December 5, 1878. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
433, 
— 
the most suitable for young stock, which at this season often 
suffer irreparable injury from being kept too close and warm, the 
plants becoming drawn and weakly. At night 60° should not be 
exceeded, but a mean between that and 55° at night, which with 
65° in the daytime, will keep all young stock gently moving, ad- 
mitting a little air at the top of the house at 65°, leaving it on all 
day, but not to lower the temperature below that point, and when 
the sun raises the temperature to 75° a free circulation of air 
should be allowed. The bottom heat should be kept steady at 80°, 
avoiding anything approaching to a damp atmosphere ; moderate 
humidity will suffice. Apply water only when the plants become 
dry, and then give weak liquid manure. Keep the plants well up 
to the glass, and allow them plenty of room. Suckers ready for 
starting now it is advisable to keep until March, and if there is 
likely to be a scarcity of suckers then any recently potted may be 
retained in 5-inch pots, affording them a light position in a moist 
pit, with a slight bottom heat and a temperature of 55° at night, 
Keeping them rather dry at the roots. In the fruiting depart- 
ment 65° will be ample at night, 5° lower in the morning in cold 
weather, 70° to 75° by day. Take every opportunity of collecting 
leaves whilst dry, and whenever a favourable opportunity offers 
push forward whatever may be necessary in the renewing or 
augmenting the fermenting beds. ~ 
Vines.—The house or houses for affording ripe Grapes before the 
end of May must be started without delay, nothing contributing 
more to a good break than a bed of leaves and stable litter placed 
on the floor of the house, turning over a portion of it daily so 
as to afford a supply of ammonia to the atmosphere. The outside 
border should also have the needful protection from cold rains 
and snow, two-thirds of leaves to one of stable litter affording a 
less violent but more lasting heat than dung. Provided the out- 
side borders were covered with bracken, straw, or litter in early 
autumn so as to throw off the wet, the temperature will be con- 
siderably warmer than that of borders exposed, and in their case 
covering with hot litter may be dispensed with, but a covering of 
warm litter is preferable, especially to those borders exclusivel 
external. The inside borders should be brought into a eHoroneh 
state of moisture by applying water, or in the case of weak Vines 
liquid manure at 90° Start with a night temperature of 50° in 
severe weather, 55° in mild weather, and 65° by day, except the | 
weather be severe, when 55° will suffice, not exceeding those figures 
until the growth commences. Maintain a moist atmosphere by 
syringing occasionally, but excessive moisture excites the emis- | 
sion of aérial roots from the rods. Depress the rods to the horizontal 
line or below, to ensure the regular breaking of the eyes. Inthe | 
earliest house started last month the temperature will need to be 
increased to 60° at night in mild weather, 55° in severe weather 
after the eyes break, and gradually increasing so to have it 60° at 
night when the Vines are in leaf, 65° by day in severe weather, 
and 70° to 75° in mild weather with moderate yentilation. The 
evaporation troughs need notas yet be charged with liquid manure 
provided there is fermenting material within the house ; but if not, 
1tb. of guano to twenty gallons of water is suitable for the purpose, 
also for watering Vines in pots, the water being applied at the tem- 
perature of the house. Tie up the Vines im position as soon as 
growth has fairly commenced, and before the shoots are so long 
as to be liable to be damaged in the process. Sprinkle the house 
two or three times a day in clear weather, avoiding a very muggy 
atmosphere on the one hand, anda dry one on the other. Dis- 
budding should not be practised until the fruit shows in the joint 
of the shoots. Midseason houses are pruned and at rest ; if not, 
complete the work and the cleaning of the houses, &c., without , 
delay. Excepting the very late kinds, as Lady Downe’s, Alicante, 
&e., which should not be cut until the new year, any houses that 
have the Grapes partially cut may have the remainder removed | 
with a good portion of wood attached, and that inserted in bottles | 
of water with a piece of charcoal in each will keep admirably in a | 
dry room from which frost is excluded. This will liberate the 
houses for painting or pruning, there being nothing equal to a 
long and complete rest for Vines, which early pruning effects 
more than anything e s>. 
Peaches and Nectarines—When the buds in the house closed | 
last month have commenced swelling maintain a temperature of 
40° to 45° at night and 50° to 55° by day, admitting air mode- 
rately at the latter figure, allowing the temperature to rise to 65° 
from sun heat, syringing the trees and every ayailable surface 
morning and afternoon un‘il the bloom buds are showing colour, 
after which the syringing of the trees should be discontinued, but 
the sprinklings of the honse, walls,and paths continued as before. 
There must be no attempt at a close atmosphere, but allow a 
chink of air at the top of the house to lessen the condensing of 
moisture by the glass. The inside border will require to be 
watered with water slightly warmer than the mean of the atmo- 
sphere, maintaining the soil in a thoroughly moist state. Borders 
entirely inside require careful watering, making sure that every 
part of the soil is properly moistened. Outside borders will be 
benefited by lights or shutters in addition to a covering of bracken 
or litter for throwing off heavy rains and snow. The house for 
affording ripe fruit at the end of May or early in June should be | 
closed about this time, but no fire heat should be applied except to 
exclude frost, and for an hour or two in the early part of the day 
if the weather be severe, not, however, exceeding 50° by fire heat, 
syringing the trees and every available surface morning and 
afternoon. A ridge of thoroughly sweetened leaves and stable 
manure placed in the house after the border is thoroughly 
moistened will afford a genial atmosphere superior to that obtained 
from hot-water pipes, admitting air whenever the weather permits 
of doing so, Peaches delighting in a well-sweetened atmosphere. 
Complete without delay the pruning of Peaches and Nectarincs 
under glass, thoroughly cleaning the glass and woodwork, white- 
washing the walls, and dressing the trees for the destruction of 
insects, and top-dressing the borders, keeping the house as cool 
as possible but ventilating abundantly in mild weather. 
Figs—The earliest house, or that with the trees in intemal 
borders, should now be closed with a view to having ripe Figs in 
May ; but where the earliest Figs are had from trees in pots, the 
starting of the trees planted in borders may be deferred until the 
new year so as to afford a succession, yet if the trees planted out 
be now started they will afford a closer succession to those now 
being forced in pots. Water in a tepid state should be applied 
to the roots at frequent intervals until the soil is thoroughly 
moistened, introducing thoroughly sweetened leaves and stable 
manure in ridge form into the house to produce a moist genial at- 
mosphere and induce gentle excitement as well as to economise 
fire heat. Commence with a temperature of 50° at night, 55° by 
day, and 65° from sun heat, syringing the trees and every avail- 
able surface in the morning, and early in the afternoon unless the 
weather be dull and cold, when the morning syringing only should 
be practised. Admit air moderately whenever the weather is. 
mild, closing the house with sun heat at 65°, or if it exceed that. 
with full ventilation close the ventilators when the sun heat 
begins to decline. The earliest forced trees in pots must not be 
over-excited by too much bottom heat, but as the fermenting 
material settles more should be added and pressed firm, being 
very careful not to allow the heat about the pots to exceed 65°. 
When the buds are swelling freely the temperature may be in- 
creased to 55° at night, 60° by day by artificial means, admitting 
a little air at that and allowing an advance to 70° or 75° by sun. 
with corresponding ventilation, closing at 65°. Sprinkle the trees 
and house morning and afternoon, or in the morning only if the 
| weather be dull. Young trees intended for forcing in pots another 
season should be shaken out and repotted, starting them into 
growth shortly or at once, so that they may make the necessary 
growth and complete it early so as to have time to rest before. 
being forced for fruiting. Brown Turkey and White Marseilles. 
are good for early work, Negro Largo is also excellent. 
Cherry House—The pruning of the trees in this structure must 
now be attended to. Full-grown trees regularly stopped during 
growth will require very little pruning. Any that have grown 
considerably should be cut back to an inch of the base of the 
current year’s growth, and the worn-out or decayed spurs should 
be removed. The terminal shoots in the case of trees not full- 
sized must not be shortened unless the extremity of the trellis is 
reached, and the central shoot or shoots of young trees will require 
to be cut back as may be necessary to originate shoots for filling 
up the space regularly. The fan mode of training is the most 
suitable, and is more particularly applicable to the Cherry, as it 
admits of replacing any branch that may fall a prey to gumming. 
Plum trees succeed in the Cherry house cither planted out or in 
' pots and tubs, and like Cherries require to have the roots restricted ; 
established trees in pots and from the orchard house, or in the 
case of trained trees from a wall, being selected, they should be 
' pruned, seeking to maintain uniformity of appearance. All last 
year’s growths will require shortening ; superfluous shoots remove 
entirely, avoiding having the shoots of these or Cherries too 
thickly placed. A few dishes of Plums early in the season are a 
welcome addition to the dessert. Harly kinds should be chosen, 
as July Green Gage, De Montfort, Denniston’s Superb, Royale 
Hative, and Green Gage. Plums, like Cherries, like good loam, 
with about a sixth of road scrapings and a tenth of old mortar 
rubbish thoroughly incorporated. The house should have a 
thorough cleaning, the trees being washed with soapy water 
(8 ozs. to a gallon is not too strong), and then dressed with a com= 
position formed of half a pound of soft soap to half a gallon of 
water, half a gallon of tobacco juice with four parts of flowers of 
sulphur, and one part each of slaked lime and soot added so as to 
bring it to the consistency of thin paint, applying with a brush, 
being careful not to dislocate the buds. The house must be 
thoroughly ventilated until the time arrives for starting the 
trees. 
Strawberries in Pots.—The plants introduced or to be introduced. 
shortly to the vinery, Peach, or other forcing houses should have 
the drainage scrutinised, making sure that it is free, and the loose 
surface soil removed, and a top-dressing given of dried cow dung 
or horse droppings rubbed fine with the hands, adding about a 
twelfth part of bone dust or buffalo horn manure well incorpo- 
rated, then watering it with a rose watering pot so as to bring 
into a moist state, for if put on dry it washes off in watering the- 
plants. The pots may then be placed in position after removing 
any decayed leaves, making sure that there is no deficiency of 
