28O FRUIT CULTURE UNDER GLASS. 



60 in cold, and 65 in mild weather, especially when the 

 house can be shut up early with sun-heat. See that inside 

 borders are kept properly moist, and syringe all houses where 

 the fruit are set in fine days. Keep a sharp look-out for 

 green-fly, and never let it get a footing : more especially is 

 this pest dangerous to trees just budding into leaf and full 

 bloom. All trees under glass, where there is no command 

 of fire-heat, should be retarded and kept as late as possible ; 

 for if kept close and forwarded early into bloom, a risk of 

 losing the crop by late frosts is incurred. 



Figs. Where the fruit are swelling, increase the night 

 temperature to 60 with 10 more by day. Figs like a moist 

 atmosphere, and should be syringed every afternoon, and the 

 air should never be otherwise than moist, except when 

 fruit are ripening. Give careful attention to the matter of 

 watering, especially if they are in pots; for if allowed to 

 become over-dry, they will cast their crop; and stagnant 

 water about their roots will produce the same effect. Give 

 air regularly, more or less, according to the weather, to pre- 

 vent the young growths from becoming weak and the foliage 

 thin and tender. As soon as the growths grow to five or six 

 joints, pinch the points out of them, or squeeze them firmly 

 between the finger and thumb to stop growth, without caus- 

 ing them to bleed. Start later trees. 



Strawberries. If all has gone on well, these will now be 

 an interesting crop, and one that will be most acceptable at 

 table, as a companion dish to late grapes and early pine- 

 apples. Attend carefully to what was said about crops that 

 are swelling off and colouring. Where they are coming into 

 bloom, on the shelves of pine -stoves or cucumber -houses, 

 where a high temperature and moist atmosphere are requisite 

 for pines and cucumbers, it is a good plan to move the straw- 

 berries into a peach-house or vinery, where the night heat 

 does not range above 55 to 60. Strawberries set more 

 certainly at that temperature than with 10 higher; and when 



