Jantj 



20, 1912.] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



39 



THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



.By F. Jordan, Gardener to Lady Xlnbuknholme, 



Warter Priory, Yorkshire. 



Peaches. — If the trees were pruned and root- 

 pruned where necessary directly after the fruits 

 were gathered, very little more pruning will be 

 necessary now, with the exception of removing 

 faulty growths which escaped the notice of the 

 operator owing to the leaves being present on the 

 trees. One of the secrets of success with outdoor 

 Peaches is thin training of the shoots, there- 

 fore all growths that are not required should be 

 removed, allowing a distance not le^s than 

 6 inches between the shoots. Detach the trees 

 from the walls if necessary, and tie the branches 

 to a stout stake or stakes at a distance of 

 6 inches or a foot from the wall, with the object 

 of retarding the blossoming as much as possible. 

 Make the trees secure from injury by winds or 

 snow. Old shreds should be burnt, and the 

 nails roasted. The trees and walls should be 

 given a winter dressing before the buds swell ; 

 if the presence of red spider is suspected dust 

 the branches with flowers of sulphur when the 

 weather is mild and dry. 



Plums on Walls. — Plum trees are often 

 planted against south walls where they flower 

 too early, exposing the blossoms to injury by 

 spring frosts. South walls may be much more 

 profitably used for growing Peaches or dessert 

 Pears. Plum trees on walls should be trained 

 thinly apart, and pruned closely to keep the 

 spurs near to the wall. Old trees may be made 

 fruitful by root-pruning or lifting them and 

 by pruning the spurs closely. It is better to re- 

 place worn-out specimens by young trees from 

 a reserve wall, where a few trees of each variety 

 should always be grown for the purpose. 



Pears on Walls. — Summer pinching of the 

 shoots reduces the work of winter pruning very 

 considerably. Where Pear trees on walls are 

 allowed to form too many spurs, the flowers 

 come weak and never give fruits of good quality. 

 The spurs may he thinned now, but the best 

 time for this operation is undoubtedly the 

 autumn, when they may be cut back and thinned 

 with great advantage, taking care to leave one 

 or more buds at the base of each. After pruning 

 is finished dress the trees with an insecticide; 

 Pear scale and many other insects may be com- 

 pletely eradicated at this season without in- 

 juring the wood or flower-buds. 



General Work. — Push on, at every favour- 

 able opportunity, with the work of planting that 

 has been interrupted by the unusual rainfall. In 

 frosty weather manure and soil should be 

 wheeled to the different places where they are 

 required. Newly-planted trees, bush as well as 

 standard, must be secured firmly to stakes to 

 prevent damage from strong winds. The stakes 

 should be set in position and well driven into 

 the subsoil before the trees are planted. If 

 grafting is contemplated the scions should be 

 collected and the stocks headed back before the 

 sap commences to rise, allowing about 6 inches 

 of the stem for a second cutting when grafting 

 time arrives. Select scions of a medium size, 



and hqel them in a shaded place until they are 

 required. 



THE ORCHID HOUSES. 



By J. Collier, Gardener to Sir Jeremiah Colman, Bart., 



Gatton Park, Reigate. 



Intermediate House. — The temperatures 

 of the intermediate house given in the Calendar 

 for January 6 should have read 60° to 63° by 

 day, rising with sun-heat to 66°: at night 57 b 

 to 60°. 



Dendrobium.— Many Dendrobiums, including 

 both species and hybrids, are now show- 

 ing their flower-buds. If it is desired to have a 

 long succession of bloom, some of the more for- 

 ward plants may be moved from their resting 

 quarters into a slightly higher temperature, but 

 care must be taken that the plants are not sub- 

 jected to too much heat and moisture, or they 

 will start rapidly into growth and produce in- 

 terior flowers. They should be afforded water 

 at the roots sufficient onlv to keep the pseudo- 

 bulbs plump, for if moisture is too liberally 

 applied it will cause many of the buds to turn 

 yellow and drop. The Cattleva house is the 

 most suitable place to grow the* plants until thp 

 flowers are devel ped. Keep a sharp look cm, 

 lor slugs, which damage the flower-buds as soon 

 as the latter develop. Traps of damp bran or 



again 



Lettuce leaves may be placed about the houses 

 near to the plants, and the pest searched for at 

 night-time and very early in the morning. Re- 

 cently-imported plants of Dendrobium should be 

 laid for a few days on a stage in a house having 

 an intermediate temperature. They should be 

 carefully examined with a view to the removal 

 of decayed portions, and afterwards washed with 

 an insecticide. When they are dry 

 they should be placed in pots just large enough 

 to accommodate the roots, and each plant 

 tied firmly to a stick. Half fill the pot 

 with crocks, and the remaining space up to 

 the base of the plants with a compost consisting 

 of equal parts Sphagnum-moss and Al fibre or 

 Osmunda fibre cut into pieces about ^ inch long. 

 Grow the plants in an intermediate temperature 

 until about the middle of March, when they may 

 receive additional w^armth. Give them very 

 little water until they are well rooted in the com- 

 post. 



Vanda. — Vandas of the tricolor and suavis 

 section should be afforded sufficient water to 

 keep the Sphagnum-moss on the surface of the 

 pots in a growing condition. The plants are 

 now producing many roots from their stems. 

 Such roots should be directed, so that they may 

 grow downwards into the potting materials, care 

 being taken that they are not damaged. They 

 will do well in the Cattleva house if the stage on 

 which they are stood is kept moist. 



Sophronites grandiflora.— This brilliant- 

 flowered Orchid has been blooming for some time, 

 the flowers being produced on the partly deve- 

 loped pseudo-bulbs. The plant requires to be 

 kept sufficiently moist at the roots to maintain the 

 Sphagnum-moss green and healthy, but care must 

 be taken that water does not lodge in the centre 

 of the young growths, as this may cause the new 

 pseudo-bulbs to decay. Plants requiring fresh 

 rooting materials should be attended to when 

 roots develop from the new shoots. Thev are 

 best grown in shallow pans suspended from the 

 roof in the cool house. 



Potting Materials. — A stock of Sphagnum- 

 moss should be secured at once, as the ground 

 may be frost-bound when it is required for use. 



FRUITS UNDER GLASS. 



By E. Harriss, Fruit Foreman, The Royal Gardens, 



Windsor. 



Early Pot Vines. — Vines which were placed 

 i^ the forcing-house at the beginning of Novem- 

 ber are growing freely, and the shoots will bo 

 large enough for the operator to decide which 

 to leave to furnish the crop and cover the trellis 

 with healthy growth and which to remove. 

 Pinch out the points of the laterals at the second 

 leaf beyond the bunches. Prevent the shoots 

 from touching the glass of the roof by pulling 

 them gently towards the trellis, securing them 

 with a neat piece of raffia. The leading shoot 

 may be given more freedom of growth to encour- 

 age root action. Stimulants may be afforded the 

 roots, diluted liquid manure and weak soot-water 

 being suitable : these may be given until the 

 flowering stage is passed and the berries have 

 commenced to swell, when they may be supple- 

 mented by some concentrated fertiliser. The 

 soil should be examined carefully before water 

 is afforded, and where it is needed it is a good 

 plan to fill the pots to the rims tw T ice to make 

 sure that the roots are thoroughly soaked. 

 Water used at the roots or for syringing should 

 be w r armed to the temperature of the house. 

 The atmosphere should be kept moist by sprink- 

 ling the walls and paths, and the vines may be 

 gently sprayed before noon during sunny 

 weather. The minimum temperature may now 

 be kept at 65°. During the daytime the tem- 

 perature may be allowed to rise to 80° before 

 fresh air is admitted. The ventilators should be 

 closed by 2 p.m. Have ready fresh heating 

 materials to make a new hotbed, should the tem- 

 perature decline too low. 



Early Permanent Vines. — The season, so 

 far, has been very favourable to the vines. Very 

 little artificial heat has been necessary, and 

 there has been no snow or very little frost to 

 lower the temperature of the outside borders. 

 Consequently the vines have made good pro- 

 gress. Weak, useless growths may be rubbed off 

 at once, but the final thinning of the shoots 

 should be deferred until it can be ascertained 

 which have the best bunches. Examine the 



borders before the vines flower, and should water 

 be necessary, see that it is warmed. If mealy 

 bug is present on the vines, the pest must be 

 diligently sought for, and, if possible, prevented 

 from infesting the young growths. My experi- 

 ence in cyaniding for the destruction of mealy 

 bug on vines is, so far, not convincing, but I 

 may say more about this at a later date. 



Melons.— Melons which were raised at the 

 beginning of January must be kept growing 

 near to the glass in a minimum temperature of 

 70°. For the earliest supplies it is necessary to 

 have a hotbed on which to grow the plants/ At 

 Frogmore we place a bed of soil, composed chiefly 

 of rich loam and old mortar rubble, "about 2 feet 

 wide and 1 foot deep, on the hotbed. The soil 

 is made quite firm, and when finished is within 

 a few inches of the trellis. The bed should be 

 made several days before planting the Melons, 

 so that it may become warmed through. Sow 

 another batch of Melon seeds at the end of this 

 month to furnish plants for successional fruiting. 



THE APIARY 



By F. W. Cave. 



W 



•Much of 



the success in beekeeping depends upon iod 

 weather, but this is not the only condition 

 necessary. There are many small details con- 

 nected with the apiary which are constantly re- 

 quiring attention, and if neglected lead to 

 failure. It is advisable to have a note-book 

 wherein important fads and hints may be noted 

 for future reference. Unfortunately the casual 

 worker amongst bees is very thoughtless and 

 is apt to imagine that he knows all there is to 

 be known about bees. 



Requisites. — The catalogues should be con- 

 sulted and materials required for the coming sea- 

 son ordered. It is usual for the merchants to 

 allow a discount on all orders placed early in 

 the season, and by purchasing now the apiarist is 

 enabled to fit up his frames during the long 

 leisure hours of winter. Sections may be pro- 

 perly fitted with foundation, resulting in more 

 uniform comb, which will realize the best prices. 



Seasonable W 



The recent weather 



Beginners. 

 a start in 



has been unusually wet and stormy, therefore 

 the hives should be examined without delay to 

 ascertain if the rain has penetrated any cracks 

 which may have escaped observation. If wet has 

 entered, the quilts should be removed on a fine 

 day as damp quilts often result in dysentery 

 amongst the bees. Crevices should be filled with 

 white lead, a piece of calico stretched over the 

 roof, made secure by tacks, and then painted 

 thickly with gold size, which is quick in drying. 

 Later, when the wood is quite dry, a coating of 

 ordinary paint should be applied. 



—Those who contemplate making 

 beekeeping, either for pleasure or 

 profit, and have an opportunity of choosing a 



favourable locality will do well to select a 

 valley because the bees in such cases will not 

 have far to go for water, and, when loaded with 

 honey or pollen, will not have to rise over hills 

 before reaching home. If possible, place the 

 hives on a good gravel path behind a thick hedge 

 or wall to protect them from north and east 

 winds. It is advisable to have closely-cut grass 

 in front of the hives, as then the early morning 

 sun will reach the entrances of the hives. No 

 sheep, cows, goats, or dogs should be allowed 

 near the apiary, as they might knock over the- 

 hives. thus causing serious trouble. Gar- 

 dens in which are grown Cherries, Apples, 

 Pears, Plums, Gooseberries, Currants, Rasp- 

 berries, and Strawberries provide an early 

 foraging ground, and most of these fruits 

 bloom at a time when colonies of bees are in need 

 of food. 



The Womens Agricultural and Horti- 

 cultural International Union. — A meeting 



in aid of the funds cf this union will be held at 

 Harborne House, Birmingham, on Wednesday, 

 the 31st inst., at 3 o'clock, by invitation of Mrs. 

 Archibald Kenrick. who will preside. The 

 peakers will include Mrs. Geo. Cadbury. Miss 

 i'ocrtauld (on "Women as Farmers"); Miss 

 Jessie Smith (on " Women as Gardeners "), and 

 Mrs. T. Chamberlain, hon. sec. (on " The Work 

 of the Union "). 



