528 



THE GARDENER. 



[Nov. 



FORCING DEPARTMENT. 



Pines. — If young stock, such as 

 August and September potted suckers, 

 are at all crowded, let them be taken out 

 of the pit and replunged at wider dis- 

 tances, now that the autumn fruit will 

 be mostly cut, and more room is at 

 command. Being now well rooted, 

 the young stock will reqiure quiet 

 careful treatment for the next three 

 months, so that they may neither grow 

 too much and become drawn, nor get 

 any stunting check which may cause 

 them to start prematurely into fruit 

 in spring. 55° at night will be heat 

 sufficient for them when the weather 

 is cold, with 5° more when mild. 

 When the temperature exceeds 65° by 

 day give a little air. The bottom- 

 heat should not be more than is enough 

 to keep the roots healthy, and 75° 

 will be sufficient. If the pots are 

 firmly and fully plunged in moderately 

 moist tan or leaves, little or no water 

 will be necessary to keep them fresh 

 and healthy. The atmosphere shoidd 

 be dry and the pit free from drip, at 

 the same time avoiding a parching 

 atmosphere. Suckers recentlj'- potted 

 should have 5° more heat than is di- 

 rected above, until they are well rooted. 

 See that they too are not too thickly 

 placed. These, if they are stocky 

 suckers to begin with, and in light pits 

 and near the glass, may be grown 

 gently on all winter, if the general 

 condition of the sucker stock makes 

 this desirable. As a general rule, the 

 less young pines grow in the dead of 

 winter the better they will grow after 

 the turn of the year. That portion of 

 the succession Queens intended for 

 starting soon after the shortest day, 

 should have a steady temperature of 

 60° at night, with about the same 

 amount of bottom-heat recommended 

 for suckers. Where the bottom-heat 

 is derived from hot-water pipes, and 

 the plunging material shallow, see 

 that the plants do not suffer from ex- 

 cessive dryness. All plants that may 

 show fruit now of Cayennes, Black 

 Jamaicas, and C. Rothschild, should be 

 carefully dealt with, for they come in 

 at a time in spring when they are 

 much appreciated. Place them in a 

 light pit near the glass, with a bot- 

 tom-heat of 85° and a night air tem- 

 perature of 70°, and keep the soil just 

 moist, but not wet. Keep plants 



now swelling off their fruit also 

 steadily moist with manure- water, with 

 the same heat named for those that are 

 just started. Do not water indis- 

 criminately at this season, but ex- 

 amine each plant, watering those that 

 require it. The atmosphere, although 

 it should not by any means be dry, 

 should be less moist now than in lighter 

 weather, or the result will be drip and 

 unsightly large crowns. Remove fruit 

 that are quite ripe and not required for 

 table immediately they ripen to a dry 

 place, with a temperature of about 50°. 

 All Pine-pits that can be readily and 

 conveniently covered at night should 

 1)6 covered after the middle of the 

 month. It saves firing, and is better 

 in cold weather than hard firing. 



Vines. — This is perhaps the most 

 trying month of the year for Grapes 

 that are still hanging. If they can 

 be successfully kejjt during the time 

 the Vines are shedding their foliage, 

 there is not much fear of them after. 

 If the outside borders have not been 

 covered, as previously advised, it will 

 be a great advantage to do so now. 

 Look carefully over every bunch two 

 or three times weekly and remove 

 every sign of decaying berries, and 

 if the leaves are still hanging to 

 the Vines and come away with a 

 light touch, remove them all. There 

 should not be a plant requiring water 

 in the Vinery where Grapes are re- 

 quired to hang successfully. Where 

 there is no alternative but to place 

 plants under Grapes it is best to cut 

 the bunches with a portion of the 

 wood attached, and place them in 

 bottles of water with a little char- 

 coal in them, in a dry room of an 

 equable temperature of 45°. Grapes 

 keep pretty well in this way, but the 

 flavour suffers. Avoid the yet too 

 common and absurd practice of making 

 fires, and at the same time opening 

 the ventilators in damp or wet days, 

 when the house should instead be 

 kept quite close with just a slight 

 heat in the pijies. The time to apply 

 extra heat is on fine days when the 

 house can be fully ventilated to let 

 out damp. In cold weather keep the 

 temperature steady, at about 45°. 

 Vines intended to be forced before 

 the end of February will be bene- 

 fited by having their outside bor- 



