JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
342 
[ April 28, 1881. 
Other varieties that have their fruit swelling may he supplied with 
liquid manure about twice a week and syringed at closing time. 
Keep the frame well ventilated in favourable weather, and this will 
improve the foliage and the quality of the fruit. When the Figs 
show indications of ripening generally reduce the moisture gradually 
both at the roots and about the house. At this stage keep the house 
freely ventilated, especially when the weather is favourable. The 
night temperature in all but the late houses should now range from 
G0° to G5° at night, and 75° to 80° or 85° from sun heat in the day¬ 
time. Proceed with tying-in the shoots required for extension or 
filling up vacant space, stopping the spurs at the fourth or fifth leaf 
and the laterals on these at the first or second leaf. Keep the borders 
suitably moist, and syringe twice a day to keep down red spider. 
Cherry House .—When the roots of the trees are confined to the 
limits of the house the border should be well soaked with water, and 
if the trees are carrying a heavy crop and are not in a vigorous 
condition weak liquid manure will be beneficial to them. Syringe 
the trees twice a day, and keep the surface of the border constantly 
moist. As soon as the shoots have made four or five joints pinch 
out the points of those intended to form spurs, and carefully tie-in 
those required for the furnishing of the trees. These matters are 
important to secure symmetrical trees. Continue attention to former 
instructions as to temperature and ventilation. 
MUSHROOM BEDS. 
Collect materials for making beds in more open and airy situations 
than the Mushroom house, in which the Mushrooms after May in¬ 
variably become maggotty. Rather less straw litter should be pro¬ 
cured with the crude horse droppings, and after a sufficient quantity 
has been collected proceed to make up the beds, a shed open to the 
north being a suitable position. If materials are scarce, a mixture of 
about one-third leaves or sawdust will afford good results. Beds in 
bearing will need sprinkling daily with lukewarm water, damping 
around them occasionally. Supply beds that are too dry or showing 
signs of exhaustion with liquid manure at a temperature of 90° 
to 100°, and as a safeguard against insects follow in about a week 
with a good surface supply of water at the same temperature, with 
2 ozs. of salt to each gallon. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Stove .—Attention must be given at once to the propagation of 
winter-flowering plants. Cuttings of Begonias should be inserted, 
B. insignis, B. Saundersiana, B. fuchsioides, B. nitida, B. Ingrami, 
and B. semperflorens being useful kinds. When they are rooted 
shift them into larger pots, and grow on during the summer in 
julenty of light. Plumbago coccinea superba cuttings should be 
inserted with a heel, and Luculia gratissima now propagated and 
kept growing on freely during the summer will make useful flowering 
plants for conservatory decoration. Sericographis Ghiesbreghti 
cuttings now inserted in loam with a little leaf soil and sand, and 
grown on, not allowing them to become root-bound until finally 
potted, stopping once or twice to insure bushy growth, will be useful 
plants in autumn. Insert cuttings of Centropogon Lucyanus, and 
when struck grow them in a light position, and not in too much 
heat. Eranthemum pulchellum and Thyrsacanthus rutilans should 
be struck from young growths, and Hebeclinum ianthinum also must 
now be propagated, young shoots striking freely. Cuttings of Scu¬ 
tellaria Mocciniana and S. pulchella now inserted around the sides 
of a 5-inch pot and afterwards shifted into a 7 or 8-inch pot, will 
make a fine display in autumn. Keep them near the glass to render 
the growth sturdy. Aphelandra aurantiaca, A. Roezli, and A. nitens 
are best obtained from seeds, but cuttings strike in moist heat. 
They should have a position near the glass in moderate heat, but 
plenty of moisture. Centradenia rosea and C. floribunda are pretty, 
blooming profusely. Cuttings struck now and grown through the 
summer make useful plants in G to 8-inch pots. Old plants of 
Poinsettias that have been kept dry should now receive water and 
be placed in a genial temperature, having cut them back previously. 
Those intended to furnish several heads of bloom should be cut back 
to about G inches from the base, and placed in a temperature of 60° at 
night in a light position to keep them sturdy. When they have 
started turn them out of the pots, reduce the balls at least half, and pot 
in turfy loam. Plants to furnish cuttings must be near the glass, 
and when the shoots are about 4 inches long take them off with a 
heel, insert singly in sandy soil, and strike in heat, being careful not 
to keep them too moist. Clerodendron fallax and C. fragrans should 
be cut back, and when growing potted in sandy loam. The bright 
colour and grateful fragrance should secure for these a place in every 
stove. Amaryllises that are growing require weak liquid manure. 
Greenhouse .—Solanum Capsicastrum cuttings inserted some time ago 
are now well rooted, and should be placed at once in 4-inch pots, and 
be kept growing in a genial atmosphere for a few weeks. Gradually 
harden them off, shift them into 6-inch pots, and plunge in ashes 
in a sheltered sunny situation ; or in favourable localities they may 
be planted out and lifted in autumn. Old plants should be cut well 
in, and after they have started growing turn them out of the pots, 
removing two-thirds of the old ball, and plant them about 18 inches 
apart on a warm border until autumn, when they may be taken 
up and potted. Hydrangeas now being forced into flower have 
suckers springing from the base, and these inserted in small 
pots and placed in a little heat will root quickly, when they may 
be moved into 4-inch pots and afterwards shifting into G or 7-inch 
pots, and with good management they will flower finely next season. 
Por conservatory decoration there are few finer plants than Cam¬ 
panula pyramidalis, both blue and white varieties. Turfy loam, with 
a fifth of well-decayed manure or leaf soil and a sixth of sand, will 
suit them well. Seeds sown now in a shallow pan in gentle heat will 
produce plants that will flower next year. Humea elegans if encou¬ 
raged with liberal root room is useful for the conservatory. Balsam, 
Cockscomb, and Globe Amaranthus seed should now be sown, and 
the plants obtained will come into flower at a very acceptable time. 
NOTES ON VILLA AND SUBURBAN GARDENING. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
The season is very late, and those who have sown and planted at 
the usual time have little to congratulate themselves upon. The 
summer will be here before we are prepared for it, and for this 
reason several important operations ought now to have been com¬ 
pleted. The present is a good time to sow the main crop of Beet; 
as if sown earlier in many gardens it is liable to grow much too 
coarsely. A somewhat light soil, manured for the previous crop and 
deeply dug, is suitable. Sow the seed thinly in drills 15 inches apart. 
The same remarks are applicable to the main crop of Carrots. To 
maintain an unbroken supply sow Lettuce and Radishes in small 
quantities fortnightly in preference to larger sowings at wider in¬ 
tervals of time. Peas and Spinach should be again sown when those 
last sown are appearing through the surface. Suitable varieties of 
the former are Alpha, Hairs’ Dwarf Mammoth, Kelson’s Yanguard, 
and Laxton’s Supreme, second earlies ; and Dr. McLean, G. P. Wilson, 
and James’ Prolific to succeed these. Of taller varieties Telegraph, 
Telephone, Champion of England or Huntingdonian, and Eortyfold. 
Suttons’ Duchess of Edinburgh is also good for this sowing. Earth 
up those advancing, and place stakes to them before much growth is 
made. 
When planting Cauliflowers, either autumn or spring sown, it is a 
good plan to distribute them in batches in order to lengthen the dura¬ 
tion of the crop. Some of the strongest should be placed on a south 
or west border, others in an open warm position, and the remainder 
in the coolest part of the garden. Deeply dug and freshly manured 
land suits them, and they should be firmly planted with a trowel, or 
otherwise some of them will form heads prematurely. Large heads 
are not the best, and it will be found most profitable to dispose the 
plants rather thickly, says in rows 2 feet apart, and from 15 to 
18 inches asunder in the rows. 
If no Kidney Beans are sown it is advisable to raise a few plants in 
heat and transplant them to a warm border. A very profitable 
variety is Osborns’ Forcing ; 3-inch pots and any common soil may 
be used, with a little rough manure for drainage. Place two seeds in 
each pot, and the young plants should be hardened off and placed 
out quickly. Fifty plants will give several acceptable dishes. On a 
warm border sow seeds of Osborns’ Forcing and Canadian Wonder or 
other main crop variety, the former in rows 18 inches apart and the 
