October  28,  1897.  '  JOURN'AL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
419 
days  for  any  moisture  there  may  be  to  drain  out  of  the  stems.  Pack 
the  tubers  closely  together,  distributing  fine  soil  among  them,  where 
they  will  be  safe  from  frost.  Under  a  greenhouse  stage  is  not  the  proper 
place,  the  moisture  constantly  falling  about  them  either  rotting  or 
causing  the  tubers  to  start  prematurely  into  growth.  IVloderately  warm 
sheds  and  outhouses  best  suit  them,  a  cool  dry  cellar  being  a  still  better 
storing  place. 
Other  Flower  Roots. — Many  of  the  Gladioli,  notably  the  commoner 
G.  brenchleyensis,  are  fairly  hardy,  and  frequently  winter  well  in  the  open 
ground,  while  the  G.  Colvillei  should  certainly  not  be  disturbed.  The 
rest  ought  not  to  be  lifted  before  the  tops  have  lost  their  greenness,  and 
after  these  have  been  shortened  and  the  corms  thoroughly  harvested 
store  them  in  boxes  of  sand,  where  frost  cannot  reach  them.  The  corm- 
lets  often  found  clustering  round  the  old  ones  should  be  taken  care  of,  as 
these  would  develop  into  flowering  stuff  in  the  course  of  one  or  two 
seasons.  Store  them  in  sand.  The  tuberous-rooted  Salvia  patens  should 
be  treated  similarlir  to  Dahlias 
Fuchsias. — These  are  rightly  fast  becoming  popular  in  the  flower 
garden,  as  they  relieve  the  stiffness  of  ordinary  bedding  plants.  This 
season  they  have  grown  rather  moi’e  sti’ongly  than  usual,  and  many  of 
the  plants  were  flowering  very  freely  when  the  frosts  intervened.  Where 
they  were  kept  in  pots  and  plunged  deeply  there  need  not  be  much 
difficulty  in  keeping  a  portion  or  all  of  the  stock  through  the  winter. 
All  that  is  necessary  is  to  keep  them  in  a  cool  dry  house,  and  to  gradually 
withhold  water  so  as  to  keep  the  wood  plump.  Any  lifted  and  potted 
will  require  to  be  more  carefully  dried  off.  Numbers  of  Fuchsias  are 
annually  lost  owing  to  being  badly  injured  by  frosts  before  being  housed. 
While  resting  unheated  sheds  and  outhouses  are  too  cold  for  them,  but 
they  keep  well  in  vineries  and  fairly  well  on  their  sides  under  greenhouse 
stages,  only  just  enough  water  being  given  to  keep  the  wood  plump. 
Standard  Fuchsias  are  very  effective,  and  can  either  be  grown  from  quite 
young  plants  or  obtained  by  trimming  off  the  lower  branches  of  some  of 
the  roughest  of  the  pyramids  in  the  spring. 
THE  KITCHEN  GARDEN. 
Asparagus. — At  this  time  of  year  the  Asparagus  beds  usually  present 
an  untidy  appearance,  but  not  till  the  tops  are  brown  ought  they  to  be 
cut  down.  In  this  condition  they  are  no  longer  of  any  service  to  the 
roots  and  crowns,  and  may  be  removed  4  inches  or  so  above  the  soil, 
taken  away  and  burnt.  If  any  seeds  are  wanted  hang  up  selected 
growths  covered  with  berries  in  a  cool  dry  shed  till  next  spring,  when  the 
seed  can  be  easily  cleaned.  The  surface  of  the  beds  and  alleys  should  be 
cleared  of  weeds  and  left  in  a  neat  condition.  The  old  plan  of  raking 
or  forking  off  the  surface  soil  nearly  or  quite  down  to  the  roots,  returning 
it  to  the  top  of  a  liberal  dressing  of  “  fat  ”  manure,  answers  well  where  the 
soil  is  of  a  free  working,  somewhat  hungry,  nature,  but  there  should  be 
no  shaving  off  the  sides  of  the  beds  and  rolffiing  the  alleys  of  soil  for 
covering  the  manure,  as  this  has  a  destructive  effect  upon  the  roots  of 
the  outer  rows  of  Asparagus.  When  the  soil  to  a  considerable  depth 
happens  to  be  of  a  cla^'ey,  retentive  nature,  this  is  already  unfavourable 
to  the  growth  of  Asparagus,  and  to  heavily  dress  it  with  manure  aggra¬ 
vates  the  evil.  Severe  frost  is  less  injurious  to  Asparagus  than  a  cold 
saturated  rooting  medium  in  which  the  roots  sometimes  perish  wholesale. 
There  ought,  then,  to  be  no  top-dressing  the  beds  if  the  soil  is  naturally 
heavy  and  cold.  Clean  them  and  defer  manuring  till  next  spring. 
Brussels  Sprouts. — Where  abundance  of  rain  fell  in  August  last, 
Brussels  Sprouts  are  excessively  strong,  those  disposed  somewhat  thickly 
literally  smothering  each  other.  Most  of  the  lower  leaves  are  fast  turning 
yellow,  a  strong  smell  denoting  early  dec'ay.  All  in  this  condition  ought 
to  be  removed  to  a  heap  where  they  can  be  converted  into  good  manure, 
but  do  not  heedlessly  strip  off  any  that  are  fresh  and  green.  They  may 
be  the  means  of  saving  the  stems  from  being  injured  by  frost.  Nor  ought 
the  tops  to  be  cut,  as  these  protect  and  foster  the  growth  of  late  supplies 
of  sprouts. 
Broccoli  and  Cauliflower.— A  good  supply  of  early  Broccoli  and  late 
Cauliflowers  is  always  appreciated  in  November  and  December.  No 
reliance  can  be  placed  upon  unprotected  plants,  as  they  will  not  stand 
nearly  so  much  frost  as  will  late  Broccoli.  Those  nearly  fit  for  use  should 
bo  covered  with  leaves  taken  from  old  stumps  already  cut  over,  and  have 
their  own  leaves  further  tied  together  over  the  hearts,  in  w'hich  condition 
they  will  keep  white,  clean,  and  sound.  A  portion  of  those  with  hearts 
about  the  size  of  cricket  balls  must  also  be  protected,  while  the  rest, 
together  with  all  not  so  far  advanced,  may  well  be  lifted  and  stored  where 
they  can  be  protected  from  severe  frost.  For  convenience  of  moving  and 
replanting,  snap  off  quite  the  oldest  lower  leaves,  and  save  a  little  soil 
about  the  roots.  Deep  rough  frames,  brick  pits,  and  pits  in  empty  vineries, 
are  good  positions  for  storing.  Bed  the  plants  in  rather  closely,  firmly 
surrounding  the  roots  with  rich  moist  soil.  Covering  them  with  poor  dry 
soil  would  be  quite  a  mistake.  Better  wholly  cover  with  manure  than 
that,  because  unless  the  plants  have  something  to  root  strongly  into,  the 
hearts  they  produce  are  small  and  poor  in  quality.  Keep  the  roots  well 
supplied  with  moisture,  and  protect  the  plants  from  frost.  Fully  developed 
Broccoli  and  Cauliflower  will  keep  some  time  embedded  in  moist  soil  in 
sheds.  Remove  all  decaying  leaves. 
Parsley. -Extra  strong  early  raised  plants  are  frequently  the  first  to 
suffer  injury  from  frost,  the  later  sowings  possessing  more  vitality.  None 
can  wholly  be  depended  upon,  and  unless  the  precaution  of  storing 
Parsley  under  glass  is  taken  a  serious  gap  in  the  supjdy  may  be  the 
consequence.  Whether  a  few  or  many  plants  are  stored  should  depend 
upon  the  nature  of  the  demand  for  Parsley.  Three  or  four  lights  in  a 
brick  pit  filled  with  plants  are  none  too  much  in  some  gardens  ;  in  others 
two  or  three  large,  moderately  deep  boxes  would  hold  enough.  The  plan 
of  closely  filling  T2-inch  pots  with  plants  is  also  a  good  one,  as  they  are 
not  much  in  the  way,  and  can  be  readily  shifted  about.  Strong  plants  are 
the  best  for  storing,  and  these  ought  to  be  lifted  carefully,  so  as  not  to 
break  their  Carrot-like  root.  Trim  off  the  outer  already  discoloured 
leaves,  and  sink  the  roots  to  their  full  depth  in  rich,  loamy  soil,  arranging 
the  plants  thickly.  They  may  be  arranged  in  pits,  frames,  vineries.  Peach 
houses,  or  greenhouses,  genial  warmth  acting  beneficially  after  the  new 
year  has  commenced. 
Storing  Roots.— Parsnips,  Salsafy,  Scorzonera,  and  Jerusalem  Arti¬ 
chokes  keep  best  in  the  ground  where  grown,  but  when  severe  frost  may 
reasonably  be  anticipated  some  of  each  should  be  lifted  and  stored  in 
sand  or  fine  soil,  where  they  can  be  got  at  when  the  ground  is  too  hard 
frozen  for  digging.  Heavily  mulching  some  of  the  rows  or  breadths 
with  strawy  litter  would  answer  the  same  purpose,  as  it  must  be  a  very 
severe  frost  that  will  make  the  ground  hard  under  1  foot  depth  of  litter. 
Late-sown  Carrots  should  also  be  left  where  they  are,  as  the  roots  keep 
sweeter  and  more  tender  in  the  ground  and  continue  growing  whenever 
the  weather  is  mild.  The  main  crop  of  Carrots  ought  now  to  lie  taken 
up  and  stored.  Beet  keeps  well  in  clamps,  covering  with  straw  and  soil. 
Turnips  fit  for  storing  are  somewhat  scarce  this  season,  and  most 
dependance  will  have  to  be  placed  upon  late  breadth.s.  Where  plentiful  a 
portion  of  the  crop  may  be  stored  similarly  to  Potatoes.  Chicory  roots 
are  hardy,  but  if  a  portion  of  the  crop  is  lifted  and  stored  similaily  to 
Carrots  they  will  he  ready  for  introducing  into  a  Mushroom  house  or 
other  warm  dark  place  at  intervals  of  a  week  or  rather  more. 
Rhubarb  for  Forcing. — Not  till  frost  has  reached  the  roots,  or  an 
enforced  rest  has  been  otherwise  brought  about,  does  Rhubarb  force 
readily.  The  jilan  of  lifting  the  clumps  and  leaving  them  exposed  to  all 
weathers  for  about  three  weeks  prior  to  introducing  them  into  heat 
answers  well.  They  start  into  growth  stronger  and  more  quickly  for  this 
check. 
A  cORREsroNPENT  says,  “  the  old  brimstone  system  still  prevails 
in  spite  of  lectures  on  bees  and  technical  education.”  But  are  not 
lecturers  often  to  blame  for  this  state  of  things  ?  I  am  induced  to 
ask  this  question  from  what  has  come  under  my  own  observation. 
Not  many  weeks  ago  1  attended  a  lecture  on  bee-keeping  in  a  country 
district,  which  was  given  in  the  hope  of  stirring  up  a  greater  interest  in 
bee-i<eeping  in  that  part  of  the  country,  which  had  fallen  off  very  much 
of  late  years. 
The  lecturer  doubtless  understood  the  management  of  bees,  but 
failed  to  explain  some  of  the  simple  rules  necessary  to  make  bee-keeping 
a  succe.ss.  He  said,  “  In  d'iving  bees,  it  was  only  necessary  to  place 
three  stocks  of  driven  bees  together.  The  bees  would  bill  off  all  the 
queens  but  one.”  No  explanation  was  given  of  the  advantage  of 
having  a  young  queen  which  should  have  been  SLlected  from  the  old 
stock  that  had  swarmed,  or  from  a  cast  or  second  swarm,  and  the 
queens  from  all  first  swarms  killed  off  by  the  operator.  The  bee-keeper 
may  then  have  confidentially  looked  forward  to  another  year  without 
the  risk  of  his  bees  being  headed  by  an  old  worn-out  (jiieen,  which 
would  probably  be  the  case  if  his  instructions  were  cariied  out. 
In  illustrating  the  management  of  bees  in  straw  skeps,  no  mention 
was  made  or  instructions  given  how  to  obtain  sections  wffien  placed 
on  supers  on  the  top  of  the  skep  ;  some  of  the  best  sections  in  colour, 
weight,  and  finish  were  obtained  from  a  flat-topped  sbep.  In  s[)eaking 
of  the  profit  to  be  derived  from  bee-'  eeping,  honey  was  debited  at  a 
shilling  a  pound,  and  “  as  the  bees  would  consume  20  lbs.  of  honey  to 
make  1  lb.  of  wax,  it  was  a  decided  advantage  to  pmehase  comb 
foundation  at  2s.  Gd.  per  lb.”  It  is  certainly  a  great  assistance  to  the 
bees  to  provide  them  with  foundation,  but  I  think  10  lbs.  ftf  honey 
is  as  much  as  the  bees  will  consume  to  make  1  lbs.  of  '\ax  in  comb 
building;  a  shilling  per  pound  for  honey  is  altogether  a  fancy  price 
where  one  has  it  in  bulk  to  dispoie  of. 
Disaprointments  in  Bee-keeping. 
It  is  discouraging  to  bee-keepers,  after  hearing  a  glowing  account 
of  tlie  profits  to  be  derived  from  this  source,  to  find  on  making  a 
practical  test  they  have  much  to  learn,  if  the  advice  is  followed  as 
given  by  the  lecturer  from  which  the  above  nofes  weie  taken.  In  the 
first  place  the  whole  success  of  a  colony  of  bees  depmids  on  the  queen 
being  hardy  and  ])rolific.  If  the  queen  is  old  she  will  probably  die 
just\t  the  time  she  is  most  needed,  and  if  the  bees  are  all  ki  pt  in 
straw  skeps  it  is  just  as  easy  to  have  all  the  colonies  he  aded  by  young- 
queens,  as  it  would  be  if  they  were  in  the  moveable  frame  hive,  and  it 
is  also  practical  to  obtain  a  sur[)lus  from  them  by  storing  in  suiiers  as 
stated  above,  instead  of  depending  on  the  honey  stored  in  the  brood 
combs. 
Again,  as  to  the  price  of  honey.  If  sold  in  the  trade  to  sell  again 
a  lower  figure  is  obtained  than  would  be  expected  from  the  consumer, 
