JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
January 19, 1882. ] 
59 
its quality is often deteriorated through insufficient ventilation. Pits 
with moveable lights are most suitable, and the latter should always 
be kept off whenever the outside temperature is 50°, and to obtain 
good heads from December to March fermenting beds at from 70° 
to 80 9 are most suitable, with the means to afford artificial heat 
when needed to maintain a suitable top heat and for ventilating 
purposes. Introduce more roots of Seakale and Rhubarb to the 
Mushroom house or where it is forced ; and to secure a full supply 
of the former in the spring cover the stool3 with pots and those 
with long litter, so as to exclude light. If wanted early cover with 
fermenting materials, so as to raise a mild heat around the pots. 
Seakale forced in this way will at this season be more tender than 
that in a Mushroom house, whilst that allowed to come in naturally 
will be very much the finest. Railing pots any loose material will 
answer for blanching, such as cocoa refuse, placing it on about 9 inches 
thick, ashes and sawdust with spent tan being also good. As soon 
as Radishes appear, and until rough leaves are formed, the frames 
must be well ventilated, for if the Radishes become drawn they are 
of no use. Early Carrots will need similar attention, and slugs must 
be destroyed, for they are very destructive to young Carrots. 
Potatoes in pits and frames must be well ventilated in favourable 
weather, earthed and attended to in supplying tepid water when 
necessary early on fine days. Continue to make beds and plant 
Potatoes in proportion to the probable demand, also preparing beds 
for Radishes and Carrots. If there is likely to be a scarcity of 
Lettuces in the spring a bed must now be prepared, about 2 feet in 
height, of three parts leaves to one of stable litter ; place on it a 
two-light frame, and when the bed is warm level the surface, and put 
in 4 to 6 inches depth of rich light soil. When this is warmed 
through sow the seed in drills G inches apart, ventilating freely as 
soon as the plants appear, and thin them to 3 inches apart, ulti¬ 
mately lifting every alternate plant when the weather is sufficiently 
advanced in spring, and plant on a warm border, and they will afford 
a succession to those from the frame. Early Paris Market is a very 
early-hearting variety, and best for this purpose. If Cauliflower 
seed was not sown in autumn in frames or under handlights, and yet 
an early supply of heads is desired, a sowing may now be made in a 
frame over a hotbed prepared as for the Lettuce, pricking the plants 
off when sufficiently advanced in cold frames, or, what is better, pot 
them singly in 3-inch pots and grow them in cold frames until April, 
when they may be planted-out in a sheltered position. Such varieties 
as Yeitch’s Early Porcing being planted 12 to 15 inches distance 
apart, at which they afford heads large enough for table, and quite 
as early as ordinary kinds, such as Early London or Walcheren sown 
in August and wintered under handlights. Other kinds may be 
treated similarly for succession to Early Forcing. Mint may now be 
taken up and placed in pots or boxes in a warm house, also roots of 
Tarragon, making sowings of Mustard and Cress once or twice a 
week. 
MUSHROOM HOUSE. 
Early beds which have produced abundantly are now becoming 
exhausted, and may, if the drainage is good and the materials not 
too much decomposed, be renewed by giving a good soaking with 
water at a temperature of 100°, and to which has been added a quart 
of salt to every twelve gallons of water and well stirred, and if the 
temperature of the house can be kept at 75° it will aid the beds. If 
the materials forming the beds are much decomposed they should be 
cleared out and fresh employed. Beds in bearing may be sprinkled 
frequently with tepid water, being careful not to make it too wet. 
Beds beginning to bear will need a very careful watering, especially 
those formed of moist close material at the commencement, and not 
near flues or hot-water pipes ; but beds formed of light somewhat 
dry materials, or are immediately over hot-water pipes, and are in no 
danger of becoming too wet, will require watering frequently and 
freely. When in bearing ventilation is required daily for an hour or 
two. 
FRUIT HOUSES. 
Peaches and Nectarines .—The trees in the house started at the 
beginning of December are now in full blossom and will need 
artificial impregnation, which must be attended to daily so as to make 
sure of a good set, nothing contributing more to this than a well- 
ventilated but not dry atmosphere. In fine weather the borders 
should be sprinkled in the morning and early afternoon, having the 
ventilators open constantly to prevent a close stagnant atmosphere. 
The temperature must be continued at 50° to 55° at night, and G0° to 
G5° in the daytime from sun heat. Disbudding will need attention, 
but it must be done very carefully, removing a few shoots daily, and 
commencing early. A shoot will need to be reserved of the current 
year’s bearing wood for next season’s fruiting, displacing that of the 
present year after the fruit is gathered, and a shoot must be retained 
on a level with or above the fruit, which may be stopped at the first 
two or three leaves. Proper provision must in disbudding be made 
for extension and filling vacant space, the extension being 15 to 18 
inches apart, and the shoots originated for bearing a similar distance 
upon the upper side of the branches. 
The trees started at the beginning of the month have flowers open¬ 
ing and syringing must be discontinued, but the borders will need 
damping morning and afternoon, having a little ventilation at the top 
of the house constantly. The temperature will require to be raised 
to 50° at night and 55° by day, ventilating freely at and above that 
temperature. The trees usually started at the beginning of next 
month have the buds swelling fast, and will need free ventilation so 
as to retard the flowering, instead of, as usual, closing the house about 
this time preparatory to the application of fire heat early in February. 
The trees this season will be in flower by that time if the present 
weather continue, and must not then be retarded, but assisted with 
fire heat if necessary to secure a minimum temperature of 50 Q by day 
and 40° to 45° at night. This will be necessary to secure a good set, 
and whatever is considered disadvantageous in having them too for¬ 
ward may be counteracted by allowing more time during the swelling 
and stoning periods. Complete the pruning and dressing of trees in 
late houses, ventilating freely to retard the flowering, and see that 
there is no deficiency of moisture in borders. 
FLOWER GARDEN. 
Beds or borders not occupied with shrubs or spring-flowering plants 
ought to be trenched or dug at once; and to those intended for such 
plants as Calceolarias, Pansies, Yiolas, Yerbenas, Alternantheras, 
Iresines, Coleuses, Cannas, Wigandias, and all subtropical plants add 
a liberal dressing of manure, and trench as deeply as the soil permits. 
Beds intended for Pelargoniums, Tropseolums, and Lobelias will be 
better without the manure unless the soil is very poor, but will be the 
better for being deeply dug or trenched, whilst ground intended for 
Hollyhocks and Dahlias can hardly be too liberally manured or too 
deeply stirred. All arrangements for next summer’s display should be 
completed as soon as possible. Stock plants of Verbenas, Petunias, and 
Ageratums should be placed in heat so as to afford cuttings early. 
Alternantheras, Coleuses, and Iresines must have a*mean temperature 
of 65°, and they will then afford a plentiful supply of cuttings. The 
Alternantheras strike freely in boxes in equal parts of loam, peat, and 
leaf soil, the boxes being about 5 inches deep, and filled to within an 
inch of the rim with the compost, a piece of glass being placed over 
the cuttings, and the boxes placed over the hot-water pipes in vineries. 
In order to secure good plants at planting time, seeds of Cannas^ 
Acacia lophantha, Ricinus, Solanums, Wigandias, Nicotianas, Chamrn- 
peuce diacantha, Centaureas, Ferdinandias, and Melianthus must be 
sown in heat, and the plants produced grown near the glass. Stock 
roots of Dahlias, and Salvia patens can be placed in heat now, and 
cuttings taken when a couple of inches long, inserting them in thumb 
pots, they will strike freely in a bottom heat of 75°. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Orchids .—Many of the Yandas as well as Saccolabium retusum 
are now showing flowers, and cockroaches, being very fond of the 
spikes, poison should be employed for their destruction : employ 
Potatoes cut in halves and hollo wed-out to trap woodlice. Phalm- 
nopses on blocks require frequent syringing ; those growing in baskets 
must be examined every morning, and have the moss kept damp. 
Water should be poured on the floor and benches of the East Indian 
house every morning, but guard against superabundant moisture. 
Plants of Calanthe vestita and C. Yeitchii that have ceased flowering 
should be kept dry until they again commence growth, and many 
of the plants that have been at rest some time will soon start again 
