September  16,  1897.  JOURNAL  OF  BORTlCULTURE  AND  cottage  GARDENER. 
277 
premature  sprouting  cannot  well  be  prevented.  Store  all  the  medium¬ 
sized  tubers  intended  for  planting  thinly  in  a  light  airy  position,  pro¬ 
tecting  from  severe  frosts  only,  and  they  will  be  very  late  in  starting  into 
growth  accordingly.  Ashleaf  and  other  early  and  second  early  Potatoes 
wanted  for  planting  purposes  will  frequently  keep  better  undug  than  they 
will  in  comparatively  warm  cellars  and  other  dark  places,  but  they  must 
be  heavily  moulded  over,  otherwise  the  uppermost  may  be  spoilt  by 
severe  frosts-. 
Spinach. — Either  the  seed  sown  last  month  failed  to  germinate 
satisfactorily  or  many  of  the  plants  were  eaten  by  slugs  before  they 
were  noticeable.  Where  the  rows  are  fairly  regular  blanks  may  be  filled 
by  transplanting  from  where  the  plants  are  too  thick,  doing  this  if 
possible  on  a  dull  day,  and  watering  them  in.  It  is  somewhat  late  to  sow 
more  seed,  but  this  should  be  done  where  extra  wide  gaps  occur,  and 
plants  are  scarce.  Should  the  autumn  be  favourable  to  late  growth  a  few 
rows  of  Spinach  sown  now  may  be  of  good  service  next  spring.  Thinning 
should  be  lightly  done  at  first,  and  eventually  to  a  distance  of 
6  inches  apart.  Weeds  will  be  kept  down,  and  slugs  and  grubs  prevented 
from  doing  mischief,  and’  a  vigorous  growth  of  plant  promoted,  by 
frequently  hoeing  among  the  rows  and  stirring  with  a  pointed  stake 
between  the  plants.  A  dusting  of  soot  will  also  do  good. 
Turnips. — In  some  districts  dry  weather  prevented  Turnip  seed  that 
was  sown  from  germinating,  while  in  other  parts  of  the  country  heavy 
rains  constantly  interfered  with  gardening  operations  generally,  with 
the  result  that  Turnips  are  likely  to  be  scarce  next  winter.  It  is  useless 
sowing  more  seed  at  this  late  date.  All  that  can  be  done  is  to  take  good 
care  of  what  plants  there  are  growing  by  timely  thinning,  occasional 
sooting,  and  frequent  hoeing  among  them. 
PLANT  HOUSES. 
Fuchsias. — Young  plants  that  are  rooted  should  be  placed  singly  into 
3-inch  pots,  well  watered,  and  arranged  on  a  shelf  close  to  the  glass. 
Keep  these  plants  steadily  growing  throughout  the  winter,  and  then  if 
transferred  into  o  inch  pots  they  will  flower  early  and  prove  useful  for 
decoration.  Where  plants  have  not  been  rooted  cuttings  may  still  be 
inserted,  young  wood  being  selected,  and  as  soon  as  they  are  rooted  pot 
them  singly,  and  give  them  a  start  in  heat.  When  this  practice  is 
followed  it  is  necessary  to  carefully  harden  the  plants  before  plaeing 
them  into  cool  quarters.  A  temperature  that  does  not  fall  below  45'^ 
will  keep  them  moving  during  the  winter. 
Solanums. —  Plants  that  have  set  good  crops  of  berries  and  have  been 
kept  in  pots  should  be  supplied  with  stimulants.  Soot  water  in  a  clear 
state  is  most  beneficial  for  these  plants  ;  it  acts  quickly,  and  prevents  the 
foliage  turning  a  sickly  yellow.  Careful  watering  and  feeding  are  neces¬ 
sary  after  the  pbts  are  filled  with  roots,  or  the  foliage  is  liable  to  turn 
yellow  and  spoil  the  appearance  of  the  plants.  Those  that  were  planted 
out  and  have  set  well  may  be  lifted  and  placed  into  suitable  pots.  Where 
there  is  abundance  of  frame  room  and  the  Solanums  were  planted  out 
the  ])lants  have  a  beautiful  crop  of  berries  ;  but  outside  plants  in  many 
localities  are  not  satisfactory.  After  the  ])lants  are  lifted  and  potted  in 
loam  and  one  seventh  of  manure,  place  them  in  a  northern  position  and 
give  a  good  soaking  with  water.  Syringe  frequently  until  they  commence 
root  activity,  when  they  may  be  placed  in  a  sunny  position. 
Bouvardias. — Lift  all  plants  from  outside  that  are  making  robust 
growth,  and  place  them  into  6  and  7-inch  pots,  according  to  their  size. 
Establish  them  on  the  principle  advised  for  Solanums.  When  they  will  bear 
exposure  to  the  sun  arrange  them  in  frames  or  in  a  cool  greenhouse  where 
they  can  enjoy  full  sunshine.  Plants  lifted  at  once  will,  if  the  present 
month  proves  fine,  have  every  chance  of  ripening  their  wood  and  flower¬ 
ing  profusely.  Bouvardias  in  pots  under  glass  must  not  have  their  shoots 
pinched  again,  but  allow  them  to  extend  and  form  trusses.  If  staking  is 
needed  supply  a  central  stake,  and  support  the  other  shoots  with  matting. 
The  trusses  are  not  heavy,  and  thin  pieces  of  matting  will  support  them 
equally  as  well  as  using  more  than  one  stake.  Eeed  plants  in  this  con¬ 
dition  with  weak  stimulants  every  time  they  need  water.  Yellow  thrips 
are  troublesome,  but  can  be  kept  under  by  a  free  use  of  the  syringe. 
Eumigation  may  be  resorted  to  if  syringing  does  not  at  once  check  their 
ravages. 
Mignonette. — Plants  grown  for  standards  should  have  the  flower 
trusses  removed  as  they  appear,  and  the  shoots  tied  to  the  trellis  once  a 
fortnight.  Keep  the  plants  perfectly  cool,  so  that  strong  growth  will  be 
made  until  the  trellis  has  been  covered,  when  they  may  be  allowed  to 
come  into  flower.  Later  plants  required  only  for  spring  flowering  should 
be  supplied  with  their  trellis,  and  given  the  same  treatment.  Let.  the 
whole  of  these  plants  stand  on  a  moisture-holding  base,  and  during  bright 
weather  syringe  twice  daily.  Plants  for  pyramids  can  be  tied  to  the 
wires  or  string  as  they  extend.  Care  is  needed  to  furnish  the  base  first. 
Water  carefully,  do  not  give  too  much  ;  on  the  other  hand,  do  not  allow 
them  to  become  dry.  Once  they  are  allowed  to  approach  dryness  the 
plants  become  woody,  and  they  seldom  do  well  afterwards.  Mignonette 
from  seed  sown  in  6-inch  pots  and  kept  in  frames  until  germination  should 
be  liberally  thinned.  I'ailure  frequently  results  from  allowing  too  many 
seedlings  to  grow  together  in  the  same  pot.  About  half  a  dozen  are 
sufficient.  Sow  more  seed  thinly  for  spring  flowering.  Place  the  pots  in 
a  frame,  and  shade  until  the  seed  has  germinated,  when  the  plants  en_oy 
full  light  and  abundance  of  air. 
Calceolarias. — The  earliest  seedlings  are  large  enough  for  small  pots, 
place  them  singly  into  2-inch,  and  grow  them  in  cold  frames.  Those  of 
a  smaller  size  should  be  pricked  out  singly  into  pots  or  pans,  1  inch  apart, 
so  that  by  the  time  they  fill  the  space  they  will  be  ready  for  potting 
singly.  Shade  from  the  sun,  and  keep  moist. 
ilh  •  1 .1  ■  I  ■  I  - 1 . 1-1  ■r-t  - 1  ry-Tir-T-i.i  -  I-  i-i  -  r.i.  I  tAi 
Packing  Comb  Honey. 
Great  care  is  necessary  in  packing  comb  honey,  and  although  it 
is  not  in  nearly  such  great  re({uest  as  it  was  a  few  years  ago,  there  is 
always  a  market  for  well  finished  sections.  It  is,  however,  very  dis¬ 
appointing  to  the  bee-keeper,  after  having  obtained  sections  well  sealed 
and  perfect  in  colour,  to  have  them  ruined  tlirough  bad  packing. 
Many  dealers  have  given  up  stocking  comb  honey  owing  to  the 
difficulty  they  have  in  keeping  it  in  good  condition.  If  it  is  delivered 
to  them  perfectly  free  from  drip,  which  is  often  caused  from  imperfect 
packing,  there  is  no  reason  why  it  should  not  keep  in  good  condition 
tor  months,  or  even  years. 
In  the  first  place,  they  must  not  be  removed  from  the  hive  until 
they  are  well  sealed  over.  Afterwards  each  section  should  be 
examined,  and  the  propolis  that  adheres  to  the  wood  removed  with  a 
blunt  knife.  If  any  stains  remain  they  may  easily  be  removed  by 
using  a  little  coarse  sand  paper,  and  will  then  be  as  clean  as  when  first 
used.  This  is  a  great  advantage  in  offering  them  for  sale,  as  they  have 
a  much  more  pleasing  appearance. 
Each  section  on  its  removal  from  the  crate  should  be  marked  with 
a  pencil  to  denote  the  top,  as  they  must  always  be  stood  in  the  same 
position  they  occupied  in  the  hive.  This  is  important,  as  it  is  well 
known  to  the  majority  of  bee-keepers  that  the  bees  always  build 
their  cells  with  an  upward  slope,  so  that  each  may  be  filled  to  its 
u  most  capacity  without  overflowing,  but  reverse  the  comb  and  part  ot 
the  honey  will  at  once  run  out.  This  shows  the  care  that  is  required 
in  packing,  either  for  short  or  long  journeys.  Also  if  not  packed 
firmly,  even  when  placed  in  the  right  position,  it  is  easily  damaged. 
Size  of  Boxes  for  Packing. 
I  prefer  boxes  that  will  hold  about  two  dozen  1  lb.  sections;  a  few 
more  or  less  is  immaterial  so  long  as  the  package  is  not  too  heavy.  It 
is  not  necessary  to  have  specially  made  boxes  lor  the  purpose,  as 
grocers’  empties,  such  as  margarine  boxes,  are  of  a  useful  size,  and 
answer  the  purpose  admirably.  First  line  the  box  with  clean  paper, 
and  then  place  the  sections  closely  together  in  rows  in  a  single  layer 
until  the  box  is  full.  There  will  piobably  be  an  open  space  at  the 
end  in  which  there  is  not  sufficient  space  to  insert  more  sections  ; 
a  piece  of  cardboard  should  then  be  placed  over  the  face  of  the  sections 
and  turned  over  a  few  inches  on  the  top.  The  space  between  the 
caidboard  and  the  box  should  be  filled  with  soft  paper,  also  any  S|aee 
that  remains  between  the  ends  of  the  sections  and  tbe  sides  of  the 
box.  This  must  be  pressed  in  firmly,  so  that  it  is  not  possible  for 
the  sections  to  move  even  if  they  have  rough  treatment.  The  inter¬ 
vening  space  between  the  tops  of  the  sections  and  the  lid  may  be 
packed  in  the  same  maimer,  for  which  purpose  several  layers  of  news¬ 
papers  are  suitable.  Small  jiackages  with  firm  packing  is  the  secret 
of  comb  honey  being  sent  long  distances  by  road,  rail,  or  water  with¬ 
out  injury. 
Another  Method  of  'Packing. 
Another  safe  method  of  packing  comb  honey  is  to  place  half  a 
dozen  1  lb.  sections  together  ;  at  eaeh  end  place  a  piece  of  thin  wood 
slightly  larger  than  the  section,  pass  a  piece  of  tbiu  string  tightly 
round  the  whole,  and  this  wilL  keep  them  in  position.  Wrap  each 
parcel  of  six  m  paper  and  fasten  firmly  with  string,  care  being  taken 
that  the  sections  are  placed  in  the  same  position  they  occupied  in  the 
hive.  It  is,  of  course,  advisable  to  place  a  prominent  mark  on  the 
outside  of  each  parcel  to  denote  the  top  of  the  sectioris.  This  will 
prevent  them  leaking,  which  they  will  do  if  placed  in  any  other 
position. 
I  lately  had  a  practical  illustration  of  the  necessity  of  carrying 
out  these  instructions.  Calling  on  a  tradesman  who  deals  largely 
in  both  run  and  comb  honey,  he  showed  me  some  packages  ot  comb 
honey  packed  in  parcels,  as  above.  To  all  outw'artl  appicai  ance  they  had 
travelli-d  well,  but  on  examination  it  was  lound  they  had  been  placed 
indiscriminately,  and  several  of  them  were  leaking  badly,  at  least 
25  per  cent,  being  taken  off  theiri  value.  Had  i hey  been  ] lacked  in 
the  manner  advised,  and  the  tradesman  duly  advised  C'f  the  fact,  they 
would  doubtless  have  been  ilelivered  in  good  condition.  It  is  the 
small  matters  that  make  all  the  difference  between  good  and  bad 
packing. 
In  whatever  form  honey  is  packed,  it  is  advisable  to  mark  each 
jiackage  “Fragile,  this  side  up,  with  care.”  By  taking  these  precau¬ 
tions  comb  honey  may  be  sent  from  one  end  ot  the  kingdom  to  the 
other.  Larger  packages  may  be  used,  and  two  or  tliree  layers  of 
these  parcels  can  be  packed  in  each  box,  but  when  this  is  done  it  is 
advisable  to  place  a  layer  ot  hay  at  the  bottom  ot  the  box  and 
between  each  parcel  of  sections,  when  it  is  surprising  the  amount  of 
roimh  usage  the  boxes  will  stand.  It  is  not  necessary  to  send  large 
O  O 
