456 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  8,  1896. 
It  is  well  to  half-shorten  very  long  young  branches  in  the  autmmn, 
cutting  them  further  back  when  growth  starts  in  the  spring.  It  is  best 
to  leave  short  or  weak  branches  entire,  as  they  will  produce  the  first 
leaves  from  the  terminal  buds,  and  these  are  an  incentive  to  root  action. 
When  growth  is  free  from  the  strong  shortened  branches  the  smaller 
may  be  cut  clean  Jut.  Our  remarks  on  pruning  mainly  apply  to  open 
bush  or  standard  trees.  Wall  trees  will  be  referred  to  in  a  future  issue. 
FRUIT  FOROING. 
Vines, — Early  Forced  Vines  in  —Stout  well  ripened  canes, 
with  plump  buds,  and  given  a  short  rest,  will,  if  started  now,  and  the 
varieties  White  Frontignan,  Foster’s  Seedling,  Black  Hamburgh,  and 
Madresfield  Court,  afford  fruit  for  table  in  April,  or  by  the  end  of  March 
with  sharp  forcing.  The  Vines  require  a  light,  airy,  efficiently  heated 
structure,  which  may  be  a  lean-to  or  three-quarter  span  roof,  facing 
south.  If  the  hot  water  pipes  are  at  the  front  of  the  house  the  Vines 
naay  be  stood  upon  them  on  tiles  or  slates.  The  drainings  of  the  water 
given  keep  up  a  genial  moisture,  as  well  as  afford  ammonia  to  the 
atmosphere  when  liquid  manure  is  used. 
Pits  having  beds  in  which  fermenting  materials  may  be  placed 
answer  admirably  for  forcing  Vines  in  pots,  contingent  on  their  having 
the  necessary  hot  water  pipes  for  top  heat.  Pedestals  of  loose  bricks 
should  be  formed  in  the  beds,  so  as  to  raise  the  pots  to  the  requisite 
heat  and  prevent  sinking,  as  would  be  the  case  were  the  Vines  stood 
on  the  fermenting  material.  This  is  essential  whether  the  Vines  are 
trained  to  a  trellis  at  12  to  15  inches  distance  from  the  glass  or  coiled  round 
stakes  where  there  is  no  trellis.  Vines  in  pots  and  restricted  thereto 
afford  excellent  fruit  with  judicious  feeding,  but  if  weight  and  quality 
of  Grapes  are  desired  the  apertures  in  the  pots  should  be  widened,  and 
some  turfy  loam  placed  within  reach  of  the  roots.  The  loam  may  be 
placed  against  or  on  the  pedestals  of  loose  brickwork,  and  the  roots  will 
follow  the  liquid  manure  given  and  gather  8upp>ort  for  the  Vines.  Oak 
or  Beech  leaves  are  the  best  to  afford  bottom  heat — they  afford  a  genial 
warmth  and  regular  mo  sture  in  the  early  stages,  and  rich  stimulating 
food  when  the  demands  of  the  Vines  are  greatest. 
The  canes  should  be  kept  horizontally,  or  have  the  ends  depressed  if 
necessary,  to  insure  their  breaking  evenly  from  the  base  upwards.  The 
heat  about  the  pots  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  the  Vines  are  in  leaf.  Although  it  is  necessary 
to  have  the  soil  moderately  moist,  an  excess  of  water  is  undesirable  in 
the  earlv  stages,  as  it  is  injurious  to  the  fibres.  Merely  keep  the  soil 
moist  until  the  Vines  start  into  leaf,  increasing  the  supply  as  the  foliage 
unfolds  ;  damp  the  Vines  and  bouse  two  or  three  times  a  day,  and 
maintain  a  temperature  of  55°,  and  65°  on  fine  days. 
Early  Forced  Planted-out  Vines. — To  have  ripe  Grapes  at  the  end  of 
April  or  early  in  May  the  house  must  be  closed  by  the  middle  of  the 
month.  This  more  particularly  applies  to  young  and  vigorous  Vines 
that  do  not,  as  a  rule,  start  into  growth  so  quickly  as  those  that  have 
been  forced  for  a  number  of  years.  This  is  also  the  case  with  Vines 
that  have  not  previously  been  subjected  to  early  forcing.  To  produce  a 
humid  atmosphere,  and  economise  fuel,  a  good  ridge  of  fermenting 
material  may  be  placed  upon  the  floor  or  inside  border,  and  turned  at 
short  intervals,  additions  being  made  as  the  heat  declines.  The  tem¬ 
perature  of  the  house  may  range  50°  at  night,  55°  by  day,  and  65°  on 
bright  days.  The  outside  border  should  be  protected  from  wet  and  frost 
by  a  covering  of  leaves  or  other  approved  means. 
Houses  Cleared  of  Orapes. — Attend  to  pruning  directly  the  Vines 
are  leafless  and  the  Grapes  cut.  If  the  Vines  have  stoat  short-jointed 
wood,  thoroughly  ripened,  and  the  buds  plump,  they  may  safely  be 
pruned  to  a  couple  of  buds.  If,  however,  the  lowest  buds  are  small, 
and  the  Vines  from  similar  buds  in  previous  years  have  not  given 
bunches  as  large  as  desired,  the  shoots  may  be  left  a  little  longer, 
pruning  in  all  cases  to  a  round,  not  flat,  bud,  on  thoroughly  ripened 
wood.  Free  the  Vines  from  loose  bark,  avoiding  close  peeling  and 
scraping,  and  cut  away  all  “snags.”  Wash  the  rods  with  an  approved 
insecticide,  using  a  brush,  and  reach  well  into  every  angle  and  crevice, 
Limewash  the  walls,  and  paint  the  house  and  trellis  if  necessary. 
Remove  the  mulchings  or  loose  soil  down  to  the  roots,  and  place  on  a 
couple  of  inches  in  thickness  of  fresh  loam.  If  the  roots  are  deep  raise 
them  nearer  the  surface,  and  lay  them  in  fresh  material,  such  as  the 
following : — Turfy  loam  cut  3  inches  thick,  and  chopped  up  rather 
small,  ten  barrowloads,  and  add  to  it  two  barrowloads  of  old  mortar 
rubbish,  one  of  “  nuts  ”  charcoal,  and  a  similar  amount  of  wood  ashes 
or  charred  refuse,  with  half  a  bushel  of  soot  and  a  peck  of  crushed 
bones.  Incorporate  the  ingredients  well  together.  If  the  houses  must 
be  used  for  plant*  they  should  be  kept  cool,  admitting  air  freely,  not 
exceeding  40°  to  45°  by  artificial  means.  Admit  air  freely  on  all  but 
very  severe  weather  where  there  are  no  plants  in  the  house,  a  few  degrees 
of  frost  not  injuring  the  Vines, 
Houses  of  t  Jein-skinned  Grapes.— TaQ  soil  and  atmosphere  have 
been  saturated  by  the  recent  heavy  rains,  and  these  have  caused  Black 
Hamburghs  to  damp  considerably.  A  slight  warmth  in  the  hot  water 
pipes  will  be  required  almost  constantly  to  maintain  an  equable 
temperature,  but  this  must  not  be  too  high,  or  it  will  so  dry  the  atmo¬ 
sphere  as  to  cause  the  Grapes  to  shrivel  prematurely.  A  temperature  of 
40°  to  45°  at  night  and  50°  by  day  will  be  sufficient,  ventilating  freely 
and  early  in  bright  weather,  so  as  to  prevent  moisture  being  condensed 
on  the  .  berries .  Outside  borders  should  be  covered  with  tarpaulins,  or 
preferably  lights,  to  throw  off  heavy  rains  ;  and  if  inside  borders  are 
gives  a  covering  of  dry  straw  it  will  prevent  its  cracking  asd  keep  dowa 
moisture  considerably,  but  thei  point  is  ventilation  and  a  drip-proof 
roof. 
Late  Grapes  not  Finishing  Well, — This  usually  arises  from  three 
primary  causes — namely,  starting  the  Vines  too  late,  and  not  accelerat¬ 
ing  thorough  growth  during  the  spring  and  early  summer  months,  so  as 
to  give  the  Grapes  the  full  benefit  of  the  summer  sun  to  swell  and  ripen. 
Overcropping,  too,  not  only  prejudices  the  current  crop  but  militates 
considerably  against  the  succeeding  year’s  bearing  of  the  Vines.  A 
bad  condition  of  the  roots  is,  however,  the  most  disastrous  of  all,  for 
improper  food  is  attended  with  many  evils,  and  hinders  the  perfection  of 
the  crop.  If  the  defect  is  due  to  overcropping,  relief  should  be  sought 
by  cutting  a  portion  of  the  crop  at  the  earliest  convenience,  and 
though  nothing  will  be  gained  by  pushing  the  fire  now  the  temperature 
should  be  maintained  at  60°  to  65°,  with  10°  to  15°  advance  from  sun 
heat,  so  as  to  secure  the  thorough  ripening  of  the  wood,  admitting  air 
freely  when  the  weather  is  favourable,  and  leaving  a  little  on  con¬ 
stantly.  When  the  cause  can  be  traced  to  improper  drainage  or  bad 
border  no  time  should  be  lost  after  the  wo(^  becomes  sufficiently 
ripened,  or  when  leaves  give  indications  of  falling,  in  getting  out  the 
old  soil,  rectifying  the  drainage,  and  relaying  the  roots  in  fresh  compost. 
IV  -  J  1  r«l  1  ITiL  1'. ’1  .  1  1  .  i  .  1  J  i  '.T'  7.  I  -  1  -  1  .  t  -  T'-  »  1  »  1  1  -  t  s  1  «  I  "  l*"1 
Si 
IE  BEE-KEBPER. 
SEASONABLE  NOTES. 
Aspect  for  Hives. 
There  is  great  diversity  of  opinion  amongst  bee-keepers  on  this 
subject.  Some  very  successful  ones  that  I  am  acquainted  with 
will  always  insist  in  placing  the  entrance  of  their  hives  facing  due 
south,  and  will  tell  one  in  strict  confidence  that  it  is  useless  placing 
them  in  any  other  position.  Others  again,  myself  included,  are 
not  at  all  particular,  provided  they  are  placed  in  a  fairly  sheltered 
spot,  whether  they  face  east,  west,  or  south  is  immaterial — in 
fact,  I  would  go  further  still,  and  should  not  be  at  all  particular 
about  having  them  placed  in  a  northern  aspect.  It  is  not  so  much 
the  position  the  various  colonies  occupy  as  their  management 
and  close  attention  to  detail,  doing  the  right  thing  and  at  the  right 
time. 
I  am  convinced  that  the  position  of  the  hives  has  very  little  to* 
do  with  success  or  failure  in  bee-keeping.  In  my  own  apiary  I 
have  at  least  three  dozen  colonies  facing  due  west.  They  were  not 
placed  there  because  it  was  considered  the  best  possible  aspect  for 
them,  but  because  it  was  the  best  position  under  the  circumstances 
for  manipulating.  Others  again  are  in  an  extremely  warm  spot 
facing  south,  whilst  a  few  stocks  have  an  eastern  aspect.  Now 
bees  situated  in  a  variety  of  aspects  as  these  are  give  one  who  is  a 
close  observer  a  splendid  opportunity  of  judging,  and  giving  an^ 
opinion  after  experimenting  with  them  for  many  years  past. 
Conclusions  Arrived  at. 
A  couple  of  stocks  have  uiualiy  been  selected  from  each- 
position.  These  were  taken  at  random,  and  were  closely  examined 
occasionally,  to  see  what  difference,  if  any,  existed  in  those  from 
various  aspects .  This  has  gone  on,  not  for  one  year  only,  but  for 
at  least  a  dozen  years  ;  and  the  conclusion  I  have  come  to  is  that 
— taking  one  season  with  another,  strange  as  it  may  seem  to  those 
who  have  not  studied  the  matter  closely — there  is  no  perceptible 
difference.  As  is  well  known  to  the  majority  of  bee-keepers,  there 
are  no  two  stocks  in  an  apiary  alike.  Take  two  colonies  standing 
side  by  side,  which  to  all  appearance  are  headed  by  a  good  fertile 
queen,  and  have  each  about  the  same  number  of  bees,  say  the- 
first  week  in  May,  neither  of  them  are  allowed  to  swarm,  and  in 
due  course  are  supered.  The  probabilities  are  by  the  end  of  the 
season  that  one  colony  will  have  stored  a  much  greater  surplu* 
than  the  other. 
Why  this  should  be  I  do  not  know,  but  nevertheless  it  is  a  fact,  . 
and  with  this  exception — it  may  be  this  year  from  a  colony  having 
an  eastern  aspect,  next  year  it  will  not  be  the  same  hive,  but  one 
occupying  a  different  position  altogether,  thus  showing  that  the 
aspect  the  various  hives  occupy  has  really  very  little  to  do  with 
the  weight  of  honey  stored.  It  is,  however,  an  advantage  that 
must  not  be  ignored,  to  place  all  the  bees  in  as  sheltered  a  spot  as 
may  come  most  conveniently  to  hand. — An  English  Bee-keeper. 
TRADE  CATALOGUE  RECEIVED. 
Kelway  &  Son,  Langport. — Gladioli. 
Extract  prom  a  Lecture  on  “Poods,”  by  Dr.  Andrew  Wilson.— “ The- 
coRsumpiion  ol  coooa  happily  increases  year  by  year  I  say  ‘  happily,’  because,  as  tea 
and  coffee  are  not  foods,  while  cocoa  is  a  true  food,  any  increase  in  the .  national 
nutrition  means  an  increase  in  the  national  prosperity,  '^nter,  besides,  is  close  npon 
ns,  and  I  advise  those  who  are  susceptible  to  colds  to  fortify  themselves  against  ohill 
by  attention  to  their  food.  The  easiest  way  of  effecting  this  end  for  many  is  tOb. 
substitute  opcoa  (Epps’s  being  the  most  nutritious)  for  tea  and  coffee."— [Adtt.] 
