December 19, 1878. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
475 
according to the space and requirements. If large requirements 
have to be met,a low span-roofed house with a border on each 
side efficiently drained and having a depth of 10 inches of rich 
light soil will give fine rows, yielding abundantly provided proper 
attention is paid to watering, and occasionally mixing with the 
water alittle guano. The beds ought not to be more distant from 
the glass than 2 feet 6 inches, and the house a light one with 
means of affording a temperature of 60° to 65° by day in dull 
weather and at night, except in severe weather, when a decline of 
5° may be allowed ; 70° to 75° by day with sun heat and moderate 
ventilation. A few roots of Tarragon and Mint should be intro- 
duced toa vinery or other house where forcing is being carried 
on. Mustard and Cress sow at intervals according to the demand. 
Introduce Chicory to the Mushroom house for blanching, or any 
dark place will answer where there is gentle heat. 
FRUIT HOUSES. 
Cherry House-—The house for affording ripe fruit from the 
middle of April should now be closed. Employ no fire heat unless 
it be necessary to prevent the temperature falling below 35°, not 
exceeding 40° at night by artificial means, and 50° in the day- 
time, being very sparing of fire heat at the commencement of 
forcing. From 55° with sun heat ventilate freely, avoiding at all 
times a confined atmosphere. The trees and all available surfaces 
of the house should be sprinkled or syringed early in the after- 
noon of fine days, along with a gentle damping in the morning, 
but in dull weather only damp the trees, &c., occasionally or when 
they become dry. The border must have water to bring it into a 
thoroughly moist state, and trees in pots if at all dry will require 
repeated supplies of water to secure the thorough moistening of 
the soil to the base of the pots. Plums being amenable to the 
same treatment as Cherries, the same remarks apply to both. 
Figs.—Early Figs are best secured from trees in pots, as a slight 
warmth at the roots is highly beneficial ; but even this has its dis- 
advantages, as when the heat at the roots is 70° or more during 
the early part of the forcing process the growth is too rapid, 
therefore see that the heat at the base of the pots is not more 
than that until the leaves are unfolding, when the temperature 
may be 75° or even 80° at the base of the pots. The temperature 
of the house should be increased gradually to 60° at night, 65° by 
day by artificial means in severe weather, 5° more in mild weather, 
70° to 75° with sun heat and moderate ventilation, closing at 75° ; 
but be very careful not to bring on the growth too rapidly, especi- 
ally in dull weather, as foliage produced under such conditions is 
not of stout texture, but thin and liable to scorch under bright sun, 
and to invite red spider. Water in a tepid state must be applied 
to the roots as required, and the trees and house must be syringed 
morning and afternoon so as to have the foliage dry before night- 
fall, damping the house later in the day if the atmosphere has 
become dry. Houses which are to be started early in next year 
should have the frost merely excluded now, completing the needful 
operations in cleaning, pruning, dressing, and tying the trees in 
later houses. ; 
Vines.—The inside border of the earliest house haying had a 
good soaking with water at a temperature of 90° when the house 
was closed, and a bed or heap of fermenting materials placed 
within the structure, the buds will be swelling fast, but do not be 
in too great a hurry in increasing the temperature by artificial 
means ; the fermenting materials being turned over, a part each 
day, and a little fresh sweetened material being added, a certain 
amount of steam will be given off highly favourable to the Vines 
breaking evenly and strongly, the young shoots luxuriating in a 
soft genial atmosphere, Remove the foliage from late Grapes as 
fast as possible, cutting off all laterals below as well as above the 
fruit. This will apply more particularly to young Vines and such 
as have not ripened the fruit until very late. Any Vines upon 
which the foliage is off should be pruned as the Grapes are cut 
which will more effectually secure rest. Heavily taxed Vines 
cannot rest too long. Any outside borders not yet top-dressed 
should have a covering of manure at once, and in fine weather 
point over or loosen the surface, and afford a dressing of turfy 
loam with the grass reduced with a twentieth of half-inch bones 
intermixed, and again cover with litter or some other protective 
material. Not infrequently the surface of the border forms into 
a crust of hard inert soil. This should be removed down to the 
roots and replaced with fresh compost, which will be advantageous, 
encouraging them nearer the surface. A covering of leaves with 
litter over them to keep them from being displaced by winds 
should be placed over the border, but not so deep as to heat, which 
is more injurious than otherwise for Vines not required to be 
started for some time as yet. 
Peaches and Nectarines—Except for very early work the forcing 
of trees in pots is not advisable, as they do not afford such fine 
fruit as trees planted out and trained to trellises where they can 
have plenty of light, but a few trees in pots afford very acceptable 
early fruit, and that to the advantage of the planted-out trees 
which need not be started so early. If the pot trees have a light 
airy house or pit with the convenience for making up a bed of 
leaves with about a third-of stable dung and well sweetened, the 
pots being plunged in the bed, taking care that the heat at the 
base of the pots does not exceed 65°, they will root in the material, 
the heat inducing free root-action and securing free swelling of 
the buds and young fruit. Though there is an advantage in the 
gentle warmth at the roots, it is not, however, indispensable. 
Failure with trees for early work arises chiefly from the trees in pots 
not haying been prepared for the purpose—i.e., grown-on in heat 
the year previous so as to acquire an early habit for forcing early 
in the year. Trees for that purpose should be potted in early 
autumn and grown in heat from February. When the trees in 
the earliest house are in blossom damping should be resorted to 
only on bright days in the morning and early in the afternoon, 
avoiding a close moist atmosphere, ventilating freely whenever 
external influences admit, leaving a little air on constantly, main- 
taining a temperature of 55° by day, increasing the ventilation 
gradually to 65° with full air, closing at 55°; 45° to 50° being a 
suitable night temperature, but 5° less in severe weather is better 
than firing too hard, 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Greenhouse.—For affording a display of bloom no plants surpass 
the different varieties of Azalea indica, they being so accommo- 
dating in flowering at an early or late season ; and the ease with 
which the plants are cultivated, provided they are kept free of 
insect pests, renders them all the more valuable. They suffer, 
however, in their resting season from being kept too dry, while 
they start into growth instead of flowering if kept too warm and 
moist. They should never lack proper supplies of water at the 
roots, and if they are kept at from 40° to 45° by artificial means 
they will be freer from insects, and not being unduly started into 
growth will flower more satisfactorily. Thrips are their great 
enemy, and though the low temperature to which they are sub- 
jected lessens the pests their eggs remain, only waiting an 
increase of temperature to be brought into life. Fumigation 
destroys the insects but not the eggs; besides, unless the plants 
have been grown in a light house the foliage is so tender as to be 
seriously damaged by fumigation strong enough to kill the 
insects. Dipping small or syringing large plants with tobacco 
water destroys both insects and eggs. One pound of tobacco 
cord should be boiled in a gallon of water for a hour, with 1 oz. 
of soda and 2 ozs. of soft soap, the latter being added while the 
liquid is hot; strain, and when cool it is ready for use. Any 
plants too large for dipping may be laid on their sides over a 
vessel large enough to receive the liquid as it is syringed on the 
plants, taking care that the dressing reaches every leaf. The 
plants whether dipped or syringed must remain on their sides 
until dry,so as to keep the liquid from running down to the roots. 
This cleansing should be done before the young wood buds begin 
to push, and in the case of badly infested plants repeated in a 
fortnight. Plants for forcing should be well dressed before being 
placed in heat. Many other plants may be freed of thrips by the 
same means, but the solution must not be used upon plants with 
young tender growth. Camellias that have not begun to swell 
their buds for flowering should have the leaves sponged to free 
them of dust or other accumulations. If there is any scale remove 
it with a rather hard brush—a tooth-brush answering perfectly. 
If any plants are not so forward for flowering as is desirable a 
| slight increase of warmth may be afforded, but it ought not to 
exceed 50° by artificial means, and even at that temperature if 
the air be dry the buds may be cast, whilst if the buds are back- 
ward and moisture accompanies the heat the plants break away 
into fresh growth. Weakly plants swelling their buds may be 
assisted with weak liquid manure, no$ allowing any plants to 
become dry at the roots, which are always more or less active, 
and at no time is water more required than when the buds are 
swelling. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
*,* All correspondence should be directed either to ‘The Editors ” 
or to “The Publisher.” Letters addressed to Mr. Johnson or 
Dr. Hogg often remain unopened unavoidably. We request 
that no one will write privately to any of our correspondents, 
as doing so subjects them to unjustifiable trouble and expense. 
Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions 
relating to Gardening and those on Poultry and Bee subjects, 
and should never send more than two or three questions at 
once. All articles intended for insertion should be written on 
one side of the paper only. We cannot reply to questions 
through the post. 
STRAWBERRIES IN Pots (A. B.).—The plants placed in the greenhous 
at the end of the year not thriving, whilst those placed in the house at a 
later period do well, shows the crowns to be indifferently developed, owing 
probably to the plants not being potted as early in the season as possible so 
as to make and mature good growth; hence they have not sufficient time to 
rest, the trusses consequently coming up weakly, and the flowers going blind 
from being excited into growth too soon and too quickly. 5 
ANGELICA (J. P.).—Being a native of this country it is perfectly hardy 
though made somewhat tender by cultivation. It grows well in any good 
garden soil, but succeeds best in moist cool situations. Being a biennial the 
seed should be sown when ripe or in August, covering it lightly with fine 
soil, watering frequently until the plants are up,and afterwards in dry 
weather. The plants may be thinned to 2 feet distance apart every way or 
be transplanted that distance in the following March, keeping them clear of 
weeds and watering abundantly in dry weather. In the following May or 
