CALENDAR. 28 1 



give eacli pot a shake from side to side, so as to leave an 

 opening all round the pots for the escape of the heat. To- 

 wards the middle of the month it is generally necessary to 

 water these, as the roots will be taking possession of the 

 fresh soU, which wiU he getting dry. As they show signs 

 of growth give more air, and always early in the day, so that 

 sun-heat can be husbanded for the early part of the night in- 

 stead of violent firing. Do not increase the night temperature 

 much over that recommended for March — 70° at 10 p.m., to 

 drop to 65° in the morning. Keep the steaming-trays sup- 

 plied with water ; hut unless once or twice arweek in bright ' 

 weather, do not syringe overhead this month. Any young 

 stock that were not found sufficiently rooted to shift in March 

 wiU require to be attended to now, and shifted when moder- 

 ately well rooted. 



Vines. — Where the earliest crop of grapes is the produce 

 of vines in pots, they will in many cases be ripe this month ; 

 and will not — especially if the pots are plunged — require so 

 much water, as neither the fruit nor matured foliage can 

 make use of so much. They require just sufficient to keep 

 the fruit " plump " and the foliage healthy — a superabundance 

 wiU give watery grapes. Keep the house cooler and drier 

 than when they were being forced on; and while cold currents 

 of air must still be avoided, a little air must be left on all 

 night, in amount sufficient to prevent moisture condensing on 

 the fruit. Crops that have arrived at the colouring point 

 should have a decreasing supply of moisture in the air, and 

 an increasing amount of air as the colouring and ripening 

 processes go on. It often occurs that red-spider appears on 

 eaily-forced vines just at the time of colouring, and this pest 

 must be sharply watched and vigorously put down. Succession- 

 houses that have been thinned, and in various stages between 

 that and colouring, may now be pushed on with much less 

 fire-heat than in the dull short days of very early spring, and 

 may therefore be kept somewhat warmer : 70° during mild 

 weather, and 65° when very cold at night, should be aimed 

 at in the case of Hamburgs and vineries with a mixed assort- 



