November 15, 1893.] 



Garden and Forest. 



477 



the temperature increased with the lengthening days and sun- 

 heat HO syringing was done, the moisture necessary for the 

 plant being sufficient. Disbudding was attended to early, reserv- 

 ing the strongest, which were allowed to grow until the bunches 

 could be selected and the laterals pinched back before it was 

 necessary to tie them loosely to the wires, so as to keep them 

 from touching the glass. As the grapes increased in size their 

 weight brought the laterals down to the wires. In this way no 

 laterals were broken off, as is the case if they are tied down 

 early, when the young growth is brittle. Bunches were thinned 

 out early in May, as soon as the berries could be discerned, as 

 they swell very rapidly at this stage, and when there is much 

 other garden-work out-of-doors it is well to have this thinning 

 out of the way when there is opportunity for it. 



This is a critical stage in the growth of the crop, and it is 

 necessary to attend strictly to ventilation and the condition of 

 the house generally, especially if it is occupied by bedding and 

 other plants, and the vines must have attention at the expense 

 of everything else, for if the vines have any set-back now the 

 crop is certain to be damaged. The bedding-plants are apt to 

 suffer in a heat in which the vines would revel, and the red 

 spider is almost sure to appear on plants which ought to be in 

 a lower temperature and have more ventilation. If the plants 

 are attacked by the spider, the probability is that the vines will 

 also be attacked, and this will make trouble. At such times 

 syringing with clean water must be attended to for suppress- 

 ing the spider, and the house must be cleared of its temporary 

 occupants at the earliest possible opportunity. Syringing and 

 damping must also be judiciously done, and the regime must 

 be varied to suit the weather, or mildew will appear and is cer- 

 tain to leave its mark on the vines and the fruit. Bad ventila- 

 tion and excessive moisture favor the spread of mildew. Air 

 should be admitted early in the day, especially on bright sunny 

 mornings when the sun strikes the glass at sunrise, or the 

 temperature will make a rapid rise. In case the ventilators 

 are then thrown open a cold current will be admitted, and, 

 perhaps, a draft, which will cause a chill to the vines, and this 

 may result in the grapes becoming rusted, or the tips of the 

 young growth may shrivel as if scorched, and, later on, the 

 berries may split or crack and fall off. Ventilation should 

 always be given at the ridge, or top of the house, and drafts 

 of cold air should be carefully guarded against. No bottom 

 ventilation is necessary, as a rule, but when the grapes are 

 coloring a free circulation of air is needed, and at this season 

 of the year it is better to leave some air on all night. After 

 thinning, grapes swell rapidly, and the borders should have 

 copious waterings and occasionally liquid-manure. 



Last season, after the grapes had stoned and commenced to 

 color, I had an experience which was new to me. Near the 

 grapery is an orchard, and the back wall of the grapery and 

 tiie buildings adjacent are covered with Ampelopsis Veitchii. 

 The Ampelopsis as well as the Apple-trees were infested with 

 a white fly similar to thrips, only larger, and at a later stage 

 they assumed a brown color. These tiies gained an entrance 

 into the grapery through the ventilators and could not be dis- 

 lodged. They ate the leaves on the under side, just as thrips 

 attack plants, only more viciously. The vines had been in per- 

 fect health and condition, and the new wood had commenced 

 to ripen, but in spite of my efforts the flies were master of the 

 situation. The vines were heavily cropped, and although the 

 fruit was ripe and of good size, the injury to the foliage 

 affected the color of the grapes. Several of the bunches 

 weighed three pounds each, and two hundred and fifty pounds 

 were cut from the vines. 



The same course was again pursued last fall, the house filled 

 with plants, the vines pruned as before, and no scrubbing, 

 scraping or insecticide of any kind applied. The usual dress- 

 ing was given to the border, and two of the vines — one Sweet- 

 water and Gros Morac — not fruiting as well the others, were 

 cut out. The remaining vines broke strong in March through- 

 out the entire house, and no bad effects of the insect attack of 

 last year was noticeable until the season of the previous attack 

 came round when a few of the flies appeared. I laid tobacco- 

 stems the whole length of the house and more than half the 

 breadth of the border. This seemed to be effectual, although 

 another applicadon was made later, as the stems had to be 

 kept dry. This time I covered the bench with stems, and no 

 insects have been seen since. The crop this year averaged 

 fifty pounds to a vine ; the bunches were of uniform size and 

 the berries of good size, several measuring four inches in cir- 

 cumference, and they presented that hammered appearance 

 and deep bloom so much prized by connoisseurs. Not a sin- 

 gle shanked berry was seen. I have just finished cutting the 

 crop. The laterals are now half-cut, and the wood is in prime 

 condition, better, if possible, than it was last year. In the place 



of the vines cut out another rod has been trained from adja- 

 cent Black Hamburg vines, the vacancy has already filled and 

 the new canes will be fruited next year. 



Dongan Hills, N. V. iVvi. Tricker. 



Some Work of the Season. 



TDULBS for indoor use should be planted at once, in readl- 

 -'-' ness for forcing, as a steady succession of plants is re- 

 quired to furnish a variety of flowers for the dwelling and the 

 conservatory. Roman and Dutch Hyacinths, Tulips, Nar- 

 cissi in variety, Freesias, Ixias and Gladiolus Colvillei are 

 among the most useful, and are all reasonably easy to force. 

 Tulips, Narcissus and Freesias are more ornamental for con- 

 servatory decoration when grown in groups in a pan or pot, 

 from half a dozen to a dozen of the Tulips and Narcissus and 

 about twenty-five of the Freesias. Bulbs of this character 

 should be well-rooted before they are brought into the heat. 

 This can best be secured by placing the pans or pots in a 

 frame and covering them with three or four inches of ashes 

 or soil, so as to keep them in a cool and moist condition. 



Lily-of-the-valley should also be planted now, in clumps for 

 pot culture, while the divided pips are the most satisfactory 

 for cut-flowers ; these may be planted either in pans or in 

 shallow boxes, as is most convenient. If the roots of the Lily- 

 of-the-valley are dry and shriveled when received, it is a good 

 plan to soak them for a few hours before planting, and this 

 tends to start them more evenly. 



Lilium Harrisii, grown for winter flowers, should now have 

 an abundance of light and heat, a night temperature of seventy 

 degrees being none too high. It is surprising how much heat 

 L. Harrisii and L. longiflorum will endure when it is remem- 

 bered that they are natives of a temperate clime, and almost 

 hardy here ; but when hurried to finish an Easter crop of these 

 Lilies, I have grown them at 85 to 90 degrees at night and 115 

 to 120 degrees during the day, and still turned out good flow- 

 ers, by subjecting them to a hardening process in a cold-house 

 after they had started to open. It is. however, much better 

 practice to begin the operation in time and to grow them on 

 steadily, rather than subject them to this extremely high-pres- 

 sure method. Aphis on the Lilies should be promptly erad- 

 icated by a dipping or syringing of tobacco-water. This 

 method is more agreeable to use in a conservatory attached to 

 a dwelling than fumigating them, and is quite as effective. 



The various summer bulbs, among which the Caladiums, 

 Gloxinias, Tuberous Begonias, Achimenes and Tydias are 

 prominent, have almost all finished their growth by this time, 

 and may be put into winter quarters. The best method is to 

 shake them out clean and put them in boxes or pots of dry 

 sand and store them in a nearly dry place imder the stages ; 

 this operation is to be performed as soon as the foliage dies off. 



Primroses deserve a place in every conservatory ; P. Ja- 

 ponica is one that should not be forgotten, its tall spikes of 

 flowers produced in successive whorls being quite showy and 

 variable in color, ranging from crimson to almost white. The 

 Chinese Primroses are well recognized now as house-plants, 

 and include a great variety of colorings, while the common 

 English Primrose can also be forced quite readily. 



Violets in frames and houses will soon be coming into 

 flower, and will require free ventilation just as long as the 

 weather will permit. A night temperature of thirty-eight to 

 forty degrees generally gives the best results, though some va- 

 rieties submit to higher temperature without material injury. 



Holmesburg, Pa. W^ H. laplin. 



Epidendrum radicans. — This species, the most beautiful of its 

 section, if not, indeed, of the whole genus, is not considered 

 easy to flower by some growers, and partly on this account it 

 is not often seen. There is no difficulty, however, about grow- 

 ing the plant, and it is really one of the easiest and quickest of 

 Orchids to grow and increase. On the 20th of February, 1891, 

 a small branch or cutting was obtained, which has developed 

 into a plant that now has seven growths that are showing 

 flower-spikes, with many other secondary ones that should 

 flower another season. Epidendrum radicans is a native of 

 Guatemala, where it grows among long grass in full exposure 

 to the sun, so it seemed perfectly rational to place the plant 

 in the Rose-house at the end, where it would get the full ben- 

 efit of the sunshine all summer, with frequent syringing in 

 hot weather. This treatment was evidently agreeable, but 

 smaller plants should be placed in a warmer house the first 

 year, to induce rapid growth, as they should have some size 

 before being placed in the sun. This species does not form 

 bulbs as other Epidendrums do, but the slender stems grow 

 upward for about four feet, roots being sent out from below 



