Jn)y M, 1869. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOKTIOULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



85 



longer, until there are a dozen or more good leaves on the trellis 

 to elaborate the sap ; then the loaves on the stem may be 

 taken off. The shoots coming from the three highest joints 

 mast not be taken out, but lett to produce vines or runners for 

 furnishing the trellis. 



When the plants are large enough to plant-out, the bed must 

 be prepared. It may be made the full width at once, but I 

 think the plants do best when only part of the width is formed 

 at first ; but tho drainngp, of course, is put in to the whole 

 width, and covered with a layer of turf, or the rougher portions 

 o£ the compost, not more than 3 or 3 inches thick. Alon^; the 

 front, next the wall dividing the bed or border from the hot- 

 water pipes, soil may be placed, making it 15 inches deep, for 

 it will settle down to" a fiot or less, and if it be 18 inches wide 

 at top, with a base neatly twice that width, it will b6 sufficient 

 at first. The plants onght not to bo turned out in the bed 

 until the soil be quite warmnd through, and in temperature 

 from 70' to 75°, though 85° will not injare the roots. The 

 temperature of the soil ought to be determined by aground 

 thermometer plunged 1 foot deep, or not less than 6 inches. 



The soil most suitable for winter is formed of two parts 

 tntfy loam, taken off 2 or 3 Inches deep from the surface 

 of a pasture where the soil is neither a very light nor jet 

 heavy yellow or hazel loam, and thrown up in narrow ridges 

 alternately with fresh horse droppinga. It should bo allowed 

 to remain thus for six months, and when required for use it 

 may be chopped-np, but not sifted. To the preceding add one 

 part sandy turfy peat, chopping it up rather small, and mixing 

 it well with the loam, and a half a part of white or river sand, 

 well mixing the whole. 



The plants should be placed about 9 inches from the edge 

 of the bed which is next the pipes, or the front of the house or 

 pit, and 3 feet apart, taking care to have the soil moist, so that 

 only a gentle watering will be necessary at planting to settle 

 the soil about the roots. In planting, do not put in the plants 

 deeper than where tho seed leaves were, nor make the soil very 

 firm, keeping between tho two extremes. 



The soil should never be allowed to become so dry as to 

 cause the foliage to flag, still it should be rather dry before 

 water is given. Avoid over-watering, for if the soil ever be- 

 come sour and saturated the roots will perish, or become inert, 

 and the leaves flag when exposed to powerful sun. All water- 

 ing up to February should be with rain water only, and at no 

 less a temperature than 75°, nor exceeding 80°. In February 

 liquid manure may be given once or twice a-week, and always 

 at the above temperature, taking care not to apply the liquid 

 too StlODg. 



The atmospheric moisture required may be supplied by 

 sprinkling the paths, walls, and other surfaces between 8 and 

 9 A.M., at neon, and at 3 or 4 p.m. This should be done from 

 the time of planting up to March, except in very cold weather, 

 when the noon syringing miy be dispensed with, and in very 

 dull, moist weather the morning syringing will generally be 

 snfScient. On very fine days the plants may be lightly syringed 

 oveihead early in the afternoon, when the house is closed 

 for the day. After February the atmosphere should be kept 

 very moist, and the plants sprinkled or syringed overhead in 

 the afternoon. It must not, however, be done with a close at- 

 mosphere ; abundance of moisture must be accompanied with 

 an abundance of air. The paths and other surfaces ought to 

 be kept moist — more so in fine than in dull weather, at least 

 the sprinklings will need to be more frequently repeated. 



Ventilation must be very carefully managed, especially during 

 sharp frosts. A piece of wool netting should be nailed over the 

 openings, and care taken not to admit air in such quantities as 

 to suddenly cool cr dry the atmosphere, but admit it in mode- 

 ration, and never with the view of lowering tho temperature. 

 Air should be given before the thermometer rises too high, and 

 reduced before it falls too low. A little air ought to be left on 

 night as well as day, and the lights may be opened when the 

 temperature reaches 75°, if it is likely that sun heat will raise 

 it to 85° or'more, and the house may be closed at 80°, the ven- 

 tilation being then reduced to its minimum. Tlie true prin- 

 ciple of giving air is to admit it early, and progressively with 

 the increase of temperature, to secure a thorough change of 

 air with plenty of sun beat, and to close the house with as 

 much sun heat as possible, or consistent with the well-being 

 of the plants. From sun heat 90° may be permitted, air being 

 given when the thermometer rises to 75° if the temperature be 

 likely to exceed 80°. To allow the temperature to rise above 

 85°, and then reduce it to 80° again by air-giving, would be 

 wrong. Usually the more air plants have by night as well as 



by day, the better they thrive. The temperature by day should 

 be from 70° to 75° without sun, and from 80° to 90° with sun 

 and air ; by night about C5°. 



The evaporation troughs, which are indispensable, may be 

 kept full of water until February, but they may then be filled 

 with a solution of 1 lb. guano in twenty gallons of water. If 

 to this is added one peck of soot, one peck of sheep's droppings, 

 and ten gallons more water, we obtain an excellent liquid for 

 watering the paths every evening when the house is closed; 

 and upon a further addition of ten gallons of water, a first- 

 rate liquid manure is formed, suitable for watering tbo plants 

 once or twice a-week, but not till February arrives. The bene- 

 fit derived from merely wetting the floors or walls is, that along 

 with the moisture, ammonia is supplied to the atmosphere, 

 and the plants are kept healthier and more free from insects. 

 The temperature of the liquid used for damping the floors or 

 walls should never be lower than the present temperature of 

 the house, but, if anything, 5° higher. 



It the border is not made to the full width at the time of 

 planting, it should be extended as the roots of the plants begin 

 to push through that portion first formed. Tho compost nsed 

 for this purpose should have been kept for some time in the 

 house before using it. The width of the border may be in- 

 creased as the roots extend, and there is one advantage in 

 knowing that the soil has not become sour or sodden by water- 

 ing before it is occupied by the roots, and that these, in conse- 

 quence of the gradual addition, must have pervaded every part. 

 If the plants thrive, the full width of border should be attained 

 in sis weeks. If the surface of tho border or bed become close, 

 and the plants begin to lose vigour, they may in March or 

 April, and every following month, have the surface soil re- 

 moved, taking it clear away as far as tho roots, and replacing 

 it with a layer, varying from 1 inch to IJ inch in thickness, of 

 turf which has been kept in alternate layers with horse drop- 

 pings for six months, chopping it up previous to use. The 

 roots near the stem, and the adventitious roots springing from 

 it, should be encouraged by covering them with the compost, 

 so as to attract them into parts more remote from the stem. 



Having, as above advised, stopped the leading shoot when 

 two joints up the trellis, two or three shoots will .start from the 

 bases of the leaves. As only two are required, select the best 

 and train them straight up the roof, keeping them IS inches 

 apart. If there be no signs of their fruiting, stop them at the 

 sixth leaf ; this will produce laterals, one of which must be 

 trained as a continuation of the main shoot, tho other treated 

 as fruit bearers, and trained about 9 inches apart, so as not to 

 be overcrowded. The leaders, as well as the side shoots, will 

 produce fruit, and should all be stopped one joint beyond the 

 fruit ; but the side shoots, if a shoot is pushing from the same 

 joint as the fruit, ought to be shortened to that, and it will 

 most likely show fruit at the second or third joint. Itmnst 

 then have its point pinched out one joint beyond the fruit — at 

 the fruit if there is a shoot coming from the same joint. The 

 leaders must be preserved, stopping them, if not showing fruit, 

 when the sixth leaf is formed, so as to encourage laterals. 

 When the principal shoots reach the top of the trellis they 

 should be kept at one joint beyond the fruit, or to the fruit 

 joint if it have a shoot, and this until they become weak from 

 bearing, in which case the old principal shoots must be re- 

 placed by fresh ones from the bottom of the trellis, always 

 keeping the bottom of it well covered with young shoots for 

 this purpose. 



Thin-out the weak shoots soon, cutting away the unfruitful 

 laterals and those that have become barren, so that those left 

 may be trained moderately thinly and regularly. Clearing away 

 a lot of entangled shoots should be avoided as much as pos- 

 sible, and the knife should not be used, except for cutting 

 away weak parts, but the finger and thumb should be employed 

 for pinching-off the points of the shoots, as the bleeding is not 

 so severe, and no loss of leaves is occasioned. — G. Abdey. 



CUTTING DOWN YOUNG VINES TO OBTAIN 

 TWO GROWTHS IN ONE SEASON. 

 In 1865 I was anxious to prepare a quantity cf extra strong 

 young Vines in large pots, and not being very well off for a 

 place to grow them in, they were put into a Muscat-house with 

 a high temperature. This was after they had been shifted into 

 14-inoh pots. Under circumstances over which, unfortunately, 

 I could have no control, they were allowed to remain in tho 

 house till the Muscats completely covered the roof of the vinery. 



