318 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 16, 1885. 
Chervil. —This is often asked for by the cook, and a small bed of it 
should always be grown. It comes freely and quickly from seed, and if 
sown now it will be ready for use in six or eight weeks. It is not 
particular as to soil or situation, and when once sown it will always 
reproduce itself if allowed to seed, which it will do once or twice a 
year. 
Sweet Basil. —Another choice herb, often required, should always 
be in stock. It is not hardy ; sow a little seed in a 6-inch or 8-inch pot, 
allow the plants to come on in a gentle heat, transplant when quite small 
into cutting boxes, and grow also in a gentle heat. A rich soil must be 
given it, and if it is not cut too low down it will sprout again and again 
during the season. We generally place a number of plants in one of our 
early Potato frames after the crop has been cleared, and allow it to 
become very luxuriant, then the whole is cut and dried for win'er use. 
Lettuce. —Transplant those large enough into good soil. Keep them 
9 inches or 1 foot apart each way. Sew more seed. Tie up those gaining 
a useful size to whiten the centres as soon as possible. 
Radishes. —Draw up and throw away all of these which have become 
too large for use in early frames. Sow seed in a small quantity every 
fortnight until August. Radishes are nothing unless tender and sweet, 
and this can only be insured by frequent sowing. 
Salsafy. —A few rows of this excellent winter vegetable should be 
sown. A deep rich soil suits it best. Fresh manure will cause the roots 
to fork, thus avoiding spoiling them in that way. Open the drills 15 inches 
apart, 2 inches deep, and sow the seed thinly. The roots are in no 
way liable to be injured by insects, but mice are very fond of the seed. 
Finish planting Potatoes, and use the Dutch hoe amongst all young and 
growing crops. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Figs.— Early Trees in Pots. —When the fruit shows signs of changing 
for ripening the ventilation should be increased whenever more air can be 
admitted without causing a check, and the flavour will be much improved 
by full exposure to the sun. Many of the fruits on large trees in pots 
cannot have this advantage, yet by judicious thinning, stopping, and 
tying, light and air will be admitted, which are essential at all times, as 
Figs ripened in a close moist atmosphere are insipid. The Fig is a gross 
feeder, and supplies of water at the roots through all stages are necessary, 
yet less will be needed when the fruit is ripening. Every effort should be 
made to have the foliage clean up to the commencement of ripening, and 
even when that takes place favourable opportunities for well washing the 
trees should be taken advantage of. Although Figs for home use should 
only be gathered when ripe, they are best for travelling when gathered 
before being fit for immediate table use. Brown scale when left undis¬ 
turbed soon spreads over the young wood, extending to the foliage and 
fruit, when its destruction is attended by some difficulty ; therefore means 
for its eradication should be taken in time, an insecticide beiDg applied 
carefully to prevent and keep it from doing much mischief. Keep the 
night temperature at 60° to 65° with a little air. and 80 ° to 85° through the 
day from sun heat. Give top ventilation at 70°, and in the front at 80°, 
having plenty of moisture arising from water applied to the mulching 
and all available surfaces. 
Succession Houses. —Afford generous treatment as regard s heat, moisture, 
and stimulants where feeding is considered necessary, and syringe twice 
a day. Keep all stopping and tying well in hand, and thin the fruits 
where there are more than the trees are likely to finish satisfactorily. 
When'grown under glass the free-bearing varieties show many more fruits 
than they are able to bring to maturity, and one error in management 
often ends in the loss of the entire crop. The safe plan is to carefully 
reduce, consider, and, if need be, thin again. The temperature should be 
kept 5° lower than that recommended for the early house. 
Late Rouses. —Trees in cold houses and against walls covered with a 
glass should now be tied in or nailed, and syringed early in the afternoon 
of fine days. Excellent crops are had from such structures in situations 
unfavourable to Fig culture against walls; but to insure full success 
there ought to be means for keeping out frost in spring and ripening the 
wood in the autumn. The house must be kept cool and dry through the 
winter, and instead of fires in the winter the trees should be unfastened 
after the leaves fall, tied in bundles, and protected with dry fern or 
straw. 
Pines. —The weather is very unfavourable to the advancement which 
is expected at this season, hence every attention must be given to the 
management, especially as a free growth is now taking place, and every 
encouragement should be given. Watering must be seen to at least once 
a week, and every plant examined before any is given. Syringing may 
be much more freely practised at the time of closing, and abundance of 
moisture be present in the house when it is closed. Be very careful in dis¬ 
turbing fermenting beds which have a moderate degree of heat in them, 
lest by so doing it becomes increased to an extent that will be injurious to 
the roots of the plants. The temperature in fruiting houses should range 
from 80° to 95° by day and at about 70° to 75° at night ; successional 
houses at 80° to 90° by day and 65° to 70 s at night, the younger stock not 
taking any harm in a night temperature of 60°, and a proportionate in¬ 
crease by day according to external influences. In houses that have large 
panes of glass and the plants placed near to it, as they ought to be, a 
slight shade placed over the glass during the hottest part of the day until 
the foliage has become more inured to sunshine will be beneficial. 
Examine fruiting plants occasionally for the removal of all surplus 
suckers, retaining only those wanted for stock, and stake fruit requiring 
that attention to keep them in an erect position. 
Melons —In the early house or pit the fruit will be approaching 
maturity, and will require syringing less frequently. In damping the 
house and plants avoid wetting the fruits, as this is liable to cause the 
fruit to crack; and although a somewhat high, dry, and airy atmosphere is 
advisable when the fruit is ripening, highly flavoured and finely finished 
fruits cannot be had unless the plants are clean and healthy, and this is 
absolutely essential when a second crop is sought from the same plants. If 
they are in good condition they will have set a second crop, which will 
have made good progress without in any way interfering with the size of 
the fruit now ripening. The male and female flowers should all be re¬ 
moved, and growths regulated by stopping and tying, being careful not to 
overcrowd the foliage, and not allow growths to be made which must 
afterwards be removed in large quantities. When the ripe fruit is cut the 
surface of the bed should be stirred ; tread, and add more soil if necessary, 
giving a thorough soaking with tepid water, and afterwards using liquid 
manure for swelling off the next crop. Use the syringe freely on all favour¬ 
able occasion 3 . Remove bad foliage and exhausted growths, and rub quick¬ 
lime into parts affected with canker. Successional plants in houses, pits, 
and frames will need frequent attention in stopping, thinning, and tying 
of the shoots. Impregnate the blossom in the middle of the day when the 
pollen is dry, acting so a9 to secure a regular set by operating on all 
the flowers at the same time, so that the fruit left may be regularly 
distributed over the principal shoots of each plant, and swelling together 
produce fruit of uniform size. Get some plants ready for planting in pits 
and frames from which Potatoes, Radishes, &c., have been removed. 
Where the house set apart for winter-fruiting Cucumbers is liberated 
through spring plants taking their place in the supply, it may be utilised 
for Melons, giving it a thorough cleansing—the woodwork with softsoap 
and hot water, the glass with clean water, and the walls with hot lime. 
The whole of the soil should be removed, and the whole made sweet and 
clean for the reception of the Melons. The soil should consist of good 
loam rather strong, a tenth of old mortar rubbish, and a sixth of road 
scrapings, the whole well incorporated ; should be placed in the house 
a few days prior to planting, and before the plants are put out be made 
firm, the soil being made firm about each plant. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN AND PLEASURE GROUND. 
Shrubby Calceolarias .—As these are usually wintered rather thickly in 
cold frames it is imperative that they be planted out temporarily and 
encouraged to grow to a good size before bedding time. Where only a 
few are grown these may be placed singly into 6-inch pots or disposed 
thinly in rather deep boxes filled with fairly rich soil. If a large number 
is required it is advisable to plant them in rough frames, turf pits, or 
even in wide trenches dug in the garden. A hard base for the two former 
should be chosen, and on this place about 6 inches depth of good light 
soil, preferably leaf soil, finishing with about 4 inches depth of good loamy 
soil. A layer of ashes should be placed in the bottom of the trenches, 
and from this the plants can be lifted cleanly. The plants having been 
previously stopped and breaking afresh, bed them out about 6 inches 
apart each way, and if they are kept well supplied with water and pro¬ 
tected from severe frosts they will make fine plants by the time they are 
wanted. 
Violas .—We winter these similarly to the Calceolarias, and tem¬ 
porarily plant about half the stock in the same way, only they are dis¬ 
posed 4 inches apart. Where the beds are not filled with spring plants 
the Violas may be permanently planted at once. They require a rich 
well-worked soil, and we find a heavy surfacing of leaf soil sustained them 
throughout the dry season of 1884. Blue or purple Violas are most 
effective in mixture with silver, golden, or bronze-leaved Zonal Pelar¬ 
goniums, while the yellows look extremely well with Iresines or Crimson 
King Verbenas. When planting at this time we place small pegs where 
the Pelargoniums and other plants are to go, the Violas being worked in 
between them, and spaces are left for suitable edgings. Old plants will 
bear being freely divided at the present time, and all will be the better 
for being established early. 
So7ving Choice Annuals .—Now is a good time to sow such indispen¬ 
sable kinds as Asters, none being better than the Victoria; Stocks, including 
the valuable East Lothian and the somewhat similar earliest flowering 
autumn sorts : Zinnias, Marigolds, Tagetes, Perilla nankinensis, Orna¬ 
mental Grasses, Everlasting Flowers, Godetias, Ricinuses, Maize, Beets, 
Centaurea Cyanus minor, Dianthuses, Chrysanthemums, Eschscholtzias, 
Portulaca«, and Scabiouses. Boxes, pans, pots, and frames are all suitable 
for the purpose, and any good light soil will do. The seeds should be sown 
thinly, covered lightly, given a little heat, nothing being better than a 
mild hotbed, keeping them uniformly moist and shaded from bright sun¬ 
shine. They will germinate quickly, and should be gradually expo-ed 
and hardened before they are drawn. If properly pricked off in pots, 
boxes, or beds of good soil, they will attain a good size by bedding-out 
time, and will start into growth strongly much more certainly than will 
any plants that have been raised a month earlier, and which are bound to 
experience a serious check before they are finally bedded out. 
Propagating Verbenas .—Unless the stock is small nothing is gained 
by striking cuttings of Verbenas, Ageratum 0 , Iresines, Coleuses, Alter- 
nantheras, and similarly quick-growing plants very early in the season. 
Cuttings inserted at the present time strike quickly, can be rapidly 
grown to a good 6ize, and will eventually surpass those struck much 
earlier. Hotbeds or propagating frames are not needed, as the cuttings 
strike surprisingly well when the boxes are stood near or propped up over 
the hot-water pipes, the position being a part'ally shaded one. We u«e 
boxes about 24 inches lone, 15 inches wide, and 6 inches deep. These 
are lightly drained, half filled with light sandy soil, and faced with silver 
sand. The cuttings are soft and short, cut to a joint, the lower 
