January 4, 1913 



HORTICULTUEE 



FRUIT AND VEGETABLES UNDER GLASS 



CONDUCTED BY 



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Qaestlons by our readers In line with any of tlic topics presented on this page will be cordially received and promtply answered 

 by Mr. Fenson. Such communications should invariably be addressed to the office of HORTICULTURE. 



Bottling Grapes 



To the great majority of American people this term of 

 bottling grapes would convey the idea of partly cooking 

 or preserving them. Some might take it to mean "can- 

 ning" in some way as other fruits are done, so I take it 

 this must be an entirely British phrase where canning is 

 substituted by the making of jam. "Bottling," as the 

 word is here used, means to remove the bunches from 

 the vines so that the latter can rest and keep the grapes 

 in good condition until they are needed for use. At no 

 other time of the year is the advantage of a properly con- 

 structed fruit room so brought to our notice, as the at- 

 mospheric conditions play such an important part in 

 the keeping of grapes. While in the house the temper- 

 ature can be regulated, but not so evenly as in a fruit 

 room because the sun does not have the same eSect on the 

 two houses. Again there is no need for any water to be 

 around in a fruit room. The temperature must be 

 kept even night and day; 40 to 45 should be the ex- 

 tremes. This will be best regulated by a coil of hot 

 water pipes in the room, hot water being given a prefer- 

 ence to steam as it is less erratic. 



Ordinai-y three half-pint bottles are suitable so long 

 as they have a long neck to them. There is a bottle on 

 the market made for this work but it would not pay to 

 install them unless a good quantity was needed. What- 

 ever kind of bottles are used they must be thoroughly 

 cleaned or sterilized before coming into use. After this 

 fill them to the bottom of the neck with clean water and 

 push a couple of pieces of charcoal in also, which will help 

 keep it sweet. Wlien filled they should be made to take 

 an oblique position cither by having racks made for them 

 or by a temporary arrangement. When building a 

 fruit-room have the racks made at the time. 



Cut the bunches and retain all the lateral with them. 

 The base end is usually long enough to push into the neck 

 of the bottle and reach the water. If this should be too 

 short use the other end, which will answer the same 

 purpose, and see that the berries hang clear of the bottle. 

 If the space between the lateral and neck of the bottle is 

 sealed up it will stop evaporation, otherwise if left any 

 length of time a little water must be added as that in 

 the bottle recedes below the end of the lateral. When 

 doing so take care not to wet the berries. With a right 

 atmosphere very few berries should go wrong, yet it will 

 be wise to look over them occasionally. Grapes handled 

 so will keep for a long time ; a little flavor is unavoidably 

 lost yet they will always be found palatable. 



Top-Dress Strawberries 



Soon after coming into growth the early batch of 

 strawberries will be seeking nourishment. Turn out a 

 plant to make sure the roots are working, and if so, give 

 them a top dressing of good soil and add some lasting 

 manure to it. Remove any dead leaves and as much of 

 the surface soil as you can without injuring the roots 

 before adding the new soil: make this moderately firm 

 about the roots. This top dressing plays an important 

 part with all strawberries, as no more feeding is advis- 



able until after the fniit is set, so it needs to be made 

 of good material. To feed from now on with strong 

 manures would grow a quantity of soft foliage; some of 

 the plants would go blind and when they should feel the 

 effects of good feeding and do the fruit some good they 

 are already immune to it and you fail to get what you 

 should. It is like giving the best right from the start 

 and having no 'persuasives left for the final. Raise the 

 temperature of the house to 50 to 55F at night. Get 

 under the foliage well with the hose or red spider will 

 be there. Any negligence in airing will soon give straw- 

 berries a dose of mildew. Other batches can be brought 

 in at intervals of ten days or two weeks, following the 

 same routine as these have done. Where the plants 

 have been covered over in any way to prevent freezing 

 they ought to be looked over periodically, as the crowns 

 are liable to go rotten. It is not a good practise to cover 

 them this way yet some still do it. Mice and rats are 

 also liable to take a liking to them. 



Cucumbers 

 A sowing of cucumbers to substitute those that have 

 been cropping since fall will be beneficial. If the house 

 is filled at the present time, half can be discarded to 

 make room for the younger generation when they need 

 it. Sow the seeds singly in "threes" the same as with 

 melons. Improved Telegraph is the best averaged-sized 

 fruit. Smaller ones and more of them suit some places 

 better; "Every Day" will fill the bill here. Where a 

 cucumber with some size is appreciated grow "Satis- 



lai-liou. 



Onions and Leeks 



Exhibition onions and leeks should be sown now to 

 give them a long growing season. This is especially ap- 

 plicable to the cooler States. Have a flat well-drained 

 before filling with fine light soil. Level this off and 

 press it down only firm enough so that, when watering, 

 the soil will not move. It will be found easier to water 

 the soil before sowing the seeds and let it settle down; 

 then all that is needed is a light covering for the seeds. 

 Cover the flat with a piece of glass to prevent evaporation 

 until the seedlings show through. A temperature of 60 

 degrees will suit them until the seeds germinate when a 

 little cooler place will have to be found for them. 

 Onions and leeks are deep-rooting things, therefore must 

 be potted off early or some roots will be broken. Ailsa 

 Craig has yet to be beaten as an exhibition onion and 

 Prizetaker leek still holds its name. 



Aristolochia gigas Hookerii 



(^ur cover page illustration this week shows an excep- 

 tionally well-grown specimen of this singular and always 

 interesting greenhouse climbing subject. It was grown 

 by William Kleinheins of Ogontz, Pa. The plant had 

 sixteen buds and every one came out in perfection. The 

 flowers are 18 inches wide and 24 inches long and the 

 "tails" or caudal appendages from 28 to 30 inches in 

 length. These large blooming aristolochias are often 

 called the "pelican flower.'"' 



