698 



HOKTICULTUKE 



November 22, 1913 



FRUIT AND VEGETABLES 



UNDER GLASS 



CONDVCTED BY 





-"t^^^V,! 



Questions by our renders iu line with any of tlie topics 

 presented on this page will be cordially received and promptly 

 answered by Mr. Penson. Such communication should inva- 

 riably be addressed to the office of HORTICULTURE. || 



Cleaning the Early Peach House 



Soon after pruning the trees, have the house thor- 

 oughly washed down the same as we recommended for 

 the early vinerj-. This applies to all fruit houses; it not 

 only helps to exterminate pests but admits more light, 

 which is something to be considered through the dull 

 short days we usually experience when early fi'uit is in 

 its first "stages of growth. A coat of paint in addition 

 will brighten things up and be a great and lasting bene- 

 fit to the house. One coat of paint inside and outside 

 during a year will double the "life" of any house. After 

 cleaning the house cut away the trees from the trellis. 

 It is impossible to make any kind of a job without the 

 whole tree is Cut away. Trying to tie the trees in with 

 half the old tie remaining is poor workmanship. The 

 trees should receive one or two sprayings before being 

 put back on the trellis. If they have been clean through 

 the past season give them one spraying as a preventive. 

 Any that have been troubled with any kind of pests must 

 be dealt with accordingly but whatever insecticides are 

 used do not base the proportions on the trees that are 

 growing outside as those that are forced under glass arc 

 more tender and due allowance must be made. Old 

 trees that have quite some heavy wood in them at the 

 base can be scrubbed with a stiff brush which will remove 

 any bark that may be partly loose and make sure thai 

 there are no .small cavities left untouched by the sprayer. 

 Have all the cleaning done before renovating tiic border 

 as some of the chemicals will penetrate the top soil and 

 while they may not poison or kill the roots directly they 

 are best removed, which will be done if the top dressing 

 is applied aftei; all cleaning is done. Trees of several 

 years" fruiting will have a quantity of surface roots if a 

 mulching of manure was given them during tlie past 

 season. It is at this season of the year that the real 

 benefit of mulching the trees will be visible. Do not try 

 to remove all the mulch if it is filled with fibrous roots, 

 nor rely on the fork to do all the work in connection with 

 this; too many valuable roots will be broken by so 

 doing. Kather get the hand and brush o£E all the loose 

 material that will come easily leaving the rest to have a 

 thin covci'ing of soil. It frequently happens that the 

 ball of a peach tree i.= a little higher than the rest of tlio 

 border, which, althou.oh no good in itself, shows that 

 tliere is a quantity of the right kind of roots Just below 

 tlie surface. Other trees that are not so fortunate can 

 have the surface soil removed \mtil some roots are bared 

 and new soil added to replace it. A few brickbats broken 

 small and a little chnrroal will be beneficial in keeping 

 the soil open. Make tlie whole nicely firm with the big 

 rammer. 



Starting Pot-Vines 



Pot vines that have liad a rest can be started now. 

 These early ones require a house to themselves to get 

 the earliest and best out of them. Select a house that is 



easy to heat and one that gets all the sunlight possible. 

 The heating pipes and benches should be so arranged 

 that at least one pipe is underneath the pots and that 

 the benches are deep enough to allow of a hot-bed being 

 made up of sufficient depth to accommodate the pots in 

 which the vines are growing. This hotbed system can be 

 dispensed with for any that are grown in pots during the 

 summer but for these early ones it is beneficial. There 

 is a gentle, even heat there right from the start which 

 helps the routs to move. Any excessive heat from this 

 source will be injurious. While straw manure can be 

 mixed in with leaves for this purpose I prefer only clean 

 oak leaves. These will heat up themselves when they 

 are watered through once. See that styptic has been 

 used on all the cuts that were made through taking off 

 the sublaterals. Plunge the pots to the rim in the leaves, 

 and bend the canes in a semi-circle shape to retard some 

 of the sap from the top buds. If this is not done probably 

 there will be a few strong growths at the top of the cane 

 at the expense of those lower. Try to get an even break 

 all over the cane. Syringe the canes two or three times 

 daily and shut up the house early enough to get warmed 

 up well with sun heat. Maintain a night temperature of 

 40 to 45 degrees. 



Forcing Rhubarb and Asparagus 



Neither of these subjects are particular where they 

 grow so long as they have some moisture and heat. Both 

 will grow in the dark but asparagus is best given the 

 light. A mild hotbed of half long stable manure and 

 half leaves will be a big advantage to them. Should 

 the manure be hot add more leaves. Pack the roots in 

 as closely as they will go, working down some fine soil in 

 between. Cover .the asparagus over with two inches of 

 rough leaf soil. Do not allow the roots to become dry 

 and keejj plenty of moisture in the atmosphere. Start 

 them with a night temperature of 50 to 55 degrees; after 

 growth has nicely started do not allow it to go below 55. 

 Make the usual advance by day. 



Prepare for Pot-Trees 



Providing the pot-trees have had some frosts on them 

 they can be started as soon as the house can be got 

 ready for them. Have the house clean to receive them 

 and also give the trees an additional spraying before 

 they are admitted. To save room for a time the trees 

 can be placed double thick until the flowers expand ; the 

 only drawback to this is some buds are sure to get 

 rubbed off when being shifted around. 



Protect the Outside Walls 



Vineries or peacli houses that are to be forced early 

 and have not got a heating pipe close to the outside wall 

 will often have the frost penetrate through, keeping the 

 border cold. This can be remedied by packing leaves 

 against the wall (outside) and covering them over with 

 long straw manure to prevent their blowing away. Bet- 

 ter have this job done before the leaves are used else- 

 where. 



One Day Earlier, Please 



Thursday of next week being Thanksgiving Day, HOR- 

 TICULTURE must go to press on Wednesday night. Cor- 

 respondents and advertisers will please bear this in mind 

 when sending in copy or instructions. Do not send 

 electros by parcel post. Either exjiress or special deliv- 

 ery mail are much more prompt. 



