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HOKTICULTUBB 



April 12, 1913 



FRUIT AND VEGETABLES UNDER GLASS 



CONDrCTKD BY 



i>thrs^. 



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

 by Mr. Penson. Sncb communications shonld invariably be addressed to the office of HORTICULTDBE. 



Cherries Ripening 



Cherries, in common wilh all ripening fruit, require 

 all the air they can get and as the temperature in the 

 cherry house is not so high as it would be for melons or 

 grapes in a similar stage a greater amount of air can be 

 given them. Avoid cold draughts, however, in any cooler 

 weather opening up the ventilators both top and bot- 

 tom when it is mild. A crack of air should be left on all 

 night to keep a gentle circulation. Syringing should 

 cease when the fruit is half colored ; if this is continued 

 longer the fruits are liable to crack. It will not be safe 

 to take the trees outside after the crop has been gathered 

 without giving them some protection, as a late frost will 

 easily damage the foliage which has been subjected tc 

 considerable heat recently. Have them taken out to a 

 cool house where they will get hardened off and an oc- 

 casional syringing for a few weeks. Continue to stop 

 any growths that may be made at four or five leaves 

 which will help to form flower buds for next season. 

 Muscat of Alexandria in Flower 



As the first flowers open in the Muscat house raise the 

 temperature five degrees, making it 70 to 75 during the 

 night, with the usual advance through the day. The 

 night temperature here is of the greatest importance and 

 should not be reduced while the vines are in flower. The 

 usual syringing must stop and the house be kept a little 

 dryer. I am afraid this dryness is sometimes carried to 

 excess, to the detriment of the set. Should the weather 

 be wet or dull very little damping will be needed, but 

 bright sunshine will necessitate occasional dampings, one 

 of which should be done after fertilizing. The soft piece 

 of fur used in earlier houses can again be brought intu 

 use to gently distribute the pollen. The rods can also 



have a good shake. The sun power we experience in 

 America being so much greater than that of Great Britain 

 must be taken into consideration by those who had their 

 early training there and now are growing fruit in Ameri- 

 ca. More atmospheric moisture and shading are needed 

 in all the warmer states. 



Keeping Melons 



Last week I referred to prolonging a house of melons ; 

 now I will take up the keeping and storing of them. Cut 

 at the proper time from plants that have been treated 

 normally, a melon can be kept in good condition for some 

 considerable time. It must be understood that the flavor 

 never will be better than a day or two after cutting, yet 

 if they have to be cut they can be stored for a time with- 

 out impairing the flavor to any great extent. While 

 they are hanging, a careful watch must be kept on them 

 to detect the first signs of the sap oozing out at the top 

 of the fruit where the stem joins it. A safeguard to this 

 is to partly cut through the lateral bearing the fruit. 

 This will diminish the supply of sap and often save a 

 crack or burst. After cutting,, handle the fruit very 

 carefully as a bruise is fatal. Have a receptacle in the 

 form of a flat box or basket already lined with excelsior 

 and covered over with wax paper ready to receive them. 



The storing place is next consideration. Ice boxes 

 are not to be commended for any length of time. If a 

 fruit room has a steady, cool temperature, as it ought to 

 have, this is the place. Failing this, select the coolest 

 cellar and see that no moisture is made around them. 

 Even in the hottest weather melons will be found to keep 

 two weeks in this way. Look over them twice a day to 

 wipe away any moisture that may show itself around the 

 stem. Should this be left it will start decay. 



OUTDOOR VEGETABLES AND FRUIT 



String Beans 



String beans may be sown now in cold frames, but 

 care must be taken to keep them warm and reasonably 

 dry while germinating as they very easily rot if cold and 

 wet. Such varieties as Triumjjh of the Frames or Cana- 

 dian Wonder are among tiie must suitable for this work. 



Musk Melons 



For outdoor planting these should be sown now in the 

 greenhouse or hot-bed. Sow in pots or pans and as soon 

 as the seeds germinate pot off singly in small pots. As 

 these are going to be subjected to considerable ranges 

 of temperature a little later, it is well to grow them 

 cool and sturdy and in a soil that is not over rich; a 

 temperature of sixty should be the maximum. 



Care of Exibition Stock 



The Ailsa Craig onion should be in four-inch pots by 

 this time, as it is poor policy to let them get the least 

 bit pot bound, for that means a check to the growth, and 

 checks must be avoided, both because it affects the ulti- 

 mate size and perfection of the onion and because it 

 tends to make the plant run to seed, having the same 

 effect as if the plant had been grown two years. This is 



true of leeks as well and celery — in fact of any biennial. 

 Allowing plants to get dry is, of course, the commonest 

 form of check, and sudden changes of temperature such 

 as taking the plants from a warm greenhouse to a cold 

 frame without proper hardening off is still another very 

 common form of check, all of which must be carefully 

 avoided if the grower is to produce the best of high-grade 

 exhibition stock. 



Globe Artichokes 



These plants are very rapid growers and must be treat- 

 ed liberally in regard to potting and manuring. The very 

 reverse of what has been said of leeks, onions and celery 

 is true of these as regards the desirability oi the plants 

 receiving a check. As we are very anxious for these 

 plants to flower the first year from seed the best way to 

 bring it about is by growing them along fast and flourish- 

 ing; then when they have reached about four-inch pot 

 size keep the plants cooler and only apply sufficient water 

 to prevent their wilting too severely. After this process 

 for a couple of weeks resume the ordinarv' treatment and 

 most of the plants will be sure to flower during the com- 

 ing summer. Of course tlic explanation of this is that 



