220 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 1?, 1885. 
years from the same trees. Gml Pears are a fruit of seasons as well* as 
of soil and climate, and f >r this reason do not hastily condemn the tree of 
any sort of known merit. Remember, too, the great advantages of 
planting cordons of many sorts by way of trial. Fruiting cordons may 
be had now for a shilling or two apiece. At 18 inches apart space may 
be found for a considerable number in a small garden, and a wall of such 
trees is at once a feature of interest and of great utility. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Figs. — Early-forced Trees in Pots .—Tbe fruit having completed its 
first swelling will appear to remain stationary for some time ; and as this 
is the most critical period in their culture every attention must be paid to 
the trees, as any check earned by too high a night temperature, sudden 
fluctuations, injudicious ventilation, and want of moisture either at the 
’•cots or in the atmosphere, is likely to cause the fruit to fall when the 
time arrives for the last swelling. If the weather is mild the night 
temperature may be kept at 60° to 65°, but when cold it will be well to 
Keep it 5° lower on frosty nights. To compensate for this apparent loss 
of time a considerable advance may be made by keeping the temperature 
through the day at 75° to 80° from sun heat, and by closing at 80° with 
plenty of moisture, allowing an advance of 5° to 10°. This will not have 
the tendency to produce weak or elongated growths, as would be the case 
were the attempt made to accelerate the growth by sharp firing. Let the 
roots receive a steady supply of tepid liquid manure, as the Fig in full 
growth requires liberal nourishment, especially when the drainage is good 
for if stagnant the consequences are most disastrous. Thorough syringing 
on all favourable occasions are absolutely neces ; aiy to keep red spider 
in check, 
Succession Houses .—Timely attention must be given to thinning and 
disbudding if there is any probability of the growths becoming crowded, 
o: being of primary importance in fruit culture that the growths have full 
exposure to light and air so as to insure a thoroughly solidified growth, 
stop shoots which it is considered desirable to form into spurs, from 
which the second crop of fruit will be obtained at the fourth or fifth leaf, 
syringe the trees twice a day, and keep the mulching constantly moistened 
with diluted liquid manure, and in a tepid state. 
Pot young trees intended for early forcing next season, and place them 
in bottom heat. Shade lightly from bright sun for a few days, or until 
they have taken to the new soil, when they may be fully exposed to light 
and every means t iken to insure a sturdy short-jointed growth. 
Peaches and Nectarines.— Earliest Trees and House .—Disbudding 
having been completed it will be necessary to heel in the shoots from the 
base so as to give them the desired direction they are to occupy on the 
trellis ; but after this they can be allowed to grow until a general tying 
down of the shoots can be made. Avoid overcrowding, not leaving more 
shoots than will be necessary for furnishing the trees with wood for next 
year’s fruiting. Keep all shoots retained to attract the sap to the fruit 
stopped in the first instance at the third leaf or joint, and afterwards keep 
them closely pinched to one or two joints of fresh growth. The fruits 
must be finally thinned, as it is a mistake to defer this until the stoning 
is completed, and about one fruit to every square foot of trellis covered 
by the trees ought to be retained, though a few more may be left to 
supply any losses after the stoning is completed. The night temperature 
should be kept steady at 60° on mild nights, and a few degrees less on 
cold nights is safer ; 60° to 65° by day artificially, and 10° to 15° rise from 
sun heat, closing at 75° early, and allowing an advance to 80°. Syringe 
twice a day, but if the trees do not become dry before nightfall the after¬ 
noon syringing must be omitted, or it should be done earlier. Turn off 
the heat early on fine mornings, as a strong heat in the pipes will only 
necessitate more ventilation, and this will increase evaporation and dry 
the atmosphere, causing a rapid spread of red spider. Supply the inside 
borders with tepid weak liquid manure, and keep the surface mulched 
and constantly moist in order to encourage surface roots. Admit a 
little air early, increasing it with the sun’s heat, but avoid admitting 
oold air. 
Second Early House .—Trees started early in the year have had the 
disbudding completed aud the shoots at the base of the current bearing 
shoots heeled in to provide an equal spread of future bearing growths 
over the trellis. Thin the fruits, leaving the best placed for receiving 
light and air. Stop all growths not required for extension or for furnish¬ 
ing next year’s bearing wood at the third joint. Syringe morning and 
afternoon to keep red spider in check,- and see that the inside borders do 
not lack moisture. Keep the night temperature at 55° to 60°, and 60° to 
65° by day artificially, ventilating from 65°, and increasing with the 
solar heat, but keeping it through the day from sun heat at 70° to 75°, 
closing at 75° with plenty of moisture in the atmosphere. 
House Started Early in February .—The treeshaving set their fruits 
syringing should be resorted to to cleanse them of the remnants of the 
blossoms, and when the fruits are swelling commence removiog the 
smallest and worst placed, especially those on the under side of the trellis. 
The thinning should be done gradually and on the weakest growths first, 
thinning more severely on those than the stronger growths This will 
tend to equalise the growth, which is of consequence in a judiciously 
managed Peach tree. Disbud ling should be done gradually, commencing 
at the extremities and strongest growths first; and whilst being careful to 
retain a growth from as near the base of the current bearing shoots 
for future bearing, or to supplant those now carrying fruit, no more 
growths shou'd be retained than will have space for development and full 
exposure for the foliage to light and air. It will be necessary to retain 
a shoot on a level with-or above the fruit to attract the sap to the fruit, 
stopping it at the third joint of growth. Leave growths on extensions at 
18 inches distance apart, and the oth<r shoots on these may be pinched 
so as to form spurs, which, however strong the wood, usually de^elope 
plump buds and set the blossoms well. Shoots in'ended for forming ex¬ 
tensions must not he laid in closer than 15 to 18 inches apart, as it is 
essential to success that the foliage have plenty of room for the solidifica¬ 
tion of the growths, and to insure its being kept clean and healthful. 
The night temperature be kept at 55°, falling a few degrees, or to 50° on 
cold nights, 55° to 60° by day artificially, 65° to 70° from sun heat, and a 
free circulation of air. 
Houses with Trees in Blossom .—The syringing ought to be discon¬ 
tinued in these, a good moisture, however, being maintained by damping 
available surfaces in the morning aud afternoon. Shake the trees by 
rapping the trellis so as to distribute the pollen in the middle of the day 
and after ventilation has been on some time, or lightly bruah tbe blossoms 
with a plume of Pampas Gra^s or feather. Turn on the heat early, aud 
keep it through the day at 50°, with a little ventilition constantly even in 
cold weather ; do not allow the temperature to exceed 65° without full 
vent latim. It will suffice if the night temperature be kept at 40° to 45°. 
See that the inside borders are sufficiently moist. 
Late Houses .—Give the inside border a thorough soaking with tepid 
water. Damp the borders, &c., occasionally to insure a genial condition 
of the atmosphere, and ventilate freely when the weather is favourable. 
Only employ fire heat at night to exclude frost, and g ve only a slight 
heat in the pipes in the daytime to prevent a stagnation of the atmosphere 
on dull cold days, not exceeding 50°, and not that without vcntilat on 
back and front. N ffhing is gsiaed by s> eking to retard the bl is-om after 
it is advanced for expansion. It must have heat to insure its development. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Marantas .—To grow these plants well they should be repotted annually, 
and the present is the most suitable time, so that they will bee me estab¬ 
lished before the sun has too much power. After turning them out of 
their pots a good portion of the old sod may be removed carefully from 
amongst their roots and the plants repotted in a compost of fibry loam 
and peat in equal proportions, to which has been added one-seventh of 
charcoal and a liberal dash of coarse sand. The pots in which they are 
ta bo placed must be liberally drained, as abundant supplies of water are 
required during the sea-on of growth. The soil should be pressed firmly 
into the pots, and the plants afterwards given bottom heat until growth 
has commenced. They will start freely and quickly if the bottom heat 
can be kept at about 80°, and the heat of the structure in which they are 
placed from 65° to 70° at night. Shade them from strong sun, and syringe 
freely in preference tj watering them at their roots. To avoid this the 
surface of the soil and pot should be covered with the plunging material, 
which will prevent evaporation and also hasten root-growth. 
Alocasias —To have well-developed plants with fine foliage as early in 
the season as possible no time should be lost in giving a top-dressing, or 
repotting these plants and pushing them into growth afterwards as rap dly 
as possible. By subjecting th j m to the latter operation annually their 
stems can be lowered in the pots, and the plants will soon form roots upon 
the surface in large numbers, and produce finer and larger leaves in con¬ 
sequence. To allow of this be'ng done it is necessary in many instances 
to remove a portion of the lower part of the stem, which can be cut into 
lengths for the purpose of increasing the stock. The pots employed for 
these plants should be at least one-third filled with drainage, for they 
are not deep-rooting, but require liberal supplies of water during growth. 
The old compost must be carefully removed from amongst their roots, 
fibry peat with living sphagnum moss supplied (one-third of the latter), 
and lump 5 of charcoal freely intermixed as the potting proceeds. The 
p’ants can be well elevated above the rim of the pots, and the surface 
covered with sphagnum moss. After potting they should be placed in 
a warm moist atmosphere, and will do well in the same high temperature 
advised for Marantas. 
Anthuriums .—To retain these beautiful plants in health the so ; l 
should never become sour about their roots. Every second year the old 
compost must be removed, and fresh worked carefully amm'st their 
roots. The pans or po s in which they are to be placed should be nearly 
half filled with drainage, and the crowDs of the plants lowered into the 
compost as much as possible, for they will form a good length of stem 
above the surface iu the space of two year*. A suitable compost for these 
plants is peat fibre, from which the small particles have been removed, 
and sphagnum moss in about equal proportions, with charcoal freely 
intermixed. The plants mu-t be well elevated above thi rim of the p;c 
or pan in which they are placed. A no her batch of A. Seherzerianim 
may be introduced into the stove from the house in which they have been 
resting. These will not be ready for p Uting for some weeks, but may be 
operated upon directly the roots commence activity, which will soon be 
the case in stove heat. If necessary to increase the number of plants the 
crowns where they have divided may be separated and potted singly at 
this season of the year with safety. 
Gyanopliyllum magnificum .—This and Sphaerogyne latifol a are two 
of the best ornamental foliage plants that can be grown f >r the stove. 
Yoirng plants if rooted as advise l in autumn, and wiutered in 3-inch pit’, 
should now be placed into others 3 inch s larger. These plants will 
require liberal root space, aud mu-t be repotted from time to time. To 
have them in the be?t condition they should be propagated in autumn or 
early in the spring, and afterwards grown rap : diy in a warm moist 
atmosphere. Strong light or sun soon browns the edge of their young 
leaves, and if their culture is attempted in a dry atmosphere they soon 
become a prey to thrips. Plants that have become bare may have ih ■ 
lead removed, and side shoots will soon be produced, which root freely if 
