62 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



ground. Plantations made now will give 

 a moderate crop. 



Succulents are usually kept dry all 

 winter, and have supplies of water in very 

 small quantities as they commence their 

 seasonal growth. Though easily kept in 

 windows and ordinary greenhouses, they 

 rarely flower unless they hare some special 

 care at this time of year. If any of them 

 want larger pots they should now be 

 shifted, and the soil used should he a mix- 

 ture of lime-rubbish, broken bricks, turfy 

 loam, and a little cow-dung, with plenty 

 of drainage crocks in the bottoms of the 

 pots. As a rule large pots are not favour- 

 able to their prosperity, so they should 

 never be shifted unless the old soil is worn 

 out and the plants have grown to a size out 

 of proportion to the pots they are in. All 

 the cacti and mesembryanthernnms, etc. 

 etc., now stored on greenhouse shelves, 

 should be dressed on the surface with 

 rotten dung, and be placed over a moderate 

 bottom-heat, with small supplies of water 

 to set them growing. Plenty of light, 

 plenty of water, when in free growth, and 

 a generous temperature arc requisite to 

 produce a good bloom. 



Orchard House. — Trees in bloom to 

 have air in abundance. Some slight agi- 

 tation among the blossoms will help to set 

 them. Keep the air as dry as possible till 

 the fruit is set, and while stoning be very 

 careful not to let them get either too wet 

 or too dry at the root. Trees swelling 

 their fruit in the early house to be assisted 

 with manure-water. 



Forcing House. — Use the syringe 

 freely on fine mornings, to assist the swell- 

 ing of figs, peaches, and nectarines. Figs 

 will take more water now; peaches need 

 liberal doses of liquid manure. Pinch in 

 betimes where the trees are making a nice 

 growth. Plums, pears, and cherries are 

 impatient of heat, and should have the 

 Coolest, and airiest part of the house. 



Pits and Fbames. — Cucumbers in bear- 

 ing to be kept in gocd health by very 

 careful ventilation and a steady heat, 

 during dull weather water very sparingly, 

 so as to allow of keeping them rather close. 

 Those coming into bloom to be regulated 

 very carefully, and the laterals stopped 

 above the second joint. Thin the crop in 

 time, if fine fruits are required; but where 

 produce is more important than size and 

 beauty they may he allowed to bear all 

 that set, and they will be sooner over to 

 make room for succession plants. A brisker 

 heat in the frames may be encouraged now 

 by linings: hut vermin will abound unless 

 a sharp look-out is kept to fumigate when 

 needed. 



Auriculas are now growing, and want 

 frequent supplies of water and abundance 

 of air when there is no frost. Piemove 

 secondary trusses, and thin the pips in 

 the trusses left to eight in number, 

 t. king; care to remove those that are ill 

 placed. 



Melons begin to require considerable at- 

 tention to set the blooms; train the vines, 

 thin out the superabundant growth, and 

 ventilate cautiously. The more fully de- 

 veloped leaves are better if evenly distri- 

 buted, so as to have a fair share of light; 

 leaves that are overlapped may be removed, 

 and no side-shoots should he allowed to 

 push which are likely to crowd the vines 

 and rob bearing laterals. But the other 

 extreme must be avoided; thin plants will 

 never produce fine fruits, and none should 

 be allowed to bear until they have acquired 

 a robustness of character. The smaller 

 kinds of melons may be very successfully 

 grown in pots, and, if well managed, the 

 fruit so produced is invariably handsome 

 and finely flavoured. 



Pines. — Encourage fruiting plants with 

 liberal waterings and atmospheric moisture. 

 Take care the heat does not decline. 

 Plants recently shifted require much care, 

 especially to shade them during sudden 

 bursts of hot sunshine ; and beware of 

 giving them too much water while they 

 are making new roots. Where the heat 

 can be sustained without trouble in pits 

 properly constructed, there is no plan so 

 satisfactory as planting them out, or plung- 

 ing the pots, and allowing the roots to run 

 out into the bed. 



Vinehy. — Tines that have begun to 

 swell their fruit will be much benefited by 

 an abundance of atmospheric moisture, if 

 the heat is kept steadj'. The thermometer 

 should not go below 60 3 by night, nor 

 above 80° on the brightest days; but 75° 

 may be considered a good day average. 

 In houses where the vines are coming into 

 bloom there must be less moisture. As 

 crapes begin to show colour more air must 

 be given. Prevent crowding by stopping 

 laterals, or removing them altogether 

 where not wanted. One thing must 

 always be kept in mind, and that is that 

 every bunch of grapes should be shaded 

 by its own leaves. 



Greenhouse Plants in Flower. — 

 Havera rv.liafolia. — This is closely allied 

 to Hydrangea, and requires similar treat- 

 ment, but with the temperature of an 

 intermediate house all winter. It is 

 an evergreen under-shrub, and blooms at 

 this time from cuttings of the previous 

 summer. Its natural season of bloom is 

 September. 



