Mat 11, 1912.] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



317 





THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



By F. Jordan, Gardener to Lady Nunbuknholme, 



Warter Priory, Yorkshire. 



Strawberries. — Owing to the exceptional 

 weather, the plants will soon be showing their 

 flower trusses, therefore no time should be lost 

 in placing straw or other litter along the rows. 

 If stable litter is used, the straw will be washed 

 almost clean by rains, but in any case fresh 

 straw must be placed beneath the trusses of 

 fruit. Stir the soil of the beds when it is dry, 

 and apply a dressing of soot, which will not only 

 assist the plants but act as a deterrent to slugs, 

 red spider and other pests. Thoroughly cover 

 the ground between the rows with the litter and 

 allow some of the longest straw to lie loosely 

 around the plants, as this will afford protection 

 to the blossoms from frosts, and do no harm 

 otherwise. It is a great advantage to litter 

 Strawberries early in the season, as it prevents 

 evaporation of moisture from the soil, a necessary 

 precaution during periods of dry w r eather. Ex- 

 tra fine fruits may be obtained from young 

 Strawberries planted out last August if the 

 weakest flower trusses are. removed before the 

 blossoms open, and the fruits thinned after they 

 are set. It will be necessary to afford the plants 

 stimulants when they are swelling their fruits. 



Apples. — The cold nights of April with north- 

 east winds, have been unfavourable to the growth 

 of the trees, but insect pests and diseases have 

 found the conditions suitable. The Apple sucker, 

 the Apple blossom weevil and the brown rot 

 disease must be especially guarded against at 

 this season. Winter spraying is the most effec- 

 tive remedy, and should be resorted to whenever 

 the pests are in evidence, but winter washings 

 must be supplemented by summer sprayings. 

 -Caterpillars may be exterminated on small trees 

 by hand picking, but this is not practicable with 

 large trees. There are several excellent washes 

 on the market for use at this season, but which- 

 ever one is used the spraying needs to be done 

 thoroughly. 



Disbudding. -Continue to disbud and thin 

 out superfluous shoots and fruits as recommended 

 in a previous calendar, but avoid thinning the 

 fruits too severely. It is an easy matter to 

 determine which shoots to remove at the first 

 thinning, but knowing the exact number to re- 

 tain requires considerable experience. As a rule 

 too many shoots are left ; they should not be closer 

 than 5 inches apart, allowing room for the pro- 

 per extension without crossing or shading each 

 i other. Pinch or remove entirely any gross- 

 growing shoots, but do not stop any of the lead- 

 ing branches unless they are excessively strong, 

 rn which case their points should be pinched out. 

 Remove any curled or blistered leaves as soon 

 as they are detected, for this complaint spreads 

 quickly during cold, windy weather. Examine 

 the trees frequently and syringe them with 

 Quassia extract, or dust the infested parts with 

 tobacco powder if aphides are present ; the pow- 

 der may easily be washed off the trees and 

 fruits later by water appliid by the spraying 

 engine. J r J & 





FRUITS UNDER GLASS. 



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



Windsor. . 



Early Permanent Vines.- Owingto the un- 

 usually fine weather of April early Grapes have 

 "P e n«d sooner than usual. Although bunches 

 oi Black Hamburgh will not remain long in 

 me best condition after they are ripe, 

 uieir season may be prolonged if the glass is 

 covered with a light shading. Two or three thick- 

 nesses of fish-netting or weak lime wash syringed 



?,Iffi • f i gkss wU1 break the ra y s of the sun 

 sufficiently. Endeavour to keep the atmosphere 



oi the vmery as cool and dry as possible. Should 



thU °J the vines re q uir e moisture afford 



F?r?V ^ oderat e supply of clear, tepid water. 

 do«;ki u Should be dispensed with as much as 

 Hnt; ' P ut artmcia l warmth must be provided 

 uurmg cold or wet weather to dispel moisture. 



th^K "^* 80 ? VlNE s— The final thinning of 

 beWtv . u° f mid : s eason vines should be done 

 GranI bernes bec ome too crowded, or the 

 WhS \\T y * b tv° m . e disfigured through rubbing. 

 ubseai h ,! t ? r ? llls , ls furnished with°growth all 

 GuarTp?^^ 818 , Sh0uld be removed regularly, 

 st roved £ ^1 .^spider, which mv be de- 



with a » M ? y lf the leaves are sponged early 

 *»* a weak nnxture of soft-soap and sulphur 



After the berries have been thinned finally the 



border should receive a good dressing of rich 



farm-yard manure, and the manurial properties 



washed thoroughly into the border with tepid 

 water. 



Madresfield Court. — This fine Grape is 

 generally regarded as a mid-season variety, but, 

 as it is an excellent sort for early forcing, a few 

 vines may be included in the earliest vinery. 

 The bunches require to be thinned very carefully, 

 and generally more freely than for most varieties. 

 The berries often crack, but this is usually the 

 result of cultural errors. One of the chief 

 essentials to success is a well-made border, with 

 the soil rammed hard. The border should con- 

 tain plenty of suitable ingredients to ensure 

 porosity, and the drainage must be efficient as 

 the vines require plenty of moisture at the roots. 

 The lateral growths should be removed con- 

 stantly till the berries commence to colour; after 

 that stage it will be an advantage to allow the 

 laterals a little more freedom of growth. If the 

 weather is fine and warm when the berries are 

 ripening an abundance of air should be admitted 

 through both the top and bottom ventilators: a 

 little fresh air should also be admitted during the 

 night. Keep the atmosphere dry, and, when ap- 

 plying water to the roots, choose a warm morn- 

 ing, when the ventilators may be opened wide. 

 It is a good plan to place a covering of clean 

 straw over the surface of the border after 

 watering to prevent moisture from rising and 

 settling on the berries. 



Inarching Vines. — Many inferior varieties 

 of Grapes may be found in cultivation, and, 

 where such exist, they should be replaced by 

 better sorts. There is no easier method of doing 

 this than by inarching, and the present is a suit- 

 able time to undertake the work. A convenient 

 shoot, situated as near to the base of the vine as 

 possible, should be selected on which to inarch 

 the scion. Young vines struck from eyes or cut- 

 tings last year and cut back in the winter make 

 the most suitable scions; such vines are now 

 making strong growth. To perform the opera- 

 tion of inarching, place the young vine which is 

 to form the scion quite near to the shoot on 

 which it is to be inarched. Make cuts about 

 2 inches long and £ inch deep on each shoot, 

 passing through a joint. Bind the shoots tightly 

 together with raffia and cover the unions with 

 moss, which must be kept damp. The vine form- 

 ing the scion should be kept well supplied with 

 moisture at the roots. 



THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 



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



Aldenham House, Hertfordshire. 



Dandelion. — Where a supply of salads is re- 

 quired in winter, Dandelion leaves, blanched, 

 are of great value. Seed of the Improved Broad- 

 leaved variety may be sown now in shallow drills 

 in ground that has been deeply dug, but not 

 manured recently. A stony, well-drained, garden 

 soil is suitable. When large enough, the seed- 

 lings will need thinning to 1 foot apart, and, 

 beyond keeping the crop free from weeds, little 

 other attention will be needed. 



Thinning Seedlings. — This work requires 

 to be commenced as soon as the plants attain 

 sufficient size to admit of a partial thinning. 

 Carrots and Parsnips in rows, for instance, 

 should, when large enough to admit of the 

 operation, be partially thinned, and the soil 

 stirred afterwards with the Dutch hoe. I do 

 not advise a rigorous thinning of main-crop 

 varieties of Onions grown in the open : a good 

 crop of medium-sized, well-ripened bulbs is the 

 most profitable. Those sown where holes were 

 specially prepared and filled with good soil, 

 should be thinned, leaving only the strongest 

 plant, situated as near to the centre of the sta- 

 tion as possible. 



Brussels Sprouts Some time during the 



present month the plants from the sowing made 

 in March should be planted out in their perma- 

 nent quarters for furnishing an early supply of 

 sprouts. The ground should first be made firm 

 and level, and afterwards marked out in rows at 

 3 feet apart. Lift the plants with a good ball 

 of soil attached to the roots, and plant carefully 

 with a garden trowel, making the soil firm. 

 Allow a distance of 2 feet 6 inches between each 

 plant, and plant alternately in succeeding rows 

 in order that each plant may have the maxi- 



mum amount of space. After the planting> 

 afford the roots a thorough watering. 



Vegetable Marrow. — Early Marrows grown 

 in pots and trained to vacant trellis space in 

 houses are fruiting freely. Continue to pollinate 

 the flowers as necessary, and keep the plants 

 growing freely by supplying copious waterings 

 when necessary, and syringing the foliage twice 

 daily. Early plants that were raised from seed 

 sown in March are growing freely in the frames, 

 and will need attention. The growths should be 

 pegged down as required. Afford ventilation 

 with caution, and syringe the plants early in the 

 afternoons, closing the ventilators when the house 

 is warm with sun In at. Place some protection 

 over the glass in the event of late frosts, and, if 

 necessary, add more fermenting materials to the 

 sides of the frame. As the weather becomes 

 warmer, increase the amount of air until finally 

 the lights and frames are removed entirely, when 

 the plants will grow and fruit abundantly until 

 autumn frosts occur. Marrows intended for 

 planting in the open on heaps of manure, leaves, 

 or refuse should be hardened thoroughly before 

 they are planted out at the end of the present 

 month. 



Radishes. — To obtain supplies of tender 

 Radishes, make small sowings frequently in a 

 shaded border, sowing the seeds broadcast, tn 

 dry weather the seed-bed should be damped 

 over once daily to encourage a quick germina- 

 tion and growth. Protect the seeds from birds, 

 removing the nets as soon as growth appears. 



ustard and Cress.— To maintain a con- 



stant supply of this salad during the summer 

 months, select the shadiest portion of the garden, 

 such as under fruit trees, and sow in ground 

 made as fine and level as possible. Make a fresh 

 sowing every 10 days, pressing the seeds in the 

 soil with a flat board, and sow thickly. Cover 

 the soil with a mat, removing it as soon as the 

 seeds have germinated satisfactorily. Afford 

 water in dry weather. Mustard germinates 

 quicker than Cress, therefore, to maintain a regu- 

 lar supply of each plant, sow Mustard the more 

 frequently. If required for exhibition, the seeds 

 may be sown in small punnets filled with fine soil. 





THE APIARY. 



By Chloris. 



Dysentery. 



-At this season of the year this 

 disease is very common, especially when bees have 

 been confined to their hives by stormy or cold 

 weather for a prolonged period, or where they 

 were sent into winter quarters in ill-ventilated 

 and damp hives. Beet or impure sugar, moist 

 sugar, or molasses, instead of sealed honey or 

 good syrup made from white cane sugar, 

 also favours the disease. The reason is 

 that the former produce such a quantity 

 of waste matter, the intestines become 

 overloaded with the products of digestion, 

 which, under ordinary circumstances, would be 

 frequently voided on the wing, so under abnormal 

 conditions the bees are forced to void the excre- 

 ment in the hives and on combs. Where dysen- 

 tery is present in a colony, the alighting boards 

 and hives are soiled on fine days with faeces of 

 a dark brown and muddy appearance. On open- 

 ing the hive and raising the quilt there is a 

 very offensive smell, whilst the bees move slowly 

 and have a weak appearance. If the bees are 

 not attended to at once when these conditions are 

 discovered, the colony will soon die. If the 

 weather be too wet and stormy for outside mani- 

 pulation, then the hive should be removed in- 

 doors or into a shed. Give the bees a well-ven- 

 tilated, clean hive and floor board and, if pos- 

 sible, some good sealed honey, crowding the bees 

 on as few combs as possible to afford greater 

 warmth, shutting off the remainder of the hive 

 with the division board. Where no sealed honey 

 can be given, then supply some thick, warm 

 syrup for present consumption and a cake of soft 

 candy, after providing drawn-out comb or frames 

 fitted with full sheets of wired foundation. The 

 bees must not be fed after this date with syrup, 

 as this is stimulating to the queen and will cause 

 an excessive amount of brood to be raised at this 

 season of the year. All these troubles could bo 

 avoided if bee-keepers would refrain from using 

 the foods named, and feed the colonies on less 

 watery food early in autumn, because when honey 

 or watery food is unsealed it ferments during the 

 winter, and this is one of the most fruitful causes, 

 of dysentery. 



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