JULY. 



669 



JULY. 



beds are dug in. Next year the same is re- 

 peated ; thus a succession of young plants 

 is kept in bearing with very little trouble. 



Thinning Wood and Fruit. Some little 

 judgment should be exercised in thinning 

 both wood and fruit ; the object being to 

 regulate both, so that a fair balance is 

 maintained. If too much fruit is left on, 

 the present year's crop will not be so 

 good, nor will the strength of the tree 

 be maintained for future bearing ; if too 

 much wood is left, the fruit is too much 

 shaded, and the wood itself becomes weak : 

 regulate both, so that the present crop of 

 fruit has a fair chance of doing well, and 

 iust about enough wood is left to furnish 

 the tree for another year without having 

 recourse to much pruning in the winter. 



Vines. Vines out of doors should be 

 closely stopped and trained in. All the 

 heat of the sun is necessary to the well- 

 doing of this fruit, which cannot be ex- 

 pected to ripen in our short seasons, unless 

 every care is taken to secure them all the 

 light and warmth of the sun. 



Vines, &*<;., Treatment in Dry Seasons. 

 There are times when the earth about the 

 roots of fruit-trees, &c., becomes parched, 

 so that the fruit is not properly nourished 

 in the process of swelling or stoning. In 

 dry seasons, this is a fertile cause of fruit 

 being small or ill-flavoured. The following 

 mode of remedying this evil, especially in 

 the case of vine borders, cannot be too 

 strongly recommended : Perforated pipes 

 are laid about a foot or 18 inches below 

 the surface of the soil in the case of 

 strawberry beds about 6 inches ; from these 

 a tube is carried to a convenient place for 

 filling with water or other liquid manure, 

 with which they are charged twice a day 

 or as often as it is considered necessary 

 By this means a thorough moistening of 

 the roots is effected, greatly to the im- 

 provement of the crops of fruit. 



Washing Trees. The garden engine 



should be played freely over wall trees 

 about two or three times a week, as this 

 would wash off dust and insects, and 

 maintain that cleanliness so conducive to 

 health. 



July. Hotbeds, Frames, &c., 

 Work in. 



Capsicums ', Tomatoes, &. These, when 

 in fruiting condition, should remain in the 

 pots, and be plunged in the bed ; the roots 

 will ramble through the pots, but are more 

 likely to bear than if planted in the bed. 



Cucumbers. Plants in bearing should 

 be copiously watered occasionally : if the 

 soil shows any symptoms of dryness under- 

 neath, they should be moistened overhead 

 every day ; but this keeps the surface 

 moist, while beneath it the soil may 

 become dry. This being frequently the 

 cause of plants going off, it should be 

 guarded against by examining the soil 

 before syringing. If the soil is not suffi- 

 ciently moist, take care to water plentifully, 

 as at this time of the year there is less 

 danger of overwatering. If the weather 

 is hot, and not too dry, the lights may 

 be pulled quite off for an hour or two 

 before 8 a.m. and after 5 p.m. ; but see 

 that the plants are not chilled before 

 closing. A sowing of any good house 

 or frame cucumber may now be made 

 for autumn supply. 



Cucumbers, Pickling. Pickling cucum- 

 bers may be planted in the open ground 

 at the beginning of this month ; the soil 

 should be well dug, and made pretty firm 

 again, and well mulched after the plants 

 are put in. Choose a warm sheltered spot 

 for them, and place handglasses over them 

 if they can be spared. The work of stop- 

 ping, pegging down, &c., for these is 

 precisely the same as for ridge and frame 

 cucumbers. They will do on ridges put 

 out at the beginning of this month. 



Flowers in Hotbeds, &c. Such hotbeds 



