36 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
[ July 11, 1878, 
ing the soil well about the ball and giving a good watering. Those 
for potting stand in a shady place for a few days, then pot them 
into the fruiting pots. Six-inch are sufficiently large for those 
required for early forcing, and 7-inch for second early and late 
sorts—i.e., those of robust habit, such as Sir Joseph Paxton, Pre- 
sident, dc. The pots must be clean, placing one large crock over 
the hole, about three or four of lesser size, and over these a few 
half-inch bones, the drainage altogether being about an inch or 
little more. Turfy loam rather strong, adding a tenth of buffalo 
horn manure anda twentieth of bone dust, well mixed together but 
not sifted, forms an admirable compost, which should be mode- 
rately dry when used. If used wet it will shrink after potting, 
leaving the sides of the pot. Place the rougher parts of the com- 
post in the pot first, and pot very firmly, and so that the base of 
the crown is about half an inch below the rim. Stand the pots 
upon a hard bottom in an open sunny situation, with sufficient 
space between each to allow for the full exposure of the foliage. 
Water as required, and overhead for a few days after potting, and 
when the roots are working freely in the fresh soil copious supplies 
will be needed, not allowing the foliage to flag for want of this 
essential element. Remove all runners as they appear. Plants 
that have been forced are excellent for forming a plantation out of 
doors, and should be at once planted if not already done, making 
the soil firm about the balls, watering liberally until established. 
Plants that have been fruited in pots never fail to produce good 
crops during the following season, often two seasons, when they 
are no longer profitable, and should be succeeded by more recently 
formed plantations. 
Vines trained to walls in the open air should be kept closely 
nailed-in, the shoots well stopped, laterals kept very thin, stopping 
them at the first leaf beyond the bunch, and subsequent growths 
keep well pinched at each leaf as it is produced. Avoid over- 
crowding, training-in no more shoots than can have full exposure 
to light and air. This is necessary to afford any increased warmth 
the wall may give to the advantage of the fruit and wood in 
ripening. Extensions should be trained-in thinly with a view to 
thorough ripening. : 
Do not allow the shoots of Figs against walls to become over- 
crowded, it results only in unfruitfulness and prevents the fruit 
from attaining the size and quality it would otherwise attain. 
Stop the shoots at the sixth leaf and keep them secured to the 
wall, training-in extension shoots without stopping. Continue to 
attend to wall fruit trees in stopping or the removal of foreright 
and superfluous shoots, and the nailing or tying-in of the young 
shoots required for extension or for fillmg up space; and in the 
case of the Peach, Nectarine, and Morello Cherry shoots for next 
year’s bearing. Some outdoor fruits are approaching ripening, 
and should be protected by nets from the attacks of birds. 
FRUIT HOUSES. 
Vines.—It is hardly possible in forcing Vines to escape early 
attacks of red spider ; more especially is this the case when the 
Grapes are kept for any length of time upon the Vines after being 
ripe. On account of this liability of Vines to red spider we do 
not advise large houses with a motley assemblage of Vines for 
forcing, but houses only of such size as will admit of a supply of 
Grapes for the establishment for a period of not more than six to 
eight weeks. This admits of the foliage being afterwards cleansed 
with water from the syringe or engine; but with a house having 
Frontignans, Sweetwater, and Hamburgh Grapes ripe in May, 
Muscats in June, and late sorts in July, the dry warm air essential 
to the ripening of early kinds will cause red spider to increase upon 
the foliage of the Muscats and other late sorts before they are 
ripe. This is most disastrous to present and future crops of 
Grapes. Instead of having a mixed collection of Grapes that 
started in December to the new year will afford fruit from May to 
August, we would divide the house into two or three compart- 
ments, so that the respective kinds may have secured to them 
their proper treatment. In case of an attack of red spider paint 
the hot-water pipes with sulphur, heating them to near the boiling 
point. It will kill the spider, and often causes a brown spot upon 
the skin of Muscat and Frontignan Grapes ; sulphur, therefore, 
applied to heated surfaces should be done with great care. 
Muscats require to be ripened off with fire heat (indeed all 
Grapes haye a superior flavour and finish when ripened off in 
rather dry warm air), for under no other conditions will they 
attain to that golden hue characteristic of richly vinous flayour. 
The temperature where they are ripening should he 75° to 70° by 
night, and 85° to 90° or 95° by day, with abundance of air. Mus- 
cats of all Grapes require very plentiful supplies of water when 
swelling the fruit. No Grapes can be overdone with water at the 
roots after the leaves are full-sized until the fruit is ripe, the 
border having efficient drainage, therefore attend well to the 
watering of inside borders, and outside also in dry weather. Keep 
the laterals well stopped, except in the case of weakly Vines, 
when they may be allowed to extend, provided the principal leaves 
are not crowded thereby, and in the case of young Vines a free 
growth of the laterals may be allowed, as it tends to root-forma- 
tion and to increase the vigour of the canes. 
Peaches and Nectarines—To keep trees forced year after year in 
a healthy fruitful state requires considerable exactitude in the 
management of the trees, not so much when the fruit is swelling 
and up to its arriving at maturity as after the crop is gathered. 
The house should then be thoroughly cleansed of insects, fumi- 
gating against tarips if any, and frequently washing the foliage 
with the syringe or garden engine, sparing no pains to keep the 
foliage clean and healthy as long as possible. The borders must 
be well supplied with water, the ventilation very liberal, and if 
the roof lights are moveable remove them altogether, which will 
afford the foliage the influence of Nature’s refreshing dew and 
rains. Remove all shoots rendered useless by the removal of 
the fruit, keeping all gross shoots, as also side shoots, pinched or 
stopped to one leaf or joint, so as to equalise the sap and admit of 
sun and air haying free access to the principal foliage. If the 
fruit come in more quickly than is required it may be retarded by 
a slight shading of tiffany or other light material in the hottest 
part of the day. In the latest houses where the fruit is stoning 
strict attention must be given to watering, and fruit taking the 
second swelling will be benefited by copious waterings with weak 
liquid manure, or, what is better, by having the borders mulched 
with stable manure, which attracts the roots to the surface. 
Attend to tying-in the shoots, stopping any laterals to one joint, 
and keeping the trees well syringed morning and evening. Houses 
without artificial heat should have ventilation early and be closed 
early, so as to husband the sun heat. 
PLANT HOUSES. ; 
Greenhouse.—Zonal Pelargoniums for winter flowering should 
have attention in shifting into larger pots, presuming that cuttings 
or young stock were inserted as before advised. The chief point 
to aim at is vigorous plants well furnished for their size, keeping 
off all trusses of bloom as they show, stopping the plants so as to 
keep them in compact form. They should have 6-inch pots, be 
firmly potted in good turfy loam with about a fifth of well-decayed 
manure and a sixth of sand. They may be placed on ashes out- 
doors in the full sun, taking care that they do not root through 
the pots, and they must be well supplied with water. Vesuvius is 
still one of the best, also Nyanza, Jealousy, Fire King, Sir Charles 
Napier, and Malcolm in scarlets; Lucy Bosworth, pink; Irene, 
purple magenta ; Heather Bell, lilac pink ; Seraph, salmon pink ; 
and Madame Vaucher with White Clipper as whites. Of doubles— 
Wonderful and Dolabel in scarlets ; Charles Vogt, pink ; Madame 
Lemoine, rose ; Mont Blanc and Edelweiss of whites. 
Chrysanthemums when fairly rooted in the blooming pots may 
have liquid manure at every other watering, of which they must 
neyer need a supply without its being given, as if the plants want 
for water the foliage will suffer. Attend to tying out and pegging 
the shoots as they advance in growth. If aphis attack them dust 
in the evening with tobacco powder, and syringe well the follow- 
ing morning. If mildew is present dust with flowers of sulphur. 
Roses in pots should have every encouragement to make a good 
growth, plunging the pots in ashes in an open situation but 
sheltered from winds, allowing each plant plenty of room, so that 
the wood may be thoroughly matured. If the plants are in small 
pots shift them into larger, topdress with loam and cow dung in 
equal parts, with a “dash” of bone dust to those that have been 
forced, and water with liquid manure at every alternate watering, 
not allowing them to suffer for want of that element. Syringe to 
keep down red spider, dust with tobacco powder against aphis, 
applying it at night and washing off the following morning, and 
use sulphur freely if mildew appear. 
Cactuses.—Place the plants outdoors in front of a south wall on 
a hard bottom, and water themas required. Mesembryanthemums 
are best placed outside at this season ; they, with Echeverias, 
are the better for a little weak manure water. Hcheyerias retusa 
and fulgens should have encouragement, keeping them well sup- 
plied with water and weak liquid manure, shifting the plants inte 
larger pots if required. They are fine for winter flowering. 
Azaleas.—Plants that flowered late should have every encourage- 
ment afforded them to make growth, keeping them rather close, 
and supply them with moisture both in the atmosphere and at 
the roots, affording no more shade than will preyent scorching in 
bright weather, for the more light the leaves are exposed to the 
stouter they will be, and the more mature will be the wood and 
buds. Keep red spider under by syringing, which will also go a 
long way to keep down thrips, but they can only be fully eradi- 
cated by syringing the under side of the leaves with tobacco water 
not too strong; or fumigation may be resorted to, doing it very 
carefully, as the foliage is easily injured. Plants that have set 
their buds should be kept in a cool well ventilated house with all 
the light possible, the fierce rays of the sun broken in the hottest 
part of the day by a slight shade, or a house with an east aspect. 
will be a suitable structure, requiring no shading. 
Heaths.—Early-flowering kinds will since flowering haye made 
good growth, and may in warm localities be placed outdoors to 
ripen the wood, but in cold northerly districts they are best kept 
under glass, having very liberal ventilation and plenty of light. 
Those placed outdoors should, if the weather be bright, be placed 
in a shady position for a few days, such as the north side of a 
wall, or have a temporary screen of tiffany erected over them, as 
if the days be hot when they are first placed outdoors the leaves 
will be browned. Young plants of Heaths that were potted in 
