October 19, 1876. ) 



JOURNAL Of HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



339 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



Day 

 ol 



Day 



of 



OCTOBER 19—25, 1876. 



Average 

 Temperature near 



Sun 



Sun 



Moon 1 Moon 



Moon's 

 Age. 



Clook 

 before 



Day 

 of 



Month 



Week. 





London. 









Sun. 



Year. 









Day. 



Night. 



Mean. 



h. m. 



h. m. 



h. m. ' h. m. 



Days. 



m. s. 





19 



TH 



Sale of Mr. Wrigley's Orchids at Stevens's rooms. 



69.4 



41.7 



50.5 



6 33 



4 57 



9 19 



5 14 



2 



15 4 



293 



20 



P 





69.0 



S9.2 



49.1 



6 84 



4 55 



10 88 



5 41 



3 



15 14 



294 



21 



S 



Sale of Dutch bnlbs at Stevens's rooms. 



58.4 



39.5 



49.0 



6 36 



4 53 



11 48 



6 18 



4 



15 23 



295 



22 



Son 



19 Sunday after Trinity. 



58.9 



42.4 



60.6 



6 88 



4 51 



0a47 



7 8 



5 



15 32 



296 



23 



M 



Robert Fish died, 1878. 



58.2 



39.8 



49.0 



6 40 



4 49 



1 31 



8 10 



6 



15 40 



297 



24 



Tu 





56.3 



39.6 47.9 



6 41 



4 47 



2 8 



9 21 



7 



15 47 



298 



25 



W 



St. Crispin. 



55.9 



38.5 47.2 



6 43 



4 45 



2 26 



10 84 



3 



15 54 



299 



From observations taken near London daring forty-three years, 



the average day temperature 



of the week is 58.1°; and its night temperatnre 



40.1°. 











FRUITING VINES IN POTS. 



■ EAELT every gentleman's garden contains a 

 number of Vines which are fruited yearly 

 in pots, and many amateurs who have no 

 established vinery grow Grapes regularly in 

 this way. The growing of Vines in pots for 

 planting and fruiting has become quite an 

 important branch of commerce lately, and 

 some who give special attention to Vines in 

 pots produce them in fine condition ; and as 

 the prices are always reasonable, it is gene- 

 rally the best and cheapest plan to purchase the Vines 

 from some establishment where they are known to be 

 good. 



For very early forcing the Vines must be two years old. 

 For instance, those propagated from eyes this spring and 

 grown on throughout the summer will have made good- 

 sized canes which will now be approaching maturity. 

 Early in January the canes are cut down two or three 

 eyes from the root, and the pots are plunged in a bottom 

 heat of 70°. In this the eyes soon start into growth, and 

 when the shoots are a few inches long the pots are taken 

 from the bottom heat and set on the surface of the 

 plunging material for a week or so before turning the 

 roots out of the pots, reducing the old ball of soil and 

 repotting. After this they are again placed in bottom 

 heat until growth has begun, when they are removed to 

 a hard dry bottom of some sort ; and at the same time, if 

 all the eyes which were left have started into growth, the 

 whole of them are rubbed-off but one, which is encouraged 

 to grow into as good a cane as possible. These Vines 

 are known as " cut-backs," and when properly managed 

 they are about half grown before those raised from eyes 

 the same spring are started into growth. Of course this 

 great difference at the beginning holds good throughout 

 the season, and consequently the cut-backs are full-grown 

 canes and quite ripe very early in the season — say in 

 July, which is generally the case. Being ripe at that 

 time gives them the advantage of a long rest, and adapts 

 them for starting very early in autumn. 



When ripe Grapes are wanted on pot Vines early in 

 April it is necessary to place the Vines in their forcing 

 quarters in October, but it is no use trying to accomplish 

 this unless with cut-back Vines ; therefore, let me impress 

 on those intending to start Vines in October to begin 

 with nothing else but thoroughly sound and well-ripened 

 canes of this description. Hard brown wood, and firm 

 well-developed buds, are sure indications of a good cane ; 

 but those with no great knowledge of Vines should leave 

 their selection to the person they buy them from. Before 

 placing them in their fruiting quarters each cane should 

 be washed with a brush and soft soap and water, rubbing 

 well about the buds, as insects generally harbour there. 

 Should the canea show spots of mildew brueh them over 

 after washing with a mixture of soot, sulphur, and milk. 

 This checks the further progress of this most troublesome 

 pest, and it is much easier dealt with when the leaves 

 are off than on. After washing turn the ball carefully 



No. 812— Vol. XXXI., New Series, 



out of the pot, and see that the drainage at the bottom 

 is in working order. This may be done by lifting straight 

 up by the cane ; and if the roots are in good condition 

 the ball will lift entire, and may be dropped into the pot 

 again without a single root being displaced. As the 

 drainage of each one is seen to be correct, after the ball 

 has been returned to the pot scrape away all the surface 

 soil well down into the roots, and top-dress with a rich 

 mixture of loam and cow dung, bringing it firmly np to 

 within 1-J inch from the top, when the remainder of the 

 space may be left empty for receiving water. When this 

 has been completed the Vines are ready for forcing. 



In many places there is a small house especially de- 

 voted to fruiting Vines in pots, and in such structures there 

 are mostly properly constructed beds, &c, for the Vines 

 to start in. A little bottom heat is a great advantage 

 to the Vines at first, especially in October and November, 

 when they are much more difficult to start into growth 

 than further on in the season. If they can be plunged 

 in a leaf or tan bed where the bottom heat is about 65° 

 or 70° let them be so by all means, and where there is 

 no such convenience set the bottoms of the pots on the 

 hot-water pipes, or some such place, where they will 

 have the benefit of a little heat. For a few weeks at 

 first the rods should rest down near the ground. If the 

 pots are in a bed let the canes rest on the surface, as they 

 are then more in the way of moisture than when tied up 

 to a dry roof. When the pots are plunged not much 

 water is required at the root until the Vines are in leaf, 

 but much more is needed when they are standing on the 

 pipes. When the drainage is right they are not easily 

 injured with too much water at the roots. The canes 

 must be syringed morning and night. For the first three 

 weeks the heat of the house should not exceed 55° at 

 night and 65° during the day, and excepting during the 

 time they are in bloom the temperature should not rise 

 more than 5° above these figures until after the fruit is 

 set. A high temperature to begin with, or indeed at any 

 time throughout the short days, weakens the shoots and 

 greatly diminishes the strength of the Vine ; whereas 

 a low temperature at first is always favourable to robust 

 growth and substantial fruitfulness, and when once this 

 is established a high temperature has no injurious in- 

 fluence. 



It is tedious work waiting for Vines coming into leaf 

 in November, but they come on gradually, and as soon 

 as the shoots are about 1 inch in length the canes should 

 be tied up into their permanent positions. There may be 

 a number of shoots starting from the base of each bud, 

 and as the canes are tied up all the shoots excepting 

 the strongest should be rubbed off. As the shoots be- 

 come long they must be fixed to the wires with a strong 

 piece of matting, and when the bunches are formed the 

 shoot should be stopped one or two joints or leaves 

 beyond them. When they are forward enough to admit 

 of this being done they are not far from coming into 

 flower. During the time they are in bloom the tempe- 

 rature must not fluctuate much, and throughout all their 

 early growth in the winter time cold draughts must be 



No. 1464.— Vol. LVI„ Old Series. 



