322 



to detsroy insects ; and those not just now required^ 

 either put into a cellar or shed, secure from frost, 

 to avoid danger to the pots. Those desired to fruit 

 early should be at once placed in a temperature of 

 55° to 60°, and the canes bent down to aid in caus- 

 ing all the buds to burst equally. This however, 

 depends on the condition ot the cane itself A vine 

 with badly developed buds will not break well, no 

 matter how well managed. The buds will only swell 

 under the above temperature ; but it is not well to 

 start with much heat. 



In a house of this character the fig may also be 

 started at the same time, and the pine grow very 

 well. The other fruits named will not do so well 

 started with these, unless in the hands of greatly 

 experienced gardeners, as the heat necessary to 

 ripen the grapes so early is too much for them. — 

 Dwarf beans, tomatoes and cucumbers would, how- 

 ever, do very well. These may be sown at once for 

 this purpose. Peaches, nectarines and apricots do 

 very well planted at the back wall of vineries and 

 especially do they do well in tubs and pots. For 

 the latter mode it is best to grow them one season 

 before forcing, as better and handsomer specimens 

 can be made from one year grafted plants. Now is 

 the time to select those that we may desire to force 

 the next sprirg. They should be lifted and potted 

 very carefully, and afterwards placed in a cool cellar 

 till February. Those that were potted last spring, 

 and have a good growth, and are established suffi- 

 cient to warrant an early forcing, may at once be 

 started in a heat of from 45° to 50°, and the heaf 

 increased to 55° in the course of a few weeks. They 

 should be previously cleaned, as already recom- 

 mended for grapes. 



Plums and cherries do not do very well forced. 

 The difficulty is in getting them to ripen well. We 

 have s*een the best success when started with 

 peaches at this time. Strawberries force easier 

 than any fruit ; and, in our opinion, when gone into 

 properly, will pay even better than grapes, fhey 

 may be had all the year round when a heat of 60° 

 can be maintained, simply by bringing forward a 

 few every two weeks. The pots of plants should be 

 prepared in September, six-inch sizes being em- 

 ployed. They should be started in a heat of 55°, 

 till the flowers are set, and ripened in one of 60°. 

 They must be kept near the glass, and the red 

 spider carefully watched. Those who have not 

 command of heat may have them very early by 

 potting good plants, keeping them in a moderately 

 dry place till February, and then setting them in 

 frames. 



A house fitted for strawberry forcing is just the 

 place to force asparagus, rhubarb, radishes, peas, 

 and potatoes, which do not do well with much heat. 

 Any of these may be started now either in pits or 

 boxes. Peas are scarcely worth forcing, except as a 

 luxury. They will not bear freely unless very near 

 the light, ! 



Potatoes, peas, beans, eaulifiower, radishes, let- 

 tuces, tomatoes, asparagus, rhubarb and parsley 

 are the chief vegetables usually forced ; and. among | 

 fruits, the apricot, cherry, fig, grape, nectarine, 1 

 peach, plum and pine, I 



A cauliflower pit should be in eyery garden where j 

 leaves or manure can be had. Radishes and lettuce | 

 can be found at the same time, and will be in iise i 

 before the cauliflower grows in their way. Pits of 

 stone or brick, about six feet under and one or tvYO 

 above the ground, are usually employed, with glass 

 sashes over. The leaves e^hould be filled in as early 

 as possible, so as to get their most violent heating 

 over before the plants are set out. A watering as 

 they are filled in assists this, which may be known 

 to be effected by the sinking it exhibits. It is im- 

 portant to have the plants set as near the glass as 

 possible ; a few more leaves should, therefore, be 

 added before the six inches of soil required is placed 

 on. The plants sown in September should be 

 planted fifteen inches apart, and lettuce and rad- 

 ishes may be sown broad-cast between. Asparagus, 

 rhubarb and parsley are prepared by taking up the 

 old roots at this season. 



FRUST GARDEN, 



So much has been said in this journal on the 

 proper preparation of the soil for orchards, that it 

 need not now be repeated. We should only say, 

 that a light dryish soil is the best to choose for the 

 Peach. The Pear does best on a strong loamy soil 

 Plums much the same as the last. The Apple 

 prefers a heavy loam, if on limestone so much the 

 better. The Cherry does well in soils adapted to 

 the Peach. 



Except in the more northern portions nf the con- 

 tinent, a southern aspect is the worst possible for 

 all kinds of fruits, except where the one idea of ear- 

 liness is all important. 



Apples, Quinces and Plums, should be examined 

 before frost sets in, and if any borers have effected 

 a lodgment — a jack-knife and strong piece of wire 

 are all the implements necessary; a man will go 

 over several hundred trees a day. It is a cheap way 

 of preserving trees. If many of the remedies pro- 

 posed by correspondents in our paper, have been 



