170 



HORTICULTURE 



February 11, 1911 



show a marked difference. When you find a place that 

 suits them, keep them there. Where no special house 

 is available for them, they can be grown in the stove- 

 house. 



Phalsenopses are profuse bloomers and can be kept in 

 flower 6 to 7 months in the year by cutting the flower- 

 stems below the lowest blossom. They will speedily 

 emit side branches which will produce flowers shortly 

 after. The best varieties to grow are: Phalaenopsis 

 amabilis and Phalcenopsis Schilleriana. During the 

 last few years a variety has been imported from Java 

 under the name of Phalsnopsis Rimestadiana. The 

 flowers are like those of Phalaenopsis amabilis only 

 larger and the foliage a light green. The writer's at- 

 tention has been called by a large grower of Phalsenopsis 

 to the fact that this variety will do much better in a little 

 cooler temperature than that required for the other 

 varieties. 



Rutherford, N. J. 



Fruit and Vegetables Under Glass 



FIO HOUSE 



To get the maximum crop — or I might say crops — 

 from fig trees they should be started this month or first 

 week in March. The fig is one of the most remarkable 

 trees we have, fruiting on both old and young wood. 

 Being deciduous and the main crop coming from the 

 young wood many neglect the first crop, which is borne 

 on last year's wood. These small fniits can be seen dur- 

 ing the resting period, and as soon as a warmer temper- 

 ature is given them, they begin to swell as the young 

 gi-owth appears. 



Another peculiarity of the fig is its flowering period, 

 the fi-uit being half matured before the hidden flowers 

 open. It is essential that figs have plenty of room on 

 the trellis or, if bush form trees are used, pruning must 

 be done to such an extent as to allow light to penetrate 

 among the massive foliage. When starting keep a tem- 

 perature of 40 to 45 degrees with usual advance by 

 day and sun heat. Syringe every morning and again 

 after noon if there is sun heat. 



VINES BLEEDING 



As the sap commences to flow again through tlie vine 

 and pressure is put on to the cells bleeding at some point 

 which has been cut is not uncommon unless the necessary 

 precautions have been talcen. It is obvious to any one 

 what this bleeding means to the vine. It is similar to a 

 cut on a human being ; the life blood or sustaining prop- 

 erties are getting away, consequently weakening the 

 gi'owth coming from the spur which is bleeding or if 

 there are several on one rod the whole vine will be weak- 

 ened. The chief cause of this is late pinining. Prob- 

 ably the sap has commenced to flow again and the cut 

 does not get a cliance to heal over. In the case of very 

 early vineries, pruning is better done as soon as the leaves 

 commence to fall, which not only helps the vines to rest 

 but gives time for the cut to seal over. Late vineries 

 should be piiined as soon as the crop is cleared off. 



Preventive methods are best adopted for it often 

 proves a fniitless task to try and stop a cut bleeding 

 after it once commences. A special preparation known 

 as Styptic is on the market (manufactured by Thomp- 

 son & Son, The Vineyards, Edinburgh, Scotland), for 

 applying to the cuts soon after they are made. This 

 seals them over, thus preventing bleeding. Shellac and 

 varnish have also been used, being less effective. It is 

 useless to apply these unless the surface be dry. Thev 



are useless in a case where bleeding has already com- 

 menced. Burning the wet surface with a red-hot iron 

 has been called barbarous by some and will injure an eye 

 if used carelessly, but will sometimes dry up a wound so 

 that Styptic can be applied. A small potato pushed over 

 the cut has been known to answer the purpose. Several 

 other remedies have been tried at various times, but when 

 once the mischief is started the chances of stopping it 

 are few, until the leaf expands and uses the sap by trans- 

 piration, assimilation, etc. 



DISBUDDING POT PEACHES AND NECTARINES 



Trees which have set their fruit will now be making 

 growth and some of the growth buds must be removed to 

 prevent overcrowding. Trees should be gone over about 

 three times removing a few fniits each time. Select 

 those buds which have room to grow, keep the center open 

 and keep an eye to the shape of the tree. This is when 

 shape should be made, not by using the knife in winter. 



CABBAGE, CAULIFLOWER AND BEET 



A flat or two of the above can be sown now and will 

 come in before those grown in the garden. Seedlings can 

 be grown in flats or pots until they are a good size and 

 later transferred to frames to finish. Good results can be 

 obtained from First and Best and Early Snowball cauli- 

 flowers. Early Jersey Wakefield and Early of Earlies cab- 

 bage. Early Egyptian and Edmand's Early beets. The 

 short-rooted varieties of beet should be grown in prefer- 

 ence to the longer ones, being better to handle. 



CUCUMBERS 



Cucumbers planted the first of the year will now be 

 showing surface roots and will need a top dressing. Give 

 a covering of about two inches, keep young growths tied 

 in and stopped at three or four leaves. Fumigate on 

 very first appearance of fly, which will be making itself 

 knowTi now. 



-^^^^v., 



Mr. Person's next notes wiU be on the following: Late 

 Houses; Tomatoes; Mushrooms; Parsley; Peppers. Also we ex- 

 pect shortly to pre.seiit an article bv Mr. Penson on Bees and 

 Thpir Uses. 



Temperature for Mushrooms 



Mr. Farrell is -right in saying that a temperature near 

 .50 degrees at night is about right for the successful cul- 

 ture of this crop. 



One might go further and say that the conditions in 

 a carnation house in winter are ideal for a good crop. 

 Many times we see fine mushrooms coming spontaneously 

 in the benches, and the most wonderful results it has 

 been my good fortune to have, were raised under the 

 benches in a house devoted to carnations. A higher tem- 

 perature will bring the crop a little quicker if it ever 

 comes, but the chances are against it; a more suitable 

 temperature which might in this case also be called at- 

 mosphere, will bring longer crops of better quality. 



An employer who has a fine estate in Massachusetts 

 once wrote me in regard to the many failures his gar- 

 dener had with this crop, and he was told that there was 

 nothing more certain than the uncertainty of a mush- 

 room crop, and it was a pleasure to find afterwards that 

 this did some good. Very many people think that all we 

 have to do is "to sow the seed" as it were and all else 

 will follow. 



Dr. Kitchen is a student well known in horticultural 

 pursuits and we are glad to note that he takes up the 

 difficult cases. Let us hope that in future he will give 

 us the benefit of his experience — experiments rather. 



