JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
{ October 24, 1878, 
of fresh turfy loam, and if burnt clay can be had it will be 
a yaluable addition. Sandy soils will be improved by a liberal 
dressing of fresh turfy loam, well pulverised clay or marl, and 
well decayed manure. Chalk is very desirable for soils deficient 
in calcareous matter, and old mortar rubbish is useful. The best 
time for planting is as soon as a majority of the leaves have fallen. 
‘The trees must be carefully lifted, their roots being kept moist, 
and be planted without any unnecessary delay. Where the soil is 
of a wet or heavy nature it is advisable to plant the trees upon 
hillocks elevated above the level of the surrounding ground. In 
planting any broken roots should be cut to sound parts and 
transversely, as slanting cuts retard the emission of fresh roots ; 
‘the roots must be spread out carefully and the soil made mode- 
rately firm. We prefer to tread but lightly at planting, and to 
give in early planting a few cans of water to each tree, which 
tends to fill up any interstices, settling the soil among the roots 
and fibres. We leave a hollow, or basin, around each stem, which 
is filled in when the soil has become tolerably dry; it is then 
trodden down firmly, the trees being properly secured against 
winds, and a mulching of partially decayed manure is given 
around the stems outwards as far as the roots extend. This tends 
to check evaporation and to retain warmth. Any vacancies 
which may exist upon walls or espaliers should be filled up with 
healthy trees, but the old soilshould for the most part be removed 
vand replaced with fresh turfy loam. Where root-pruning is con- 
templated, it being necessary to check overluxuriance and to in- 
duce fruitfulness, it should be done as soon as the leaves commence 
falling, removing at the same time any useless or unnecessary 
shoots. 
FRUIT HOUSES. 
Vines.—Although this is not the time to plant Vines, yet the 
material for forming the border should be cut and laid up in 
ridges, and if sprinkled with soot and lime as it is being stacked 
wireworm and other insects likely to prove injurious will migrate. 
With so many good varieties of late Grapes the necessity for the 
forcing of Grapes to have them ripe very early is no longer de- 
sirable where the late kinds are largely grown. Lady Downe’s 
Seedling is the most valuable of all, being a certain cropper and 
Jong keeper, keeping fresh and plump until May. Mrs. Pince is 
also a capital keeper, but requires to be ripened in heat like Lady 
Downe’s to develope its Muscat flavour and to promote its good 
keeping properties. Alicante and West’s St. Peter’s are both 
excellent for keeping, and as a rule they finish off well without 
requiring so high a temperature as those with Muscat flavour. 
‘Gros Colman is simply magnificent in appearance, having splendid 
berries, and it has a fit companion in Gros Guillaume, both of 
which require a long time to colour and ripen thoroughly, but 
when that is done they are anything but coarse or inferior in 
flavour. They also require plenty of space and not too close 
pruning, and then they come out splendidly. Calabrian Raisin 
and Trebbiano are white Grapes with character not over-good 
-as regards flavour ; but when thoroughly ripened we consider the 
‘flavour is good, their appearance from the largeness of the bunch 
-and berry fine, and they are capital keepers. 
Where the above are not cultivated in quantity to keep up the 
supply to May preparation must be made for early forcing. The 
Vines having been pruned, the loose bark stripped off, the house 
thoroughly cleansed, the border top-dressed, and the Vines done 
‘over with a solution of soft soap, 1 lb to the gallon of water, 
brought to the consistency of cream with flowers of sulphur ; 
adding, if there have been any scale, half a gill of spirits of tur- 
_pentine, the composition being equally effective against mealy 
bug, killing all it touches. The whole being in readiness as 
advised in former calendars, cover the outside border with leaves 
-and stable litter so as to warm the border, which should be done 
a fortnight befere the house is closed and fire heat applied. If 
there be the convenience of making up a good bed inside the 
-house of Oak or Beech leaves with about a third of stable litter 
‘it will greatly facilitate the Vines breaking, and be more beneficial 
‘to them than fire heat alone ; therefore have these in readiness 
for placing in the honse the early part of next month. Vines, 
however, to produce ripe fruit in late March or early April are 
best grown in pots as stated in a former calendar, selecting early 
sorts, as Buckland Sweetwater, Foster’s Seedling, White Fron- 
‘tignan, and Golden Hamburgh in white Grapes; and of black, 
Black Hamburgh, Mill Hill Hamburgh, and Royal Ascot. They 
should now be housed preparatory to starting them early in next 
month, Keep a sharp look-out for decayed berries amongst ripe 
fruit, as one decayed berry soon spoils a bunch. Ventilate freely 
“by day in favourable weather, maintaining slight warmth in the 
pipes when the outside atmosphere is charged with moisture, and 
a chink of air will keep all right. Vines in pots not intended to 
‘be forced early, or for planting out, should be placed under cover 
‘without delay. An open shed with a north aspect, the pots being 
protected by straw or other dry material, is suitable, that aspect 
being most likely to retard growth. 
Peaches and Nectarines—The trees in the earliest forced house 
should be pruned, if not already done, and then dressed with some 
approved insecticide. The surface soil should be removed to the 
depth of 2 or 3 imehes and replaced with fresh turfy loam, adding a 
tenth of lime rubbish or chalk and a fifteenth part of each of 
half-inch bones and wood ashes, treading rather firmly, and giving 
the border a thorough watering. The outside border also should 
be top-dressed, and if in a thoroughly moist state protect with a 
covering of litter or bracken, as cold rains or suow reduce the 
temperature of the soil considerably ; but if the border is not wet 
leave it exposed untilit is thoroughly moistened by rains, which 
are much more beneficial than artificial.waterings. The trees in 
the second early house will have the foliage ripened and falling 
off, which may be assisted with a light brush-over with a broom. 
We prefer to prune, dress the trees, and top-dress as soon as the 
leaves are fallen, as it makes an end of all insects before they 
have time to find secure winter quarters. In pruning forced trees 
it is not desirable to cut out much wood ; any useless parts having 
escaped the knife at thinning after the fruit is gathered should be 
removed, and long shoots may be cut back to a triple bud, making 
sure that the centre is a wood bud, which is not always the case, 
and to leave a sufficiency of wood with fruit buds for the insuring 
of a crop. Shoots of from 8 to 12 inches in length should not be 
shortened, having usually a few wood buds at the base and one 
at the extremity, the rest being fruit buds. It is a great mistake, 
however, to retain much wood, which weakens the trees in flower- 
ing, and there is not space for training-in the necessary growths 
for future bearing to secure their thorough exposure to light and 
air. Afford plenty of air at all times; houses with sliding lights 
should be closed in very rainy weather. Avoid, however, per- 
mitting the borders to become too dry, which is more pernicious 
than a wet soil at any time. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Greenhouse —Camellias often set many more flower buds than it is 
good for the plants to expand. Twoto a shoot are ample, as more 
impoverishes the plants, and often when a number are left more 
buds drop when advanced for unfolding than can be spared. 
Any superfluous buds should be removed without delay. Plants 
that are wanted to bloom early and have the buds in a forward 
state will be assisted to expand in a temperature of 50° to 55°; 
but if the plants have not set their buds early and are in a for- 
ward state placing them in heat will only cause wood growth 
and the casting off the buds. Azaleas well advanced will soon 
expand the flowers in moderate heat as advised for Camellias. 
Cytisus racemosus or fragrans will also comein quickly in a like 
temperature, the growths being ripened early. LEarly-flowering 
Epacrises and winter-flowering Heaths are coming in, and should 
have plenty of light with moderate ventilation; these, with 
Primulas, early Camellias, Epiphyllums, Heliotropes, Mignonette, 
and Chrysanthemums, will make a fine display during the dull 
months. Herbaceous Calceolarias now require to be potted off 
singly in 38-inch pots. Turfy loam with a fourth of leaf soil or 
well-decayed manure and a sprinkling of sand form a suitable com- 
post. The plants should be kept near the glass, moist and cool 
but safe from frost. The earliest Cinerarias will be advanced for 
flowering. They should have plenty of light and air, with a tem- 
perature of about 50° by artificial means to insure their flowering 
satisfactorily. The second batch of Cinerarias should be moved 
into the flowering pots, and be kept near the glass, cool and moist 
but safe from frost. 
Lily of the Valley.—Pot-up selected crowns for forcing. Some 
prefer imported crowns, but we prefer to lift those that have been 
two years planted in good rich soil in a sheltered situation—an 
east border. We take all those with plump rounded crowns, the 
flowering crowns ; and those not of a flowering size are at once 
replanted, the soil being well enriched before doing so. The 
selected crowns are then potted: they are placed about an inch 
apart in 6 or 7-inch pots, or pans are sometimes used, and after 
potting are placed in cold frames and covered with cocoa refuse, 
the lights being used only to ward off heavy rains and snow. 
From this they are introduced in batches as required to the forcing 
house, plunging the pots or pans in a bottom heat of 90°, and 
covered 2 inches deep with cocoa refuse. This causes them to 
throw up the flower spikes along with leaves, and when they are 
a few inches high they may be gradually withdrawn from the 
bottom heat. Clumps force well later on, and are the best for 
starting without bottom heat ; but up to January bottom heat is 
necessary, and with that crowns or clumps are alike eligible. 
FLOWER GARDEN. - 
Calceolaria cuttings should be inserted in frames at the back of 
a low wall or fence with the lights facing north. From 4 to 
6 inches of turfy loam with a third of leaf soil or well-decayed 
manure should be placed in the frames, with a surfacing of sand 
an inch thick. The cuttings should be taken from the base of 
the plants—growing points with two joints—cutting them trans- 
yersely below the lowest joint, and removing the leaves from it, 
inserting them in rows 3 inches apart, and the same distance 
between the cuttings. They should be inserted quite up to the 
leaves and a good watering given. The lights need only be put 
on by day if the air be dry and the cuttings flag, removing them 
at night when the weather is mild, If Viola cuttings have not 
been put in they may be inserted in frames like Calceolarias. A 
frame will hold a great many, they not being so liable to be 
