234 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GAEDENING. 



C. fulgida. — Leaves opposite, three to six inches 

 long, deep olive-green, midrib and primary veins 

 metallic-white, bordered with emerald-green ; flowers 

 intense deep red. Spring and summer months. 

 New Grenada. 



THE ORCHARD-HOUSE. 



By William Coleman. 



FLUMS, CHEEBIES, FIGS, PEARS. APRICOTS. 

 ■ The Plum.— Plums form most beautiful objects 

 when grown under glass, either as bushes, pyramids, 

 or cordons; or they may be planted out, as is often 

 the case, in large gardens, and trained to a trellis 

 under glass, like Peaches and Nectarines. 



When the trees are newly potted they are apt to 

 make a too vigorous growth, but by constant pinching 

 they soon become very proliferous and fruitful, so 

 much so that in course of time they become one 

 mass of fruit-bearing spurs, which require annual 

 thinning out with a pruning-knife, to let in light and 

 air, as well as to insure fruit of the finest size and 

 quality. As the soil and mode of potting in no way 

 differs from that recommended for Peaches, it is un- 

 necessary to enlarge upon this part of their culture. 

 All they require is firm potting in sound calcareous 

 loam, an abundance of water when they are in growth, 

 and frequent syringing during the time they are 

 swelling off their fruit. The Plum being subject to 

 green and black aphis, the house in which they are 

 grown should be well fumigated two or three times 

 shortly before the trees come into flower. They 

 should also be again fumigated as often as fly puts in 

 an appearance after the fruit is set, but never during 

 the time they are in flower. The coolest end of the 

 orchard-house suits them best, and an abundance of 

 air is needful to insure a good set of fruit. If it can 

 be obtained, soft water, or water free from lime, 

 should be used for sja^nging purposes, otherwise the 

 fruit will be disfigured by a deposit, which no after- 

 cxttejition can remove. In fine, warm seasons, a suc- 

 cession from one set of trees can be secured by 

 placing a portion of them out of doors after the 

 stoning process is completed; but such kinds as 

 Golden Drop and the Impera trice section should be 

 kept in-doors, where the fruit will attain colour and 

 quality not often met with on open walls, and under 

 good management it will hang until it becomes a 

 perfect sweetmeat. Good ordinary Plums can, as a 

 rule, be obtained from trees in the open air ; but 

 choice kinds, including the Gages and Golden Drop, 

 do not even in the best localities always come to per- 

 fection, although they may set plenty of fruit. There- 

 fore, as space in the orchard-house is generally limited, 

 the best kinds only should be selected for culture 



under glass. Good trees, well set with flower-buds, 

 can now be obtained at reasonable jjrices ; or maiden 

 trees may be potted and plunged in the open quarters 

 of the garden, where, under a regular system of 

 pinching and watering, they will, in one season, make 

 handsome fruiting pyramids, bashes, or cordons, fit 

 for forcing the following year. 



Plums being extremely numerous, the following- 

 list includes the cream of the varieties best adapted 

 for giving an early, mid-season, and late supply of 

 fruit. The varieties are arranged in their order of 

 ripening : — 



1. Early Greengage. 



2. July 



3. St. Etienne. 



4. Peach. 



5. Eoyal Hative. 



6. DeMontfort. 



7. OuUin's Golden. 



8. Deunistou's Superb. 



9. Greengage. 



10. Bryanstou Gage. 



11. McLaiigliliu. 



12. Transparent Gage. 



13. Jefferson. 



14. Kirke's. 



15. Angelina Burdett. 



16. Washington. 



17. Jodoigne Greengage. 



18. Lawson's Golden. 



19. Coe's Golden Drop. 



20. Late Greengage. 



21. Reine Claude de Bavay. 



22. Blue Imi^eratrice. 



23. Ickworth Imijeratrice. 



24. Late Eiveis. 



Cherries. — These, like Plums, require a cool, 

 airy part of the orchard -house, particularly through 

 the earl)' stages of their growth and until after the 

 fruit is set. From this time until the fruit begins to 

 change for ripening, the trees will make satisfactory 

 progress together, but as soon as this stage is reached 

 the sj-ringing of the Cherries must be discontinued, 

 otherwise the fruit will crack and perish. As all 

 stone-fruit trees rejoice in a strong calcareous loam, 

 firm potting in well-drained pots, and plenty of 

 water, their treatment and root-management will 

 not differ from that recommended for Peaches 

 and Plums. They also submit to close pinching 

 through the growing season, and soon become so 

 fruitful as to requii-e liberal thinning after, but not 

 before, the stoning process is over. The Cherry can be 

 successfully grown as a close pyramid, bush, cordon, 

 or trained under a trellis some eighteen inches below 

 the glass, when, independently of its fruit, its flowers 

 alone form one of the sweetest and most delightful 

 pictures that can well be imagined. 



When it is known that Cherries ripen on open 

 walls early in June, it is not difficult to conceive 

 that ripe fruit may be obtained from early kinds in 

 pots in April and IMay without forcing. Indeed, 

 forcing with fire-heat or anything approaching con- 

 finement is at all times fatal to the crop. Therefore 

 all that is needed is a constant circulation of air in a 

 house that will range from 40'' at night to 50'' by 

 day before the flowers open, and 45'' at night to 55° 

 by day until the fruit has passed the stoning period. 

 The only time when fire-heat is really necessary is 

 during the flowering stage should the weather be 

 dark, damp, and unfavoui^able to fertilisation. At 

 such a time the most gentle circulation with ventila- 



