March 9, 1912.] 



THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 



153 



are well rooted, and inuring them gradually to 

 fresh air as advised in the case of recently potted 

 plants. Stock plants in reserve for furnishing 

 cuttings late in March and April must be 

 afforded abundant ventilation to keep them 

 stocky^ as soft, pithy shoots are liable to flag 

 considerably when inserted as cuttings and never 

 make such fine plants as good, hard cuttings. 



Gloxinias and Begonias. — Gloxinias and 

 Begonias that were started early in boxes should 

 be potted before the roots become matted to- 

 gether. I prefer to transfer them direct to their 

 flowering pots. If a house is devoted to these 

 plants, there is not much fear of the shoots 

 becoming drawn, but where they have to be 

 grown with other plants there is a danger in 

 this respect, especially in the case of Begonias. 

 If shelves are available in houses having a suit- 

 able temperature for the plants, Begonias and 

 Gloxinias may be stood on them until the sun- 

 shine becomes excessive. 



Cyclamen latifolium. — The plants of 

 Cyclamen are making a good display in the con- 

 servatory and greenhouse; it will be advisable 

 to promote a fairly dry atmosphere in order that 

 the blooms may keep fresh for a long time. 

 Plants that are still throwing up flowers should 

 be assisted with a little liquid manure ; do not let 

 any of the fluid reach the centres of the plant, 

 or it may cause damping. Plants raised from 

 seed sown last autumn are growing freely, and, if 

 the potting has not been already done, they 

 should be placed singly in " 60 " pots without 

 delay. The compost may consist of loam and 

 leaf-mould, mixed with a quantity of sharp sand, 

 a little mortar rubble, and a few pieces of char- 

 coal. Do not place the corms too deeply in the 

 soil, only just sufficient to prevent them shifting 

 when the pots are moved. A span-roofed house 

 is a suitable place to grow them in, but a moder- 

 ately warm frame will do equally as well, pro- 

 vided the plants are placed well up to the light. 

 The roots will not need to be watered too liber- 

 ally : syringings on bright days will help to pro- 

 vide sufficient moisture as well as to keep down 

 insects, one of the most troublesome of these 

 being thrips, which are favoured by dry condi- 

 tions. 



FRUITS UNDER GLASS. 



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



Windsor. 



Early Peaches and Nectarines in Pots. 



— When the stoning period is passed, it will be 

 safe to subject the trees to harder forcing if it is 

 desired to have ripe fruits at an early date. 

 There is not so much risk in forcing pot trees, 

 as in the case of those planted in borders, as the 

 roots of the former are more under control and 

 the trees invariably set far more fruits than are 

 necessary to furnish a crop. Nevertheless, 

 forcing must not be carried to excess ; rather 

 take full advantage of warmth from the sunshine 

 by closing the house early in the afternoon after 

 syringing the trees thoroughly. All surplus 

 fruits should be gathered, cropping each tree ac- 

 cording to its size and capacity. From 12 to 18 

 fruits may be considered a fair crop unless the 

 trees are unusually large. But on no account 

 leave too many, as this would impair their 

 quality. Any fruitless wood may be cut back to 

 the growth nearest the base, and generally guard 

 against overcrowding of the shoots, which will 

 shade the light from the fruits and tend to 

 weaken the trees. Stop the shoots at the fourth 

 leaf. The soil should be examined frequently to 

 see if water is necessary; if the pots are well 

 drained, it is better to be generous than sparing 

 hi its application. Stimulants should also be 

 Riven at shorter intervals than hitherto. When 

 the second swelling of the fruits has commenced, 

 place a layer of well-decomposed manure on the 

 surface of the pots. 



Early Permanent Trees. — When the 

 shoots are about 6 inches long, remove all those 

 which are not required. As a rule it will only 

 be necessary to leave one at the base and an- 

 other at the point of the current bearing wood, 

 unless it is purposed at next season's pruning to 

 discard some of the old, bare branches. In this 

 case young shoots should be trained in to take 



Ih ? Z oi those to be removed. These voung 

 snoots should be secured to the trellis, taking 

 particular care that they do not grow above the 



d p1* a In *? nal thinnin g of the fruits should be 

 relayed till the stoning period has passed, allow- 



ing one fruit to each square foot of space. A 

 larger crop may be permitted on young, vigorous 

 trees. In thinning, leave the fruits evenly dis- 

 tributed over the branches, retaining for pre- 

 ference those which are on the upper side of the 

 trees. Spray the foliage with rain-water in the 

 morning, and again at closing time; also damp 

 frequently all the bare surfaces in the house. 

 Should red spider appear on the leaves, syringe 

 the foliage with a solution of soft soap and sul- 

 phur 1 . Old-established trees will be much bene- 

 fited if the borders are given a surface dressing 

 of rich, farmyard manure. 



Mid-season Trees.— Attend to the disbud- 

 ding of mid-season trees regularly, commencing 

 at their extremities first. Where the fruits have 

 set very thickly all those on the under side of the 

 tree may be pulled off at once. Syringe the 

 foliage twice daily, and endeavour to keep the 

 atmosphere always moist. Ventilate the house 

 carefully, and remember that although the Peach 

 enjoys plenty of fresh air, cold draughts should be 

 avoided, these being favourable to attacks of red 

 spider. Well-drained borders filled with roots 

 should be watered regularly. Old trees carrying 

 heavy crops of fruit will require stimulants. 



Late Trees. —Owing to the exceptionally 

 mild weather, fruit trees have started into growth 

 much earlier than usual. They must not be kept 

 in too cold a house when the flowers are opening. 

 Give them every assistance to set their fruits, 

 then, if necessary, they can be kept backward 

 by leaving the houses open later in the day than 

 usual and maintaining a cool temperature at 

 night. 



THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



By F. Jordan, Gardener to Lady Nunburnholme, 



Warter Priory, Yorkshire. 



Peach and Nectarine.— The trees having 

 been detached from the walls for some time past, 

 for the purpose of retarding the opening of the 

 buds, preparations should be made for pruning 

 and securing the branches again. Trees that 

 were disbudded and relieved of useless wood in 

 the autumn will need very little pruning at this 

 stage, beyond thinning the young shoots to pre- 

 vent overcrowding. The growths should be regu- 

 lated at a distance not closer than 6 inches apart, 

 so that the wood may become thoroughly ripened, 

 which is one of the secrets of success in the cul- 

 tivation of Peaches and Nectarines out-of-doors. 

 In pruning, train in their entire length shoots of 

 moderate growth, but removing altogether those 

 of a gross nature. By giving careful attention to 

 root-pruning in the autumn, disbudding properly 

 and disposing the shoots so that sunshine and air 

 have free access to the interior of the trees, the 

 wood will become thoroughly ripened, the flowers 

 stronger and hardier, being better able to with- 

 stand cold winds and frost. Use tarred string 

 for tieing the main branches, and matting in pre- 

 ference to shreds for the smaller shoots, if the 

 ties are not made too tightly, as shreds form a 

 harbour for insect pests. After the training and 

 tieing of the branches are completed, syringe the 

 trees with a fairly strong insecticide, such as the 

 A II. fluid or XL-All specific. The syringing 

 should be repeated just before the flowers open, 

 using a weaker solution. The soil of the border 

 should be lightly pricked up with a fork and re- 

 ceive a dressing of bonemeal if this manure was 

 not applied in the autumn. Take care not to 

 tread the borders more than is necessary. 



Protecting the Blossoms. — After the 



training of the trees is completed, get in readi- 

 ness materials, such as old fish netting, tiffany 

 or " scrim," for protecting the blossoms from 

 cold winds and frost. Poles and copings should 

 be fixed in position, so that when protection is 

 needed, no time need be lost in fixing up the cur- 

 tains and nets. These materials should be 

 examined and repaired if necessary. 



Loganberry. — This bramble is a vigorous 

 grower, the shoots growing 10 feet to 12 feet lon_ 

 in a single season. ' The fruits are valuable, 

 especially as they ripen when the Raspberry crop 

 is practically finished: they make excellent jam, 

 and are appreciated as bottled fruits. The plant 

 will grow in almost any position, and is suitable 

 for training up poles, wire fences, and arches, 

 giving a large quantity of fruit in proportion to 

 the space occupied. It requires a rich soil and 

 a similar treatment to the Raspberry. The old 

 canes should be cut out after they have fruited, 

 removing, at the same time, weak shoots, and re- 



(T 



taining only the stronger ones, as the shoots re- 

 quire plenty of room. The roots should be planted 

 at distances of 6 feet to 8 feet apart. Applv a 

 liberal mulching of manure and cut the shoots to 

 the ground level the first season. 



Blackberry.— Blackberries are useful and 

 profitable plants for covering unsightly places, 

 such as old fences or boards the varieties 

 laciniatus, Wilson Junior and The Mahdi may all 

 be recommended. 



Japanese Wineberry.— Rubus phcenicolasius 

 is one of the hardiest, handsomest and most 

 vigorous of Brambles, and when established 

 makes a charming pillar plant from July to Sep- 

 tember, its large dusters of scarlet edible fruits 

 being very attractive. 



THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 



By Edwin Beckett, Gardener to the Hon. Vicary Gibbs, 



Aldenham House, Hertfordshire. 



Rhubarb. — The present is a suitable time 

 to make fresh plantations of Rhubarb. Old 

 stools may be taken up, divided carefully, and 

 replanted in an open position in ground that 

 has been trenched thoroughly and well dressed 

 with farmyard manure. Plant the rows at a 

 ood distance apart, and allow plenty of room 

 ictween the individual plants. After the work 

 is completed, afford a good surface dressing of 

 stable manure or long litter. Good varieties in- 

 clude Victoria, The Sutton, Hobday's Giant, 

 Daw's Champion, and Paragon. 



Cabbages. — Cabbages are very forward owing 

 to the mild winter. The short spell of 

 frost injured the plante but very little, and 

 many of the early varieties, particularly in 

 sheltered positions, are almost ready for cut- 

 ting. When the weather is favourable, the 

 ground should be stirred deeply with the flat 

 hoe. If this is done frequently it will have 

 a stimulating effect on the growth of the plants. 

 Any vacancies should be made good from the 

 reserve beds, and, if further plantations are 

 needed, they should be made at once, selecting 



well-enriched ground and making the plants very 

 firm in the soil. 



Lettuces. — Autumn-sown Lettuces, both of 

 the Cos and Cabbage varieties, which have been 

 wintered in cold frames or sheltered positions, 

 may be planted out on warm borders. The sur- 

 face of the soil should be raked to obtain a fine 

 tilth. Make the soil very firm about the roots. 

 If the ground is infested with wireworm, mea- 

 sures must be taken to trap and destroy the 

 pests. A capital plan is to place pieces of Carrot 

 in the ground at regular intervals as traps. 

 These should be examined every few days, and 

 the pests collected and destroyed. Measures 

 must also be taken to prevent sparrows and 

 other 'turds from disfiguring the leaves. A 

 simple protection against birds is black thread 

 stretched along the rows, about 2 inches above 

 the plants. Attend to the pricking-off of spring- 

 sown Lettuces, and make a further sowing in 

 boxes. 



Celery. — Plants belonging to the earliest 

 sowings should be sufficiently large for pricking- 

 out into other receptacles. Boxes are best 

 suited to the purpose, and they should be filled 

 with a fine, open compost made moderately firm, 

 after taking the necessary precautions to ensure 

 perfect drainage. Transplant the young plants 

 carefully, at a distance of 3 inches apart each 

 way, and water them well through a fine rose. 

 Grow them in a house where the temperature is 

 not excessively hot, and afford them a position 

 where they will obtain plenty of sunlight. After 

 they have recovered from the check caused by 

 transplanting, accustom them gradually to 

 cooler and more airy conditions. 



General Remarks. — Where it is the rule 

 to incorporate decayed leaves with the soil when 

 planting Potatos, the leaves should be finally 

 turned over and a quantity of slaked lime 

 added. Where the soil is heavy, the addition 

 of decayed leaves is to be recommended. At- 

 tend to the transplanting of the various seed- 

 lings raised under glass, and thin as soon as 

 they are large enough seedlings of Carrots and 

 other crops growing in frames. Continue to 

 force Rhubarb, Asparagus, Chicory, and Sea- 

 kale. 



