178 



HORTICULTURE 



February 8, 1913 



FRUIT AND VEGETABLES UNDER GLASS 



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CONDUCTED BY 



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

 by Mr. Penson. Such communications should Invariably be addressed to the ofiHce of HORTICULTURE. 



Pot Vines in Flower 



As pot vines come into flower raise the night tempera- 

 ture to 65 to 70 F. with the usual advance by day. Fine 

 mornings the house can be damped down in the usual 

 way first thing, after which no more moisture should be 

 put down until after the flowers have been fertilized. 

 This should be done around noontime. The pollen will 

 be dry by this time and can be seen moving around when 

 the vines are shaken. Black Hamburgh is the safest 

 variety to grow for this work on account of its setting 

 the berries so easily and combining the other essential 

 good qualities of an early grape. Later in the season a 

 good shake of the vine is sufBcient to secure a good set 

 providing other conditions are favorable. With pot 

 vines coming in at such an early date and often in ad- 

 verse weather, it is advisable to fertilize the flowers with 

 a soft fur brush to reduce the percentage of seedless ber- 

 ries to a minimum. After fertilizing, damp the house 

 down well. This is one of the most important times of 

 the whole season that the house should have all the air 

 that it is possible to give it. In mild weather this is 

 ■simple, but when it is freezing hard all day it is not so 

 easy. Take advantage of any sunshine that may come to 

 get just a little on. 



Muscat of Alexandria Grape 



To Muscat of Alexandra belongs the honor of being 

 the best-flavored grape in cultivation. This is a great 

 thing to say, but it is a generally acknowledged fact. 

 Like most of our exceptionally good things it is harder to 

 grow than most of the other varieties. This recalls an 

 instance of a melon tried out two years ago, undoubtedly 

 the finest thing in cultivation, but one can be excused 

 for calling a regular demon to grow. Xo plant would 

 carry more than two fruits : an average would be less than 

 one-and-a-half; this coupled with all its other troubles 

 caused us to discard it. Muscat of Alexandra is not 

 such an outrageous offender, but has some peculiar char- 

 acteristics, which if catered to will make it one of the 

 most prolific in addition to its excellent flavor.. The 

 first of February is a good date to start an early Muscat 

 house. I said "'Muscat house." using the general phrase 

 of the gardeners when referring to Muscat of Alexandra 

 but which is not definite, as there are a number of 

 Muscats, including several well-known black varieties. 

 Muscat of Alexandra vines started now will come along 

 in good shape and ripen their fruit at a good time. Give 

 them the ordinary routine for the first few weeks. 



Thinning Strawberries 



Soon after strawberries have gone over flowering they 

 must be looked through to make a reduction of the 

 fruits set. With these very early batches the thinning 

 process is easy, as generally the number of perfect fruits 

 with a stem of fair length is seldom in excess. A simple 

 method when thinning is to first remove all the poorly- 

 set fruits, then take off those with the shortest stems 

 until the requisite number is reached. This should be 

 about six until later on in the season. The longest 

 stemmed fruits are desirable because they will keep up 



away from the water and also have a better opportunity 

 to get sun and air when ripening. After thinning give 

 the plants all the feeding they can take. A shelf near 

 the glass is the best location for strawberries to finish 

 tlieir fruit unless a house is given up to them entirely. 



Vines Bleeding 



After a vinery has been started for about a week the 

 sap commences to flow and there is a danger of "bleed- 

 ing" from cuts or where the outer barks have been taken 

 away deep enough to cut into the live wood. Every 

 drop of exuded sap is waste — so much life blood and 

 energy gone. It is similar in our own bodies; one can 

 bleed to death. Bleeding of vines is very much to be 

 regretted as once a cut or fractured part of the stem 

 commences to bleed the chances of stopping it right 

 away are very few. Up to the time a few leaves are 

 expanded it will be advisable to look over the rods peri- 

 odically to detect any bleeding. It is often a hopeless 

 task to undertake to stop a wound which has been bleed- 

 ing for sometime. The continual exuding of the sap 

 prevents one from obtaining a dry surface to work on. 

 Could this be brought about for a few minutes it would 

 be an easy matter to stop the bleeding. This is the time 

 which reminds anyone of "styptic" and the advantages 

 of using it at pruning time. Once an application of 

 this has hardened over a cut, bleeding is impossible. Use 

 this in preference to all substitutes. A very old remedy 

 is to push a small potato over the spur; sometimes this 

 will stop it and sometimes not. Powdered charcoal 

 applied as a dryer and followed immediately with a 

 dressing of Styptic has succeeded in some cases. As a last 

 resort the bleeding wound can be burnt with a hot iron 

 until it is dry, when tlie cells will often be closed up and 

 bleeding cease. These are only a few of the many ways 

 this evil is combated with — none of them are sure; there 

 is no sure remedy for it once it is started until nature 

 in her own way stops it after a few leaves are opened. 

 Late pruning is often the cause and should be avoided. 



Tomatoes 



Tomatoes can be planted out in the benches from 2i/^ 

 inch pots or potted on into fours. The latter way is 

 preferable at this season of the year. It must be borne 

 in mind, that a tomato will not stand being root- 

 bound. No matter what size pot they are in and being 

 intended for growing on they must be shifted at the 

 right time. In some cases they apparently seem to get 

 over being root-bound but the crop is not so heavy. Im- 

 mediately the fours are nicely filled with roots transfer 

 them to the benches. These should not be filled with 

 soil if only one row is to be grown and trained up the 

 trellis near the roof. About one foot of soil will be 

 found sufficient. A board can keep this in its place. 



Large houses can be used successfully for growing 

 tomatoes, in which ease each bench will receive the full 

 complement of soil and the plants will be planted 

 through the whole bench and tied up to stakes. Big 

 crops have been secured this way. Use soil that was 

 stacked with manure last fall. No other feed will be 

 needed until the first two trasses of fruit are set. 



