390 



THE GARDENER. 



[Aug. 



sufficient to prevent it falling below 

 70° before morning. Give fruit that 

 are colouring plenty of air. Keep 

 them drier than plants swelling their 

 fruit, but avoid drying them off en- 

 tirely at this season. Smooth Cay- 

 en ues, and other sorts in younger stages 

 that are growing freely, should be 

 supplied with fresh air sufficient to 

 prevent their drawing ; and see that 

 they get no check for want of water. 

 Syringe them gently on bright after- 

 noons when shut up, and give air in 

 the morning as soon as the heat ex- 

 ceeds 75°. Suckers on plants that have 

 fruited up to this time will now be 

 strong and ready to pot. Put them in 

 7 or 8 inch pots, according to their 

 size. Drain the pots well, use a rather 

 light fibryloam, and pot firmly, plung- 

 ing them in a bottom - heat of 90°. 

 Keep them rather close and moist, and 

 shade them in the heat of the day till 

 they make roots. Then water well, and 

 inure by degrees to full light and air. 

 Grapes. — Where the wood of early 

 Vines from which Grapes were all cut 

 in May is thoroughly ripe, let all re- 

 pairs in the way of painting, reglazing, 

 and any alterations in the heating 

 contemplated, be attended to forth- 

 with. Continue to put former direc- 

 tions in force in order to keep the 

 foliage clean and healthy. Late Grapes 

 now swelling off should have copious 

 supplies of water if the weather be dry. 

 Vines that have been bearing heavy 

 crops for years should be nourished 

 and stimulated by sprinkling guano 

 on the surface of the border before 

 watering it. This, alternately with 

 the drainage from cow - houses or 

 stables in a diluted state, will greatly 

 benefit such Vines. On damp, dull I 

 days put more or less heat into 

 the pipes to keep the air moving, and 

 never shut the houses up closely, \ 

 either by night or day. Owing to the 

 backwardness of the season, crops in 

 general may require more fire-heat to 

 ripen them thoroughly by the end of 

 September. Take every precaution to 

 keep flies and wasps from ripe Grapes, 

 or they will soon disfigure them. 

 There is no better way than to fix 

 Hawthorn's netting over the ventilat- 

 ing openings. Keep a constant look- 

 out on Vines in all stages, and see that 

 red - spider does not gain a footing. 

 There are few better preventives 

 than a circulation of fresh air night 



and day. Remove all lateral growths 

 from Vines now swelling their crop ; 

 and in the case of Gros Colman, all lat- 

 eral leaves may be removed soon after 

 colouring begins. We have noticed 

 that all bunches of this Grape well 

 exposed to light colour the best. In 

 the case of Vines which may have their 

 roots deep in the border, a good means 

 of enticing the roots to the surface is 

 to remove all surface soil down to the 

 roots as soon as the crop is cut, and to 

 replace it with a layer of eight inches 

 of turfy loam, with a third of horse- 

 droppings and a sprinkling of bone- 

 meal. The roots will work up into 

 this rich fresh soil ; and in the case of 

 early Vines the roots will continue to 

 do so in spring, especially if some 

 warm litter and leaves be applied to 

 the surface of the border when forcing 

 commences. Pot-Vines intended for 

 fruiting early next year should by the 

 end of this month have their wood 

 hard and brown, with well-developed 

 buds. Expose them to the full sun, 

 and a free circulation of air to carry 

 on the ripening process to completion. 

 Remove all attempts at lateral growths ; 

 and the pots being now crammed full 

 of roots, see that they do not suffer 

 for want of water. 



Peaches. — One of the greatest evils 

 in Peach-growing is that of tying in 

 more young wood than there is ample 

 room for. Look carefully over all trees, 

 and where the leaves are crowded, and 

 shading each other and the wood, do 

 not hesitate to remove superfluous 

 shoots. This should especially be seen 

 to as the crop is gathered from each 

 tree, so that light and air can play 

 freely about every bud. Syringe all 

 trees from which the crop is gathered ; 

 and if there be any spider about them, 

 mix a handful of sulphur with the 

 water. See that all trees swelling off 

 full crops are well supported with 

 copious waterings of liquid manure 

 in dry weather. Look over ripening 

 crops twice daily in sunny weather, 

 and gather all fruits that are ready 

 for table. If to be packed and sent 

 by rail, do not let the fruit be too 

 ripe. Expose ripening fruits to the 

 full sun by pushing aside any leaves 

 that partially shade them. Continue 

 to syringe late varieties in cool houses 

 every fine afternoon, and see that all 

 such that have their roots in inside 

 borders are well watered. 



