478 
JOrmi^AL  OP  ftoRPtantfURP  AKO  OOTPaOP  OAkbEMk 
iio’^einbor  li,  1SSS>^  - 
PelariTonlums. — Keep  thene  on  ihelves  close  to  the  glass,  where 
the  temperature  will  not  fall  below  40°,  or  rise  beyond  45°  at  night. 
Abundance  of  air  must  be  given  daring  the  day.  Young  stock  well 
established  in  3-inch  pots  should  be  placed  into  5-inch.  The  point  of 
e.aub  plant  onght  to  be  removed,  if  this  has  not  already  been  done. 
Late  cuttings,  poorlv  rooted,  may  be  placed  on  a  shelf  where  a  tern 
peratare  of  60°  to  65°  can  be  maintained  antil  they  commence  to  root 
and  grow,  when  they  mast  be  hardened  to  cool  airy  treatment.  Old 
plants  cat  back  late  may  have  the  soil  shaken  from  them,  and  be  re¬ 
potted  into  smaller  pots.  Great  care  is  necessary  in  watering  these 
plants,  or  their  foliage  will  damp  and  become  spotted.  They  should 
be  potted  firmly  and  kept  on  the  dry  side,  but  care  must  be  taken  to  give 
them  sufficient  water  to  prevent  their  fresh-growing  roots  perishing. 
Petunias. — Y^oung  plants  in  3-inch  pots  should  be  placed  on  a  shelf 
close  to  the  glass.  When  they  have  well  filled  these  with  roots  they 
ought  to  be  transferred  to  5-inch  pots. 
Xmantopfiy llama. — These  should  be  kept  perfectly  cool  and  on  the 
dry  side  at  their  roots,  or  the  tips  of  their  foliage  are  very  liable  to 
die  back.  Where  seed  on  any  specially  good  kinds  is  ripe  it  should  be 
dried  and  then  sown  in  a  pan  or  pot,  and  placed  in  a  temperature  of 
(>0°.  Seedlings  ought  to  be  grown  in  heat,  where  they  will  make  much 
greater  progress. 
Amaryllis.— Even  the  latest  of  these  should  have  completed  their 
growth.  It  the  foliage  has  practically  died  away  store  them  under  the 
stage  where  they  can  enjoy  a  lengthened  period  of  rest.  Some  of  the 
earliest  that  have  been  well  rested  may  have  the  old  soil  shaken  from 
them,  repotted,  and  placed  in  the  forcing  house.  The  old  Johnsoni 
varieties  are  useful  for  this  purpose.  Care  is  needed  after  flowering  to 
prevent  the  foliage  drawing  up  weakly.  They  do  fairly  well  on  a  shelf 
where  heat  is  maintained  to  assist  them  to  make  their  growth. 
Araucaria  excelsa. — This  is  a  capital  room  plant ;  iu  fact,  one  of 
the  best  that  can  be  grown.  Young  plants  in  6 -inch  pots  should  not  be 
confined  at  their  roots  if  rapid  progress  is  needed.  The  plants  may  be 
placed  in  7-inch  pots.  It  is  a  mistake  to  overpot  them.  This  plant 
grows  much  more  rapidly  where  a  little  higher  temperature  than  that 
of  an  ordinary  greenhouse  is  maintained,  but  it  must  not  be  rushed 
up  quickly  in  heat. 
Chrysanthemums.— As  these  go  out  of  flower  remove  any  weakly 
growths,  and  place  the  plants  in  a  cool  house,  where  they  will  soon  pro¬ 
duce  strong  sturdy  cuttings  that  are  certain  to  root  and  do  well  after¬ 
wards.  Cuttings  of  the  earliest  flowering  section  may  be  taken  off  and 
rooted  whenever  they  are  ready.  It  is  best  to  root  them  under  hand- 
lights  in  a  cool  house.  Careful  feeding  should  be  practised  with  those 
that  are  developing  their  blooms.  Late  kinds  must  not  be  neglected. 
Give  abundance  of  air,  and  syringe  gently  twice  on  fine  days.  Ventilate 
the  structure  early  in  the  morning  where  large  flowers  are  expanding, 
or  the  work  of  the  season  may  be  destroyed  by  the  flowers  damping  or 
becoming  spotted. 
Xlllnm  Barrlsl. — Bulbs  should  be  removed  from  the  ashes  under 
which  they  were  placed  to  start.  Place  the  plants  on  a  shelf  in  the 
greenhonse  where  slow  but  sturdy  growth  will  be  made.  Give  watet. 
as  soon  as  they  are  removed  from  the  plunging  material,  aud  be  careful 
not  to  allow  them  to  become  dry. 
SEASONABLE  NOTES. 
Wax  for  Exhibition. 
Many  bee-keepers  have  a  difficulty  in  obtaining  a  really  first- 
class  sample  of  light-coloured  wax,  and  since  my  notes  appeared  on 
the  rendering  of  wax  from  old  combs  a  reader  seeks  for  further 
information  as  to  the  means  employed  to  obtain  such  splendid 
samples  as  are  occasionally  seen  on  the  exhibition  table-  It  is  well 
known  that  old  combs  of  dark  colour — and  the  older  they  are,  as  a 
rule,  the  darker  they  become — will  never  melt  into  light  coloured 
wax;  for  that  reason  it  is  not  as  valuable  as  the  better  class 
article. 
I  lately  visited  one  of  the  largest  and  most  successful  bee-keepers 
in  Hunts,  and  amongst  other  things  I  admired  in  his  apiary  were 
several  large  moulds  of  wax  weighing  about  10  or  12  lbs.  each. 
Although  DO  two  were  alike,  all  were  of  a  splendid  quality.  One 
mould  in  particular  attracted  my  attention,  being  very  light  in 
colour.  This  had  been  exhibited  at  different  shows  and  awarded 
several  prizes. 
I  found  on  inquiry  that  special  care  had  been  taken,  not  only 
in  rendering  the  wax,  but  in  selecting  the  material.  All  cappings 
that  had  accumulated  during  the  extracting  season  were  taken  care 
of  and  put  on  one  side  in  a  clean  vessel  away  from  the  dust  and 
dirt.  Brace  combs,  which  are  sometimes  found  between  the  frames 
whilst  extractiilg  and .  being  newly  built,  are  light  in  colour,  were 
placed  in  the  same  vessel,  also  all  spare  pieces  of  light  comb,  all 
combs  that  had  a  tendency  to  be  the  least  dark  coloured  being 
rejected  for  this  special  purpose.  By  the  end  of  the  season,  in  a 
large  apiary,  there  will  be  sufficient  to  make  a  good  feiaed  lump, 
which,  after  being  washed,  is  prepared  in  the  asual  manner,  and  if 
care  has  been  taken  throughout  the  process  the  result  will  be  a 
sample  of  wax  of  superior  quality,  us-ful  for  either  exhibition  or 
home  use,  and  which  will  sell  readily  in  the  open  market. 
Is  THE  Spraying  op  Trees  Injurious  to  Bees? 
Visiting  a  large  garden  in  the  West  of  England  lately  in  which 
there  are  a  numter  of  stocks  of  bees  kept  in  modern  frame  hives, 
I  was  surprised  to  informed  by  the  gardener  that  many  of  his 
colonies  of  bees  had  during  the  past  season  become  very  weak, 
owing  to  the  loss  of  bees,  occasioned,  as  he  thought,  by  spraying 
the  fruit  trees  with  the  usual  mixture  recommended  for  that 
purpose.  He  being  a  large  fruit  grower,  used  the  sprayer  some¬ 
what  extensively,  and  as  the  mixture  contained  poison  he  attributed 
his  losses  to  this  cause. 
I  do  not  remember  the  danger  arising  from  this  cause  being 
mentioned  before,  but  if  it  is  a  fact  (and  my  friend  appeared  to 
think  there  was  no  donbt  in  the  matter)  fruit  growers,  who  are  also 
bee  keepers,  should  be  careful,  how  and  when  they  spray  their 
trees,  as  one  can  well  imagine  the  bees;  taking  the  moisture  rapidly 
from  the  leaves  of  the  trees  directly  it  has  left  the  sprayer,  and  if 
it  is  of  sufficient  strength  to  destroy  the  various  insects  which 
infest  the  fruit  trees  it  is  only  reasonable  to  suppose  it  would 
have  the  same  effect  on  the  bees  who  take  it.  It  is  therefore 
advisable  for  bee-keepers  to  be  on  the  alert. — An  English 
Bee-keei*er. 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  be 
directed  to  “  The  Editor.”  Letters  addressed  personally  to 
Dr.  Hogg  or  members  of  the  staff  often  remain  unopened 
unavoidably.  We  request  that  no  one  will  write  privately 
to  any  of  our  correspondents,  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. 
Oorrespondents  should  not  mix  up  on  the  same  sheet  questions 
relating  to  Gardening  and  those  on  ^ee  subjects,  and  should 
never  send  more  than  two  or  three  questions  at  once.  All 
articles  intended  for  insertion  should  be  written  on  one  side  of 
the  paper  only.  We  cannot,  as  a  rule,  reply  to  questions 
through  the  post,  and  we  do  not  undertake  to  return  rejected 
communications. 
Peach  Trees  In  Pots  (^Constancy-). — Established  plants  in  13  to 
18  inch  pots  require  now  that  a  few  inches  of  the  surface  soil  be 
removed  and  a  top-dressing  given  of  turfy  loam,  manure,  /,nd  crushed 
bones.  After  this  place  outdoors  iu  a  sheltered  position,  “(llunging  the 
pots  to  the  rim  in  ashes.  The  pruning  necessary  consists  of  retaining 
a  fair  number  of  young  sboots  well  ripened  to  bear  the  following 
season,  shortening  them  a  little  to  triple  buds.  The  shoots  may  be 
disposed  a  few  inches  apart  over  the  trees,  but  shorten  some  further 
back  for  originating  new  wood  for  the  succeeding  year.  Short  spur 
growths  should  be  retained  when  present,  but  all  weakly  and  crowded 
wood  or  spurs  removed.  In  January  place  the  plants  inside  in  a 
temperature  not  exceeding  50°.  Water  moderately,  bat  when  in  fall 
growth  freely,  never  allowing  the  soil  to  become  dry.  When  in  bearing 
give  liquid  manure.  Afford  plenty  of  ventilation.  Disbud  saperfluous 
.shoots  in  spring.  Do  not  allow  the  plants  to  bear  too  heavily. 
Beds  for  Tomatoes  (J.  L,  E.,  Lincoln). — Y’our  span-roof  house, 
30  feet  by  12  feet,  10  feet  high  in  the  centre  and  3  feet  at  the  sides,  is 
well  adapted  for  Tomato  growing.  In  order  to  have  the  plants  well  under 
control  they  should  be  grown  in  pits  formed  on  each  side  the  house,  hot- 
water  pipes  running  through  them.  Fill  up  above  the  pipes  with 
clinkers  or  rubble  stone,  over  that  lay  turf  sods,  then  the  soil  for 
planting  in.  A  width  of  2  feet  will  be  sufficient,  and  a  foot  depth 
of  prepared  compost  ample,  which  should  not  be  added  all  at  once. 
Plant  on  mounds  of  soil  not  less  than  a  foot  apart.  Confine  each  plant 
to  a  single  stem,  which  train  on  a  wire  under  roof.  This  method  and 
pot  culture  are  the  only  practicable  modes  for  early  crops,  because 
bottom  heat  is  essential,  though  it  must  not  be  strong.  For  the  earliest 
ciops  sow  the  first  week  in  January.  Grow  on  the  seedlings  as  sturdily  as 
possible,  affording  just  eufficieut  bottom  and  top  beat  to  keep  them 
moving,  with  abundance  of  light  to  prevent  weakness.  For  summer 
crops  only  the  plants  would  succeed  very  well  in  the  natural  soil  if 
good.  There  might  be  a  central  bed  with  the  planu  trained  upright, 
the  path  running  round  this.  Overcrowding,  however,  must  be  avoided. 
Cultivation  in  pots,  ;iad  allowing  the  plants  to  root  through  into  the 
soil  when  fruiting,  not  before,  is  a  good  plan> 
