September  23, 1897.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTlGULTURF  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
301 
Walburton  Admirable.  Sea  Eagle  sometimes  colours  grandly,  and  even 
when  pale  has  a  very  pleasing  appearance,  its  size  and  good  qualities 
rendering  it  very  desirable.  Golden  Eagle  has  both  size,  golden  colour, 
and  good  quality  to  recommend  it,  while  Comet  i)roves  very  acceptable 
early  in  October. 
PLANT  HOUSES. 
AUamandas.— The  growth  of  plants  that  have  been  used  in  the  con¬ 
servatory  has  nearly  ceased.  If  these  are  removed  at  once  where  the 
night  temperature  ranges  to  60’  they  will  soon  start  into  growth  again, 
and  continue  to  yield  flowers  until  Christmas.  Fully  e.xpose  them  to 
the  sun,  and  supply  stimulants  liberally  if  the  pots  are  full  of  roots. 
Plants  that  flowered  early  may  be  induced  to  rest  by  placing  them  in  a 
temperature  of  55°,  where  water  can  be  gradually  withheld.  Do  not 
ripen  them  prematurely,  or  the  wood  will  eventually  shrivel  instead  of 
remaining  firm  and  plump.  Two  months’  rest  is  ample  for  these  plants, 
and  if  rested  now  they  may  be  pruned  and  started  again  early  in 
December. 
Clerodendron  fallax, — Select  two  or  three  of  the  earliest  plants  and 
allow  them  to  flower  where  the  atmosphere  is  moderately  dry  and  a 
circulation  of  air  can  be  provided  daily,  seed  will  then  be  produced 
freely.  When  well  grown  this  Clerodendron  is  very  ornamental  in  the 
stove  or  intermediate  structures  during  the  next  two  months.  Insert 
plenty  of  cuttings  of  C.  fragrans,  they  will  be  useful  for  flowering  in 
small  pots  early  in  the  year.  The  cuttings  should  be  inserted  singly  in 
thumb  pots,  and  when  well  rooted  place  them  into  3-inch  pots.  They 
flower  freelj'  when  confined  at  their  roots.  If  given  liberal  root  room 
they  grow  too  luxuriantly  and  fail  to  flower  satisfactorily. 
Ixoras. — Select  a  number  of  growing  shoots  that  are  moderately 
soft,  and  insert  them  in  sandy  soil  in  2-inch  pots.  These  will  be  useful 
for  decorative  purposes  in  spring,  and  carry  one  fine  truss  each.  Young 
plants  that  are  well  rooted  and  growing  freely  may  be  placed  into 
4-inch  pots.  the  soil  firmly,  and  grow  the  plants  on  a  shelf  close 
to  the  glass  in  «  warm  moist  atmosphere.  They  will  make  greater 
progress  if  gentle  bottom  heat  can  be  provided  for  a  time.  Fully 
expose  them  to  the  sun.  Large  plants  that  have  become  woody  through 
being  confined  at  their  roots  are  flowering  freely  the  second  time,  and 
others  will  not  be  long  before  they  yield  a  supply  of  trusses  for  cutting. 
Young  plants  growing  into  specimens  should  have  the  points  of  any 
shoots  removed  that  are  taking  the  lead.  Keep  the  plants  free  from 
mealy  bug  by  examining  them  frequently,  and  syringe  at  once  with  a 
solution  of  tobacco  water,  or  fumigate  the  plants  with  tobacco  smoke 
if  thrips  become  established  upon  them. 
Aralias. — Plants  of  A.  Veitchi,  A.  Veitchi  gracillima,  A.  leptophylla, 
and  others  that  are  large  enough  for  table  decoration  may  be  placed  in 
a  temperature  of  50°  to  55°.  They  will  remain  in  good  condition,  and 
growth  will  be  very  slow.  In  brisk  heat  they  run  up  quickly,  and  soon 
become  u.seless.  Plants  that  have  been  raised  from  portions  of  stem  and 
are  growing  freely  may  be  placed  into  4-inch  pots,  and  grown  in  brisk 
heat.  These  do  well  in  loam,  sand,  and  one-seventh  of  manure.  Where 
there  is  a  plentiful  supply  of  fine  peat  a  little  may  be  mixed  with  the  loam. 
Crotons.  -  Plants  that  are  highly  coloured  and  large  enough  for  table 
"and  other  forms  of  decoration  should  be  prevented  making  further 
growth.  Fully  expose  them  to  the  sun,  and  place  them  where  the  night 
temperature  can  be  kept  at  55°.  Admit  air  daily,  and  gradually  increase 
it.  This  prepares  the  plants  for  room  decoration  better  than  when 
removed  from  a  warm  moist  atmosphere.  Plants  that  are  fully  exposed 
to  the  sun,  highly  coloured,  and  their  pots  full  of  roots,  are  liable  to  be 
attacked  by  red  spider.  He  careful  the  soil  does  not  become  dry  at  the 
roots  of  the  plants,  and  syringe  them  liberally.  The  plants  are  greatly 
benefited  by  being  syringed  once  or  twice  weekly  with  soot  water 
perfectly  clear.  Assist  plants  in  a  backward  condition  by  keeping  the 
house  warm  and  close,  closing  the  ventilators  early,  so  as  to  run  up  the 
temperature  considerably  in  the  afternoon.  Insert  in  small  pots  all 
highly  coloured  side  shoots  that  have  been  produced  by  plants  from 
which  the  tops  were  removed  some  time  ago. 
Panoratiums. — The  earliest  of  these  are  growing  freely,  and  as  they 
cease  flowering  must  be  kept  close,  moist,  and  shaded  from  the  sun,  with 
abundance  of  water  and  occasional  stimulants.  Any  plants  that  need 
larger  pots  may  be  attended  to  at  once  in  a  compost  of  loam,  sand,  and 
one-seventh  of  decayed  manure,  a  little  charcoal  may  be  added.  It  is 
not  advisable  to  break  up  the  plants  in  their  present  stage  of  growth. 
The  check  would  be  too  serious,  and  prevent  the  plants  making  good 
growth  afterwards.  Plants  that  need  division  should  be  left  as  they  are 
until  February,  or  just  preceding  growth. 
Vincas. — Pinch  the  shoots  of  plants  in  5-inch  pots  for  the  last  time  ; 
they  will  be  useful  in  the  stove  during  the  dreary  months  of  winter. 
The  shoots  are  also  useful  for  cutting  ;  in  warm  rooms  they  will  con¬ 
tinue  to  develop  their  flowers  for  a  long  time  after  they  have  been 
severed  from  the  plant.  Cuttings  may  be  inserted  in  small  pots  for  early 
spring  flowering.  Large  plants  that  have  ceased  flowering  may  be  placed 
in  a  moderately  dry  atmosphere  where  the  temperature  ranges  about  55°, 
and  gradually  withhold  water. 
Dracaena  gracilis. — This  is  probably  the  most  useful  of  all  Dractenas 
for  room  decoration.  It  will  stand  in  almost  any  position  for  a  long 
time.  Large  plants  may  be  removed  to  the  greenhouse.  In  this  posi¬ 
tion  avoid  cold  draughts  striking  upon  the  plants.  Those  that  have 
grown  too  large  may  have  their  heads  removed  and  rooted  in  4-inch 
pots.  Those  raised  from  heads  are  very  useful  for  single  vases,  while 
those  from  the  stem  are  the  most  serviceable  for  table  decoration.  They  are 
lighter  through  the  foliage  being  only  about  half  the  width  of  those  that 
^ave  grown  strongly. 
m  BBE-KE)BPER. 
.1  . 1 . 1  . 1 .  1 . 1  .  1  .  1  . 1  . 1  .  1 . 1  .  1 .  1  .  f .  1  ■.  j  -  1 .  1 . 1  : 1  ■-  r- 1  -  1  •  1  - 
Utilisation  of  Spare  Bees. 
In  apiaries  where  straw  skeps  largely  predominate  I  fear  it  is  still 
the  fashion  (for  one  cannot  call  it  by  any  other  name)  to  destroy  the 
bees  when  taking  the  honey  in  the  autumn.  Why  this  should  be  the 
case  it  is  difficult  to  say,  as  in  most  districts  there  are  always  bee¬ 
keepers  who  are  ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  their  less  fortunate 
Irethren  in  the  craft.  Still  the  fact  must  be  recognised  that  the 
sulphur  pit  is  not  a  thing  of  the  past,  but  that  many  stocks  of  bees 
are  annually  destroyed  throughout  the  country,  which  if  their 
lives  had  been  spared  by  taking  a  little  trouble  in  the  simple  process 
of  driving,  they  would  have  been  of  great  assistance  in  strengthening 
weak  colonies  of  bees  in  the  same  apiary. 
The  above  remarks  have  been  called  forth  after  visiting  an  apiary 
which  six  weeks  ago  consisted  of  twenty-three  stocks,  all  with  the 
exception  of  one  being  in  straw  skeps.  All  that  remained  at  the  time 
of  my  visit  were  ten  skeps  and  one  frame  hive ;  a  dozen  stocks  had 
been  suffocated ;  the  dead  bees  still  remained  in  heaps  where  they  had 
been  shaken  from  the  hives.  On  my  remonstrating  with  the  bee¬ 
keeper  on  the  cruelty  and  the  loss  he  had  sustained  by  destroying  the 
bees,  he  remarked,  “  But  of  what  use  were  the  bees  to  me  ?  As  I  have 
now  as  many  stocks  as  I  require,  and  I  do  not  want  more  bees,  I 
thought  the  easiest  way  to  get  rid  of  them  so  as  to  obtain  the  honey 
was  to  place  them  over  the  sulphur  pit.” 
On  inquiry  I  found  he  had  been  much  troubled  with  swarms,  and 
it  was  chiefly  the  first  swarms  that  had  been  taken.  He  allowed  me 
to  examine  several  of  his  cld  stoc  s,  which,  owing  to  the  swarming 
mania,  were  short  of  bees  and  also  of  stores.  Had  the  bees  been  driven, 
and  added  to  the  colonies  that  were  kept  for  stock,  they  would  have 
strengthened  them  very  considerably.  I  showed  him  how  this  could 
be  done,  and  have  no  doubt  in  the  future  the  lives  of  the  condemned 
bees  will  be  saved. 
Uniting  Driven  Bees  to  Straw  Skeps. 
As  there  are  doubtless  many  bee-keepers  throughout  the  country 
situated  similar  to  the  above,  a  few  words  on  this  subject  may  be 
of  benefit  to  them.  It  is  useless  attempting  to  unite  driven  bees  with 
those  already  existing  in  straw  steps  by  simply  shaking  them  into  the 
hive  and  sprinkling  them  with  flour  or  thin  syrup ;  it  would  mean 
instant  death  ;  but  by  making  both  colonies  of  bees  homeless  for  the 
time  being  they  will  unite  without  the  loss  of  a  single  bee.  First 
drive  the  bees  from  the  condemned  stock  into  an  empty  skep.  If  the 
queen  is  aged  catch  her  as  she  runs  up,  and  destroy  her.  If  the 
operator  is  not  an  adept  at  finding  the  queen  it  does  not  matter,  as  the 
bees  will  soon  settle  the  dispute  between  themselves.  As  soon  as  the 
majority  of  the  bees  have  run  up  into  the  empty  skep  remove  it,  and 
repeat  the  same  operation  with  the  stock  hive  intended  to  be  kept. 
When  a  large  proportion  of  them  have  joined  the  other  driven  bees 
remove  the  skep,  and  shake  the  bees  well  up  together,  at  the  same 
time  sprinkling  them  with  flour  from  a  dredger ;  also  sprinkle  any  bees 
that  remain  on  the  combs  of  the  hive  intended  to  be  kept.  Place  the 
latter  on  its  original  stand,  prop  up  the  entrance  2  or  3  inches,  so  that 
the  bees  may  have  ready  access,  shake  the  two  stocks  of  driven  bees 
down  in  front  of  the  hive,  a  puff  or  two  of  smoke  will  cause  them  to 
hasten  into  the  hive,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  bees  will  have  clustered 
between  the  combs  a  united  and  happy  family.  No  fighting  will  take 
place,  and  if  properly  carried  out  the  lives  of  all  the  bees  will  be  saved. 
Proceed  with  the  others  on  the  same  line,  and  the  bee-keeper  will 
have  the  consolation  of  knowing  he  has  saved  the  lives  of  his  bees. 
In  practice  it  takes  up  much  less  time  than  many  imagine.  If  by 
chance  the  hive  to  which  it  is  intended  to  introduce  the  driven  bees  is 
somewhat  crowded,  it  will  be  advisable  to  place  an  eke  under 
it  for  a  few  weeks,  as  the  bees  will  soon  cluster  in  a  smaller 
compass  as  the  weather  beconjes  cooler.  An  eke  may  be  made  by 
cutting  off  3  or  4  inches  from  the  bottom  of  an  old  skep,  or  something 
similar. 
Feeding  Driven  Bees  in  Skeps. 
It  will  be  apparent  to  all  that  it  is  useless  preserving  the  lives  of 
the  bees  unless  an  extra  supply  of  food  is  provided  for  them.  In 
straw  skeps  it  is  not  so  readily  done  as  in  frame  hives,  as  has  been 
shown  in  previous  notes.  When  a  rapid  feeder  is  used  a  strong 
colony  may  be  supplied  with  28  lbs.  of  thick  syrup  in  forty-eight 
hours  or  less.  If  a  straw  skep  is  flat-topped,  in  which  form  they 
should  always  be  made,  it  is  much  easier  to  feed  them  from  the  top 
than  when  they  are  made  otherwise,  and  is  safer  than  to_  feed 
from  the  bottom,  as  the  latter  encourages  robbing,  which  it  is  advisable 
to  avoid  as  much  as  possible. 
It  is  necessary  to  avoid  an  escape  of  heat  from  the  hive,  and  for 
this  reason,  if  no  other,  a  bottle  feeder  answers  the  purpose  admirably. 
