February 7, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
115 
arrears, as it will tell later on in the swelling and finishing of the crop ; 
and do not allow surplus and ill-shaped bunches to remain until the 
berries have swelled considerably, as that represents so much loss to those 
that are retained for the crop. Avoid overcropping and strive for 
quality in preference to quantity. Grapes vary so much in form of 
bunch and size of berry in different varieties that no definite rule can be 
laid down for thinning. Young Yines as a rule produce loose bunches, 
and will only need to have the small berries taken out— i.o., presuming 
the shoulders are properly tied up ; but old Vines, especially when spur- 
pruned, give close compact bunches, and require severe thinning to 
prevent binding when ripe ; at the same time the thinning must not be so 
severe as to give a loose appearance, as it is important that the bunches 
preserve their form when on the dishes. Muscats and other shy-setting 
varieties should not be thinned sparingly until the fertilised berries are 
taking the lead, the unfertilised being readily,detected by their small 
increase and slenderness of the footstalk. 
Succession Houses. —Disbudding and tying in houses started in 
December must be attended to, being careful in bringing the shoots 
down not to snap them at the base. Any that are stubborn will be best 
brought down by degrees. Syringe freely on fine days, and if fermenting 
materials are not used in the house damp the floor and borders with clear 
liquid manure in the afternoon— i.e., at closing time, as an ammonia- 
charged atmosphere is invigorating to the Yines and is one of the best 
preventives of red spider. With the Yine shoots an inch or two long, 
raise the night temperature to 60°, and 5° to 10° rise by day, ventilating 
from 70°, allowing an advance to 80°, closing at that temperature early 
along with a moist sweet atmosphere. 
Late Houses. —In houses containing Yines of such varieties as Alicante, 
Dady Downe’s, Gros Colman, &c., that have been brought into the way 
of starting early to insure to them a long season of rest, all painting, 
cleansing, and top-dressing must be brought to a close. If the outside 
borders are not considered satisfactory, lose no time in rectifying errors 
or defects in drainage or compost. Remove the surface soil down to the 
roots, and if these are deep raise them carefully and lay in fresh compost 
nearer the surface. Good turfy loam, with an admixture of old mortar 
rubbish, charred refuse, and crushed bones at the rate of about 20 per 
cent, formed into a border 6 to 8 feet wide and 2 feet deep, resting on a 
bed of drainage 12 to 15 inches deep, with a drain to carry off superfluous 
water, will give much better results than a wider and deeper border of 
indifferent cold material. The chief after-consideration is mulching with 
good manure from early May, and drenchings with tepid water when the 
Vines are in active growth. 
Cucumbers. —Fresh soil appears to'work wonders with’old’plants ; hence 
any that are showing signs of exhaustion should have the old surface soil 
removed, picking it out from amongst the roots without disturbing them 
much, supplying fresh lumpy loam to which has been added a fifth of 
thoroughly decomposed manure, having had it in the house a few days to 
warm previous to placing it about the roots. Water moderately with tepid 
water to settle the compost about the roots. Attend to the removal of 
superfluous and ill-shaped fruit. Tie the young shoots to the trellis and 
avoid overcrowding, stopping about one joint beyond the fruit, or allow 
more extension if there he room. Remove bad leaves as they appear. If 
there be any red spider remove the worst infected leaves and coat the pipes 
thinly with sulphur brought to a thin cream with skim milk, but be careful 
not to overdo it or the fumes of the sulphur will injure the foliage. Main¬ 
tain a bottom heat of 85° or 90°, give air on all favourable occasions with 
care and judgment, and close early, damping the floor so as to cause a 
moist genial condition of the atmosphere. 
Planting .—Young plants raised from seed early in January will now he 
fit to place out. A ridge of soil about 2 feet wide at base and 1 foot at top 
the lengthwise of the bed will he sufficient to plant in, and should be iu 
the house a few days to get warmed through before the plants are put out. 
Press the soil firmly around each plant, placing a stick to each and securing 
to the first wire of the trellis. The heat and moisture are the same as for 
old plants. 
Plants in Pots. —Not having a house suitable for growing plants in 
beds a few good fruits may be had from an ordinary span-roofed plant 
house kept at a stove temperature. Pots 15 to 16 inches in diameter are 
most suitable. Drain well and half fill with a compost of three-parts 
turfy loam and a fourth of well-decayed manure, dry, or at least free from 
worms, and about a sixth of charcoal. Place the plants in the pots, not 
making a hole for the roots, but draw the soil from the sides of the pot up 
round them. A stick can be placed to each and tied to the wires, and 
when the plants reach the wires secure to them and stop the shoots when 
a few inches of growth has been made, training afterwards as space will 
allow. The buds or growths from each leaf should be rubbed off when 
showing up to the height of the trellis, but the leaves may remain for a few 
days later, removing them from the upright stem by degrees as the plants 
elongate and from the base upwards. "When the roots appear on the 
surface add a couple of inches of fresh soil and so on, and when the pots 
are fairly filled with roots give copious supplies of weak liquid manure not 
lower in temperature than that of the house. 
Melons. —The plants that were placed out in hot-water pits, instead of 
shifting them into larger pots, as is a’dvisable when they are intended for 
trellises, are making steady sturdy growth, and to keep them sturdy should 
have a little air in favourable weather. Plants that have been shifted into 
larger pots and grown on until they are a foot to 15 inches high for trans¬ 
ferring to hillocks or ridges in the Melon house, will be ready for putting 
out. Press the soil firm around the roots and endeavour to obtain quick 
thoroughly solidified growth. A top heat of 65° to 70° at night, or 5° less 
on cold nights, 70° to 75° by day, with an advance of 85° or 90° from sun 
heat, admitting a little air on all favourable occasions, and closing the house 
early with a moist genial condition of the atmosphere. Stop the plants 
when they have extended about two-thirds across the trellis, removing 
every alternate lateral on opposite sides of the principal when quite young, 
and all up to the trellis from the base. Sow for succession, keep a sharp 
eye on the lining of dung-heated frames, renewing when needed with 
sweetened material, of which a good stock should be kept by throwing 
into a heap fresh materials at intervals. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Crotons .—Young plants that were rooted in late autumn will now 
need attention, and should he transferred into larger pots without delay. 
Where plants of fair size are appreciated in 7 or 8-inch pots as single 
specimens for room-decoration, select those for this purpose that were the 
leads of plants and well furnished with bold highly coloured foliage to the 
surface of the soil. Many of the narrow-leaved varieties are best for 
room decoration in 5 and 6-inch pots. When good well-developed plants 
are required for this purpose it is essential that the portions selected for 
rooting should be well developed and then rooted without losing their 
leaves. Many Crotons, when large plants are not required for the stove, 
are most desirable, and display to the best advantage their natural character 
when grown on without being stopped. This is not the case with smaller- 
foliaged varieties after the old Croton variegatus type, which should be 
stopped when inserted by removing the centre, and then allow three or 
four shoots to extend to form small bushes. However, plants well coloured 
with a single stem about 1 foot high are valuable for a variety of decorative 
purposes. If large specimen plants are required select dwarf strong 
healthy plants and pinch out their points as soon as the roots are advancing 
in the new compost, which should consist of good loam, a little soot and 
bone meal, with sufficient coarse sand to render the whole porous. If 
practicable plunge in bottom heat for a time after potting. Another batch 
of cuttings should be rooted, cutting down plants that are growing too 
tall for the decoration of the stove or for any purpose for which they 
are required. Use a little lighter compost fdr these—say one-third of 
peat, the soot being dispensed with ; a little sand should be placed in the 
centre of the pot for the base of the cuttings to rest upon. Water after 
insertion, and plunge in bottom heat iu the propagating frame, and keep 
close until rooted. 
Dracaenas .—Heads that were rooted at the same time as the Crotons 
may now be transferred into larger pots, the size of pots depending 
entirely upon the purpose for which the plants are required. Some grand 
plants can be grown in 6-inch pots, the size in which ours are grown for 
room-decoration, while that for the stove will when ready be transferred 
into others 2 or 3 inches larger. SmaU plants that were raised from stems 
and are now well established in 3-inch pots should be transferred into 
others 2 inches larger. Use for a compost two parts fibry loam, one of 
peat, and one of leaves and decayed manure, or better still, old mushroom- 
bed refuse in which leaves has formed a part; a little charcoal may be 
added and sand. Plunge in bottom heat until root-growth commences. 
Plants that have been used and have become unsightly may be. cut up for 
stock. The root portion of the stem will form plants the quickest, and 
are not so liable to decay as the stem; the latter may be used if sufficient 
cannot be obtained from the former. Place them in sandy soil in pans, 
and stand in heat until they commence growing and rooting, when they 
can be potted singly. D. gracilis and D. rutilans are two of the best 
green varieties that can be grown for room-decoration. The last does 
well in a greenhouse temperature. 
Solanums. —It will not be difficult to obtain a number of cuttings from 
the plants in the conservatory, the young newly made wood is the best 
for this purpose when quite soft. If taken and inserted in sandy soil and 
placed in heat in a close frame or in a bellglass they will soon become 
rooted and ready for potting. After the plants are rooted and potted 
singly, treat them liberally until they are bushy, ready for 5 and 6-inch 
pots, and can be placed in cold frames. Plants raised from cuttings are 
preferable to seedlings, as they bear more and finer berries. In order to 
obtain good plants in a season an early start should be made. Old plants 
that have been in the conservatory should be pruned close back, and when 
they have commenced growth reduce the balls by one-half and place them 
again in the same size pots. A good place to start these plants in is an 
early vinery or Peach house. 
Heliotrope .—Insert a batch of cuttings to be grown on for decoration in 
the conservatory. Standards or bushes that flowered during the autumn, 
and have since been resting, may be partially pruned and introduced into 
gentle heat, when they will soon break into growth, and in due time be 
useful again for the conservatory. Young plants struck in autumn.and 
kept in small pots up to the present time may now be placed ^in 5-inch 
pots, and grown on close to the glass in a temperature of 50° to 55° at night. 
After the roots have commenced growing ventilate daily if the weather is 
favourable to maintain a dwarf sturdy growth. Loam, leaf soil, and a little 
decayed manure and sand will suit these plants well. 
Petunias .—A batch of cuttiDgs from old plants kept for the purpose 
should be inserted in sandy soil and placed in heat to succeed those struck 
in autumn and established in 3-inch pots. These should be bushy little 
specimens, and ready if properly attended to for 5-inch pots. The shoots 
may be pinched after the plants have started growth in the pots in which 
they have to flower, until they possess sufficient shoots to form bushy little 
specimens, when they may be allowed to come into flower. Use the same 
compost, and grow them under the same conditions as the Heliotropes.. 
Fuchsias .—Plants that have been at rest should bo started. Give a 
little water at the roots, and place the plants in a temperature of 50 
where they can be syringed two or three times a day. Place young plants 
