September  9,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
253 
had  very  early.  The  pot  plan  is  an  excellent  one,  as  it  gives  early 
dishes  without  having  occasion  to  force  idanted-out  trees  at  so  early  a 
period. 
Second  Early  Forced  Trees. — The  trees  are  commencing-  to  shed  their 
leaves,  and  the  lights  having  been  removed  at  the  end  of  August,  the 
buds  are  well  plumped  and  not  over-matured,  as  occurs  under  fixed 
roofs,  especially  with  such  varieties  as  Early  York  and  Noblesse.  The 
removal  of  the  roof  lights  sometimes  prevents  the  buds  falling  if  taken  in 
time,  but  the  chief  cause  is  imperfect  formation  of  the  floral  organs  in 
embryo,  and  nothing  will  rectify  that  serious  defect.  When  the  leaves 
are  all  down  treat  the  house  and  trees  the  same  in  every  respect  as  the 
earliest  house. 
Succession  Houses.— Any  trees  that  have  a  tendency  to  over-luxuriance 
should,  as  soon  as  the  wood  is  sufiiciently  firm,  have  a  trench  taken  out 
one-third  the  distance  from  the  stem  the  trees  extend  on  the  trellis,  and 
quite  down  to  the  drainage,  so  as  to  detach  all  roots,  and  this  may  be  left 
open  for  a  fortnight ;  then  the  soil  may  be  removed  down  to  the  roots, 
and  picked  from  amongst  them  with  a  fork,  laying  in  the  roots  in  fresh 
material,  good  loam,  rather  stiff,  being  best,  with  about  a  sixth  of  old 
mortar  rubbish.  AV ith  a  good  watering,  the  roots  will  soon  grow  freely# 
in  the  fresh  material,  and  the  fruits  invariably  set  well  afterwards.  In 
removing  the  soil  care  must  be  taken  not  to  disturb  the  roots  so  as  to 
cause  the  sudden  collapse  of  the  foliage.  Defer  root-pruning  in  other 
cases,  and  also  lifting,  until  the  leaves  give  indications  of  falling.  The 
first  plan  is  more  especially  necessary  with  young  trees,  the  taking  out 
of  the  trench  being  very  effectual  in  assisting  the  wood  to  ripen 
thoroughly,  but  the  method  is  more  applicable  to  older  trees  strong  in 
growth  or  not  satisfactory  in  ripening  the  wood  and  in  cropping,  whilst 
weakly  trees  should  have  the  roots  carefully  brought  nearer  the  surface, 
and  fresh  soil  given  in  order  to  secure  a  more  nourishing  medium. 
Late  Houses. — Late  Peaches  ai-e  remarkable  for  size  and  beauty,  and 
if  given  due  supplies  of  water  and  nourishment  during  the  swelling  period 
are  excellent  in  flavour.  AA^hen  kept  too  warm  and  dry  the  fruit  is  apt 
to  be  deficient  in  juice,  or  mealy.  A  free  circulation  of  air  is  necessary, 
utilising  sun  heat  if  the  fruit  is  backwar-d,  as  with  ventilation  in  the  early 
part  of  the  day  the  temperature  may  rise  to  85°  or  90°,  which  is  of 
infinitely  more  value  than  fire  heat  at  a  later  pei’iod.  Afford  the  trees 
sufficient  water  at  the  roots  to  prevent  the  foliage  becoming  limp,  but  a 
rather  drier  condition  is  advisable  when  the  fruit  is  ripening.  Keep  the 
wood  thin,  stop  any  growing  shoot  to  about  15  inches,  and  all  laterals 
closely  to  one  joint  as  growth  is  made. 
Vines. — Young  Vines. — Give  every  encouragement  towards  keeping 
the  foliage  clean,  removing  all  laterals  so  far  as  can  be  done  without 
starting  the  pruning  buds,  as  growth  produced  after  this  period  is  of 
comparatively  little  value,  and  maintain  a  warm  well-ventilated  atmo¬ 
sphere  until  the  canes  are  ripe.  The  ripening  of  the  wood  may  be 
accelerated  by  keeping  the  house  rather  close  in  the  day,  so  as  to  secure 
a  tempei-ature  of  85°  or  90’’  from  sun  heat,  opening  the  ventilators  at 
night.  Any  supernumeraries  intended  to  fruit  next  season  should  have 
the  laterals  cut  away  to  the  principal  buds,  leaving,  however,  an  outlet 
for  any  excess  of  sap  by  a  few  laterals  at  the  top  of  the  cane,  and  be 
careful  not  to  injure  the  principal  leaves. 
Late  Houses  of  Hamburghs. — The  Grapes  which  embrace  the  thin- 
skinned  varieties  generally,  not  Muscats,  are  well  advanced  in  colour  and 
ripening.  A  gentle  warmth  in  the  hot-water  pipes  is  necessary  so  as  to 
admit  a  free  circulation  of  air  and  to  maintain  the  temperature  at  60°  to 
65°  at  night  and  70°  to  75°  by  day,  as  a  little  artificial  heat  during  the 
day  materially  benefits  in  allowing  free  ventilation  and  making  the  most 
of  sun  heat.  Hamburghs  finish  better  under  a  good  spread  of  foliage, 
and  retain  the  colour  longer,  but  it  is  well  not  to  encourage  lateral 
growth  now  ;  at  the  same  time,  the  tendency  to  shanking  is  accelerated 
by  large  reductions  of  foliage,  and  equally  so  by  sudden  fluctuations  of 
temperature.  A  little  air  may  be  admitted  at  the  top  and  bottom  until 
the  Grapes  are  ripe.  If  there  is  any  deficiency  of  moisture  in  the 
borders  it  will  be  better  to  give  a  supply  of  water  now  than  to  delay 
it  until  a  later  period,  covering  with  a  little  dry  material  to  prevent 
damp  rising.  Outside  borders  will,  in  most  instances,  be  sufficiently 
moist ;  if  not,  they  must  be  watered,  and  unless  the  weather  becomes 
wet  they  need  not  be  covered  at  present ;  but  spare  lights  may  be  used 
in  case  of  heavy  rains,  as  a  saturated  state  of  the  soil  certainly  does 
not  favour  the  Grapes  hanging  in  good  condition.  Over-dryness,  on  the 
other  hand,  causes  the  berries  to  shrivel. 
Late  Houses. — Muscats,  especially  Muscat  of  Alexandria  and  other 
white  varieties,  colour  best  wdth  the  foliage  rather  thin  ;  indeed,  the 
leaves  may  be  tied  aside,  as  it  is  necessary  the  Grapes  have  abundance 
of  light  and  air.  Other  late  Grapes  still  recjuire  fire  heat,  as  they  are 
late  this  season,  accompanied  with  a  free  circulation  of  air,  continuing  it 
until  they  are  thoroughly  finished.  Keep  the  night  temperature  at  ,65° 
to  70°,  with  a  fall  of  5’’  through  the  night,  and  turn  the  heat  on  in  good 
time  in  the  morning  so  as  to  allow  an  increase  of  ventilation  and  the 
temperature  to  be  raised  to  70°  to  75°,  so  as  to  secure  for  the  Grapes  a 
long  ripening  day,  the  temperature  being  kept  at  80°  to  85°  from  sun, 
and  with  a  free  circulation  of  air  90°  to  95°.  The  heat  should  be  kept  up 
by  reducing  the  ventilation  with  the  declining  sun,  and  the  temperature 
allowed  to  gradually  decline  at  night,  only  keeping  warmth  in  the  pipes 
to  allow  the  top  and  bottom  ventilators  to  be  left  open  to  a  slight  extent 
so  as  to  insure  a  circulation  of  air,  and  pr-event  the  deposition  of  moisture 
on  the  ben-ies  during  the  night.  Do  not  allow  the  border,  especially 
inside,  to  become  dry.  A  temperature  of  50°  to  55°  is  necessary  for 
keeping  Muscat  Grapes  in  good  condition  after  they  are  ripe,  and  other 
houses  of  late  thick-skinned  Grapes  will  require  a  similar  temperature 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Vines, 
ns.TT  ^  T.  ■!  1 .1  .  T-i  rv  1  .  r .  1  .  I  J  r.rrT.  rv ,  ,■  r,  r-  r  -  ni-r-  r'-  r’-l'  J «  ^  |  .1 
:he  bee-keeper.^ 
Marketing  Honey. 
The  difficulty  many  bee-keepers  have  to  contend  with  is  the  finding 
of  a  suitable  market  for  their  produce,  where  satisfactory  prices 
may  be  obtained  to  enable  them,  taking  one  year  with  another,  to 
have  something  left  after  paying  all  out-of-pocket  expenses.  Un¬ 
fortunately  the  greatest  sufferers  are  those  Avho  have  only  a  few  stocks 
of  bees,  while  the  bee-keeper  who  has  a  large  apiary  will  often  dispose 
of  hundredweights  of  honey  with  little  trouble.  The  reason  is  not 
fai'  to  seek.  The  man  who  has  invested  his  capital  in  the  under¬ 
taking  must  take  steps  to  find  out  the  best  market  for  the  particular 
goods  he  deals  in,  a'ud  when  he  has  olitained  a  good  customer  supply 
him  with  a  good  article. 
The  days  of  big  prices  are  gone,  but  probably  owing  to  so  many 
unfavourable  seasons  there  has  been  little  change  in  the  price  of 
honey  during  the  past  few  years.  There  are  doubtless  hundred¬ 
weights  now  sold  where  as  many  pounds  w-ere  obtained  a  quarter  of  a 
century  ago.  It  is  ahvays  advisable  to  cultivate  a  local  demand  for 
honey,  and  it  is  surprising  the  quantity  that  may  sometimes  be 
distributed  locally  by  making  it  known.  Better  prices  may  be 
obtained  in  this  manner,  there  being  less  expense  than  when  sending 
it  long  distances. 
For  retailing  purposes  I  prefer  the  1  lb.  screw-top  glass  jars,  and  as 
they  may  be  obtained  from  the  English  manufacturer  at  a  reasonable 
price,  these  are  better  than  the  tie-over  glass  jars,  the  covers  of  which 
soon  become  discoloured  w-hen  exposed  to  the  dust  and  flies ;  and  as 
dealers  and  consumers  prefer  the  former-,  they  cannot  be  too  highly 
i-ecommended.  Honey,  of  good  quality,  when  placed  on  the  market  in 
these  packages,  has  a  neat  appearance,  and  if  labelled  with  the  pro¬ 
ducer’s  own  label,  it  is  a  mark  of  genuineness,  and  a  help  to  future 
sales. 
Grading  Honey. 
There  is  a  vast  difference  between  samples  of  honey  obtained  from 
various  sources;  I  will  name  a  few  of  the  most  prominent.  Honey 
obtained  from  fruit  trees  has  a  greenish  tinge,  and  does  not  granulate 
so  readily  as  some  varieties.  From  field  Beans,  which  usually  follow,  it  is 
of  good  flavour,  brown  in  colour,  but  rather  coarse  in  the  grain.  This 
is  more  readily  observed  when  granulation  has  taken  place.  IMustard 
produces  a  white  honey  of  poor  flavour,  and  which  granulates  readily, 
often  before  it  has  been  stored  many  days.  Next  comes  the  cream  of 
all  honey,  that  obtained  from  the  AATiite  Clover.  It  is  of  exquisite 
flavour,  very  light  in  colour,  and  when  granulated  fine  in  the  grain, 
’Ihis  is  closely  followed  by  tliat  obtained  from  the  Lime  trees,  which 
is  of  a  bright  golden  colour,  and  good  in  flavour.  In  many  districts 
bees  have  not  an  opportunity  of  working  on  the  Limes,  as  in  some 
pwts  of  tlie  cuuntry  one  may  go  for  miles  and  not  see  a  Lime  tree.  In 
other  districts  they  are  very  plentiful ;  within  a  mile  of  my  apiary 
there  are  hundreds  of  large  trees  which  form  a  veritable  paradise 
for  the  bees. 
It  is  advisable  to  keep  each  sample  of  honey  separate  so  far  as  is 
possible.  This  is  not  nearly  so  difficult  as  may  appear  at  first  sight, 
if  the  bees  are  worked  on  the  doubling  system.  All  that  is  necessary 
is  each  time  it  is  extracted  to  keep  it  sepaiate  from  what  is  obtained 
on  the  next  occasion.  This  only  refers  to  extracted  honey  ;  sections 
must  be  left  to  chance,  as  it  matters  but  little  whether  it  is  mixed  or 
not  in  the  comb. 
I  do  not  advocate  the  system  of  mixing  light  and  dar^  honey 
together  with  a  view  to  improving  the  latter,  as  it  would  most  certainly 
st)oil  the  former.  If  kept  separate  each  sample  can  then  be  disposed 
of  on  its  merits.  Or  if  reciuired  for  home  consumption  it  is  interesting 
to  observe  the  diflerence  existing  between  the  various  samples  of 
honey. 
Packing  Honey. 
This  is  important,  as  it  is  useless  obtaining  a  good  sample  of 
honey  in  quantity  unless  the  producer  knows  how  to  pack  his  produce, 
whether  in  jars  or  sections,  so  that  it  may  travel  long  distances 
without  danger  of  being  smashed  in  transit.  lor  large  ([uantities  of 
run  honey  the  ])Atent  self-o]>ening  tins  answer  admirably.  It  is  not 
safe  to  send  them  by  rail  without  being  packed  in  boxes.  It  some 
wads  of  hay  or  straw  are  placed  lirmly  between  them  they  may  be 
sent  long  distances  without  any  danger  ot  inishap.  In  packing  run 
honey  in  I  lb.  glass  jars  it  is  an  advantage  if  a  box  is  divided  with 
laths,  so  that  squares  are  formed  into  which  a  jar  is  dropped.  Boxes 
made  to  hold  two  dozen  are  a  convenient  size,  and  without  dividing 
them  with  laths  tliey  will  travel  safely  if  a  stout  roll  of  paper  is 
bound  round  each  bottle  and  packed  firmly,  care  being  taken  that 
they  are  well  padded  with  hay  round  the  sides,  so  that  there  is  no 
chance  of  their  shaking  loose.  I  hey  should  be  labelled  tilass, 
with  care,”  and  may  be  sent  by  goods  train.— An  English 
Bee-keeper. 
