706 



HORTICULTUEE 



November 23, 1912 



FRUIT AND VEGETABLES UNDER GLASS 



coJrDrrcrED bt 



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Questions by oar readers In line with any of the topics presented on this page wlU be cordlall; recelred and sromptlj answered 

 b7 Mr. PensoB. Sndk commaiilcations should Inrarlably be addressed to the office of HOBTICCLTCBS. 



Watering; Late Gfapes 



Vines still having a crop or part of it hanging must 

 not be allowed to become too dry at the roots. Every- 

 thing throughout the house appertains to dryness. To 

 keep the berries in good shape, do not be afraid to 

 give them a vpatering when the soil is "dry." A thor- 

 ough examination should be made first, to ascertain 

 the condition of the soil, as any water given when the 

 vines are not in need of it will be a detriment to their 

 welfare. Do not make the mistake so often made of 

 giving them a little. There should be no half watering, 

 if the soil is dry it needs a thorough soaking. Another 

 thing, the dry surface will cause the water to stay on it 

 for a time making one believe the soil has sufBcient 

 water already. Make an allowance for this and go 

 over it a second time. Choose a fine bright day and get 

 the job done between nine and twelve o'clock. A large 

 house will be best done in sections to avoid the conse- 

 quent excess of moisture which is injurious to the ripe 

 fruit. Keep the pipes warm, with lots of air on after 

 a watering. It will be advisable to look over your 

 bunches a few days after watering to remove any ber- 

 ries which may have been affected by the unusual con- 

 ditions. 



Making a Vine Bofdcr 



Making a vine border is a very important job as so 

 much of future results depends on it, both the crops and 

 the life of the vine. All vine roots must be under abso- 

 lute control to do them right, so it is necessary to have 

 a concrete bottom put underneath the border and have 

 the side walls go down to it, so that the roots cannot get 

 away. This bottom or floor should have a grade on it 

 sloping to a drain to allow the water to pass away. Some 

 floors are graded saucer shape and this answers the pur- 

 pose, but I prefer the same grade right along the border 

 from back to front and let the channel here fall to the 

 drain. This makes it easier to water any section of the 

 border without any fear of the water reaching roots 

 other than those actually watered. The drainage is the 

 next item and one which must not be neglected ; a poorly 

 drained border is never satisfactory. The best material 

 for this is broken bricks. Throw them in as rough as 

 possible, — any attempt to place them nullifies the effect 

 to supply open drainage. At intervals of six or eight 

 feet land draining pipes should run through the broken 

 bricks; this makes sure of open passages direct to the 

 drain. If the bricks are continually dumped from the 

 barrows in one place and then transferred to their desti- 

 nation the small stuff which will accumulate at the bot- 

 tom should be removed before covering it over with the 

 sod. This sod should be the best green sod procurable 

 and placed face downward over all the drainage ready 

 to have the soil put on to it. The object of this is to 

 keep the fine soil from going down into and blocking 

 it up. Four feet of soil is enough to give young vines 

 for a start and three feet as additions later so it will be 

 necessary to either board or brick up the side at this 

 distance. The object of only a small amount of soil to 



grow in is to give them additions of new sweet soil later 

 on when they need it. If all is filled in at once some 

 must be wasted as the roots cannot utilize it all at once 

 and it goes sour. Now the composition of the soil is a 

 hard thing to put on paper, as soil varies so much. Real 

 good loam will grow grapes without any additions. 

 Poorer soil should be enriched with coarse bones crushed 

 into half and one-inch sizes. If there is any tendency 

 for it to go sour mix in some charcoal. Use it in large 

 lumps just as it comes. Some heavy soils will need 

 opening material ; the brick used for the drainage broken 

 down to pieces as large as one's fist will furnish this. 

 Make the soil firm as it is filled in and keep it level 

 when doing so. If a man is allowed to throw the soil 

 in one place all the time and make a heap of it all the 

 rough stuff will fall to the bottom, and when two heaps 

 meet, a vertical seam of rough material will be made 

 in the border, which will cause it to dry out irregularly. 

 Do not try to make up a border when the soil is wet. 



The Melon Houses 



At this season of the year the growth made by melon 

 plants will be much weaker than in the spring and sum- 

 mer. Opinions differ as to the right method to treat 

 top growth of melons. Giving them their "head" or 

 letting the young growths grow on will cause more root 

 action but I cannot say it makes larger fruits in the sum- 

 mer time. At this season, however, with a weaker action 

 all round it is advisable to let the growth remain until 

 there is a danger of overcrowding. Cover all the trellis 

 with good foliage and always have a few growths grow- 

 ing away unchecked. Watch the bed carefully for water 

 and make allowance for it drying out underneath from 

 the fire heat. Growing houses will need very careful 

 ventilation through the cold weather, any great influx 

 of cold, frosty air will cause mildew and other trouble. 

 Try and give the house a little fresh air each day, if 

 only half an inch during the noon hour. 



Spinach 



This has been a good fall for this vegetable to last 

 outside and save the supply growing under glass, which 

 has also made good growth. Look through the rows 

 occasionally and remove any yellow leaves, keep the sur- 

 face soil cultivated and after the plants have fairly good 

 roots give them a little wood ashes and later some stim- 

 ulant in the form of manure. Be sure and keep this 

 from the leaves as they burn very easily. 



Mushrooms 



New beds can be made providing a suitable place is 

 available to cure the manure in. This requires to be 

 frost proof and rain proof. Watering a mushroom bed 

 is a last resource we know, yet it pays when a bed is 

 apparently played out, often bringing a crop which 

 would otherwise be lost without it. This crop can be 

 timed to come in from two to three weeks after water- 

 ing. Use water having a temperature of 70 degrees P., 

 applying it in such a manner as not to flood the bed, but 

 gradually soaking it in. Half watering is to be avoided 

 here as elsewhere. 



