December 31, 1910 



HORTICULTURE 



929 



Fruit and Vegetables under Glass 



TOMATOES 



The first batch of tomatoes planted early last fall will 

 now be fast wearing out and if a succession is to be kept 

 up until spring another batch should be sown now and 

 will be ready for planting out in four or five weeks' time. 

 These will keep up a supply until they are ripening out- 

 side again. Varieties which grow to perfection in the 

 field do not adapt themselves to forcing, often failing 

 to set a crop, therefore seed of some of tlie reliable varie- 

 ties for the purpose should be secured, viz : — Holme.''' 

 Supreme, Winter Beauty, (as the name indicates a real 

 winter forcing tomato), Best of All, (a fine large fruit). 

 Eureka, Stirling Castle (a variety which finds favor 

 with some for its medium-sized solid fruits) and Sun- 

 rise (a great cropper). 



Sow in a pan or flat in light soil and when seedlings 

 are large enough to handle pot into 3-inch and keep them 

 growing. Give a night temperature of 55 to 60 degrees. 

 A tomato must be kept growing right along; a check is 

 fatal. Do not allow them to become pot bound ; shift on 

 as soon as nicely rooted through, into 5 or 6-inch, from 

 which they can be planted into the benches. Give plenty 

 of room between the plants — 2 ft. x 2 ft. if bench will 

 allow. Overcrowding means loss of foliage later. 



CUCUMBERS 



Although young growths can be constantly tied in, to 

 take the place of old and worn out vine, and top dress- 

 ing and sMmulants applied to the roots, cucumber plants 

 which have been fruiting since last fall will begin to 

 shows signs of old age. The fruits will begin to come 

 smaller and take longer to develop, therefore it will pay 

 to make a sowing right away. Do not figure on remov- 

 ing all your old plants at once or your supply will be 

 gone for three or four weeks. 



A cucumber likes the same temperature right along, 

 so young and old plants can grow along together. Sow 

 enough for one half now and when these have commenced 

 to fruit the remaining half can be treated the same. 

 Place one seed in a small pot, using a good light com- 

 post. Do not press the soil at all ; just drop the seed in 

 pot and after inserting, water in and place in a house 

 having temperature of not less than 70 degrees at night. 

 Pot on into 6-inch and transfer to benches in due course. 

 Make the mound only large enough to cover the ball; 

 this allows for top dressing. 



When growing cucumbers too much sun heat is almost 



impossible, provided other conditions are right, viz: — 



an abundance of moisture in the atmosphere and a crack 



of air. If no shading is used, without this moisture 



€i in the atmosphere cucumbers refuse to grow. This again 



§ is all nullified if night temperature is allowed to drop. 



Seventy degrees should be the standard, but in severe 



^"^ weather a drop of 3 or 3 degrees will do no damage. If 



'^^ these conditions are not adhered to diseases, such as were 



to mentioned in Hoeticultuee of Dec. 10th, will get a hold 



Q and often no amount of persuasion will induce them tc 



"come back." 



Cucumbers for growing under glass are vastly differ- 



ent from those grown in the field, even more so than .^.^^j^j^ 

 tomatoes. Proper varieties grown under suitable con- ,jc 



ditions attain a length of 11/2 to 3 feet and eat with a 

 sweeter and crisper flavor. Telegraph (Improved) is 

 an old standard and still stands the test of an all-rounder. 

 Kochford's Market is another in the same class, but a 

 shorter and thicker fruit, which carries a quantity of 

 spines. Every Day, as the name indicates, is a cropper 

 of no mean ability, a product of the Royal Gardens, 

 Windsor, England; fruits are smaller than the former 

 and almost smooth ; splendid for winter work. Peerless 

 and Matchless are newer introductions, attain a good 

 size and color and are good for exhibition purposes. 



CHERRIES 



In my last notes on Fruit Trees in Pots, I omitted to 

 mention the peculiar characteristics of cherries grown 

 under glass. The chief amongst them is their great 

 dislike to fire heat,. shyness to set and dropping of the 

 fruit while stoning. A cherry should be started very 

 gradually. Never use a quantity of fire heat on them; 45 

 at night is hot enough when they are in flower and 

 should it be very cold, drop a few degrees rather than 

 roast with fire heat. When in flower give all the air 

 possible and shake the trees twice a day in addition to 

 fertilising at noon. The stoning period is critical with 

 all stone fruit and it is often a good policy to relax the 

 temperature a few degrees. Do not hurry in any way. 

 A little lime water twice a week will be beneficial at 

 this stage. 



dP^veL^x^^ 



^ 



>^^rv., 



Mr. PensoD'8 next notes will be on the following: Strawberrlei 

 in Pots; Varieties of Vines; Potatoes Under Glass; Capsicums; 

 Starting Early Vegetables. 



A New Year's Word 



Now that we are on the eve of the New Year everyone 

 begins to look forward with increasing interest to the 

 coming seasons. New resolutions are to be made — 

 great things are to be accomplished in 1911 — the pace 

 shall be hotter and we must stay the course. This and 

 that shall be grown tip-top, better than ever before. 

 Wliere we took a defeat this year, 1911 shall see us win 

 out. Quality shall be our motto — the very best shall 

 be ours. This is an age of the survival of the fittest 

 and we must be "fit," otherwise we shall be crowded out. 



After regaining our feet after the strenuous times of 

 the holidays our first impulse must be "ahead" as a 

 gardener's thoughts must ever be and then with all the 

 great and good resolutions "nailed to the mast," grip the 

 wheel with a firm hand and send your boat out on the 

 sea of 1911 to ride over, perhaps, some choppy seas or 

 troubled waters, but may all the water we "ship" be a 

 fine spray and all our rocks of trouble be reduced to a 

 "fibre." ' 



A READER OF HORTICULTURE. 



Nature Supreme 



Our cover illustration shows a driveway in one of Bar 

 Harbor's newest places— the Fabbre Estate. The nat- 

 ural treatment here seen is characteristic of the majority 

 of the estates in Maine's most noted summer resort. 



