Dfitem'wr  31,  1S98, 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTIGULTURR  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
FBUIT  FORCING. 
Vines. — Earlieit  Forced  in  Pots. — The  canea  that  were  started  in 
November  will  now  have  the  root  action  excited  by  the  development  of 
the  foliage.  Great  care  is  ineceasary  at  thia  stage  to  avoid  chills,  anch 
as  those  resulting  from  cold  corrents  of  air  and  watering  with  cold 
water  or  liquid  manure.  The  temperature  aboat  the  pots  should  be 
kept  steady  at  70°  to  76°,  pressing  down  the  fermenting  materials, 
and  adding  fresh,  bat  sweetened,  as  required,  it  being  good  practice 
to  keep  a  heap  of  leaves  and  stable  litter  in  reserve,  from  which  the 
Bspply  may  be  drawn  as  needed.  Disbud  and  tie  down  before  the 
.  shoots  touch  the  glass,  not  being  in  too  great  a  hurry  in  stopping.  When 
two  leaves  are  made  beyond  the  bunch  pinch  ofE  at  that  point,  the 
laterals  being  stopped  to  one  leaf  as  made.  Superfluous  bunches  should 
be  removed  as  soon  as  choice  can  be  made  of  the  best,  leaving  those  for 
the  crop  that  promise  to  be  the  best  shaped  and  most  compact.  It  is 
better  to  have  the  Vines  under  rather  than  overcronped.  The  night 
temperature  should  be  maintained  at  60°  to  65°,  and  70°  to  76°  by  day, 
with  an  advance  of  6°,  10°,  or  16°  from  sun  heat,  according  to  circam- 
stances.  When  the  flowers  open  keep  the  tempeiatare  70°  to  76° 
regularly,  and  maintain  a  rather  dry,  bnt  not  arid,  condition  of  the 
atmosphere,  and  when  the  fruit  is  set  return  to  the  tempeiatare  pre¬ 
viously  named.  Supply  liquid  manure  copiously  when  the  fruit  com¬ 
mences  swelling,  yet  it  must  only  be  given  when  the  soil  is  moderately 
dry,  as  excessive  supplies  cause  soddenness  and  lead  to  shanking  and  bad 
fluisb.  Maintain  a  moist,  genial  atmosphere  by  damping  the  paths 
two  or  three  times  a  day,  and  occasionally  with  liquid  manure,  not  too 
strong,  or  the  ammonia  volatilised  may  prove  injurious  instead  of 
beneficial  to  the  Vines 
Planted-out  Vines  started  in  November  require  similar  treatment  to 
Vines  in  pots,  bnt  the  bearing  shoots  may  be  stoppel  three  or  four 
joints  beyond  the  fruit,  and  then  extend  the  growth  so  as  to  secure  as 
much  well-developed  foliage  all  over  the  house  as  can  have  full  exposure 
to  light,  taking  care  to  avoid  overcrowding. 
Houses  to  Afford  Ripe  Grapes  in  June. — In  many  cases  these  are 
the  firs',  and  are  often  planted  with  a  groat  variety,  individually 
differing  somewhat  in  requirements.  Black  Hamburgh,  Mill  Hill 
Hamburgh,  and  Madresfield  Court  are  good  black  varieties,  and  of 
whites  White  Frontignan,  small,  but  esteemed  for  its  rich  flavour,  forces 
well,  coming  in  the  earliest  ;  Backland  Sweetwater  and  Foster’s 
Seedling  also  answer  well.  The  V'ines  should  be  planted  inside  the 
house,  and  be  confined  to  the  inside  border  until  it  is  fully  occnpied  with 
roots,  when  these  may  be  allowed  to  psss  into  the  outside  border.  This 
must  be  covered  with  3  to  6  inches  of  dry  leaves  with  a  little  long  stable 
litter  over  them  to  prevent  their  blowing  about.  If  the  roots  are  entirely 
in  an  outside  border  it  should  have  some  fermenting  materials — two 
parts  leaves  and  one  part  stable  litter,  mixed — placed  thereon,  turning 
and  ad  ling  to  them  from  time  to  time  so  as  not  to  allow  the  materials  to 
become  cold  or  a  close,  soapy  mass. 
If  that  cannot  be  done  it  is  better  to  cover  the  border  with  about 
6  i aches  thickness  of  leaves  and  enough  stable  litter  on  them  to  keep 
them  from  displacement  by  wind,  and  reduce  the  coveriug  in  late  AprQ 
or  early  in  May  to  a  i  ordinary  mulch — enough  to  cover  the  surface 
about  an  nch.  Tue  h  use  should  be  started  at  the  new  year,  watering 
the  inside  border  so  as  to  moisten  the,  soil  down  to  the  drainage,  i^pt 
making  wet  and  folden,  as  moderate  moisture  suffices  until  the 
Vines  come  into  leaf.  When  the  soil  has  been  made  fairly  moist  an 
application  of  liquid  manure  may  be  given  to  weakly  Vines  or  those  in 
borders  of  limited  area.  This  will  enrich  the  soil  and  become  assimilated 
as  available  food  by  the  time  the  Vines  burst  Into  leaf.  Damp  the  house 
and  Vines  two  or  throe  times  a  day  in  bright  weather,  but  when  dull 
oncp,  or  at  most  twice,  say  in  the  morning  and  early  afternoon,  will  be 
sufficient.  Maintain  a  temperature  of  .50°  to  55°  at  night  and  on  dull 
days,  advance  to  65“  from,  sun  heat,  and  a  free  circnlatioa  of  air. 
Houses  from  wh'ch  the  Grapes  have  Jec/i  Pruning  should  be 
completed  without  delay,  cuttiug  to  a  round  bud  as  near  the  main  stem 
as  possible.  Shorten  or  out  away  elongated  spurs  where  there  are  others 
nearer  the  stem  to  supply  fruit,  or  train  up  young  canes  to  displace 
them.  Remove  loote  bark  carefully,  not  scraping  into  the  quick  or  live 
hark,  and  thoroughly  cleanse  the  bouse,  washing  the  Vines  with  a 
solution  of  carbolic  or  petroleum  soap,  1  ozs.  to  a  gallon  of  water,  or 
some  other  approved  insecticide  at  winter  dressing  strength,  employing 
a  brush,  and  reaching  into  evejry  bole,  angle,  and  crevice.  Avoid  strong 
softsoapy  solutions,  as  they- ultimately  dry  the  bark  aud  cause  the  Vines 
to  break  weakly.  Remove  the  loose  surface  soil,  especially  near  the  collar 
of  the  Vines,  and  supply  fresh  loam,  with  about  one-third  of  decayed 
stable  or  preferably  farmyard  manure.  Loam  seems  to  favour  root 
formation,  and  it  holds  the  other  fertilising  substances,  so  that  the  toots 
find  abundance  of  nourishment  when  proper  supplies  of  water  are 
given  during  active  growth.  Tbe  house  should  be  kept  cool,  but 
frost  is  best  excluded.  If  used  for  plants  the  temperature  ought  not 
to  exceed  40*^  to  45°  by  artificial  means,  and  those  plants  only  that 
require  safety  from  frost  should  be  placed  in  vineries  when  the  V ines  are 
at  rest.  If  the  house  has  a  mean  temperature  of  50°  tbe  buds  will  be 
excited,  and  that  is  prejudicial  to  the  aftergrowth,  as  alternating  excite¬ 
ments  and  chills  more  or  less  affect  the  constitutional  energy  of  the 
Vims. 
Late  Houses. — Muscat  of  Alexandria  and  Canon  Hall  Muscat  are 
extremely  difficult  to  keep  on  the  V lues  after  Christmas,  which  may  be 
due  to  the  fiactaations  of  temperature  and  variability  of  the  atmospheric 
moisture,  the  principal  difficulties  being  to  keep  the  temperature  even 
and  prevent  the  deposition  of  moisture  on  the  berries.  Some  growers 
prefer  to  let  the  Grapes  remain  on  the  Vines.  To  keep  ihe  temperature 
equable,  and  exclude  fogs  and  damps,  cover  the  roof-lights  with  straw 
mats  or  similar  material,  keeping  the  house  freely  ventilated  in  mild 
weather,  and  close  when  cold,  with  little  more  heat  than  is  necessary 
to  exclude  frost  Grapes  so  kept  weigh  heavier  than  those  that  hang 
some  time  in  a  drier  and  warmer  atmosphere,  and  Mu.scats  so  preserved 
command  high  prices,  but  the  Grapes  do  not  always  keep  weh 
For  general  purposes  Grapes  are  bt.st  kept  after  the  New  Year  in  a 
Grape  room,  cool,  dry,  and  as  equable  in  temperature  as  possible,  and 
the  more  wood  they  are  cut  with  the  better  will  they  keep.  Place  a 
lump  of  charcoal  in  each  bottle  before  the  end  of  the  shoot  is  inserted 
in  the  rain  water,  and  there  is  then  a  certainty  that  it  will  keep  sweet 
up  to  June.  Any  dry  room  is  suitable  for  keeping  Grapes  in  bottles  of 
rain  water,  provided  the  temperature  is  kept  equable,  or  as  near  as  may 
be  at  40°  to  45°.  By  cutting  and  bottling  the  Grapes  the  Yines  are  set 
free  for  pruning  and  cleansing  the  house.  Alicante,  Gros  Colman,  and 
Lady  Downe’s  succeed  well  under  the  close  pruning  system,  spurring  to 
one  or  two  buds,  the  bearing  shoots  being  stout  aud  short  jointed,  but 
Gros  Guillaume  and  Mrs.  Pince  do  best  on  the  long-pruning  system, 
cutting  the  shoots  to  a  plump  bud  on  well-ripened  wood,  as  the  small 
basal  buds  are  seldom  reliable,  often  pushing  fruitless  shoots.  Muscat 
of  Alezandria  and  Canon  Hall  Muscat  also  succeed  best  on  the  extension 
system,  but  sturdy,  sbort-j  linted,  well-ripened,  and  not  overcropped 
shoots  of  these  varieties  generally  show  enough  fruit  when  pruned  to  two 
buds,  though  when  the  buds  are  small  and  the  growth  weak  or  Icng- 
jointed  it  is  better  to  shorter  the  shoots  to  the  first  plump  bud  from  the 
base,  always  taking  care  to  rely  on  those  on  well-ripened  wood.  Where 
the  Grapes  cannot  be  cut  for  some  time  the  mean  temperature  should 
be  maintained  at  45°,  5°  less  as  a  minimum  and  5°  more  as  a  maximum, 
admitting  air  constantly  in  mild  weather,  but  keeping  close  when 
foggy  and  cold,  but  with  a  gentle  warmth  in  the  pipes  to  Insure  the 
air  moving.  This  is  the  grand  secret,  as  stagnation  causing  the  exact 
condition  under  which  micro-organisms  germinate  and  thrive,  they 
speedily  reducing  Grapes  to  a  decaying  mass  and  common  level. 
SEASONABLE  NOTES. 
Distance  Between  Hives. 
This  is  a  subject  in  which  there  is  a  difference  of  opinion  among 
bee-keepers.  Some  allow  a  space  of  at  least  8  feet  between  their 
hives,  assuming  that  a  less  distance  would  result  in  disaster. 
Other*,  and  they  are  probably  in  the  maj  )rity,  are  not  particular 
as  to  t  e  dUtanoe  between  the  various  colonies,  so  long  as  there  is 
sufficient  space  for  manipulation. 
The  only  obje  tion  that  I  have  to  placing  the  hives  closely 
together  (and  that  is  going  to  tbe  other  extreme)  is  the  danger  of 
losing  the  young  queens  when  they  leave  their  hive  on  the 
mating  tour.  It  is  a  fact  well  known  to  bee- keepers  that  newly 
hatched  virgin  queens  go  in  and  out  of  their  hives  until  they  are 
fertilised.  When  this  takes  place,  as  it  always  does  on  the  wing, 
the  queen  will  at  once  return  to  the  colony  from  which  ahe 
migrated.  If  by  chance  she  should  fail  to  discover  the  right  hivq, 
and  entered  another  in  which  there  was  a  queen,  she  would  at 
once  be  killed,  and  turned  out  of  the  hive.  The  original  colony 
would  thus  be  queenless,  and  if  it  happened  late  in  the  season  it 
might  mean  the  loss  of  a  stock  unless  steps  were  taken  to  provide 
tbe  means  of  railing  another  queen. 
If  hives  are  placed  closely  together  there  is  a  much  greater 
chance  of  a  queen  going  into  the  wrong  hive  than  if  they  had  been 
placed  farther  apart.  With  the  ordinary  worker  bee  it  is  quite 
different,  as  they  rarely  make  a  mistake,  and  if  they  do  when  honey 
is  coming  in  freely  no  noticj  is  taken  of  them  in  a  strange  hive. 
This  was  readily  observed  on  first  obtaining  a  swarm  of  Ligurians, 
as  within  a  few  weeks  of  receiving  them  atragglers  from  this  stock 
were  found  in  all  the  other  hives,  being  easily  distinguished  by 
their  bright  markings. 
The  majority  of  my  hives  have  only  about  2  feet  of  space 
between  them,  and  as  they  are  on  a  continuous  stand  this  distance 
allows  ample  room  for  manipulation-  As  a  proof  that  the  above 
distance  is  not  too  dose,  I  may  state  that  it  is  quite  au  unusual 
occurrence  for  me  to  lose  a  queen  through  mistaking  her  hive. 
Distance  of  Hives  from  the  Ground. 
Should  the  hives  be  stood  directly  on  the  soil,  or  should  they 
be  elevated  at  some  distance  from  the  surface  of  the  ground  ?  are 
queries  one  often  hears.  I  will  at  once  state  my  preference  for  a 
stand  18  inches  above  the  level  of  the  land.  In  the  fornner 
case  one  is  able  to  do  all  the  necessary  work  whilst  standing  in  an 
almost  erect  position.  This  is  a  great  advantage  fully  appreciated 
by  those  who  have  the  work  to  do,  while  if  the  hives  are  stood  ou 
