291 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ April 13, 1876. 



certain numberof young canes mnst be trained-np from the base 

 of the Vines annually. As the Vines are now starling into 

 growth they mnet be disbudded, and a little care must be exer- 

 cised in selecting the most suitable growths. None of the rods 

 ought to be older than three or four years. Vines on walls are 

 also as a rule too much crowded with wood. The shoots should 

 have ample space for development. It is not the quantity but 

 the quality of the wood that is to be depended upon to produce 

 good fruit. 



We have planted-out Strawberry plants in the open ground. 

 Kew sorts are sometimes received late in the season, and to 

 make the most of the plants they are potted as soon as received 

 in small pots and placed in a light airy house on a shelf near the 

 glass, which ia the best position. They may be olunged in some 

 dryish material in a cold frame, but if the plants" are weakly they 

 sometimes suffer from damp. By the first week in April the 

 pots are well filled with roots, and if the weather is fine they 

 may be planted out after being duly hardened-off. 



ORCHARD HOUSE. 



The trees here seem to be quite safe. The Peaches and 

 Nectarines have set their fruit well. Pears and Plums are also 

 very promising. They are now in full flower, and are so late 

 because they were kept out of doors until quite recently. There 

 is as yet no appearance of aphis or red spider, and should any 

 appear later it will be washed off by hand. The house was well 

 fumigated by tobacco smoke before the trees came into flower. 

 A gardener once showed us some Peach trees in flower with 

 aphis increasing rapidly upon them. Oar advice to him was to 

 fumigate the house before the blossoms opened, but he would 

 not take the advice. "What was the use? not a single green 

 fly was to be seen at that time." If they are not to be seen 

 they can be killed ; as we find, if the trees are well fumigated 

 early m the year, aphis seldom appears to do much harm that 

 season, whereas if early fumigation is neglected the reverse is 

 the case. 



The blossoms are not yet set upon some of the sorts that have 

 flowered later than the others, so that we cannot at present 

 syringe the trees that are forward enough. While the trees are 

 m flower it is necessary to maintain a dry atmosphere, and 

 more especially if there are Pear trees in the house. Cherries 

 and Apricots also require a dry airy atmosphere while in bloom. 



VINERIES. 



The Grapes in early houses have now entered upon the stoning 

 period. We have had a few days of very bright sunshine, and 

 the leaves have slightly suffered from the effects of the sun 

 acting directly upon them. There are two ways to prevent 

 scorching at such a time— either to shghtly shade the house, or 

 throw all the ventilators and doors quite open, and sprinkling 

 plenty of water about in the house to cause a moist atmosphere. 

 If a keen east wind should be blowing it is not quite safe to 

 have much ventilation, and in that case a slight shading will 

 be necessary ; but it should not be done unless the effects of the 

 sun 13 seen upon the leaves. 



It is well to look over the bunches at this time, and should 

 too many berries have been left, or any that are stoneless, they 

 ought to be removed. Many persons thin their bunches too 

 much in the centre. The result of this is to spoil the appear- 

 ance of them when they are placed upon the table— they " fall 

 all over the place " instead of laying compact and firmly as they 

 ought to do. A fruit salesman told us that a certain grower 

 always had a good price for his Grapes, because the berries 

 stood up so firmly in the baskets owing to the correct manner 

 in which the berries were thinned out. Those bunches that 

 are too much thinned fall about, and the bloom is rubbed off 

 the berries. It is difficult to teach anyone to thin Grapes by 

 writing about it. Everyone must learn from experience. Even 

 a practised man is sometimes at fault until he knows to what 

 size the berries are likely to grow. 



We are busy tying-out the lateral growths in the late Muscat 

 house. As this house is attached to the early houses and heated 

 by the same boiler, we take advantage of this to turn the hot 

 water on. The Vines were late in starting this season, and we 

 push them forward to have the Grapes ripe in good time in the 

 autumn. 



PEACH HOUSE. 



Where the fruit has passed the stoning period and has taken 

 the second swelling, the temperature may be increased during 

 fine weather; 70° at night would not be too high in mild 

 weather, but C5° should not be exceeded in cold weather. The 

 trees should be syringed freely night and morning with tepid 

 water, and the water should be applied with some force if spider 

 has appeared upon the leaves. The trees ought to be quite free 

 from insect pests before syringing is discontinued. In a previous 

 number full instructions were given as to training the growths 

 and thinning-out the fruit. It is quite as well to remove all 

 gross overgrown wood at this time. The fruit will be set in the 

 late houses, and syringing may be begun at once. Should any 

 green fly be upon the trees it must be destroyed forthwith, and 

 the inside borders must be sufliciently moist else the fruit will 

 probably drop. 



PLANT STOVE AND ORCHID HOUSES. 



If it is necessary to shift free- growing plants, such as Begonias, 

 Caladiums, or any that are free-rooting, and if space can be 

 afforded for their free development they may have plenty of 

 pot room, and when fresh roots are formed water may be freely 

 applied, and the houses be closed early to utilise sun heat. 



All the cuttings that we require have been put in and are now 

 rooted plants. Those who have not propagated the stock that 

 they require should lose no time in doing so. All cuttings are 

 the better for a little bottom heat, and they strike roots more 

 freely if a hand or bell glass is placed over them. Cuttings 

 taken from stove plants are very apt to flag if exposed to the 

 air, and this they ought not to be allowed to do. Tying and 

 arranging the growths on climbing plants, such as Stephanotis 

 floribunda, Clerodendron Thompsona;, Bougainvillea, and other 

 plants of the same character, must not be neglected. 



We have been repotting many different species of plants, and 

 in doing this two main points are kept in view— namely, care- 

 fully draining the pots with clean potsherds, and placing some 

 tough fibrous loam or peat over the crocks to prevent the com- 

 post from mixing with them. No plant is potted unless it is 

 moist at the roots, nor is water applied untU the fresh rootlets 

 are formed. 



Orchids that are starting into growth and making their roots 

 at the same time are potted at once if they require it. The 

 growth of some is very rapid, and if repotting is delayed the 

 plant suffers. Plants of any of the species that are in flower 

 last much longer in beauty if they can be removed to a cooler 

 house where there is not too much moisture. The beautiful 

 Dendrobiums, such as D. Farmeri.D. densiflorum,D. clavatum, 

 and many others, last but a very few days in the high steaming 

 atmosphere of the East Indian house. Mexican Orchids seem 

 to require more sun than those from other parts ; they should 

 be placed in the most exposed part of the house. New Grenada 

 Odontoglossums and Masdevallias require plenty of shade, and 

 the same may be said of nearly all the East Indian species. 

 Close the houses early in the afternoon, and sprinkle plenty of 

 water about at the same time. Cypripediums and some Den- 

 drobiums may be freely syringed. — J. Douglas. 



HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 



Secretaries will oblige us by informing us of the dates on 

 which exhibitions are to be held. 



Alexandra Palace. Flowers, May 5th and 6th. Roses, July 7th and Stli. 

 Glasoow. May 10th, and September 12th and 13th. Mr. F. GUb. Donghall, 



10(, CanniHg Street, Sec. 

 Westminster Aqdariom. May 10th and 11th, Maj 80th and Slat, July 



5th and 0th. 

 Crystal Pal ice. Flower, May 19th and 20th. Eose, Jnne 16th and 17th. 

 TivEBToN. May 24th and 25th. Messrs. A. Payne and J. Mills, Hon. Sees. 

 Manchester (Grand National). Jnne 2nd to 9th. Mr. Bruce Findlay, 



Royal Botanic Garden, Sec. 

 SonTHAMPTON. Jnne 6th, and August the 5th and 7th. Mr. C. S. Foidge, 



89, York Street. Sec. 

 South Essex (Levton?). June 13th. Mr. G. E. Cox, 'Wilmot Road 



Leyton, Sec. 

 Edintjdrgh (Scottish Pansy Society's Show). Jane 16th. Mr. N.M. Welsh, 



1, Waterloo Place, Edinburgh, Sec. 

 Coventry. Jnne llltb. Mr. T. Wilson, 8, Portland Terrace, Sec. 

 Maidstone (Hoses). June 21st. Mr. Hubert Bensted, Bockstow, Maid- 

 stone Sec. 

 Faeeham and South Hampshire. Jnne 21st. Mr. H. Smith, Sec. 

 Spalding. June 21st and 22nd. Mr. G. Kingston, Sec. 

 Exeter (Roses). June 23rd. Mr. T. W. Gray, Hon. See. 

 Reioate (Roses). Junf; 24th. Mr. J. Payne, Treasurer. 

 Leeds. June 28th, 29th, and 3uth. Mr. James Birkbeck, Delph Lane, 



WooJhouse, Leeds, Sec. 

 West of England (Hereford). Roses. Jane 29th. Rev. C. H. Bolmer, 



Credenhill, Sec. 

 Richmond. June 29th. Mr. A. Chancellor, Hon. Sec. 

 Frome (Roses). June 29th. Mr. A. R. Bally Hon. Sec. 

 Marsden. July Ist. Mi'. J. H. Edmondson, Hon. Sec. 

 Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society. July 5th and September 13th. 

 SouTHPORT. July 5tli, 6th. 7th, and 8tb. Mr. E. Martin, Sec. 

 NE^VARK (Roses). July 6th. Mr. F. R. Dobney, Sec. 

 Helensburgh (Roses). July 12th and 13th. Mr. J. MitcheU. Sec. 

 Wimbledon. July 12thandl:Jth. Mr. P.Appleby, 5, Linden Cottages, Hon. Sec. 

 Kilmarnock. Roses, July 18th and 19th. General Exhibition, September 



14th. Mr. M. Smith, 11, King Street, Sec. 

 ToNBBiDGE. July 19tb. Mr. W. Blair, Hon. Sec. 

 Wrexham. July 25th. Mr. J. B. Shirley, Hon. Sec. 

 Crighodse. July 29th. Messrs. C. Jessop & E. Rawnsley, Hon. Sees. 

 Heworth (Horticultural). August 2nd. Mr. R. H. Feltoe, Hon. Sec. 

 Rawtenstall (RosENDALE). August 4th and 5th. Mr. M. J. Lonsdale, Sec 

 Taunton Deane. August 10th. Mr. F. H. Woodforde, M.D., and Mr 



Clement Smith, Hon. .Sees. 

 Clay Cross. August 15th. Mr. J. Stallard, Clay Cross, near Chesterfield, See. 

 Weston-super-Mare. August 15th and 16th. Mr. W. B, Frampton, Sec. 

 Preston. Augast 16th and 17th. Mr. W. Tronghton, Hon. Sec. 

 Shrewsbury. August 16th and 17th. Adnite & Naunton, Hon. Sees. 

 MiRFiELD Horticultural. August 19th. Mr. George Senior and Mr. John 



Rusbforth, Hon. Sees. 

 Ramsgate (Isle of Thanet). August 23rd. Mr. B. R. Schartan, Broad- 

 stairs, Sec. 

 Seaton Burn. August 26th. Mr. R. Richardson and Mr. W. EUott, Sees. 

 Dundee (International). September 7th, 8th, and 9th. Mr. W. R. McKelvie, 



26, Euclid Crescent, Sec. 



