OCTOBER. 



705 



OCTOBER. 



winter a week before they are ripe, and tedious loss of time, The varieties best 



place them in a hot, dry place (near the 

 kitchen fire will do), in a temperature of 

 from 80 to 90. This will prevent all 

 risk of the fruit decaying, and vastly im- j 

 proves the flavour. 



Pines, Watering in Winter. The less 

 water that can be given to pines in any 

 stage during winter, consistent with 

 their health, the better ; their peculiar 

 structure renders them especially liable to 

 injury from the accumulation of moisture 

 in the axils of the leaves. Whenever it is 

 necessary to water for the next four months, 

 the water must be applied to the soil only. 

 It is often necessary to use a bent tube, 

 with a funnel at one end, to prevent it 

 falling upon the leaves. If the atmosphere 

 of the house, from the continuance of 

 bright sunshine, or any other cause, 

 becomes too dry, it will be better to 

 secure the necessary humidity by evapora- 

 tion from the surface of the floor and 

 heating apparatus, rather than by syringing 

 overhead. % 



Vinery. Vines , Cleansing. All pre- 

 liminary matters may proceed here exactly 

 on the same principle as for the peach 

 house. In all forcing, either of flowers or 

 fruit, let cleanliness, both present and 

 prospective, be the first care. Hence, 

 before the painting, Ac., let every bit of 

 loose bark that will rub off with your ha-nd 

 be removed. Severe barking that is to 

 say, scraping the bark off with knives, &c. 

 is to be deprecated ; as, although vines 

 a/e endogenous plants that is, increase 

 from the inside, and not from the out, and 

 iheir bark is consequently not essential to 

 their healthy existence still it is useful in 

 retaining moisture on their stems. Never- 

 theless, tidiness of appearance and the 

 destruction of insects require the removal 

 of that which is loose and easily taken 

 away ; to go beyond this, if not certainly 

 injurious, is obviously unnecessary and a 



for early forcing are the Royal Muscadine, 

 Duke of Buccleuch, and Black Hambro, 

 Give them the same general treatment a* 

 that recommended for peaches during the 

 month. 



Vines, Pruning. Prune other vineries 

 as *oon as the fruit is cut, if the leaves are 

 thoroughly matured, the wood almost as 

 hard as stone, and they are required to 

 start afresh in January. If neither of these 

 conditions, nor all of them, are present, 

 defer the pruning for another month. 

 Carefully look over grapes twice a week, 

 removing every dead berry or leaf that may 

 have fallen on a bunch. 



Vines. Ripening Late Grapes. If late 

 grapes, such as Muscats and West's St. 

 Peter's, are not ripe, they must be ripened 

 off with a brisk fipe as speedily as possible. 

 If not ripened forthwith, they will not only 

 be deficient in flavour, but will not keep 

 well. 



October. Greenhouse Work 

 in. 



Cleansing Plants. Plants brought into 

 or growing in the greenhouse require 

 general treatment similar to that which 

 is described for the hothouse and con- 

 servatory, but this and any house ex- 

 clusively devoted to heaths should be 

 kept five or ten degrees cooler than the 

 conservatory. They will also bear sharper 

 currents of air with impunity. Leschenaul- 

 tias, chorozemas, &c., in the greenhouse 

 must be carefully examined for green fly 

 This pest is very prevalent among, and 

 very fatal to, the first - named plants 

 Sometimes it also suddenly attacks heaths, 

 pimeleas, &c. As soon as one is dis- 

 covered, fumigate instantly with tobacco 

 paper. This is also a good time to 

 eradicate scale white, black, or brown 

 from acacias, clianthus, and any other 

 infected plants. For scale, hand picking 



46 



