44 FRUIT CULTURE UNDER GLASS. 



on in the usual way, only that they are not kept so dry 

 in autumn and winter as is desirable for early starting 

 plants. The temperature, too, is kept five degrees higher 

 than for Queens at rest ; the object being not to mature 

 the growth of these so as to predispose them to start in 

 spring. The heat is quickened, both top and bottom, in 

 February, and they make a spring growth ; are rested 

 in May and June by being kept drier and cooler ; and 

 then, with increased heat and moisture, I rarely ever 

 fail in starting them all in June and July. Care must 

 be taken that they never get too dry at the root, par- 

 ticularly in spring, as that would be likely to start them 

 before they are required. This applies with the same 

 force to Jamaicas and Charlotte Eothschilds. These 

 wiU keep up the supply of fruit till the end of the year. 



It is necessary to have a later lot of these varieties 

 to come in for spring, and this I find rather difficult in 

 the case of the Smooth Cayenne. It makes suckers still 

 more tardily from late plants. The method I generally 

 adopt is to save the old stems of those that ripen their 

 fruit through the winter, and place them in strong bot- 

 tom-heat to spring the latent buds. These grow into 

 nice plants, ready to shift into 8-inch pots in Septem- 

 ber, and I shift these into their fruiting-pots in March, 

 and by pushing them on they start in September and 

 October, and succeed those started in June and July. 

 For this purpose I most decidedly give the preference 

 to the Cayenne ; and from plants of it so managed, I 

 have had very fine fruit in the spring months. They 

 are kept on at a temperature of from 6 0° to 6 5° all win- 

 ter, with a steady bottom-heat of 8 5°. I have frequently 

 had ripe fruit from 4 to 6 lb. in 9-inch pots from last 

 year's suckers. 



There is nothing peculiar in the management of these 



