Horticultural Memoranda. 383 



HORTICULTURAL MEMORANDA 



FOR AUGUST. 



FRUIT DEPARTMENT. 



Grafe Fmes, in the greenhouse or vinery, will now have their fruit well 

 colored, and some of the earlier kinds nearly or quite ripe. The house 

 should now be kept rather dry, and well aired, opening the sashes very 

 early to let off the damp collected during the night. Continue to stop all 

 the laterals, and to tie up all the leading shoots (if the vines are young,) to 

 the trellis. Give the border a very liberal watering if this dry weather 

 continues, and mulching with old stable manure will have a good effect. 

 Old vines may be now inarched with young vines in pots. Grapes in cold 

 houses must now be carefully managed, to prevent mildew; if, from any 

 cause, it should appear, apply a solution of sulphur, as we have directed in 

 previous years. Continue to lay in the wood wanted for next year on out- 

 of-door vines, and stop all laterals and superfluous shoots. 



Strawberry beds will need attention. Keep them clear of weeds, and lay 

 in the runners, if they do not take hold freely. The last of the month is a 

 favorable time to make new beds, if the young runners are sufliciently 

 rooted. Now is a good time to trench ground for new beds. Now is the 

 time to lay young runners into pots, for forcing next winter. 



Plum, and Cherry, and Pear trees should now be budded without delay. 



Fruit trees, of all kinds, should have their summer pruning finished this 

 month. Attend to the destruction of insects, particularly the slug on the 

 pear and cherry trees, and the green lice on the apple ; oil soap, freely ap- 

 plied, will kill them off. 



Peach trees in pots should be well watered, giving liquid manure to the 

 youngest plants not in bearing, in order to secure a good growth. 



FLOWER DEPARTMENT. 



Dahlias will now require daily attention, if fine blooms are wanted. It 

 is useless to expect shoio floivers unless they have good treatment. In this 

 dry weather and hot sun, the ground should be liberally mulched with cow 

 or horse manure, and a good watering given to the plants, over the foliage, 

 every night. In addition, they may occasionally have liquid manure. 

 Carefully tie up all branches, and trim away suckers and small shoots. 



Pelargoniums, now headed in, should be kept in a half shady place till 

 well broken ; water sparingly ; cuttings, put in the middle of July, will 

 now be rooting, and must be kept shaded in the middle of the day. 



Carnations and Picotees should now be layered. Have some good, pre- 

 pared soil ready, in order that the layers may root strongly, by which 

 means a better bloom is secured for next year. Seedlings raised this year 

 should be pricked out into beds, in order to get them strong enough to blow 

 next year. 



Camellias should now be potted, if not already done ; this should not be 



