12 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ .Tannary 7, 1875. 



cept to draw the lights off for a few hours ; this was done to all 

 the frames, to the great benefit of the plants. 



FORCISr, HOUSES. 



Pineries. — Iq the friiitiug house are a few plants swelling their 

 fruit ; and if the house was full of such, it would be desirable to 

 maintain a minimum temperature of 65°, risinc; to 70° or 75° by 

 day; and all fruiting pineries ought to be sufficiently supplied 

 with hot-water pipes, so that this temperature may be kept up 

 even in severe frosty weather if necoasai-y. A house 15 feet 

 wide, and sufficiently high for fruiting Pines, and of the consti- 

 tution of what is called half or three-quarter-span, should not 

 have less than six rows of 4-inch pipe. The best succession 

 houses are half-span, and may be from 10 to 12 feet wide with 

 four rows of -l-inch pipe. But to return to the fruiting pinery. 

 Oar temperature in very cold nights is sometimes as low as 55°, 

 but 00° is the most usual. We have had fruit swelling and 

 others in the flowering stage about the new year in previous 

 seasons ; and although the temperature was but little increased 

 until March, the Pines swelled and ripeued-oii well, and not 

 ftnfrequentlv gained first prizes at the early summer shows in 

 London. We merely mention this, as many growers think a 

 much higher temperature absolutely necessary. On the other 

 hand, we have found out that a great mistake may be made if the 

 minimum is 5° lowerthroughthe winter months. We had charge 

 of a house of early fruiters many years ago, and owing to the 

 house destined for them being required for eirly Vines, the 

 Pines were placed in a house and plunged in a good bottom 

 heat, but through insufficient piping the night temperature 

 could not be kept up to 55°, but fell to 50°, and sometimes even 

 lower. During this time the fruit began to throw up, and though 

 the plants were all that could be desired, the fruit when ripened- 

 off were miserably poor and badly shaped. Succession houses 

 are also kept quiet as yet, very little moisture in the atmosphere 

 and no water at the roots. In none of the houses is moisture 

 supplied from the evaporating troughs over the hot- water pipes. 



VINERIES. 



The Lady Downe's in the late house have shrivelled rather 

 more than usual this year. Where it is necessary to keep up a 

 high degree of warmth in the hot-water pipes to keep out the 

 frost for many weeks together, it is to be expected that some 

 berries will shrink a little; but they had done so previous to 

 much firing, and in our peregrinations round the country we 

 have seen other people's very much worse than our own. No 

 doubt the ripening of the fruit in August has a good deal to do 

 with it. In Essex Lady Downe's will ripen without artificial 

 heat after the fruit is set and thinned, but it is better with, and 

 probably if we had been more lavish with fuel in August the 

 fruit would have been much firmer and have kept better. Gros 

 Guillaume has kept well, and not a single berry was shrunk 

 when the bunches were cut with the branch attached for bottling. 

 Muscat of Alexandria had not kept quite so well, but only a 

 very few berries had shrunk, and a few mouldy ones had been 

 cut out. The only other white Grape kept up to this time is 

 Royal Vineyard, but it does not keep any better than the Muscats 

 — indeed, they did not keep so well this year. Mrs. Pince also 

 kept badly; it cannot at all be compared to Lady Downe's for 

 keeping, nor with Gros Guillaume. The great desideratum is 

 still a Grape that will keep with Lady Downe's, black aud white, 

 with a flavour equal to Mrs. Pince. In the room where the 

 Grapes have been suspended the frost is just kept out by a small 

 stove; all ! fruit decays quickly after having been frozen. 

 Pruned the Vines immediately that the fruit was cut, and had 

 the woodwork of the house washed, the Vines washed with 

 soapy water and dressed with the mixture that had been used 

 in the early houses. 



CUCOMEEB HOUSE. 



The plants which were put out in October for winter-fruiting 

 failed to a large extent ; why, we have not yet discovered. 

 Seeds sown about the second week in December vegetated freely, 

 and the plants are now making vigorous growth. They are 

 close to the glass, the pots being placed on a shelf rather than 

 having them plunged in bottom heat, where a quicker gi-owth 

 would result from it, but not a healthy one. The greatest care 

 is necessary to see that no insect pests attack the plants ; thrips 

 and green fly do the most mischief. We would rather that the 

 night temperature in this house does not fall below 05° at night. 

 Where the trellis is covered with the growing vines of the 

 Cucumbers it will be necessary to look over the plants once in 

 a week or ten days, and remove all superfluous growths and 

 leaves that show some signs of decay, nor ought the leaves to be 

 too thickly crowded together. 



Strawberries.— The earliest batch of Black Prince have been 

 removed from a house where the temperature was 60° to one of 

 from 5° to 10' higher. The flower trusses were not showing, but 

 the new leaves were pushing out of the centre of the plants. 

 The next lot, composed partly of Black Prince and Keens' Seed- 

 ling, were taken from a cold frame to fill the place ol those that 

 were removed higher up. Alternate watering with weak ma- 

 nure water is of much service to the plants, and should be ap- 

 plied as soon as the centre leaves show themselves. If any of 



the pots are not far removed from hot-water pipes the mould 

 may become dry between the times of watering, and should such 

 be neglected for a day the plants may suffer, when red spider 

 will be sure to attack them. 



Orange trees that had been at rest in a cool house have been 

 removed into heat. They were starting into growth before 

 removal, and in one instance the flower-buds were visible. 

 St. Michael's and Maltese Blood varieties ought to have the 

 flowers expanded early in February; even then the fruit will 

 not ripen much before Christmas. Tangierine will ripen fully 

 a month before the above varieties. 



Figs in pots have been started in an early vinery with the 

 Vines. We have always been most successful with Figs in pots 

 when a little bottom heat could be applied to them, either by 

 plunging in some fermenting material or by placing the pots 

 over hot-water pipes ; either way the plants should not be far 

 removed from the glass, and fuUy exposed to the light. 



PLANT STOVE. 



Thanks to the aristocratic Orchid family, there need be no 

 lack of flowers during the whole of the winter months, and 

 most of them are comparatively of easy culture. Lrelia anceps 

 and varieties of it are the showiest and best of that genus in 

 flower now. Phalaenopsis grandiflora, the Moth Orchid, is most 

 useful at this season; but those who are fortunate enough to 

 possess a dozen plants of it may have it in flower nearly all the 

 year. Eucbaris amazonica, this snow-white beauty, is now a 

 mass of flower; and as soon as one set of flowers are over, in a 

 month or so another set is thrown-up, so that with three good- 

 sized plants we are seldom without flowers of it. All the treat- 

 ment that it requires is good turfy loam with a little leaf mould 

 for the plant to grow in ; it also requires plenty of pot-room, 

 liberal supplies of water at the roots, aud a temperature of from 

 60° to 65°. 



We have been enabled to do nothing in the stove department, 

 except to clean and train plants. Thrips next to mealy bug is 

 the most difficult pest to deal with. Fumigating, if persistently 

 foUowed-np, will destroy them, but then tender plants are often 

 injured also. Washing them off with a sponge and soapy water 

 is the safest, and now that little other work can be done this 

 should be seen to. — J. Douglas. 



TRA.de CATALOaUES RECEIVED. 



B. S. Williams, Victoria Nurseries, Upper HoUoway, London. 

 — Descriptive Catalogue of Seeds, li-c. 



Carter & Co., High Holborn, London. — Garter's Vade-Merum. 



Royal Exotic Nursery, King's Road, Chelsea. — Veitch's Cata- 

 logue of Garden and Floioer Seeds. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*,' AU oorrespondence should be directed either to " The 

 Editors," or to " The Publisher." Letters addressed to 

 Mr. Johnson or Dr. Hogg often remain unopened unavoid- 

 ably. We request that no one will write privately to any 

 of our correspondents, as doing so subjeots them to un- 

 justifiable trouble and expense. 



Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions 

 relating to Gardening and those on Poultry and Bee sub- 

 jects, aud should never send more than two or three 

 questions at ouoe. All articles intended for insertion 

 should be written on one side of the paper only. We 

 cannot reply to questions through the post. 



Books (A. B., Knowlr). — Our '' Garden Manual," which you can have for 

 twenty poatajie Bttimps by post from our office. W. Paul's shilling *' Book 

 About Roses." Kent & Co., Paternoster Row. 



White Grape for South "Wall (IFaji^ap*').— The Royal Muscadine. 



ROVAL HORTICULTORAL SOCIETY'S PROVINCIAL MEETING iR'glirgam ).— 



The place and time for 1875 is not yet decided. 



Twelve Select Hvacinths (H. W. S. C). — The list we published in our 

 No. 717 was furnished by ;a grower from a foreign list, and thpy are not ob- 

 tainable in England. ^Ve have applied to Messrs. Cutbusb, fluiists, High- 

 gate, so well known as Hyacinth exhibitors, and they have obliged us with 

 the following; — "The following! are easily procurable, which will please any 

 cultivator — ilacaulay, deep rose, striped crimson; Florence Nightingale or 

 Fttbiola, very pale pink, with li;^ht carmine stripes ; Von Schiller, deep salmon 

 pink; Robert Steiger, bright crimson; Gigantea, deep bluah ; Queen of the 

 Netherlands, pure white ; Moot Blanc, pure white; Graudeur ik MervelUe, 

 pale blosb ; Baron Von Tuyll, deep blue; Charles Dickens, greyish blue; 

 Grand Lilas, azure blue; Prince Albert, purplish black. We couU, of course, 

 add plenty of other first-class varieties, but do not think there are many 

 better than the above." 



Utilising Space in Unheated Vinery (J. C). — It is folly to seek any 

 great advantage from a growing of many things in a honse that is only suit- 

 able for few. Cucumbers, also Melons, would do (airly, but Tomatoes better 

 than either. Small salading might give you some return ; and tiea-kale. 

 Rhubarb, and Asparagus gently forced, commencing, pay, the beginning of 

 February, would answer, the vapour of the fermenting materials not injuring 

 the Vines in a dormant state. The fermenting materials if placed upon the 

 Vine border must be removed ere the Vine have rooted much into them; 

 better if it be done before. 



