October 18 1883. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
343 
plants the outside should be beaten firmly and be made quite perpen¬ 
dicular, so as to throw of! the rain. 
Young Cabbages. —Snails and caterpillars may have eaten some of 
these in the quarters lately planted, and the blanks should be filled at 
once, that the plants may become established before winter. 
Kidney Beans. —Under ordinary culture these are almost over, but 
dwarf varieties still fresh and green may have their period of usefulness 
prolonged by covering them with frames or other protectors. Late plants 
grown in frames should have air admitted to them every fine day, and 
superfluous damp should never be allowed to collect about them, as this 
will make the tender young fruit decay, and it will also prevent the fruit 
forming. A large batch of Osborn’s Forcing variety should be sown in 
pots now to bear fruit about Christmas. We like to put six or eight seeds 
into a 3-inch pot, grow them in these until the plants are 4 inches high, 
and then place them in 8-inch pots. Other persons grow them satisfac¬ 
torily without repotting. Good soil and not less than a temperature of 
65° is necessary to do them properly. 
Winter Cucumbers. —These should now be strong and healthy, and 
capable of bearing fruit from November onwards. Keep the shoots well 
thinned out. Never allow the leaves to become dirty. Insects should 
never obtain a footing at this season. When they do it is most difficult 
to eradicate them, as the plants have not the same vigour to resist them 
as they have in spring or summer. Syringe on fine days, and any leaves 
on which there are insects should be sponged. Where the young fruits 
are coming in clusters nip them all off but one, as this will be quite 
enough at each joint now. The temperature at the top and bottom should 
not be lower than 65° or higher than 75°. 
FRUIT-FORCING. 
Peaches and Nectarines.— Early House. —If the trees in the 
earliest house have not been pruned no time should be lost in finishing 
this operation, in order that the wood may be properly cleansed and 
dressed. The trellises and woodwork should also be washed and painted 
if necessary, and when these operations are completed tie the trees care¬ 
fully to the trellises. Protect the outside borders with a layer of dry 
fern to throw off the wet, having all ready for forcing when the time 
arrives. 
Second and Midseason Houses. —The trees in the house that ripened 
their fruit in June have shed their leaves, and should now be pruned ; 
but if disbudding, thinning the growths where too crowded, and cutting 
out the bearing wood of the current year as soon as the fruits were 
gathered, was attended to very little pruning will now be necessary, as 
the shoots will have ripened to their extremities. If, however, there be 
too much wood thin out the weak, and only cut back any shoots that 
have sappy growth, removing also weakly attenuated shoots intended for 
next year’s bearing that have only single bloom buds to firm wood with 
triple buds, making sure that the pruning eye or joint has a wood bud. 
The house and trees should then be thoroughly cleansed, and the whole 
put into thorough-going order ready for a fresh start. The trees in mid¬ 
season houses will be parting with the foliage, and should be assisted by 
brushing them with a light broom. If any rooting or lifting is contem¬ 
plated it should be performed whilst the leaves are upon the trees, as it 
is important that root-action be encouraged immediately following the 
.operation. 
Late Houses. —The trees in these will be ripening the wood and 
plumping the buds. They must not lack water at the roots, and should 
have plenty of air. When the wood is firm root-pruniDg or lifting when 
necessary should be performed. Young trees that make vigorous growth 
and show a proneness to late growth should have a trench taken out 
about 3 feet from the stem and as deeply as the roots, and cut off all out¬ 
side the radius, leaving the trench open for ten days or a fortnight, when 
it may be again filled up firmly, the surface soil being removed down to 
the roots and fresh material replaced and made firm, a good watering 
being given, and mulch the surface with short manure. 
Weakly Trees. —Trees that have made weakly growth in consequence 
of heavy cropping may be induced to break strongly another season by 
Laving two or three good waterings with liquid manure, which should be 
applied after the removal of the mulching and hard surface soil down to 
the roots, afterwards top-dressing with about 3 inches of good loam from 
an old pasture, adding a little charred refuse and old mortar rubbish, not 
adding any manure except as a mulch to the surface. Pruning in the 
case of weakly trees may be more severe than when the trees have made 
vigorous growth ; but the best time to do this, or rather thinning out the 
past year’s wood, is immediately after the crop has been gathered, in 
order that there may be the free action of light and air on the young 
growth to ripen it and perfect the buds for next year’s crop. 
Pruning Young Trees. —Trees that are young and extending should 
only have the wood thinned out where too crowded, and should only have 
the growths cut back to originate shoots for filling the vacant space with 
regularity, and any shoots not ripened to their points may also be cut 
back to firm wood ; but where gross shoots have been stopped during the 
season of growth little shortening-back or pruning will now be necessary. 
The planting season having again come round we may give a selection 
of varieties, of which many of the recent introductions have size, and in 
•some instance colour, to recommend them; but it must be said of the 
majority that they are deficient in quality as compared with the older 
sorts. Early Peaches:—Alexander, Hale’s Early, Large Early Mignonne, 
A Bee, Dr. Hogg, and Crimson Galande. Midseason :—Grosse Mig¬ 
nonne, Alexandra (Noblesse), Royal George, Belle Beauce, Yiolette 
JIative, Dymond, and Bellegarde. Late varieties :—Stirling Castle, 
Harrington, Late Admirable, Nectarine Peach, and Prince of Wales. 
Nectarines :—Advance, Lord Napier, Hunt’s Tawny, Elruge, Yiolette 
Hative, Pitmaston Orange, Pine Apple, Humboldt, and Victoria are 
good. 
Cherry House. —The lights having been removed as advised some 
time back they should be replaced before severe weather ; but before 
doing so it wi'l be well to have the rafters well scrubbed down with sof‘ - 
soap and water, and the house thoroughly cleansed ; the remaining 
foliage ought also to be removed, and the trees dressed with an insecti¬ 
cide. The house should be kept well ventilated, except when frost 
prevails, so as to keep it as cool as possible. If planting fresh trees is 
contemplated the needful compost should be prepared, so that the work 
may be expeditiously performed when the trees from outdoors are fit to 
remove, as they are when the leaves have generally begun falling. The 
top spit of a pasture where the soil is a medium-textured loam, with a 
sixth of road scrapings, is the most suitable compost. Trees that have 
been trained to walls for two or three years are best. In the matter of 
varieties, Black Tartarian, May Duke, Elton, and Governor Wood are 
suitable. 
Melons. —The latest crops are now ripening, and should have a 
somewhat high temperature and dry airy atmosphere, or they will not 
ripen well or be of good quality. By artificial means a day temperature 
of 70° to 75° should be maintained in dull weather, with 10° to 15° rise 
on clear days, and 65° to 70° at night, having a little ventilation con¬ 
stantly. Water will only be required at the roots to prevent flagging. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Eucharis amazonica .—Where these plants are grown largely for 
flowering during the winter months, and have been treated liberally 
through the summer without allowing them to flower, they should now 
be in the best condition. Those that have fully matured their growth 
should have less water at the roots and then removed for two or three 
weeks into a temperature of 50°. Cold draughts must be avoided, and 
the plants must only have sufficient water to prevent the foliage flagging. 
They must also be watered very carefully after they are again brought 
into warm quarters. After a short rest the plants will quickly produce 
their flower spikes. If the plants rested are in small pots and full of roots 
feed them liberally after their spikes are visible. By resting a few well- 
grown plants at different times or at intervals of a few weeks, a valuable 
supply of blooms will be maintained. With plenty of plants in small 
pots and the resting properly carried out, it is by no means difficult to 
have flowers during the whole winter. E. Candida is worth growing 
because it can be flowered in very small pots, and on this account is 
valuable for room-decoration ; its flowers, which are much smaller than 
those of E. amazonica, and will be found invaluable for bouquet¬ 
making. 
Taber ncemontanas. —The varieties of this useful plant are producing 
their double white flowers nearly the whole year round. T. coronaria 
fl.-pl. is more adapted for spring and early summer flowering, while T. 
camassa produced its flowers in greatest abundance about August. This 
has been the character of our large plants, and in order, if possible, to 
induce the first-named variety to flower during the winter we cut it hard 
back, and after it had commenced growth we pushed it on rapidly, 
until a few weeks ago it was placed under a little cooler treatment. It is 
again in brisk heat, and has commenced showing a fair number of flower 
buds. Hard cutting-back appears to suit them well, for our plants have 
made remarkable growth, and we intend to subject them to the cutting- 
back system annually, especially so if we can make them flower during 
the dullest months of the year by so doing. 
Gardenias. —Where a few old plants were retained and pushed on 
rapidly to make their growth early in the season, and then sub¬ 
jected to a little cooler treatment, will have, if in any way confined at 
their roots, abundance of flower buds in various stages of development. 
These will come forward rapidly if placed in brisk moist heat, especially 
if they can be accommodated with a little bottom heat. When introducing 
them give the plants a little Standen’s or Crown Manure, both of them 
being very good for these plants, as the young growing fibry roots soon 
show on the surface. We have great faith in the application of the 
manures named, to be applied to the surface of the soil, and the feeding 
with guano and other stimulants through the water pot that has been in 
practice so long will soon be obsolete with us, for more harm than good 
often results from this kind of feeding, especially when the work is left 
to inexperienced hands. 
Ferns. —Those that are grown for cutting, whatever the varieties may 
be. must have light positions, and where the temperature is not too high 
and air can be freely admitted when favourable. These conditions must 
be strictly observed if the fronds are expected to last long after they are 
cut. These plants are not unfrequently, when grown for these purposes, 
kept too moist, too much shaded, and too high a temperature. Fronds 
cut from plants grown under such conditions are almost useless, and often 
shrivel before they can be arranged in the vases. Plants that have been 
subject to such conditions may yet be wonderfully improved if they are 
shifted into another position and the conditions named above carefully 
carried out. These plants must not suffer from having insufficient water, 
and feeding must be resorted to if the plants are thoroughly root-bound. 
Narcissus and Roman Hyacinths. —If these plants were potted when 
advised they will be taken from the plunging material and at the present 
time be in frames. At first light must be admitted to them gradually, or 
else their foliage will be injured. As soon as the foliage is green they 
may, if wanted in bloom as early as possible, be placed in a temperature 
of 55° at first, and then 60° after they have commenced growing. Keep 
