Unroll 3, 1870. 1 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



163 



of the cultivator, and the wood being properly ripened will, if 

 pruned, produce an abundant second crop. 



In the 1st example it is the first crop of fruit only which can be 

 depended on under any circumstances. In the 2nd example both 

 the first and second crops may be secured if the trees are un- 

 pruned, but not otherwise. And in the 3rd example, with trees 

 in pots, by non-pruning we secure the first crop, and by pruning, 

 the second and free] uently a third crop. Only with pot trees, then, 

 can pruning bo effected with a certainty of a crop the same 

 season. If in this case, then, the first crop is desired, the shoots 

 as in fig. 7, must not be cut, excepting just a few here and there 

 to keep the plant in trim. All shoots, however, bearing only 

 wood-buds, as in fig. 9, may be shortened back if necessary, 

 with exactly the same result as to fruiting as if left unpruned. 

 —A. B. 0. 



PREPARING FOR EARLY POTATOES AND 

 CUCUMBERS. 



A few words on both these matters may be interesting jest 

 now, and more especially since many are anxious, but still very 

 much afraid to try using the bulk of the dung in a compara- 

 tively fresh stato, not greatly reduoed in bulk by decomposing. 

 First let mo state that my box frames are shallow, say aver- 

 aging 1G inches in depth at the back and 10 incheB in front, 

 and require, therefore, in general, to be set on the tops of the 

 beds. For such crops as Cucumbers and Melons, though the 

 soil of the bed should go against the back of the frame inside, 

 after being firmly fixed against the front inside, it Blopes down 

 to give space for the foliage in front. These frames had been 

 used for forwarding various crops all through the winter, with a 

 little heat beneath from fermenting material. The box in- 

 tended for Potatoes had been nseu for helping bulbs, Finks, 

 itc, and these were partly close to the glass, and there was a 

 nice mild heat, chiefly obtained from rather fresh dung and a 

 coating of tree leaves. Such a bed would have been of no use 

 for Potatoes without much extra trouble afterwards. The box 

 was therefore taken off, the bed forked over, so as to form an 

 elevated ridge all round considerably the highest at the back, 

 on which to set the box, so that when the soil was placed inside 

 that would pretty well, except close at the back, be beneath the 

 base of the box, and thus the Potatoes would perfect themselves 

 with little or no raising of the box afterwards. There would 

 be just enough of heat left in the bottom of the bed enclosed 

 to heat the soil sufficiently for Potatoes. If there had not, I 

 might have added a little fresh to revive it, but it was not 

 needed. This is one advantage of using material not too much 

 decomposed — that every time yon use a fork in it you let in the 

 air, and thus increase the heat gently. A barrowload inside 

 will yield more heat than half a score outside in the way of 

 lining. 



There was more heat in the two boxes of two lights each 

 intended for Cucumbers, but the beds were formed chiefly of 

 green dung eased with tree leaves. The beds were too shallow 

 to stand long if used for Cucumbers, and I had about two loads 

 of litter and droppings (tew of the latter) thrown into a heap 

 and once turned, but owing to the weather it refused to heat 

 so kindly, or become so decomposed, as I should have liked for 

 the upper layers of a bed. I would not have minded if I had 

 had leaves, but of these I had none at hand, and I did not like 

 to wait, knowing that this dung, rather fresh and refusing to 

 heat in the frosty weather, would heat fast enough when added 

 to the old bed. The covering of loaves, Borne 8 inches thick, 

 was carefully tuken off, the bottom turned, the fresh material 

 alluded to added, and the back kept well up. The bed of this 

 rather fresh material was fully 4 feet high at back and nearly 

 3 feet in front, the back and front being formed into a ridge 

 and covered with the sweet leaves, the inside being left like a 

 trough in the centre some 18 inches deeper than the outsides, 

 and the whole bed being from 30 to 3fi inches wider than the 

 frame. The frame or box being set on, Borne boards were run 

 along inside, back and front, leaving in the centre a trench of 

 from 30 to 36 inches wide, and fully 18 inches deep. The 

 space on each side of these boards back and front was filled up 

 to the level of the boards with the Eweet hot leaves. The 

 boards, slabs, &c, were painted with quicklime as a precaution 

 against fungi. The trench between them was filled up with 

 soil, and when warm enough will receive the plants, and, to 

 make all look alike, the spaces at back and iront will be ulti- 

 mately covered with a couple of inches or so of soil. 



The plan his grown upon me from a wish to save labour 

 with linings, earthings-up, &c. It takes a little more to make 



such a wide bed at first, but as the materials are fresher nearly 

 the half is saved, and the heat, on the whole, lasts longer. 

 Last season the sides were not pulled down to make a lining 

 to similar beds until September. In many seasons we nevor 

 touch them at all, but protect them with a wattled hurdle, and 

 to insure plenty of atmospheric heat merely keep tho spaces 

 outside banked-up to the top of the frame, for though wood is 

 a bad conductor still it conducts heat, and when well warmed 

 keeps it. Then, again, all the trouble and injury to the plants 

 from frequent earthing-up are obviated ; and how often have 

 smoiings, &c, been necessary, because it was required to earth- 

 up the hills of Cucumbers in an unsuitable day, or with soil 

 that chilled them. From the first planting I want no addi- 

 tions except, perhaps, a top-dressing in summer. I am well 

 aware that the Cucumber plant when young delights in the 

 vapour and ammonia proceeding from sweet fermenting ma- 

 terial, and this the plants obtain from the sweet dung or leaves 

 left at first uncovered at back and front, for at first these 

 spaces are generally filled with pots with seeds, or pots with 

 cuttings. Then, again, as it will be perceived that the 3oil is 

 placed in a sunk trench in the middle of the bed, or rather 

 nearer to the back than the front, there is rarely or never any 

 danger of burning the soil or roots, matters which used to be 

 of great concern ; whiist, again, the soil and boards being 

 bounded with a bank of fermenting materiel the roots are kept 

 in a nice warm state. Lastly, thongh from such an arrange- 

 j ment, and the soil being sunk below the level of the frames, 

 the shoots and leaves are allowed to extend from the middle to 

 the back aDd front, the roots are chiefly confined to u width of 

 from SO to 36 inches, and a depth averaging 18 inches. I have 

 long found that more Cucumbers may be thus cut than if the 

 roots had extended over the G feet in width. In fact, I lave 

 never cut more Cucumbers in a limited space than when I 

 confined the roots in pots and boxes. Of course, there was 

 more trouble in watering and top-dressing. 



I have thus for ence been rather egotistical, but I could not 

 well attend to a number of inquiries without being so. I have 

 no fault, quite the reverse, with well-sweetened manure, but 

 everyone knows the sweetening greatly lessens itB bulk, and I 

 have merely stated how, in many ways, the heat given off in 

 sweetening may be used. The great point is to prevent the rank 

 Eteam getting among growing plants. Many a farmer might 

 have numerous delicacies, if boxes required too much attention, 

 merely by piling part of his farmyard manure around the sides 

 of a close-walled brick pit, which would keep out all that was 

 noxious, and let the heat in. From beds formed as above, and 

 pits heated by hot water, and planted at a similar time with 

 Bimilar plants, there is generally a keen contest every year as 

 to the early cutting of Cucumbers in spring. — R. F. 



TANKS versos PIPES FOR BOTTOM HEAT. 



I am sure that Mr. Peach will not take it amiss when I say 

 that I cannot agree with him that pipes are superior to tanks 

 for bottom heat. I have tried several arrangements, and I 

 believe that my present tank arrangement cannot be surpassed ; 

 it has been in constant use day and night for eight years, and 

 appears as good as new. 



It is made of thin boiler plate, and with the flow pipe that 

 passes through it is heavily galvanised, after having been 

 rivetted together. The cover is somewhat shorter than the 

 tank to allow of the escape of moisture into the houso, and in 

 place of fitting on the tank, is made in the shape of a Bhallow 

 tray to drop into the tank, so that it must always be somewhat 

 immersed in the water. Tho plunging material is cocoa-nut 

 fibre dust, and at first I found that the heat was completely 

 checked by the dust becoming dry. In order to rs medy this I 

 covered the bottom of the tray with very old soft bricks, laid 

 flat, and placed the fibre on these inside the loose frames that 

 I use for propagating ; I then pour water into the trey to the 

 depth of hali an inch, and this is absorbed by the bricks, and 

 effectually prevents any drying of the refuse. The heat is most 

 genial, and of course the fibre remains sweet for an almost in- 

 definite period. 



It is amusing to notice how everything vegetable at once 

 roots into the fibre. Any fragment of a Begonia, Gesnera, or 

 Gloxinia leaf will make a plant. A cnttiDg of Cereus or Cactus, 

 if laid on it, will throw out roots in about a fortnight, so that it 

 can be lifted out of the fibre with a ball as large as a good-sized 

 egg, and in fact it almost justifies my eulogium, when advising 

 a friend to use it, that anything short of a broom handle would 



