  within  easy  reach  of  the  bees  in  my  apiary, 
are  now  in  bloom,  and  are  much  visited  by  the  busy  workers.  The 
Sycamore,  now  fast  opening  it*  drooping  flowers,  produces  honey  in 
