48 



THE GARDENER, 



[Jan. 



giving more water at the root than just 

 eufl&ces to keep the plants healthy, if 

 the pluDgitig material be leaves and tau 

 without hot-water pipes beneath them. 

 We have frequently liad Pines in the 

 most Batisfactory condition without 

 being once watered from the beginning 

 of November to the mi Idle or end of 

 January. All young stock in low pits, 

 that can be covered from dusk till dawn, 

 should be covered in preference to firing 

 hard to keep up the temperature ; and 

 whenever the temperature exceeds 65° 

 by sun heat, give a small amount of air 

 at a number of openings instead of much 

 at a few. 



Vines. — Give every attention to late 

 Grapes still hanging, in the way of keep- 

 ing a steady temperature of 45° and a 

 dry atmosphere. Instead of opening 

 ventilators on mild foggy days, keep 

 them shut, and embrace the opportvin- 

 ity afforded by clearer weather of giving 

 a little increase of heat and air. The 

 former practice fills the house with 

 moist air, while the latter expels it. 

 Go over every bunch twice a-week, and 

 remove all decaying berries before they 

 communicate their rottenness to others. 

 Prune all Vines from which the fruit 

 has been cut, and that have shed their 

 leaves. Wash every inch of inside sur- 

 face, not even excepting gangways ; 

 paint the hot-water pipes and wood and 

 wirework, if they require it ; and if the 

 Vines have been infected with red- 

 spider last year, wash them also with 

 a solution of Fowler's insecticide, and 

 coat them over with a mixture of clay, 

 cow-dung, sulphur, and a little soft-soap 

 of the consistency of thick paint ; after 

 which remove 2 inches of the surface- 

 soil from the inside border, aud if the 

 roots are inside the house, top-dress 

 ■with 2 inches of horse-droppings or 

 other short manure, and cover it over 

 with an inch of loam. In a few in- 

 stances early-started Vines will be set, 

 and in some cases thinned. These, if 

 required as early as possible to succeed 

 the late Grapes, must be pushed briskly 

 along, but let the forcing be done by 

 day principally. Sixty-five degrees is 

 sufficient temperature at night, unless 

 in very mild weather, when it may rise 

 to 70°. Avoid an excess of moisture, 

 especially in dull weather, and give air 

 on all favourable opportunities, and 

 always in the earlier part of the day, 

 shutting up early in the afternoon. If 

 this crop be in pots, great attention 

 must be paid to waterin^r, keepiug the 

 oil regularly moist. Vines in bloom, 



require to be freely aired, avoiding cold 

 currents as much as possible. Thin tlie 

 bunches to the desired number im- 

 mediately they are well set, and then 

 the berries as soon as they attain the 

 size of Radish seed. Stop the growths 

 of late Vines two or three joints beyond 

 the best bunch, and carelully tie them 

 down hy dejjrccs for fear of breaking the 

 tender growth.s, and avoid the crowding 

 of wood and foliage. Start succes-sion- 

 houses, the borders of which, it is pre- 

 sumed, have been well covered with 

 leaves or litter, or both, some time iigo. 

 It is a good plan to have a ridge of hot 

 leaves and manure on the inside border, 

 to be turned over every ten days or so. 

 Such keep up a fine atmosphere for 

 breaking and starting Vines. Begin 

 with 45° to 50° at night, gradually in- 

 creasing the heat to 6o° by the time the 

 buds have all fairly started. If they 

 show symptoms of swelling the buds at 

 the top much in advance of the bottom 

 ones, bend down the tops of the Vines 

 into a cooler part of the house till the 

 bottom buds advance. We are not an 

 advocate for much syringing in vineries, 

 and prefer keeping up the moisture by 

 evaporation from steaming-troughs and 

 floor-sprinkling. But after leaves are 

 formed, an excess of this, with too little 

 air, breeds wartiness on the under sides 

 of the leaves, and checks their expan- 

 sion, and impairs the whole system of 

 the Vines. Put in a sufficient number 

 of eyes for growing into Vines required 

 for another season. Either put them 

 singly in 3-inch pots, or a number in 

 lai'ger ones, to be potted ofi" when their 

 roots are an inch long. Use a light 

 turfy loam, with a little sand mixed 

 with it, to start them in. 



Peaches. — Should the weather be cold 

 and dull, be cautious in the application 

 of fire-heat, unless it be in the case of 

 trees in full bloom, to keep up a circula- 

 tion of dry air : go over the blooms at 

 mid-day with a camel-hair brush, and 

 impregnate especially shy-setting sorts, 

 such as Noblesse. Do not exceed 55° 

 at night till the fruit has set and begun 

 swelling freely. On fine afternoons 

 syringe all trees not in bloom ; but when 

 dull and cold, be content with sprink- 

 ling the floors. Prune and tie later 

 houses, cleaning and dressing them as 

 recommended for Vines ; and if the 

 borders be dry inside, give a good soak- 

 ing of water after they are top-d reused 

 with manure. Top-dretsing with manure 

 in the case of young trees in new borders 

 is not desirable, as they have a tendency 



