APRIL. 



625 



APRIL. 



disbudding (which see) should be resorted 

 to whatever it may be needful, and to the 

 method of performing this process it is 

 necessary to call attention. In order to 

 keep back the bloom to as late a period as 

 possible, the pruning of apples is frequently 

 put off to the end of April. The buds at 

 the end of the spur will now be breaking 

 into leaf, retarding those at the base, but 

 when the end of the shoot has been cut 

 away, and the more precocious buds with 

 it, the buds at the base will be brought into 

 bloom at a later period, when injury from 

 spring frost is reduced to a minimum. 



Strawberries, which have been under 

 mulch all the winter, should now be un- 

 covered j the old foliage would be cut down 

 in March, as directed ; and after clearing 

 away all weeds and useless runners, a spring 

 dressing of half-decayed material from the 

 cucumber frame, mixed with soot and de- 

 cayed leaves, will be useful, watering fre- 

 quently towards the end of the month. 



Vines. Outdoor vines ai'e now pushing 

 forth their young shoots in great numbers. 

 At this season only those which are 

 obviously useless, and especially those 

 issuing from old wood, unless wanted for 

 future years' rods, should be rubbed off 

 with the finger and thumb close to the 

 stem. The useless one being disposed of, 

 those left should be trained close to the 

 wall, at regular distances apart, so that all 

 may enjoy the light, heat, and air. 



April. Glasshouses for Fruit, 

 &c., Work in. 



Figs. A dry close atmosphere often 

 causes the embryo fruit to drop. Dryness 

 or excessive moisture at the root may 

 produce the same results. When the fig 

 is in full growth, the latter evil is almost 

 impossible ; but there appears to be but 

 little demand upon the roots for moisture 

 wntil the leaves are fully expanded. Main- 



tain a temperature of 60, and syringe the 

 leaves daily. 



Pine House. Shift all the succession 

 plants as soon as possible. It will facilitate 

 this operation very much if one man places 

 his arms carefully round the leaves and 

 another slips a tie of soft matting round 

 the plant, sufficiently tight to compress, 

 without bruising, the leaves. This will 

 render the plants manageable, and enable 

 the potting to be done without gloves} 

 for it is very doubtful if any one can pot a 

 plant properly with gloves on. 



Pines , Mode of Potting. Do not follow 

 the barbarous disrooting system. If the 

 plants have been properly kept during the 

 winter, remove the crocks, gradually un- 

 wind the roots, take away as much of the 

 old soil as possible, pull off from three to 

 six inches of the bottom ; place the plant 

 two or three inches deeper in the new pot 

 than it was in the old, as pines.root up the 

 stem, and have no permanent collar, press 

 in the earth firmly, and the work is com- 

 plete. Turfy loams, mixed with a little 

 charcoal and broken bones, is the best 

 compost, enriching it with manure water 

 during the rapid growing and fruiting stages. 



Pines t Renewal of Bottom Heat for. 

 If fern or leaves are used for bottom heat, 

 this will now require renewing. This work 

 should proceed at the same time as the 

 potting, so that the plants may at once be 

 removed back to their proper quarters. 

 Keep the plants level during the process of 

 plunging the pots, and after two rows are 

 plunged, cut the ties and arrange the leaves 

 of the back row; plunge another row, 

 then cut and arrange the second row ; and 

 so on throughout. A mild day must be 

 chosen for shifting and renewal of bottom 

 heat, as five or six hours' check from cold 

 will often throw a whole pit of succession 

 pines into premature fruit one of th 

 greatest calamities that can happen to tk 

 cultivator. 



