November 10, 1870. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



375 



of the width of a 6-feet frame. In the course of the season they 

 received some rich top-dressings, and the surface roots were 

 allowed to run all over the soil in the frame. In the pit the 

 place for soil is about 3 feet in width, the width of the pit 6 feet. 

 There is a sunk pathway behind, the soil is put in front, and 

 the plants are trained about 15 irjches from the glaBS. As we 

 wanted fruit early — that is, as soon as possible after plant- 

 ing, we did not turn out the plants into this narrow pit, 

 but placed them singly in large pots, and then packed round 

 the pots some sweet hot tree leaves. As the plants grew they 

 were earthed-up, and the leaves were covered several times 

 with rich compost, until early in summer the pots were hidden 

 and the roots running into the surface of the narrow bed. We 

 know no better plan for quick fruiting, and then continuous 

 fruiting from the same plants. Even these plants are now 

 to us the subjects of a little anxiety. We have fruited them 

 heavily of late, expecting to want more Cucumbers than we 

 did, and now we would remove and plant afresh, but for the 

 likelihood that many fruit might be desirable a fortnight or 

 three weeks hence, and we should not like our strong young 

 plants to fruit under six weeks. We have five of these lights 

 in this position, and we can hardly give justice to the young 

 plants where they stand. We have three lights planted in 

 pots as described above and growing nicely, but from these 

 we take off every young fruit as it shows itself, for we well 

 know that if young plants bear freely in the dark short days of 

 November, it is of little use to expect much from them at 

 Christmas and the new year, and in the following months. 

 Even young plants in spring are injured by much early fruit- 

 ing, but not in comparison to what they are in November 

 and December. We have known cases of unpleasantness, 

 because with every advantage plenty of fruit would be ob- 

 tained up to Christmas, but few or none for parties after the 

 new year. There is a great advantage in span or steep-roofed 

 houses over flat pits, keep the glass as clean as one may ; but 

 even under the most favourable conditions, plants that bear 

 heavily before Christmas will not in general be so fruitful and 

 healthy afterwards. 



FEUIT GARDEN. 



We are sorry to say that though Apples promise to keep 

 pretty well, Pears with us are not only earlier than usual, but 

 are keeping but badly. Many Marie Louise, Louise Bonne of 

 Jersey, Beurr6 Bosc, and Beurre' de Capiaumont, when chang- 

 ing nicely became at once like a mass of jelly. Could this be 

 owing to the excessive dryness, followed by the warm rains and 

 muggy days of the autumn, and to the very rapid growth so 

 late in the season ? Of the sorts alluded to, and others, we 

 have had fine well-flavoured dishes, but we have lost, and quite 

 suddenly, too, more than W9 ever recollect doing before. A very 

 short time elapsed between the time that they were scarcely 

 ripe enough for' the table, and the time when they were too far 

 gone to be of any use. The fruit room requires more attention 

 in sorting out all spotted and decaying fruit than usual. 



Planting, as previously stated, cannot be proceeded with too 

 early now, as the leaves and wood are ripe enough to permit of 

 the roots being moved. In all cases where the growth is too 

 luxuriant, a little root-pruning, so as to out the perpendicular 

 roots will be useful. Shallow planting and surface mulching 

 will, however, in general, induce enough of fertility without 

 the necessity of root-pruning ; and with even a moderate re- 

 course to summer-pinching, we are persuaded that low hori- 

 zontal cordon training, when once it becomes more general, 

 will pretty well render tree-lifting and root-prUDing, to insure 

 fertility, unnecessary. In planting favourite fruit trees, a few 

 barrowloads of fresh loam will ever be an advantage. 



Strawberries in pots we have protected from the drenching 

 wet. We hardly know as yet how we shall secure them for the 

 winter. We lost many of the best plants last season from rats 

 and mice. The most tempting baits seemed to be of no use as 

 long as there were the crowns of the Strawberry plants to go 

 to. Singularly enough plants in the open ground were not 

 touched, or but little. 



Vineries. — We looked over late Vines to pick out any diseased 

 or, rather, spotted or moulded berries. We keep a little fire, 

 with air on, every day, and leave a little ventilation at night 

 when not frosty. As, unfortunately, most of the roots are in the 

 open ground, we covered the border of the late vinery with 

 litter to keep the cold out, so that the leaves may be en- 

 couraged a little longer, and likewise covered the earlier borders 

 with litter to prevent the heat of the ground escaping, as it is 

 much more easy to keep heat in the ground than to heat the 

 soil at an early period after it has been thorough'y cooled by 



frost. A foot of litter or fern will be more safe and effectual 

 now than more than double the quantity of fermenting material 

 in spring. 



Pruning may be proceeded with as far as all the hardier 

 fruits are coocerned. Those who have the heart may destroy 

 tomtits now by placing poison in the places in deformed Pears, 

 &c, left for them to peck. They have done but little damage 

 this season, and have only come in to nibble fruit not worth 

 housing. During the summer they well-hunted over the trees 

 in search of even a stray green fly. We have seen them busy 

 at 4 am. peeping anxiously beneath each Peach tree leaf. 



ORNAMENTAL DEPARTMENT. 



In order that the pleasure grounds should look well even at 

 the beginning of November, the beds were ail picked over — 

 there being still a good deal of bloom — and the lawns mowed, 

 machined, swept over, and rolled, along with the walks, so that 

 all now for a time should appear fresh and flourishing. To effect 

 this and save some of the more tender kinds of Geraniums, 

 these were covered in the frosty nights at the end of the month 

 with mats, removed in the morning before breakfast. Some of 

 those which we wish to pave we shall take up before this is 

 printed. The general cleaning gave us a great advantage, as 

 the tree leaves, short grass, sweepings, Sea., thrown into a 

 compact heap soon heated, and these, with a covering of more 

 mellow sweet material, will give a nice bottom heat to many of 

 the Geraniums we shall take up and pot. This bottom heat, 

 with air at top and bottom of the sashes in moderate weather, 

 will cause fresh roots at once to form, and when they are 

 formed, and the bottom cooled by degrees, the plants will stand 

 wherever they can be airy and the frost be kept out. Most of 

 the finer tricolors and the variegated Geraniums do best when 

 thus treated, and potted singly in small pots. The green and 

 zonal-leaved sections do well in the same way, but maybe kept 

 treated in the faggot style lately alluded to, on the principle 

 that vitality is merely preserved, but with little growth in roots 

 or stems before March. 



As the days are shorter and the sky more clouded we re- 

 moved and thinned the festooned creepers in the conservatory, 

 &c, so as to admit more light. We took most of such plants as 

 Chrysanthemums in pots, if not into the conservatory and 

 corridors, at least into places where protection could be given ; 

 also Cytisus, so that they might be well syringed, tied, <fcc, 

 before going into their winter quarters. 



In our cold pits we have put in our Calceolaria cuttings, as 

 alluded to last week. If we have not much frost they would 

 do exceedingly well any time this month — better, in fact, than 

 if inserted in September or the beginning of October, for then 

 they would, owing to rooting earlier, require more care in 

 winter. This muggy weather Auriculas in pots under a frame 

 should have air back and front, but be carefully protected from 

 rain and drip, which, especially the latter, ruin so many fine 

 plants. The surface soil should be frequently stirred to keep 

 all sweet, and this will be helped with a dressing of rough dust 

 charcoal, not fine. If the pots are plunged the plants will 

 need little or no water until spring. Carnations and Pinks 

 which are potted cannot have too much air in mild weather, but 

 they, too, need little moisture, and should be protected from 

 heavy rains. If the pots stood on a moist bottom, that would be 

 enough. 



Violets. — We took up a lot of Neapolitan Violets, Czar, and 

 other kinds, and placed them in rich, fresh soil in a cold pit 

 under glass. We would have done this sooner, but during the 

 hot weather,, and our great shortness of water, they were much 

 infested with the red spider, even though to keep them alive 

 we shaded them with evergreen boughs. We found out that 

 the spider did less harm where green spruce branches were 

 used for shading. What with our pickings, syringings, and the 

 rain and the cool nights, the plants that had scarcely a healthy 

 leaf are now clothed with green foliage, and are well studded 

 with bloom buds. In taking up the Neapolitans with good balls 

 every bit of runner was removed, as runners never produce 

 blooms in the current season, and exhaust too much the main 

 stool. This is advisable when room is scarce under glass for 

 other kinds, but is less essential with them, as the runners 

 often produce good flowers. Though it is hardy enough, we 

 always like to have some of the Czar under glass, for though 

 the blsoms are single, they are large, very sweet, and carried 

 on long footstalks, so that the flowers can be used for many 

 combinations without the necessity of twigging or wiring them. 

 The length of the footstalk alone is a great advantage. In 

 lifting such plants they should be well cleaned previously, and 

 not a single discoloured leaf left. They soon made a return 



