36 



o 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[June 1, 1912. 



The Week' s Work 



Capsicums and Chilies 



These plants 



[%• -v ^ 



receive a top-dressing of ricb 



FRUITS UNDER GLASS. 



By E. Harriss, Fruit Foreman, The Royal G.irdens, 



Windsor. 



Late Vines. —When the vines have passed 

 •out of flower all surplus growth and useless 

 bunches should be removed. The tying of the 

 shoot* is an operation which needs care and 

 patience, especially in the case of such varieties 

 is Lady Hutt, Appley Towers, and Black 

 Alicante, as the young growths break easily. 

 They should be secured to the trellis with a piece 

 of raffia and gradually pulled down at intervals 

 of a few days, till they are in their permanent 

 positions. When it can be determined which 

 are the best bunches, no time should be tost in 

 removing the others, leaving only a sufficient 

 number to furnish the crop. The thinning of the 

 berries should receive early attention. Those 

 varieties which set their berries thickly should be 

 •thinned first ; the work of thinning is more easily 

 accomplished if it . is done before the berries 

 become too crowded. Late. Grapes should be 

 more severely thinned than the early or mid- 

 scason kinds. The berries should be allowed 

 ample, room to develop ; at the same time the 

 bunches should be well furnished with Grapes, 

 -especially on the tops of the shoulders. The 

 bunchets of certain varieties may be improved in 

 appearance by looping up the shoulders; those 

 of a compact type may be increased in size by 

 doing this, but* it should not be done to excess. 

 The fi il thinning may be done as soon as it can 

 be seen which berries are swelling freely. Old- 

 established vines growing in well-drained borders 

 should be afforded plenty of stimulants. If there 

 are numerous roots near, the surface of the border, 

 an o asional sprinkling with some suitable fer- 

 tiliser will b§. beneficial. ..After th- final thinning 



the bonders should 



f..rn\yard manure, and the manunal properties oi 

 the rculch washed into the soil at once. Watch 

 carefujly for the presence of mealy-bug, as this 

 pest will do much damage should it infest the 

 i>unch£ s. Red spider also must be carefully 

 guarded. against* especially where the leaves have 

 -been in close proximity to, .Strawberries. During 

 warm weather an abundance of. air should be ad- 

 mitted to the vines, opening both the top and 

 bottom ventilators. It will be. safe to leave the 

 ventilators open a little all through the night dur- 

 ing favourable weather. Use fire-heat as spar- 

 ingly as possibly, and, during hot weather, damp 

 •the walls and paths frequently to promote a moist 

 atmosphere. 



The Orchard House. — Trees in orchard 

 houses must not be neglected in the matter of 

 w itering, and stimulants may be increased in 

 strength and apnlied more frequently as growth 

 advances. The' final thinning of the fruits should 

 be done' as soon as the stoning stage is past. The 

 trees niust, on no account, be overcropped, as 

 this would seriously impair the flavour of the 

 fruit, j The size and strength of the individual 

 trees must be considered when deciding the num- 

 ber of, fruits to leave on eacl} tree. When the 

 fruits commence to swell, the trees should receive 

 a dressing of decomposed horse manure and loam 

 in equal parts. Use the knife freely where the 

 growth is becoming crowded, and keep the young 

 shoots pinched at trie fourth or fifth leaf. Syringe 

 the trees twice daily and damp the floor space 

 frequently. Should aphis appear on the leaves, 

 fumigate the house with a nicotine vaporising 

 compound. 



THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 



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



Aldenham House, Hertfordshire. 



Kohl Rabi.— Where space permits, a small 

 •bed of this vegetable should t>e planted, as it 

 proves valuable when there is a failure with 

 Turnips, which it resembles in flavour. Place 

 the young plants at a distance of 2 feet apart 

 and allow a yard or so between the rows. Be- 

 yond an occasional hoeing between the plant* and 

 placing a mulch of manure around each plant 

 in dry weather little attention is needed with 

 "this crop. For winter use the Early Purple 

 variety is preferable to the Green sort, the latter 

 being best for summer use. 



son, 

 year 



will ripen their fruits out-of-doors if they are 

 set out now in a sunny position, but I much 

 prefer to grow them in pots— excellent speci- 

 mens may be grown in pots not exceeding 5 or 

 6 inches in diameter. During the summer 

 months they may be grown in a cold frame, 

 and in the 'event of unfavourable weather, the 

 lights may be placed over the frames with 

 advantage. For their final potting, use a 

 fairly rich compost composed of fibrous loam, 

 spent manure from an old Mushroom bed, 

 with the addition of coarse silver-sand and 

 bone-meal. Watch the plants in the mean- 

 time for the presence of aphis, which tre- 

 quently infests them, and give light fumigations 

 occasionally to keep this pest in check. Syringe 

 the plants twice daily, and keep their surround- 

 ings moist to combat red spider. Always afford 

 the plants plenty of light to encourage a sturdy 

 growth, exposing them to plenty of sunshine 

 during the summer months. 



Asparagus. — Toe beds are now in full bear- 

 ing, and the shoots may be cut for a time, but, 

 generally speaking, not after the third week 

 in this month. It may be necessary to discon- 

 tinue cutting at the middle of June this sea- 



as the growth developed very early this 

 If the heads are removed later than these 

 dates, next year's crop may be weakened. After- 

 wards the beds should be hand weeded as often 

 as is necessary, and well soaked with water 

 and properly diluted drainings from the 

 farmyard. During showery weather, give a 

 good sprinkling of concentrated manure, alter- 

 nating this with soot. When the growth is high 

 enough to require protection from wind, place _ 

 neat sticks at intervals and stretch one or two 

 rows of string around them. 



Onions. — Beds of transplanted Onions in- 

 tended for producing large bulbs will, in the 

 ' absence of rains, "need damping each evening and 

 the plants soaked at the roots occasionally with 

 clear water, to induce a free growth. When 

 moisture is applied to 

 weather, the surface of 

 caked, therefore use the 

 between the rows. Any 



should be made good without delay, and a sharp 

 look-out kept for the Onion mildew. If any 

 signs are manifest, dust the plants freely with 

 black sulphur. When the plants are growing 

 freely, mulch the rows with horse-droppings, 

 such as are used for Mushroom beds. The soil 

 where the main crop of Onions is growing should 

 be well stirred with the Dutch hoe, and weeds 

 removed by hand. Do not thin the plants too 

 severely wnere well-ripened bulbs and a large 

 crop are preferred to size of individual Onions. 

 Autumn-sown Onions that were planted out early 

 in the spring will be bulbing freely, and should 

 receive plenty of stimulants. 



the soil during hot 

 the ground becomes 



Dutch hoe frequently 

 failures in the rows 



pyramids and bushes, these may be pinched and 

 thinned to a reasonable degree, and the work 

 must be regulated by the space available 

 for them. Provided the outside shoots are 

 not extra strong, they mav be allowed to 

 extend, as in some cases, such as Victoria 

 and other Plums, the fruits are often borne upon 

 such growths the following season. Standard 

 trees, when once established, need no restric- 

 tion of the shcots, and they soon become fruit- 

 ful. The shape of bush and pyramid trees it 

 a matter of great importance. The side shoots 

 of pyramid trees should be pinched early to 

 about five leaves, and the subsequent shoots 

 pinched once or twice, according to the season, 

 to within two leaves of the first pinching. Lead- 

 ing shoots are thus encouraged to grow str- 

 and, by this method, the whole tree becomes 

 very fertile. When the side shoots are allowed 

 to extend till July or August, their removal 

 causes a great check to the trees. They also 

 favour the development of strong roots, and each 

 succeeding year the trees get thicker and thicker, 

 until they become a dense mass of shoots, ex- 

 cluding both sunlight and air. 



Newly-grafted Trees. — The dry weather 



* 



of April was unfavourable for newly-grafted 

 trees. Young stocks that have failed in graft- 

 ing may be budded later. It will be advisable 

 to encourage a strong shoot to develop from the 

 base of the plant for the purpose of budding. 

 Syringe any grafts that are still alive, but with 

 the buds dormant, to assist the latter to start 

 into growth. Examine the tree.* carefully, and 

 see that the ties are not cutting into the bark of 

 stock or scion. If the ligature is found to be 

 too tight, remove the clay or wax, sever the old 

 tie, and rebind the shoots again rather looaelv 

 Secure the voung growths to stakes to prevent 

 them from being damaged by strong winds. Rub 

 off sucker growths as they appear on the stocks 

 of both this year's and last year's grafted tie*. 



THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



By F. Jordan, Gardener to Lady Nunburnholme, 



Warter Priory, Yorkshire. 



Summer Pruning. — There is plenty to do 

 at this date in the fruit garden, and no matter 

 whether the crops are abundant or thin, the 

 trees must not be neglected, as next year's re- 

 sults will depend, to a great extent, on the care 

 and attention the trees receive at this season. 

 Plants carrying heavy crops should receive first 

 attention as to thinning, cleansing and training. 

 Barren trees must receive the same care and 

 attention, with a view to the early maturation 

 of the young wood, and the perfect formation of 

 the fruit-buds, that will furnish next season's 

 crop. Disbudding of all trees should be brought 

 to a close according to directions given in pre- 

 vious calendars, and from this time onward at- 

 tention must be given at intervals to summer 

 pruning. This operation requires care and fore- 

 thought, so that the energies of the trees mav 

 be directed to the formation of fruit-buds and 

 the proper development of this season's crop. 

 The operator who undertakes the work of sum- 

 mer-pruning should have a good knowledge of 

 the different trees, as the varieties vary in many 

 important details. Pears on walls are gener- 

 ally the first trees to claim attention. The 

 breastwood should be shortened, and sufficient 

 young wood trained in to furnish the space. 

 Cordon Pears also require close stopping to keep 

 them in a fruitful condition, and this also applies 

 to Plums and Sweet Cherries. In the case of 



be 



THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



By J. G. Weston, Gardener to Lady Northcoti, 



Eastwell Park, Kent. 



Summer Bedding.— In view of the summer 

 bedding preparations, work in the flower garden 

 is very pressing just now, for the beds need 

 to be planted at the earliest possible moment. 

 Where they have been occupied since autumn 

 with spring-flowering plants, the beds should 

 be cleared as soon as convenient. ¥ftf« 

 the soil thoroughly, and incorporate with it » 

 quantitv of rich manure, as such plants as v\au- 

 flower, Mysotis and Polyanthus have an exhaj* 

 ing effect on the soil. If planting * to folk* 

 this work immediately the ground « 

 made fairly firm and raked fine.. ^ thl ^ 

 nearly all bedding plants are sufficien t > todjiea 

 to place out-of-doors ; nevertheless, it is we u w 

 leave the more tender subjects, »«* a ^ b . 

 Heliotropium, Fuchsia, Iresme, Coleus ana . 

 tropical plants until the last moment 1» 

 delay the planting, even if the * -eather J J* 

 and dry, as plants in small pots and bo xesj^ 

 teriorate rapidly, and it will be late in t h £•£ 

 before the beds produce a good effect. \\* 

 soil overnight and again a fter ^jj n ,^ 

 been bedded out. \\ hen the ^ r ^^ surface of 

 fairly drv, run the flat hoe over the sur 

 the bed to promote a hue tiitn. 



Cumbers.-AU climbing ft^^W 

 »t this season, and if neglected the shoot^ ^ 

 soon become a tangled mass. Atteiw ^ 



quirements in this matter at regular w 

 In the case of climbing Bo^, the basai f 

 should be tied out of harm s waj , ai , 



is limited, the other shoots reduced^ .*» ^ 

 avoid overcrowding. . Chmbing Hose x 

 forward this season ; in fact, eai lier ^ fi ^ 



ever seen them in this Jodg. ; e the 



on the shoots, _ ^.^ 



On the 



appearance of aphis on the Jootj _ 



plants with a suitable ^^ s houW be 

 appears, a dressing of mildew spec» fce €ntirC l, 



ruined. 



Gratis and ^^'Egbrit*; 

 tion every few days, as the dwote, ^ v he» 



are liable, if left « nse £ ured ' t JJ ain cumbers *.» 

 strong winds prevail. Do not .train tf 



stiff or formal manner or their gre thin „,ng* 

 destroyed. The object in .tying ;an ^ de ^g 

 necessary shoots is to enable , those provided 



their beauty in the highest degree ^^ 

 that they are supported * u f * n allo wed to ff"' 

 winds, the more loosely tnej di 



