G.4RDE.\ERS' CHRONICLE 



The Greenhouse, Month to Month 



W. R. FOWKES 



1. 



MARCH is a busy montli. The jiow-erful rays of the 

 sun make more demands on ventilation. Seedlings 

 need to be watdied and L-arcfnlly shaded. 



The pot fruit trees have arrived at an important period ; 

 peaches and nectarines being the leading fruits raised in 

 pots. It is not prudent to try to grow cherries, plums 

 and pears in the same compartment with the nectarines 

 and peaches as they require much syringing to check red 

 spider. The cherries, etc.. rijjcn their fruit much earlier, 

 and if they are syringed when showing color, they will 

 crack and be ruined. \\'ith regard to tlie plums, if they 

 are syringed when the fruit is ripening, much of the fruit 

 will crack and the dense bloom will be destroyed. Hence 

 the reason for separate compartments. The south, or 

 warm end, should be used for the peaches and nectarines ; 

 the cooler partition for the cooler fruits which have been 

 named. 



.\s the fruit trees come into flower, give as much air as 

 possible, avoiding cutting winds. ,\ir is essential for the 

 setting of their fruits. As there are no bees at hand, take 

 a rabbit's tail, tied to the end of a cane, and at noon when 

 the pollen is open and dry, gently tap each truss, ^\'atch 

 carefullj' the setting of the fruits, but do not try to hurry 

 their progress with heat, as this would prove fatal. 

 Fifty degrees at night must never be exceeded luitil after 

 stoning is passed. When the fruit is set, syringing must 

 be practised : do not use force to injure, and keep a humid 

 atmosphere. 



If grapes are grown in pots, they must be grown on 

 the alternate system ; by allowing the plants to do one 

 year's work and then to have one year's rest. 



The fig is one ot the best of fruit trees for pot culture, 

 although the culture of figs is not always attended with 

 the success one might wish for. This often is due to the 

 wrong methods employed. The fig, in the first place, has 

 a tendency to .strong growth. It is also a gross feeder 

 and if unchecked and grown in too rank a soil, will be a 

 barren tree. Grown in an intermediate temperature in 

 the same soil which is used for peaches, it should thrive 

 well. 



Pruning must be performed with discretion. If a very 

 strong .shoot ap])ears. it is better to cut it clean out than 

 to jjrunc it to two or three eyes. Pinching hardens the 

 wood, thus making the tree more prolific. Therefore 

 grow ill fairly strong soil ; get a medium te.xture of wood ; 

 ])iiicli from the fourth leaf, and you will rarely be disap- 

 ]K)inted by having a useless fig tree. 



N'aturally a ])roper selection of suitable varieties 

 adapierl for forcing must be adhered to. It must not be 

 imagined that all varieties are especially good for forcing, 

 although most of the best and largest sorts in cultivation 

 are suitable for that purjiose. .Any first class nursery- 

 man whose advertisement appears in the CiiRONiCLr, can 

 su])ply them. Selections can be made from the follow- 

 ing: I'iiigo-de Mel. l-.arly Violet Negro Largo. P.rown 

 Turkey. I'.lriik Marseilles. I'.rown Tschia, X'ifilet Sepor. 

 Overcrowding and growing in too shady a position must 

 be avoided, as well as too much fertilizer, as both hi Ip to 

 encourage an unfruitful growth in fig trees. 



Caladiums that have nicely started and are wanted for 

 Summer work should be transferred from fiats to pots. 

 U.ic a little choppefl sphagnum moss and sand in the loam, 



and an inch of crocks. Keep pots close together in a 

 warm, humid, partly shaded place for three weeks until 

 the growth has started oS well. 



Tuberous begonias and the ne.xt batch of gloxinias 

 should be placed in flats of moss and sand soil, and kept 

 on the dry side. They will provide a succession of bloom- 

 ing plants that are needed v.dien we are through with 

 many of the Winter bulbous stock. Propagate Lorraine 

 llegonia by leaves. Insert healthy leaf stems half their 

 IcnL'ili in the sand, not allowing the foliage to come near 

 the sand. Six weeks' time will complete the operation. 



As we are crowded for space at this time of the year, 

 some subjects can l>e grown suspended from the roof, 

 without injuring any plants beneath them. We can pro- 

 cure pot hangers from reliable firms, wdiich are light, yet 

 strong enough to hold any kind of plant. E. T. McCar- 

 roll has suspended Farleyense ferns over orchids ; also 

 begonias and man_v other phints in five- to eight-inch pots. 

 There are plants which we cannot always grow in wire 

 baskets, and the pot hangers are certainly excellent for 

 that purpose. Mr. McCarroll kindly informed me that he 

 secured his from Joseph Alanda Company and that they 

 are a decided improvement on anything he had used 

 before. 



Poses arc in need of more syringing, but as their wants 

 are so generally understood, it is hardly necessary to de- 

 vote more than a passing remark to them. 



Wallflowers, KczccnsJs, come into their own now and 

 are sweetly scented flowers that give promise of Spring. 



Immerse the baskets containing Oxalis into a pail of 

 soot water every week. 



BoiigainvUlca and Clerodendrons, Tlioiii['so)iii, are 

 starting u]^ nicely for Paster. These heat loving subjects 

 ni'.ist be gently syringed. They can be trained to any 

 kind of support. 



Aristodochia Sturtcvanlii is an interesting plant to 

 adorn the conservatory in Summer, and is easily raised 

 from seed. It rec|uires rather poor soil. 



Sow a i)acket of GrnnUca robusia and Aralia Sirl'oldi. 



They both make useful jilants for Summer decoration 

 and as they are biennials, they can be used indefinitely. 



Sow also a packet of Praiicoa rautosa, known as the 

 llridal wreath. It has an advantage over many other use- 

 ful ])lants in that dust and a certain amount of neglect 

 seem to suit its nature. 



Calanthes that have bloomed and have rested are start- 

 ing out on their journey and the better method is to mix a 

 light com])osl of peat, s])hagnum moss, sand, a little nuish- 

 rooni manure, and loam that is fibrous. Place in three- 

 inch ])Ots and do not water until growth is active. .\ 

 shelf near the glass in a warm spot. '>r undermalli ihe 

 tomato vines is another ideal |>lace fur tlnni. 



Now that the tomatoes arc in full \.yn\), in--te.-id of tak- 

 ing otT-sels away cleanly, encourage a few of them to 

 grow. When the crop is perfected, cut out llie old. main 

 stem and the new growths will be tilled with bloom, and a 

 fine cro]) atlained. To succeed the others, grow the new 

 "( lolden .Sunrise." It is ;i no\i'lly. which has proved its 

 worth. 



If cannas are desired for flower beds this Summer, they 

 should be started the end of March. Mix a light coni- 

 (Cnnliinicil on pai^c M) 



