302 



JOCBNAL OF HORTICULTUBB AND COTTAOB GABDENEB. 



r April «4, UN. 



No. 20. Centre, Stelln (rornriiim ; 2nd row. Calceolaria Aarcn 

 floribunda, with an ejRing of Jjobelia speciosa, would look 

 well. 



No. 21. .\n entire bod of Mrs. Pollock Geranium, with a 

 simple edging of Vinla comuta, would bo very effective. 



No. 22. \ bed of Ijobelia speciosa, margined with Lonicera 

 aureoreticulata. would also look well. 



No. 23. A mixed bod of Verbenas planted indiscriminately 

 is always very effective. 



No. 24. Mignonette and Intermediate Stocks, with a margin 

 of Jenny Liud Stock next the grass, are always looked upon with 

 great interest by almost every ono having a taste for simplicity 

 and sweetness. 



No. 25. A bed filled with some of the choice hybrid Pyro- 

 thrnms, Dianthus, Pansies, Mignonette, and Carnations, is 

 always very interesting and sweet. 



No. 2fi. Nothing is more beautiful nor more highly appre- 

 ciated than a good bed of Clove Carnations. 



No. 27. Troptrolum Elegans malies a good bed edged with 

 Mentha variegata. 



28. Verbena Scarlet Cushion. This will produce one of the 

 moat dazzling effects that can be imagined. For small beds or 

 front rows in a ribbon-border this is the finest Verbena ever 

 brought before the public, offering the greatest depth of colour 

 and substance of flower. No one would think that a plant of 

 so dwarf a habit could pi'oducc such wonderful trusses of bloom 

 in such profusion and of such substance. It is one of my 

 latest productions, and belongs to a race of hybrid Verbenas 

 originated by me, and which, I believe, are destined to super- 

 sede the greater portion of Verbenas at present such favourites 

 for bedding-purposes. — J. Wills. 



(To be continued.) 



CULTURE OF VINES IN POTS. 

 (Continued from page 275.) 



Frciting. — To have fruit ripe in March and April, forcing 

 should be commenced in the middle of October ; to have it in 

 April and Jlay, in the middle of November ; to Lave it in May 

 and .June, in the middle of December; to furnish ripe fruit in 

 .Tune and .July the Vines should be started in Januarv, and in 

 February for the same in .July and August. The Vines not 

 started until March, and only assisted by a little fire heat in 

 damp, Cold periods, will afford fruit in August .ind September; 

 whilst for fruit to ripen in the latter month and to hang till 

 Christmas, the Vines should not have any forcing, but be 

 allowed to come on in a cool house, employing a little fire heat 

 in autumn only, to dispel damp and assist ripening. For fruit- 

 ing at the first two jjcriods the canes should have the wood 

 ripe — brown and hard — by the beginning of August, and the 

 leaves should be off, or be in a fit state to be pulled off, by the 

 end of the month. The best Vines for early crops are those 

 two years from the eye. For forcing in and after December, 

 those from eyes of the current or previous year will do if of 

 sufEcient strength, the eyes plump and round, and the wood 

 brown and hard. 



Pki'mng. — Considering that the best eyes are invariably 

 situated at the upper part of the cane, and that the eyes for "a 

 foot or more at bottom do not generally ."how fruit, it is well 

 not to reduce the canes too much. I allow from a foot to 

 18 inches of the lower part of the cane to go for nothing, leav- 

 ing 5 or C feet of sound, well-ripened, plump-eyed cane above 

 that, and thus reduce the canes to 7 feet in length, a few inches 

 more or loss. On that length of cane there will he a sufficient 

 number of good eyes to give as much fruit as the Vines will carry. 

 If the Vines are to be trained to the roof, the length of cane 

 required to reach the roof must be counted as non-producing. 

 and there shonld then be a length of bearing cane which need 

 not exceed 7 feet, nor be less than .5 feet. The cane should be 

 reduced to the length required for early forcing as soon after 

 the leaves become ripe as practicable, for though it may do to 

 pull off the leaves when they become yellow, to prune, and to 

 force the Vines at once, still they will not be so liable to bleed, 

 and they will do better if allowed a rest. It is not desirable' 

 to commence forcing the Vines until they have had at least six 

 weeks' rest ; thus, for starting in October the canes should be 

 denuded of leaves and pruned in the end of August ; for start- 

 ing in November, by the end of September ; and for starting in 

 December, in the end of October or early in November. P'or 

 starting in .January prune in the end of November or early in 

 December, and for starting in February prune about the middle 



of December, and Vines for later crops by the bcgiiming of 

 .January. 



The laterals should have been removed when the vigour of 

 the Vino lifts been controlled by lessening the supply of water, 

 and when the rijiening of the wood warrants it. In no case 

 ought they to be left on until the time of pruning, for their 

 removal at an earlier period is essential to the ripening of tha 

 cane, and left on until the time of pnming, their removal then 

 is only making cuts that may bleed, and this close to every eye 

 along the cane. Bleeding may not induce a bad breaking of the 

 cyos, but it does materially weaken the strength of the shoots. 



Though I would always have the canes trained 16 inches 

 from the glass, it is not always practicable nor desirable ; but 

 I am convinced that Vines never do so well as when trained to 

 the roof with the shoots producing fruit carried to the right 

 and left of the rod ; their ends, or where the fruit is situated, 

 being 3 inches nearer the glass than the rod. Nevertheless, 

 the canes are sometimes, I might say commonly, coiled round 

 stakes from three to five in number, put in round the pot, and 

 these may bo 2j or 3 feet out of the soil, and be so far thrust 

 in as to be firm. The stakes should therefore be 3j or 4 feet 

 in length. The canes are coiled round the outside of tho 

 stakes and fastened thereto, care being taken not to twist or 

 wrench them, otherwise they will assuredly bleed. The only 

 merit this system may have, at least the only one I ever ob- 

 served, is that the eyes break well from bottom to top. The 

 best bimches are those at the upper part of the coil, these re- 

 ceiving the most direct light. Tho canes for coiling should not 

 be less than 7 feet, nor mure than 9 feet in length. Sometimes, 

 but rarely, the canes are trained upright, and the side shoots 

 tied to side stakes put in for the purpose. The canes in this 

 system are never suffered to become so long as those trained to 

 a roof, but arc kept stopped to 3 or 5 feet, depending on the 

 laterals for the strength of the rod. Beyond removing the 

 laterals, the pruning is confined to cntting away the stoppings 

 at the upper part down to a good eye. 



The Vines being pruned and in their fruiting-pots, the drain- 

 age should be examined, and if not good it must be rectified. 

 If not in their fniiting-pots the Vines should be put into them 

 at once, loosening the roots a little around the outside of the 

 ball, but not to any great extent. If not potted, remove as 

 much of the surface soil as can be done without injuring the 

 roots, and replace it with fresh. I find turves, cut 2 inches 

 thick, and laid up in alternate layers with sheep's droppings, 

 an inch thick between each layer of turves, form an excellent 

 top-dressing after having lain twelve months and been turned 

 over twice. The compost previously advised for the last shift 

 will answer admirably, adding to it one-sixth its bulk of bone- 

 dust. As abundance of water will be required, the drainage 

 must be good. After the Vines have been pnmed the soil 

 should be kept dry, but not dust drv', and as cool as possible — 

 merely protected from frost. A few degrees of frost will do the 

 canes no liann ; but the pots must be protected by a covering 

 of hay or dry litter in frosty weather. 



FonciNG. — If the Vines have been fresh potted it is essential 

 for their well-doing that they have the benefit of a mild hot- 

 bed of well-fermented dung or leaves, in which tho pots can 

 be plunged to the rim. Its temperature should not exceed 70°, 

 nor be less than do'. Where a bed of leaves or well-fermented 

 dung can bo made, whether the Vines have been repotted or 

 not, I would strongly advise the pots being plunged in it at 

 least two-thirds their depth for a fortnight or three weeks, by 

 which time the heat will have declined, but not until the roots 

 have been excited and become active. With a good root-action 

 there will be no difficulty in making the eyes break freely and 

 strongly m the dull autumn and winter months. The pots 

 may remain plunged in tho bed of fermenting materials, and 

 the roots striking mto it will contribute to the vigour of the 

 Vines. If the bed sink considerably at the end of a fortnight, 

 it may be raised by the addition of fresh fermenting materials, 

 so as to bring the pots to the required distance from the glass. 

 If rooting into the bed is not desired, the pots must be removed 

 before that takes jilace, and the heat of the bed should be so 

 reduced as to be equal to the temperature of the house. The 

 top heat, whilst the pots are plunged in the hotbed, should for 

 a fortnight not exceed 40° from tire heat. This fortnight is 

 over and above that usually allowed. 



The house for the reception of the Vines shonld be thoroughly 

 cleaned, the glass washed with water, and the woodwork with 

 softsoap and water, taking care to keep it off the glass, the 

 walls whitewashed, and the flues swept and put in good order. 

 A good limewashing of the Hues is excellent for stopping up 



