December 2, 1911 



HORTICULTURE 



759 



Fruit and Vegetables Under Glass 



STi;\'.\ Bl i;kii s 

 With Decemb eu ivii tee in the fruit de- 



partmenl brighten up rably. It is the 



mencemenl of another seas* a with its hidden Eutnri 

 the first crops way. A ch of 



strawberries can b in and placed on a shelf 



or bench Dear the glass, in any I mper- 



aiur, of 10 to ight. Remove any dead Eol 



Bee thai the drainage is cli tr, I clean the pots ; i 1 



fht from the .-tart. When 

 the pots dry out sufficiently go through them with the 

 rammer, firming them down where frosts and rains 

 have looa balls. An application of weak soot 



water, after being in the bouse a week or two, will help 

 to sweeten the soil ami also drive out any worms which 

 may have found thi uto the pot while the plant 



was growing. Syringe the plants over twice daily in 

 all favorable weather. 



MELONS 



To have ripe melons through April sow the seeds at 

 once using well drained three-inch pots, placing a single 

 seed in each. These will be ready for planting out 

 before Christmas and with the season advancing with 

 them, will soon develop into strong plants. The first 

 three months of the year are the worst for finishing 

 melons off. They can be grown the whole year round, 

 but are a very expensive luxury in these three months; 

 the percentage of "finished" fruits will be at its lowest. 

 From now on, however, -uccess can be assured and 

 sowings can be made jular intervals Hero of 



Lockinge is second to none for this early work. "His 

 Eminence' 7 with its strong constitution is a sure setter 

 and finishes its fruit well. Superlative is a good Green 

 Flesh. 



PEACHES AND Mil MUXES IN POTS 



These will now respond to treatment. To do them 

 justice a house must be devoted to them, which avoids 

 shifting and consequent bruising of the fruits later on. 

 They can also be grown in vineries when the young 

 canes do not occup] wires, thus giving the trees 



underneath sufficiei \= soon as dry enough 



after housing make the balls firm which may have been 

 loosened since potting, by rain or frost. Give a night 

 temperature of I 11 to 15 and keep a good humid atmos- 

 phere. Syring es over twice daily and b© 

 the water used for both watering and syringing is tepid. 

 Varieties which will be found for this 

 work are Duke of York, Uexander ami Early 

 es; Cardinal and Early Rivers m Pot 



trees started now should have ripe fruit admit the mid- 

 dle of April. Houses containing planted out trees can 

 also be started similarly. 'I will have 



the advantage of ripening two arlier than the 



! out ones of similar variety. Should the border 

 all on the dry side give a watering at the time of 



Pot vin. now will have ripe fruit the 



; A Booth illustrated 



, good crops can be produced from 

 inch pot and for the amount of -pace occupied 



ble Bla k Hamburg! ervice- 



able variety for this early worl Lati 

 Madresfield Court, Foster's Seedling ami Muscal of 

 Alexandria can be successfully grown. Bottom heat is 

 advisable for vines being started now and is best sup- 

 plied in hot-be ring a dual purpose of 

 ,mi mulching inter on, when the growing 

 roots will also ramble through this and will pick up so 

 much food. Make up hotbed material of equal parts 

 stable manure and leaves, well mixed together. The 

 pots should be stood on a bench sufficiently deep to al- 

 low of their being plunged to the rim making the ma- 

 terial quite firm around them. Bend the canes i 

 to secure an even break and syringe two or three times 

 daily with tepid water until gTOwth commences. Keep 

 a night temperature of 40 to 45 advancing 10 to 15 

 degrees through the day with sun heat. Vines planted 

 out can also be started now providing that suitable va- 

 rieties are in the house. 



VEGETABLES 



Continue to sow more beans as the older ones wear 

 out. The old soil should be replenished with a dr< ssing 

 of manure or replaced with new. The advantage of sow- 

 ing the quickest maturing varieties will now be very 

 forcibly demonstrated. Black Valentine is second to 

 none in this respect and is always a good cropper. 

 Spinach will grow very slowly from now on. Only the 

 large leaves should be gathered. New Zealand variety 

 will be found the greatest yielder and quickest grower. 

 Cultivate the soil between the rows at regular intervals. 

 A little stimulant in the form of liquid cow manure 

 will help them. Parsley, too, will be similar to spin- 

 ach. Work in a sprinkling of wood ashes when culti- 

 vating. 



Op ( t^y(t 



-^Chrs^ 



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