70 



HOETICULTURE 



January 18, 1913 



FRUIT AND VEGETABLES UNDER GLASS 



CONDUCTED BY 



o 



J-'tVv.r 



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

 by Mr. Penson. Such communications should invariably be addressed to the office of HORTICULIUUE. 



Moving Vines 



Vines can be transferred from the house they are grow- 

 ing in to a neighboring one or shipped a distance if the 

 work is done properly and at the right time. The only 

 time to do tliis and be sure of success is when the leaves 

 commence to fall, so it depends on what house they are 

 growing in to determine the date. None, however, 

 should be left later than the present date as the leaves 

 will be falling in the latest houses now. Wlien moving 

 voung vines having only the first width of soil to them, 

 it will be advisable to knock away the temporary wall 

 keeping the soil in place on the inside. In this way no 

 risk is taken of cutting off young roots. Older vines 

 having more soil can have a trench dug down to the 

 drainage and the remainder of the soil forked away 

 from between the roots. This is a tedious job and one 

 that requires a great amount of care. Get all the roots 

 I'ree and then tie them up in bunches to avoid injury in 

 transit. It is impossible to get a ball of soil with the 

 loots of a vine, so all the roots must be carefully got out 

 and kept moist. To move one from between others 

 means to loosen some roots of both, as they gi-ow into 

 each other's territory down in the soil. A division at 

 the half-way line is all that can be done and the roots 

 •'cut" away, not chopped off. Often it will be found 

 necessary to plant deeper than when planting young 

 vines. Give them a watering to settle the soil about the 

 roots and spray the vines over in good weather. 



Pot Trees in Flower 



Peach and nectarine trees growing in pots started De- 

 cember 1st, or sooner, will now be in flower and atten- 

 tion must be paid to setting them. With good clear 

 weather this is easy as they usually readily comply witli 

 our wishes. Syringing must be discontinued for a time ; 

 there is no harm, however, in giving the floors or walks 

 a damp round first thing in the morning. Keep the 

 heating pipes warm and get a little air on early, increas- 

 ing this as fast as the weather permits. About noon the 

 pollen will be dry and ready to take its course. Both 

 peach and nectarine have a complete flower and are 

 formed well to make setting easy — stamens and pistil 

 being in close proximity. There is a vast difference in 

 the size of the flowers of different varieties. Take Pere- 

 grine peach and Stanwick Elruge nectarine, the fornier 

 an elegant flower with broad petals, the latter quite 

 diminutive and of little beauty; both are equal in pro- 

 ductiveness. It will be best to go over the flowers with 

 a soft brush or piece of fur to distribute the pollen. 

 About the best and easiest-made article for this purpose 

 is a rabbit's tail mounted on a piece of cane or wire for 

 a handle. Gently stroke the flowers and if in a right 

 condition the pollen will be easily seen moving around. 

 In clear weather a damping of the walks immediately 

 after will be beneficial. Keep a night temperature of 50 

 to 55 F. 



Making a Melon Bed 



The old idea and one that is practised today in some 

 places, of making a melon bed, is to first make a large 



hot-bed of stable manure and leaves on which to place 

 the soil. Today in the up-to-date establishments with 

 houses built especially for growing melons in, all this 

 is eliminated. There is no need of it with the benches 

 having perforated plates on the bottom, which allows 

 the heat to penetrate the soil from the heating pipes 

 below. Another advantage of this arrangement is, there 

 is no danger of plants "hanging" as the hot-bed settles 

 down beneath them. It was usually necessary to cut 

 away a quantity of the ties to let the plant go down with 

 the bed or take a big chance of having something go 

 wrong. This all went to make an unsightly appearance 

 and now we have nothing to fear in this line. 



Opinions differ greatly as to what texture of soil 

 melons thrive best in; some prefer sandy soil while 

 others go to the other extreme. I have seen both used 

 in different localities to good effect. If good thick pas- 

 ture loam, inclined to be heavy, could be procured I 

 should certainly grow melons in it. On the other hand, 

 in some places this is out of the question, in which case 

 I would use what is going. Experience has taught us 

 melon plants most decidedly relish moderately fresh 

 loam — stacked about three weeks so that the grass has 

 had time to decay. If good sod is to be had make your 

 bed the thickness of two which will be from four to five 

 inches, scattering a little lime rubble in between. In 

 using anything short of sod which can be so handled it 

 will be best to chop up roughly enough soil from the 

 heap and mix in plenty of lime rubble or plaster and also 

 a little charcoal. 



Melon beds require to be made quite firm at all times. 

 Loose beds only produce rank growths liable to contract 

 every disease that is going and as a general rule swell 

 away only one fruit. The mounds for planting into can 

 be of the same soil as the lower portion of the bed, a 

 heaped up six inch pot being quite large enough. 



Making a Cucumber Bed 



.V cucumber bed differs in many respects from a melon 

 bed. In the first place the soil differs and is not made 

 .«o firm ; .secondly, a much less quantity is used ; lastly, a 

 system of top-dressing at regular intervals must be 

 adopted. There is a difference in the planting too. To 

 avoid canker, trouble in a melon, plants should not be 

 buried any deeper tlian when growing in the seed pot. A 

 cucumber" can be planted right up to the seed leaf with- 

 out any fear of trouble. 



To commence cover over the bench about 21 inches 

 wide with a single sod face downwards. Place the 

 mounds on this at intervals of two feet. Enotigh soil 

 onlv to cover over the balls nicely should be given them 

 at first and as the roots show through this top-dress 

 them with another inch of soil all over the bed. Plants 

 growing well will need a top dressing once a week. By 

 this method are the best results obtained. A mixture of 

 three parts loam, two leaf soil, one fresli horse manure, 

 with a little sand if the loam is heavy, should grow 

 good cucumbers. No ramming is needed : press the soil 

 firm with the liands. 



