438 



THE GARDENER. 



[Sept. 



Kale, Savoys, and other kinds of crops, 

 than have it empty during the winter. 

 It is yet too soon to allow ground to 

 be prepared by trenching for next 

 year's work ; but rather than it should 

 be a receptacle for weeds, trench it up 

 and expose a rough surface to action 

 of the weather : it could be forked 

 over and well manured for cropping 

 after the turn of the year. Turnips 

 may (in some southern localities) be 

 sown early in the month to fill up 

 Potato-ground ; but in northern parts 

 this cannot generally be done with 

 any degree of service. French Beans 

 and Scarlet Runners may be protected 

 with glass frames, or hoops, on which 

 mats may be thrown over at night. 

 The season having been so late, it is 

 all the more necessary to prolong the 

 supplies as far as possible. More 

 French Beans may be sown in pots 



and in frames to succeed those in 

 open ground. Protect Vegetable Mar- 

 rows, ridge Cucumbers, Ghirkins, or 

 other tender crops, when weather may 

 seem inclined to be frosty : cold 

 drenching rains would help to prolong 

 the season of these. Tomatoes and 

 Chillies may be protected in the same 

 way. They have been grown this 

 year with more than ordinary labour, 

 and should be made the best of. 

 Potatoes in pots and frames ought to 

 be protected when they are growing : 

 if placed in a sheltered position where 

 light and air will reach them free- 

 ly, covered hoops or a framework of 

 mats would keep them safe during 

 frosty nights. Mushroom-beds may 

 be made behind walls, in cellars, out- 

 houses, or anywhere. Get a stock of 

 soil and other necessaries ready for 

 winter forcing of vegetables. M. T. 



FORCING DEPARTMENT. 



Pines. — About the middle or end of 

 this month is a good time to pot a 

 second batch of suckers from plants 

 that have recently ripened fruit. For 

 Queens 6-inch pots, and for strong 

 suckers of strong-growing sorts 7-inch 

 pots will be large enough. Select, if pos- 

 sible, a rather light turfy loam, adding 

 a 7-inch potful of bone-meal to each 

 barrow-load of soil. Pot firmly and 

 plunge in a bottom-heat of 90°, giving 

 the young plants plenty of room, and 

 keeping them within two feet or so of 

 the glass. Very little shade will be 

 required for newly-potted suckers at 

 the end of the month. Keep the air 

 moist and the pit rather close till roots 

 are formed, when more air should be 

 given. Suckers potted early last month 

 or in the end of July will be growing 

 freely, and will require to be kept 

 steadily moist at the root, and will do 

 with more air and all the sun they can 

 get. If for convenience they have been 

 plunged thickly, let them have more 

 room before they get crowded. These, 

 as well as newly-potted suckers, may 

 be lightly dewed with a fine syringe at 

 shutting-up time on fine days. All 

 Queens intended for starting early next 

 season should now have their pots well 

 filled with roots, and be otherwise well 

 matured. Give them no more water 

 than is enough to prevent their getting 

 a check. The minimum night tem- 



perature for these should drop to 65° 

 by the end of the month. All syring- 

 ing of these should now be discontin- 

 ued. Encourage such as are not so 

 forward, and that are to succeed the 

 earliest, to grow freely all through this 

 month, until they too are strong and 

 have thoroughly filled their pots with 

 roots. But as the daylight is now fast 

 decreasing, avoid a forcing temperature 

 at night, or the plants will become 

 drawn. Smooth Cayennes and other 

 late sorts more recently shifted into 

 their fruiting - pots should be kept 

 moderately moist at the root, and have 

 a good supply of moisture in the air. 

 In the case of these especially, avoid 

 all extremes that would be likely to 

 check them and be the cause of their 

 starting before making a considerable 

 fresh growth early in spring. Let the 

 night temperature in mild weather 

 range to 70° when the weather is warm, 

 with a few degrees less when cold. 

 Shut them up early in the afternoon, 

 so that the heat for a short time stands 

 about 80°, and give a little air in the 

 morning when it exceeds 75°. All 

 fruit now swelling off should have a 

 temperature of 70° at night. Water 

 them with guano-water in a weak state 

 every time they require watering. 

 Keep the bottom-heat from 85° to 90°, 

 and see that the air is kept genially 

 moist. In fine bright weather the 



