94 



THE GARDENER. 



[Fer. 



line dry days, and keep the house shut 

 when it is wet and foggy. Use fire-heat 

 to keep the temperature at 45° in severe 

 weather, and on fine days after rain 

 put a little extra heat in the pipes to 

 expel damp. The remaining Grapes, 

 where only a few are now left, may be 

 cut and have their stalks put in bottles 

 of water, by which means they keep 

 well enough, but they deteriorate and 

 become watery in tlavour. All super- 

 fluous bunches should be thinned from 

 advancing early crops, immediately it 

 can be seen which are the best to leave. 

 Compact-shouldered bunches with short 

 footstalks should always be preferred 

 to those that are long and loose. Thin 

 the berries of Hamburgs and other 

 free-setting sorts very soon after they 

 are set ; and their thinning should be 

 completed at once, for it is very unde- 

 sirable to be thinning them after the 

 berries are getting near the stoning 

 point. Do not exceed 65° at night all 

 through this month. But take every 

 chance of shutting up the house early 

 when there is sun, allowing the tem- 

 perature to run to 80° for a time. When 

 the weather is dull, avoid much evapor- 

 ation of moisture from steam ing-trays, 

 but keep the air genially moist by floor- 

 sprinklings. Give more or less air every 

 day, regulating the amount according 

 to the state of the weather. Attend 

 carefully to the disbudding, stopping, 

 and tying down all Vines that are in 

 stages of growth requiring such opera- 

 tions. See last month's Calendar re- 

 garding these points. Where there has 

 been a bed of fermenting leaves, or man- 

 vire and leaves, placed on outside borders, 

 let it be turned over and some fresh mate- 

 rial be added, so that the heat may be 

 quickened. If it can be protected from 

 rains, it will continue toheat more stead- 

 ily and for a longer time. Where very 

 early Grapes are being pushed forward 

 from pot- Vines, the forcing may now be 

 at an augmented pace, especially with 

 sun-heat by day, when the thermometer 

 may stand at 85° for a while in the 

 afternoon, starting the fire just in time 

 to prevent it from falling below 70° at 10 

 P.M. In cold weather it may drop to 

 65° by morning. Hard forcing to force up 

 to a maximum night temperature is bad 

 in all respects. Give air always early in 

 the day. Pinch off all fresh lateral 

 growths. See that no check is allowed 

 from neglect of steady supplies of 

 moisture at the root, giving manure- 

 water in. a weak state every time of 



watering. Vine-eyes may now be put 

 into heat, giving them a bottom-heat of 

 75° to 80°, and a top-heat of about 60°, 

 till they are well started, when it may 

 be raised to 65°. 



Peaches.— Where the fruit have set 

 thickly in early houses, let them be 

 I)artially thinned, removing all those 

 that are in clusters, excejit the largest 

 and best - placed fruit. Disbud the 

 young growths by degrees, removing 

 all fore-right and back buds at the first 

 operation, and com])leting it at other 

 two intervals of eight or ten days. 

 Should the weather be cold, continue 

 to force, cautiously avoiding high night 

 temperatures : 55° during cold weather, 

 with a few degrees more when mild, is 

 high enough for the present. Give more 

 or less air every day, always putting it on 

 early by degrees and shutting up early 

 with sun-heat. Syringe the trees every 

 fine afternoon at shutting -up time. 

 Where trees are opening their blossoms, 

 keep the air moderately moist, and 

 avoid subjecting the bloom to cold cur- 

 rents of air, and also hard forcing, which, 

 in conjunction with too much moisture, 

 causes the wood-growth to too much 

 precede the blooming and setting pro- 

 cess. See that trees having their roots 

 exclusively in inside borders are kept 

 steadily moist. Prune, tie, and dress 

 succession-houses, top-dressingthe buds, 

 &c., as formerly directed, and thoroughly 

 cleansing the glass and woodwork. 



Figs. — Steadily keep up the bottom- 

 heat to trees being forced in pots as 

 directed last month. The temperature 

 of the air may range to 55° in cold 

 weather, with a few degrees more when 

 mild. Air freely on fine days, shut- 

 ting up early with sun-heat. Keep 

 them steadily moist at the root ; and 

 if the trees have not been shifted this 

 season, and have their pots very full 

 of roots, waterings of guano or ordinary 

 manure-water may now be commenced. 

 The succession-house of trees growing 

 in borders may now be started, begin- 

 ning with from 50° to 55° at night. 



Strawberries in Pots. — Straw- 

 berries in bloom are very easily injured 

 by a high temperature from fire-heat 

 and by cold ciirrents of air, and both 

 conditions must be avoided. Keep the 

 temperature about 55° at night till 

 they are set, when it may be raised to 

 60°. Those that are set and swelling 

 off may have the temperature increased 

 from 60° to 65°, according to the weather. 

 These will now take more water, and 



