290 



THE GARDENER. 



[June 



but dew the plants gently with a fine 

 rose syringe at shutting-up time. In 

 the southern i)arts of the kingdom fire- 

 heat may be nearly entirely dispensed 

 with after the longest day, if the wea- 

 ther be warm and summer-like, and 

 everywhere its use should now be at 

 its minimum. Sun-heat should be 

 made the most of by shutting up early, 

 merely applying fire enough to prevent 

 the tem])erature from sinking below 

 70" towards morning. Where the bot- 

 tom-heat is supplied from tan and 

 leaves, see that it is not allowed to 

 shrink from the side of the pots, expos- 

 ing them to a circulation of air, which 

 renders more frequent watering neces- 

 sary. Unless during excessively bright 

 sun do not shade these growing plants. 

 We would rather have the leaves of a 

 slightly brown tinge from exposure to 

 bright sun, than have them green and 

 too succulent from overshading. Most 

 of those that started into fruit early in 

 spring will be ripe this month. Gradu- 

 ally decrease the moisture in the soil 

 and air as soon as they begin to colour 

 generally ; but avoid by all means a 

 starving-into-ripeness process, especi- 

 ally should bright sunshine prevail, but 

 give as much water as will keep the 

 functions of the plant healthy and 

 active till the fruit is half coloured, 

 when no more should be given, A 

 more liberal admission of air is con- 

 ducive to high flavour. AVhen more fruit 

 are ripe at any given time than are 

 required, they can be stored away on 

 the plants in a cool fruit-room, where 

 they will keep a long time : when kept 

 in this way the suckers shoidd pre- 

 viously be taken off and potted. That 

 portion of the stock intended for 

 supplying ripe fruit in autumn should 

 start this mouth, and if growing in 

 light houses or juts, and they have been 

 rested in May, as formerly directed, 

 there should not be much difficidty in 

 starting them if subjected to increased 

 temperature and moisture now. Those 

 intended for starting in July should 

 now be kept cooler and drier for a time, 

 but avoid starving them, so as to cause 

 their leaves to shrink. Give to all 

 fruit that are swelling off a high tem- 

 perature and moist atmosphere, and a 

 steady supply of water at the root. 

 Where young suckers are forming 

 reduce them to two on each plant. 



Vines. — Late crops will be under- 

 going the thinning process this month. 

 These should be tlmined more severely 



than crops that are intended to be 

 cut before November, As much of 

 their successful keeping depends on a 

 circulation of air about the individual 

 berries, see an article by J, M. in our 

 last issue on this subject. The oj^ra- 

 tion of thinning free-setting sorts is too 

 often delayed till the berries are too 

 large to perform the operation with 

 that ease and speed with which it can 

 be done when thinning commences 

 earlier. More air may now be admit- 

 ted to Vines in all stages, but in bright 

 weather let it be accomi)anied with 

 frequent sprinkling of the borders. 

 Shut up early with sun-heat, so that 

 the least possible amount of fire-heat 

 be required ; but leave a chink of air 

 on all night. Where crops are swellmg 

 off let the night temperature at the 

 coldest part of the morning range about 

 70°, and to maintain this heat little 

 fire will now be necessary in ordinary 

 weather. Examine the borders of all 

 Vines that are in active growth, and 

 see that the inside borders do not 

 become over dry. Give established 

 Vines in full bearing a soaking of 

 manure-water, and afterwards mulch 

 with manure or half- decayed leaves. 

 The same directions apply to outside 

 borders in time of drought. Keep 

 those houses where grapes are quite 

 ripe cool by leaving air on all night, 

 and do not allow these, or Vines from 

 which the Grapes have already been 

 cut, to make fresh lateral growths, but 

 remove at once every attempt at such, 

 and keep them cool — and, if their roots 

 are mostly in inside borders, not over 

 wet at the root ; in short, rest these in 

 all respects. Crops in the process of 

 colouring should have increased air both 

 at front and top lights; do not, however, 

 withdraw moisture suddenly, but do it 

 by degrees between the time that colour- 

 ing begins and is completed. Immediate- 

 ly the first signs of colouring commence 

 examine the borders, and if dry give a 

 good watering ; and if not already done, 

 mulch as has been directed already. 

 A few thorough soakings of water are 

 much to be jireferreti to more frequent 

 driblets, which do more harm than good. 

 Keep Vines from which the crop is all 

 cut as cool as possible, and syringe the 

 foliage occasionally to keep it clean 

 and free from the attacks of red-spider. 

 Wherever this enemy appears on a 

 Vine from which the Grapes have 

 not been cut, attack it at once 

 with a sponge and clean water ; an 



