1877. J 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



Itl 



Flowering of Ficus elastica. — A correspon- 

 dent writes that he has a plant of Ficus elastica, 

 which is making "abortive attempts to fruit." 

 We believe this to be very rare. 



Culture of the Antholyza. — Miss H. R. B. 

 asks, what is the best way to manage this plant? 



It is one of the Cape bulbs, and they generally 

 grow in what is our Winter. They do not like 

 much heat, however ; a cool greenhouse, or even 

 a room window would bring them on very well. 

 They are kept a little dry during Summer, 

 giving them water when there are appearances 

 of sprouting in Fall. 



IrUIT and IfEGETABLE BaRDENING. 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



Grapes coming into bearing should not be per- 

 mitted to perfect large crops of fruit while 

 young. It is excusable to fruit a bunch or so on 

 a young vine, "just to test the kind," but no 

 more should be permitted till the vine has age 

 and strength. Vigorous growth, and great pro- 

 ductiveness, are the antipodes of the vegetable 

 world. Encourage as much foliage as possible 

 on the vines, and aim to have as strong shoots 

 at the base as at the top of the cane ; this can 

 be done by pinching out the points of the strong 

 shoots after they have made a growth of five or 

 six leaves. This will make the weak ones grow 

 stronger. Young vines grow much faster over a 

 twiggy branch, stuck in for support, than over a 

 straight stick as a trellis, and generally do better 

 every way. When extra fine bunches of grapes 

 are desired, pinch back the shoots bearing it to 

 about four or five leaves above the bunch. This 

 should not be done indiscriminately with all the 

 bunches. Too much pinching and stopping in- 

 jures the production of good wood for next sea- 

 son. These hints are for amateurs, who have a 

 few vines on trellises; for large vineyard cul- 

 ture, though the same principles hold good so 

 far as they go, they will vary in their applica- 

 tion. 



Gooseberries should have the soil, and even 

 the plants, if it were practicable, shaded a little. 

 Dry air about them is one great cause of mildew, 

 and hot ground is greater than all. 



Currants are so easily grown as to require few 

 hints for their management. If they throw up 

 many suckers, take out a portion now, instead of 

 waiting till Winter to cut them away. The Cur- 

 rant borer is a great pest, eating out the pith of 

 the young shoots, and causing them to grow 



poorly, and bear but small fruit next year. 

 Gummy " fly paper " is, we think, the best thing 

 to catch them. 



Blackberries are not ripe when they are black. 

 Leave them on till they part readily from their 

 stalks. 



The directions and hints we gave last month 

 are still applicable, especially those relating to 

 disbudding and pinching back of strong shoots, 

 checking the flow of sap through excessively 

 luxuriant channels, and directing the flow 

 through weaker ones, equalizing and striking a 

 balance between all parts of the tree. As the 

 weather becomes dryer, and the growth still con- 

 tinues, young and free-growing trees of choice 

 varieties would be much benefited by occa- 

 sional syringings from a powerful garden engine, 

 which should be found in all gardens with any 

 pretension to completeness and excellence. Be- 

 sides the cleanliness so conducive to health this 

 ablutory process achieves, the moist atmosphere 

 and check to excessive evaporation that result 

 from this practice, is one of the greatest safe- 

 guards against many bad diseases. 



Grapes in cold vineries will now be of a size fit 

 for thinning, In those cases where the bunches 

 are intended to hang long on the vines, they 

 should be thinned out more severely than those 

 expected to be cut early. A close, compact 

 bunch flavors mildew and early decay. 



Fine, rich color is always esteemed as one of 

 the criterions whereby to judge of the excellence 

 of a fruit. Sun-light is of first importance ; but 

 it is not generally known that this is injurious 

 when in excess. In a dry atmosphere, with 

 great sun-heat, where the evaporating process 

 goes on fiister than the secretive principle, what 

 should become a rich rosy blush in a fruit is 

 changed to a sickly yellow, and the rich jet black 



