224 THE FLORIST. 



may also be planted, and the last sowing to come in this year should 

 be sown at once ; we prefer the VValcheren Broccoli and Stadtholder 

 Cauliflower for this sowing. Water must be given liberally whenever 

 the ground becomes dry, or make use of irrigation when practicable, 

 on which a very excellent paper was published in the Florist last year. 

 Melons. — The more light and air Melons can be supplied with during 

 the period of ripening, the higher will be their flavour. Shading such 

 plants as the Melon is decidedly bad practice, but constant attention to 

 a uniform root action, by keeping a moderate bottom heat, is indispen- 

 sable. The soil in which they grow should be moist, but not wet. 

 Give water " a little and often," to avoid the extremes of wet and 

 dryness, which would be fatal to the crop. Should red spider attack 

 the foliage, wash the interior sides of the pit or frame with a little sulphur. 

 There is still time to plant for the latest crop. 



Peach-house. — As the fruit is cleared, go over the trees, and remove 

 any useless wood not required for bearing next year. The trees should 

 be kept well washed every morning, to keep down insects, and have a 

 large supply of air, to assist in ripening the wood. If the trees are 

 young, or are making too strong wood, keep the border quite dry ; 

 on the contrary, weak trees, or which have been overcropped, should 

 have waterings of manure water applied two or three times during the 

 next two months. 



Pelargoniums. — After flowering, let the plants be exposed to the 

 sun and air, to cause the wood to well ripen before being cut down. 

 Fumigate freely to destroy aphis, which adheres strongly to them. 

 Cuttings put in now will strike freely out of doors in a sheltered situ- 

 ation, in a mixture of light sandy soil. The fancy varieties should be 

 struck in pots, and kept in a cool house for a time, giving a little fire- 

 heat. Compost should now be prepared for autumn use. 



Pinery. — The plants for producing winter fruit should now be 

 showing fruit, and will require plenty of air, to get the shows up strong. 

 The first batch of plants to fruit next season early should now be suffi- 

 ciently advanced to be potted into fruiting pots. Pot on successions as 

 they require it ; also the suckers taken from the present season's stools. 

 Pinks andPansies. — Propagate these by the usual method of pipings ; 

 the latter will require a shady border, but Pinks do best on a slight hot- 

 bed. 



Vinery. — When the fruit is all cleared from the early house, let the 

 foliage be kept well washed daily, and every means taken to keep the 

 leaves healthy, as long as possible, to invigorate the Vines for another 

 season. The inside borders, if become dry, should also be watered, 

 taking proper care of the foliage.^ Vines, though early forced, may be 

 kept in a good productive state for many years. We, last season, took 

 up the Vines in a house which had produced ripe Grapes the first week 

 in May, for twenty consecutive years. Attend to late Grapes, by thinning 

 those not yet set, and other points of treatment. Outside borders, after 

 the late dry weather, may require water, but all will depend on the 

 composition. 



