June 5,1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
453 
admit air early in ttie day, increasing it with the solar heat, maintaining 
the temperature at 80° to 85° through the day, closing early in the after¬ 
noon with plenty of moisture in the house, and damping the floors and 
borders with guano or liquid manure before nightfall. Fire heat will only 
be necessary to maintain a day temperature of 70° to 75°, and to prevent it 
falling below 65 p at night. Give tepid liquid manure copiously to the 
inside borders, and outside as well if the weather be dry, mulching both 
with short sweetened manure. 
Late Houses ,—The late-keeping Grapes ought to be set by this time, 
and as they swell rapidly at this season the thinning must be attended to 
without delay. Make choice of medium-sized tapering bunches, and thin 
them rather more severely than those not required for hanging through 
the winter. Lady Downe’s, Muscats, and others liable to scald when 
passing through the stoning process must be closely attended to, the best 
preventive being keeping the houses warm at night to prevent conden¬ 
sation of moisture on the berries, and freely ventilating in the early part 
of the day to avoid a sudden rise of temperature. 
Melons .—-Where these are esteemed a good late summer supply can 
be obtained by utilising the pits and frames that have been employed for 
hardening off bedding plants. It is better to make up a slight hotbed ; 
but this is not absolutely essential, as with the frames stood in a warm 
position with a southern exposure, and a barrowful of soil in each light, 
Melons will do capitally. The soil should be strong, and may be made 
porous by adding a fourth or sixth of lime rubbish. Tread firmly and keep 
the frames close for a day or two, so that the sun may warm the soil, 
and insert a strong plant in the centre of each light. Should the weather 
be bright shade for a few days, and beyond giving a good watering when 
planting none will be required for some time ; but the bed and plants will 
need syringing every afternoon on fine days at closing time, or from 
3 to 4 p.m,, and air will need to be given early, or from seven to eight 
o’clock in the morning. The time, however, of giving and taking off the 
air will need to be regulated by the weather. Houses in which the fruits 
are approaching maturity should be ventilated freely, and a rather high 
and dry atmosphere maintained. Attend to stopping, tying, thinning, 
and otherwise regulating the growths in other departments. Impregnate 
the flowers daily, and where the fruit is set use the syringe freely twice 
a day when the weather is bright as a preventive of red spider. 
Cucumbers. —In successional houses, pits, and frames attend re¬ 
gularly and frequently to the stopping, thinning, tying, and regulation 
of the shoots, removing old growths, so as to make place for new, and 
cutting off all superfluous and badly shaped fruit. Maintain a steady 
bottom heat and an equable temperature ; sudden checks whilst the fruit 
is swelling will probably result in deformed, badly swelled, and ill- 
flavoured fruit. Plants that have been in bearing some time should 
have a top-dressing of three parts loam and one of decayed manure, 
giving tepid water, and when the roots are working freely in the fresh soil 
mulch with a couple of inches thickness of well-decomposed manure. 
Thin the shoots well out and encourage fresh growth in their place. 
Syringe twice a day during favourable weather, and close as early as is 
safe in the afternoon, so as to make the most of the sun’s heat. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Fpacrises. —Plants cut back and placed in heat or a close structure 
have started freely into growth, and should be removed into cold frames. 
If left too long in a close atmosphere after they have commenced active 
growth they soon draw up weakly, which is detrimental to their well¬ 
being. After they are first placed in frames they must be carefully and 
gradually prepared for more airy conditions, but this must not be done 
at once or the plants will be checked. Repotting where required must 
be completed, and the plants treated afterwards with care until they are 
rooting freely in the new soil. Those that do not need potting may now 
have an application of artificial manure. These plants must he watered 
with great care, never allowing them to suffer from an insufficient supply, 
or their fine roots will soon be injured. Light shade should be applied 
during bright weather, but only sufficient to break the full force of the 
sun. Syringe the plants twice daily, and close the frame early in the 
afternoon while the sun is upon it. 
Winter-flo7vering Heaths. —The early-flowering varieties will now be 
growing vigorously, and should have abundance of air during the day, 
and when very mild a little may be left on all night. During bright 
weather and drying winds it is much better to keep the frames moderately 
close and shade liberally instead of admitting air. This prevents the 
plants drying too quickly, which soon proves injurious, the foliage turn¬ 
ing brown and falling. These plants must not he crowded together, but 
should have plenty of room to develope. Those rooting freely and 
growing vigorously may have abundance of water from the present time. 
Summer-flowering Heaths ,—These are much better in pits and frames 
if they are not too large for such positions than in warm dry houses. 
They should stand upon some moisture-holding material, and if possible 
should occupy a glass structure with a northern aspect in which the 
atmosphere at this season can be kept more suitable for them. When 
grown in this position less shading is required. If the plants are grown 
in a southern aspect the strong sun only should be screened from them. 
Cinerarias. —The plants from the earliest-sown seed are now in 3-inch 
pots. After potting they should stand upon ashes in a cold frame where 
they will receive abundance of light, and yet be shaded from strong sun. 
Pot these plants from time to time as they require it in good loam, with a 
third of leaf mould and manure, and sufficient sand to make the whole 
porous. Watch for aphides, and if they appear fumigate the plants. 
Water liberally when the plants are growing freely, and give them 
abundance of air. Prick out later seedlings into small pots and 
grow them under cool treatment. Another pinch of seed should be 
sown and the pan stood in a cold frame. 
Cclosias. —The earliest plants are now bearing some fine plumes of 
flowers, and can be removed to the conservatory if wanted there. They 
will scarcely have attained to their full beauty, but are sufficiently 
showy for that structure, but should not be crowded amongst other 
flowering plants, or their full development will be impeded. Succession 
plants will be ready for 6-inch pots—a suitable size for decoration, and 
should be grown under cool treatment. No artificial heat will be needed 
from this date, but the frame or house in which they are grown should 
be closed early in the afternoon when the plants are syringed. Red 
spider is the greatest enemy to these plants, and they must be syringed 
freely. Plants in the seed pan should be placed in small pots when 
large enough, and be brought on gradually. A little more seed can 
be sown to yield a supply of plants for the conservatory from Novem¬ 
ber to the end of January, and another pinch of seed a fortnight later 
for affording plants for growing in small pots. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN AND PLEASURE GROUND. 
Roses. —Where the quality of the blooms is of more importance than 
the quantity, a considerable amount of thinning-out the growths at the 
present time, and the buds later on, is necessary. Every shoot reserved 
should have room to develope, and as a rule the greater portion of the 
inside buds should be rubbed out. The thinning, however, should be 
gradually performed, as if only a few shoots are retained in the first 
instance there will be none to replace any that may be damaged by the 
grubs or caterpillars. Wherever any of the latter are found enrolled in 
the young leaves they must at once be destroyed, or the points of the 
shoots will quickly be eaten. Hand-picking is the best and only sure 
remedy for getting rid of these troublesome pests. Aphides are also 
very prevalent this season, and these also should be destroyed as much 
as possible, nothing being better for the purpose than tobacco water 
freely diluted according to its previously ascertained strength, and 
syringed over the plants occasionally, and preferably in the evenings. 
A decoction made by boiling 1 lb. of quassia chips and 2 lbs. of soft 
soap in a gallon of water for an hour, and then strained off, will also 
be found serviceable for the destruction of both mildew and aphides on 
Roses. This also should be used according to its ascertained strength, 
but as a rule one pint added to four gallons of soft water will usually 
be found strong enough, and it should be frequently syringed over the 
plants. Autumn-struck Roses should not be lifted in any way, but the 
ground about them may well be lightly hoed and a mulching of short 
manure given them. Support the strong young growths forming of 
last season’s buddedJBriars, or a heavy wind will blow them out; also 
keep the shoots on the Briars or stems closely rubbed off, and the 
suckers pulled away. Thin-out the shoots on the Briars to he budded 
this season, leaving two or three, according to the vigour of each, evenly 
disposed near to the height required for the future head. 
Planting Flower Beds .—By the time this is in print bedding-out will 
be considerably advanced in the majority of gardens. Those beds pre¬ 
viously occupied by spring-flowering plants will this season be very dry 
and much impoverished, and unless freely manured will uot suit many 
of the summer occupants. A good soaking of liquid manure will also do 
much good, both before planting and subsequently when the plants 
are well established. We prefer to plant during showery weather, 
but if it is necessary to proceed during very dry hot weather, as at 
present, the surface of the beds are watered a few hours prior to 
planting, this enabling us to thoroughly break-up the soil. The roots 
of all plants, whether in pots or transplanted from frames, should be in 
a moist state when planted, as if dry the greatest difficulty will be 
experienced in moistening them again, and unless this is done the start 
will be very slow. Plant very slightly below the level, well work the 
ti-owel round the roots, and fix them firmly. If a slight basin is formed 
round the stem of each plant they can be kept more easily moistened 
during dry weather, and when the plants are well established the 
surface may be levelled either after a soaking rain or a good watering. 
Where the plants are kept pegged down, and which is necessary if a 
fiat and neat surface of colour is required, they should be planted in a 
sloping direction, this admitting of their being safely and evenly spread 
over the ground. The outer lines or edgings should be first planted, the 
remainder of the beds being afterwards filled in. For long straight 
borders use the garden line, and for the principal circles and lines near 
the edges of beds mark the places for these with either large wooden 
compasses or with the back of a rake, as it is a mistake to attempt to 
plant quickly and neatly without some kind of guide. 
Styles of Planting. —Where there is a large expanse of turf, with 
perhaps heavy backgrounds of trees and shrubs, the beds cannot well 
be made too gay, but a number of beds filled with masses of bright 
colours are by no means suitable for small lighter places. In the former 
case masses of one kind of Pelargoniums, Heliotropes, or Verbenas, 
edged with a broad band of such plants as Lobelias, Ageratum, Pyre- 
thrums, Alyssum, Cineraria maritima, and Ivy-leaf Pelargoniums are the 
most effective. Mixtures are pleasing and appropriate in any garden. 
The centres of large beds filled with a mixture of purple Violas and 
Silver, Golden, or Bronze Pelargoniums ; Silver-variegated Pelargoniums 
and Verbena venosa or V. Purple King ; pink-flowering Pelargoniums 
or Iresine Herbstii and yellow Violas ; white Verbenas or Cineraria 
maritima and Salvia patens ; white or yellow Marguerites and single 
Petunias or seedling Verbenas ; Iresine Lindeni and Gazania splendens ; 
Mrs. Pollock or some other Golden or Silver Tricolor Pelargoniums and 
seedling blue Lobelias ; Tuberous-rooted Begonias and Mesembryan- 
