THE ORCHAED-HOUSE. 



75. 



or number to each tree, and defer pruning until 

 the spring-. 



With the exception of Figs, which should he 

 thoroughly established in their pots before they go 

 to rest, the above directions apply to the potting of 

 all kinds of fruit-trees for orchard-house culture, as 

 the secret of success consists in having clean, dry pots 

 and crocks, and dry compost, which will bear ram- 

 ming until it is as firm as the old pasture from 

 which it has been taken. The largest quantity of 

 food is then placed in the smallest possible space, 

 but little room is left for the retention of water ; 

 and the roots, in a resisting medium which they 

 enjoy, form an abundance of spongioles by the time 

 the buds stait into growth in the spring. 



It is hardly necessary to inform even the inexperi- 

 enced in orchard-house culture, that maiden trees 

 potted in October are not expected to bear fruit the 

 following season. Therefore, they must be stored as 

 close as they will stand in a cold house, where the 

 pots can be well protected from frost and drought, 

 witl;i dry fern, litter, or spent tan. Here they may 

 remain until the following February, when the little 

 pruning they may require must be performed. But 

 notwithstanding the fact that the Peaches and Nec- 

 tarines will not produce fruit, it must not be assumed 

 that the orchard-house will be for a whole year 

 fruitless and useless. Therefore, while our pot-trees 

 are snugly tucked up in their winter quarters, we 

 will endeavour to show how, during the first season, 

 the house can be made the most of. Plums, Pears 

 on the Quince stock, and Cherries on the Mahaleb, 

 either as pyramids or bushes, can always be ob- 

 tained beautifully furnished with flower-buds. 

 These, if potted up with the Peaches in October, 

 will produce fruit the following year. The same 

 compost and the same treatment recommended for 

 Peaches will suit them, but it is not absolutely 

 necessary that they be wintered under glass, pro- 

 vided the pots are secured from frost, and the buds 

 are protected from birds. Then, again, there are 

 Tomatoes, with which every scrap of unoccupied 

 space can be made profitable ; and, last but not least 

 important, we have the finest-flavoured Straivhcrrics 

 for giving a supply of fruit before, and for some 

 time, after, they appear in the open air. 



In order to have Strawberries properly prepared 

 for forcing, it will be necessary to hark back to the 

 end of June. About that time, earlier if runners 

 are ready, take clean five-inch pots for early kinds, 

 and six-inch pots for late ones. Crock them well, 

 but not to any great depth, say one inch of crocks 

 in each ; then to two-thirds of strong calcareous 

 loam, add one-third of rotten manure, and twelve 

 per cent, of bone-dust, mix well, and place the 

 compost in an airy shed to dry. When it is in a 



fit state for ramming without becoming adhesive, 

 commence filling the pots by sprinkling a pinch of 

 soot over the crocks to keep back worms ; then a 

 few handfuls of the roughest of the compost, which 

 must be well pounded with a short rammer, until it 

 is as firm as the pasture from which the loam was 

 obtained. Continue this process until a sufiicient 

 number of pots are filled nearly level with the rim. 

 Convey the pots to the Strawberry beds, and place 

 them in blocks or rows near the outside, as there the 

 runners will be strong, sturdy, and vigorous. Place 

 one good runner that is about forming roots on the 

 centre of each pot, and secm-e it with a short birch 

 or wire peg. 



Give each pot enough water to moisten the whole of 

 the soil, and continue the supply every evening if the 

 weather be dry. In three weeks examine the pots, and 

 if the roots have reached the crocks, detach them 

 from the parents, and remove the pots to a light airy 

 situation to complete and ripen their growth. Worms 

 having a great liking for the rich, moist compost, 

 the station should be well faced with pounded 

 cinders or coal-ashes, to keep them from entering" 

 the pots. ' Keep the plants well supplied with water, 

 remove all runners, and increase the distance be- 

 tween the pots to let in light, and to prevent the 

 foliage from becoming " drawn." If the compost is 

 rich, and the plants make robust growth, do not ap- 

 ply stimulants, as grossness produces double crowns 

 which throw up two scapes. Moderate growth results 

 in one well-ripened crown, from which an abundance 

 of the finest fruit is obtained. Towards the end of 

 October plunge the pots up to the rim in som.e non- 

 conducting material free from worms, quite out in 

 the open, where the plants can have full exposure to 

 rain and snow, and have a few sprays of bracken 

 thrown over the crowns in very severe weather. 



Like the stone-fruit trees of which notice has 

 already been taken, the roots of Strawberries in 

 pots should never be allowed to feel the want of 

 water. Therefore, exposure to the elements will bo 

 less likely to lead to mishaps than coddling and 

 starving them on dry floors or shelves in cold, arid 

 houses. Towards the end of January the plants 

 may be taken into the orchard-house, either in 

 batches for succession, or in a body where profit 

 from early fruit is an object. 



AUTUMN-POTTED TREES. 

 First Year's Management. — Pyramids — 

 Trunwg and Pinching. — Having decided upon the 

 style of tree or trees best adapted to the house, the 

 end of February will be a suitable time to cut back 

 the side shoots. If a pyramid be wanted, they must 

 be cut back to within a few inches of the stem near 

 the base, and to a single bud near the apex, the 



