I879-] 



CALENDAR. 



149 



Vines, the tying down must be gone 

 about with care ; for if too severely 

 brought down at onetime, the growths 

 are apt to give way at their union 

 with the old wood, so that they re- 

 quire to be brought down by degrees. 

 Muscats and Gros Colmans intended 

 to ripen in September should now be 

 started ; and in doing this see that 

 the inside border, where such exists, 

 is well watered with tepid water if 

 possible. The end of this month is a 

 good time to plant young Vines raised 

 from eyes last season. Shake the soil 

 from their roots, wash them with clean 

 water, disentangle the rootlets, and 

 dash a handful or two of dry sand 

 about them. In planting them, and 

 where there is an inside border (as 

 there ought to be in all vineries), 

 spread most of the roots towards the 

 back of the vinery, for the roots have 

 a tendency to proceed outwards un- 

 less freely dealt with inside. After 

 watering them well, keep the heat 

 at 55° at night until they have grown 

 two inches, when it may be raised a 

 few degrees; but do not force an early 

 growth out of them just now. 



Peaches. — The night temperature 

 of the early house should not yet 

 exceed 55° when cold and 60° when 

 mild ; with a dull cold day tempera- 

 ture of 5° or 8° more. Syringe the 

 trees with tepid water when the house 

 is shut up, and let the temperature 

 rise to 75° for a time. See that the 

 inside border is kept moist ; and if 

 the trees be old and require stimulat- 

 ing, water alternately with guano and 

 dung water. As soon as the fruit are 

 stoned, 5° more heat may be applied. 

 Thin the fruit to about one to 10 

 inches or a foot apart, according to 

 the vigour of the trees. Very heavy 

 crops of early Peaches are never satis- 

 factory — unless, indeed, the trees be 

 young and in the prime of vigour : 

 two line peaches are certainly to be 

 preferred to three inferior ones. Look 

 carefully over the young growths, and 

 where it cannot be laid in without 

 crowding, thin a portion of it out. 

 Where the fruits are set and the 

 size of large peas, go over them and 

 carefully thin off such as are not in 

 good positions, and where they are 

 in clusters, always leaving the largest 

 and best - shapen ones. Disbud all 

 advancing trees by degrees, first re- 

 moving all the front and back buds, 

 ultimately leaving the terminal bud 



and two or three nearer the base of 

 last year's growth, according to the 

 length and strength of that grovth, 

 and the room there is for young 

 shoots : crowding is a great evil. 

 Whenever greenfly appears, get rid 

 of it at once. 



Figs.— See that the early crop from 

 trees in pots is carefully attended to 

 with water, which may now be freely 

 applied, as the growth is rapid, and 

 Figs are greedy of moisture. Increase 

 the night temperature to 60°, and shut 

 up with sun-heat early in the after- 

 noon, so that the temperature stand 

 at 75° for a time, at the same time 

 syringing the foliage and otherwise 

 damping the house. Give air rather 

 freely on fine days, to keep the young 



J wood stout and tit to throw a good 

 second crop. Pinch the point out of 

 each shoot at the sixth or seventh 

 joint. Remove all weakly growths 

 that are likely to crowd and are not 

 required to furnish the trees. Attend 

 to later trees in inside borders in the 

 way of disbudding growths that are 

 not required, and keeping them steadily 

 moist at the root. Now is a good 

 time to start permanent trees for a 

 first crop at midsummer and a second 

 in autumn from this year's wood. 



Melons. — Train the early plants to 

 within 15 inches of the top of the 

 house before stopping them. Water 

 them sparingly until the lateral 

 growths show fruit, and let the air 

 moisture be moderate, especially in 

 dull weather. Plant out succession 

 plants, using a strong calcareous loam 

 having no dung mixed with it. Dung 

 is best applied as a top-dressing to 

 strong soil. Those planted last month 

 will be growing freely. Water mode- 

 rately, and mould up by degrees, as 

 the roots appear outside the heaps of 

 soil. The night temperature may now 

 be 70°. Give air early, and increase 

 it by degrees till noon, and then de- 

 crease it gradually until the house is 

 shut up, so that it stand at 80° for 

 a short time, with a corresponding 

 amount of moisture in the air. 



Cucumbers. — See that those now 

 bearing freely do not suffer for want 

 of water, especially if grown with 

 bottom-heat supplied from pipes, and 

 without a layer of leaves and litter 

 between the pipes and the soil. Water 

 them with manure-water in a weak 

 state ; and if the roots appear on the 



i surface, top - dress with equal parts 



