April 80, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . 
361 
closely gathered. The occasional washing improves the health of the 
trees, keeps them free from red spider, and at the same time keeps the 
succession crop moving forward. Fire heat is, of coarse, necessary, and a 
few of the strongest laterals require stopping and tying, as fine Figs 
cannot be had without a free circulation of warm air and exposure to 
sun and light. 
Succession Houses. —Although the nights have been cold the days of 
late have been bright, and under these favourable conditions succession 
crops have made rapid progress. If not already stopped and tied down 
no time should be lost in getting this done, as the fruit in the earliest 
house of planted-out trees will soon begin to show Bigns of swelling for 
ripening, and if, as is often the case, the trees have set a very heavy crop 
a general thinning should be made as the work proceeds. It is a great 
mistake to overload Fig trees with fruit, and yet we often see the Fig 
overcropped with the result of loss of quality, and very often the loss of 
the entire crop of fruit. The general routine in succession houses is good 
root-feeding with tepid liquid manure or clean water through a heavy 
mulching of manure, plenty of heat, air, and a good syringing twice a 
day, the first time when the temperature is rising and again in the after¬ 
noon after closing. 
Trees in Pots for Next Year's Fruiting. —Get the trees well advanced 
in order that they may have a long and complete rest before they are 
wanted. Do not aim at large trees, which is sometimes sought by constant 
stopping and feeding young plants, keeping them growing for a consider¬ 
able time, by which means large trees are soon had ; but mere size is no 
criterion of fruitfulness, therefore have a small tree thoroughly ripened 
and rested as the most prolific end serviceable. 
Vines. — Early Houses. —Grapes now ripening will require moderate 
fire heat to maintain a circulation of dry warm air by day, and a tempera¬ 
ture of 60 s at night. Avoid excessive dryness, as early Grapes with ven¬ 
tilation require more water than late ones, and it is important that the 
foliage be kept clean and healthy as long as possible, or the loss of foliage 
may cause the Vines to start into growth when they should be resting. 
Gradually remove the remains of fermenting materials from outside 
borders, leaving a good mulching of the best material for the protection 
of the surface roots, and allow them to have the benefit of exposure to 
summer rains, which will wash in the fertilising properties of the manure 
and stimulate the Vines to the production of new laterals after they are 
relieved of.the crop. 
In mid-season and autumn houses, Muscats where carefully fertilised 
have set as freely as Black Hamburghs, and will require careful thinning 
as soon as the properly fertilised berries take the lead. If a large per¬ 
centage of the surplus bunches were not cut off before the flowers opened 
lose no time in removing them, and laterals which have been allowed 
to ramble may be stopped, tied, and regulated in accordance with the 
uncovered space at command. Give inside borders a thorough soaking 
with tepid liquid manure or of clear water through a good mulching. 
Admit air in the early part of the day, increasing it with the sun heat, 
and close early in the afternoon, so as to raise to 85°, and well damp 
all available surfaces at the same time. Admit a little air at the top of the 
house before nightfall, which may remain through the night, and will be 
conducive to rest by insuring a comparatively low temperature of 60 to 65°, 
and be a means of pre renting scorching the following day, which is more 
due to neglect of early ventilation than any other cause. 
Late Houses. —Vines in all stages have grown rapidly of late, and 
under the influence of solar heat the Vines which started weakly have 
regained their usual vigour. The weak break may have been a conse¬ 
quence of the dryness of last season, but there are complaints of a tendency 
to the production of tendrils or loose bunches—a certain indication of 
immature wood. In some instances the show of fruit is not so numerous 
as usual, but the bunches are very compact, and it is this description that 
are the most covetable when they are required for keeping to a late 
period. In the case of Vines of which the bunches have a tendency to 
run into tendrils the houses should he started earlier, and have fire heat in 
autumn, so as to thoroughly ripen the growth. At present the only cor¬ 
rective, and it is not always effectual, is to stop the shoots to three or four 
joints of the fruit and to tie them down to the trellis, choosing the latter 
part of a fine day, as the growths are then limp, keeping the atmosphere 
rather drier. Sufficient artificial heat will be necessary to maintain a 
night temperature of 60°, making the most of solar heat by early closing, 
but ventilating early as a preventive of scorching, and in order to secure 
a short-jointed thoroughly solidified growth. 
If late spring planting is contemplated no time should be lost in 
getting it done, and although large-growing plants may be transferred 
from pots or turves to inside borders at any time with every prospect of 
doing well, there is no disputing the advantage of early planting, as 
Grapes cannot be expected from badly ripened wood, and half-ripened 
canes when cut down do not afford such clean short-jointed growths next 
season as those that have been properly ripened and rested through the 
autumn and winter. Every encouragement should be given pot Vines 
intended for fruiting next season, keeping them well up to the light, a 
firm growth being secured by free ventilation. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Poinsettias. —Cuttings will be nearly ready for taking from the old 
stools for the early plant*, but nothing is gained but tall plants by pro¬ 
pagating early ; the main stock should not be inserted until next montb. 
If the cuttings have been forced in brisk heat, which is generally the case, 
remove them to a cooler and more airy house for a week to harden. When 
this precaution is taken the cuttings root with certainty, which is not 
always the case if taken from plants in strong heat. Insert the cuttings 
singly in small pots of sandy soil, and after water has been supplied 
plunge them in the propagating frame or under a handglass, and keep 
them until rooted in a temperature ranging from 65° to 70°. Shade the 
cuttings until rooted. 
Euphorbias .—The well-known E. jacquinimflora, with its bright scarlet 
flowers, is so useful during winter, that where effective arrangements are 
required it should be grown in quantity in from 3 to 5-inch pots. Its 
lasting properties while in flower are considerable, especially in a tempe¬ 
rature that is not allowed to fall below 45°. The stock plants will by 
this time have a number of suitable shoots. Allow the plants to get 
somewhat drier at their roots, and remove them to the greenhouse for 
about a fortnight, keeping them nr derately dry. Take the cuttings 
where they join the old wood, and insert them together in sand, covering 
with bellgla'ses. If this is done no difficulty will be experienced in strik¬ 
ing this useful plant, for not one in fifty will fail to root; but if taken 
from the plants while in heat and inserted, probably not one in that 
number will form roots. As smn as the cuttings are rooted they should 
be potted singly before their roots become matted in a compost of loam, 
one-seventh of manure, and sand. Alter the insertion of the cuttings 
return the old plants to their former position in heat until another batch 
of cuttings is ready. 
Plumbago rosea .—The variety known as P. coccinea superba is much 
the brightest in colour, and decidedly the best, but grows taller than 
P. rosea, therefore both should be grown. Good cuttings will now be 
plentiful, which is not the case early in the season, for most of the shoots 
that are produced after the plants are pruned terminate with flowers. 
These, if taken off and rooted, often do not grow with the same freedom 
as those taken later in the sea=on. The cuttings root freely in sandy soil, 
and may be inserted singly in the centre of small pots, then no check 
is given afterwards in potting them. Supply water after insertion, place 
them in the propagating frame, and keep them shaded from the sun 
until rooted. 
Linum trigynnm .—This is a very useful decorative plant, but of no 
use for cutting, but when arranged in association with Plumbago rosea 
the effect is very striking. Yellow at that season of the year is scarce, 
therefore this free-flowering old plant cannot well be dispensed with. 
Cuttings will ro t freely under the conditions advised for Plumbago rosea. 
See that the cuttings are clean before inserting them, for this plant is 
much subject to red spider. 
Sericograjihis Ghiesbreghtiana .— Cuttings of this early winter- 
flowering plant root freely if inserted singly in small pots of sandy soil, 
and kept in the close propagating frame. Libonias are very useful 
decorative plants when well grown and flowered. A batch of cuttings 
may be inserted in sandy soil in 5-inch pots, and will root freely treated 
like the above. Pot the cuttings directly they are rooted, and then grow 
them on as rapidly as possible in heat until they are placed in the pot 3 
in which they are intended to flower. 
Centropogon Lucyanus .—This is probably the best winter-flowering 
plant that we possess, for it can be had in bloom from November 
until the present time. Early in the season the flowers are produced 
from the termination of the shoots, and afterwards from the axils of 
tie leaves all along the stem in succession. It is valuable in either 
the conservatory, intermediate structure, or the stove, and will render 
gay any of these houses long after all other autumn and winter¬ 
flowering plants are past. Cuttings root freely in sandy soil at this 
season of the year if kept close and shaded. A few may be rooted 
annually for flowering in small pots, but the majority of our stock con¬ 
sists of the plants rooted last year, which we prefer to raising the whole 
stock annually by cuttings. The old plants when they have made a 
few inches of growth above the surface of the soil are turned out of 
their pots, and the roots partially reduced, then potted again into the 
same size, 6-inch. The same compost should be used as recommended 
for Euphorbias. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN AND PLEASURE GROUND. 
Violets .—To be profitable those of the Czar type must be frequently 
transplanted, and the present is the best time for doing this work. Where 
they are allowed to remain undisturbed for several seasons the crowns 
become much too thick and weakly, and as a contequence the plants are 
more liable to be damaged by frosts or damp, the blooms that are produced 
being usually puny. On many rather light soils they may well remain 
undisturbed for two seasons, but on strong heavy land they should be re¬ 
planted every spring. In the former case preference should be given to 
rather cool though not heavily shaded positions, while on heavy land they 
succeed best in open spots. The soil f 'r them must be enriched, deeply 
dug, and afterwards made rather firm again. Lift a number of old plants, 
divide into single crowns, trimming off all runners, and at once dibble 
them in firmly where they are to bloom. Nothing is gained by crowding, 
and the plants may well be disposed 12 inches apart each way. If the 
ground is at all dry they should be watered in, and during hot and dry 
weather they will be benefited by occasional watering and a mulching 
with short manure or leaf soil. 
Wallflotvers and other Perennials .—These are generally sown too 
late in the season, and as a consequence the plants do not attain half the 
size they would otherwise do, neither are they so hardy and floriferous as 
those raised early. No time should be lost in sowing the seeds of Wall¬ 
flowers, such as Belvoir Castle, yellow ; Yeitch’s Blood Red, and the 
double German ; Sweet Williams, both double and single ; Brompton, 
Queen and Emperor Stocks, and Forget-me-nots, of which the two best 
for bedding are Myosotis dissitiflora and M. dissitiflora alba. Select a 
| warm border, fork a little leaf soil or other light material into the surface 
