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[ November 15, 1883. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
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WORK. F0I l THE WEEK.. wt 
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HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 
Supplementary Fruit Luts. —In the lists of fruit given in the last 
two calendars for large and small gardens and for market, especial care 
was taken to give only sorts suitable for the ordinary fruit-grower ; we 
now add lists of certain sorts of Pears and Apples which we have proved 
to possess such high merit that the connoisseur may well try to afford 
space for them. It cannot, however, be said that all the Pears will be 
found alike excellent, for they are much affected by soil and situation. 
None of them should be condemned at the first trial, for a good Pear is 
often an outcome of a season of favourable weather as well as of age in 
the tree. Try if possible to afford space for one or two cordons of each 
of them against a wall or building ; 18 inches apart is the best distance 
for single cordons, so that a considerable number of them may be 
planted in a comparatively confined space, and wall cordons once brought 
into fruiting rarely fail of a crop afterwards. 
Pears.— Doyennd Defaise, Red Doyenne, Duchesse d’Orleans, Passe 
Colmar, Deux Sceurs, D6sir6 Cornelis, Napoleon, Dr. Trousseau, Gansel’s 
Bergamot, Duchesse de Mars, Alexander Bivort, Bergamotte Esperen. 
BeunA d’Anjou, General Todtleben, Emile d’Heyst, Durondeau, BeunA 
de Jonghe, Huyshe’s Prince Consort, Huyshe’s Prince of Wales, Pit- 
maston Duchess, and Beurr6 d’Aremberg. 
Apples .—Coe’s Golden Drop, Pearson’s Plate, Beautv of Kent, Bra¬ 
bant Bellefleur, Lord Burghley, Reinette de Canada, Golden Pippin, 
Cockle’s Pippin, Reinette Van Mons, Ross Nonpareil, Bess Pool, Scarlet 
Nonpareil, Barcelona Pearmain, Lodgemore Nonpareil, Ashmead’s 
Kernel, Mannington’s PearmaiD, Pomme d’Api, Cobham, M6re de 
Menage, Golden Reinette. 
Planting Bush Fruits.— Distance apartBlack Currants, 6 feet; 
Red and White Currants and Gooseberries, 5 feet ; Raspberries, 15 inches 
in the row and 5 feet between the rows. Soil, a deep, rich loam, well 
drained, and when this can be had careful planting is all that is necessary 
But in thin poor soil recourse must be had to special treatment, or 
failure will be inevitable ; with a command of ample materials trenches 
2 feet wide and 18 inches deep should be made and filled with top- 
spit soil thoroughly enriched with old decayed manure, and a liberal 
mixture of mortar rubbish or coal ashes, taking care to raise the surface 
sufficiently to allow for its gradual subsidence to the common level. 
Failing the requisite material for trenches the next best thing is to dig 
in a heavy dressing of manure, to plant the bushes, and at once mulch 
with manure and subsequently to apply a surface dressing 3 or 
4 inches of manure, by means of which the bushes may be kept in a 
healthy fruitful condition, but without it they will soon deteriorate and 
die. Shorten Raspberry canes to 18 inches, and prune the Gooseberries 
and Currants sufficiently close to obtain abundant growth for main 
branches. Never plant Black Currants with stems, but let the branches 
spring direct from the ground. 
FRUIT-FORCING. 
Figs.— Early-forced Pot Trees.— The house containing the trees to 
give ripe fruit at the close of April or early in May should now be closed. 
The pots, it is presumed, have been placed on pedestals of open brick¬ 
work, to bring the plants up to the light and prevent the pots sinking 
with the fermenting material, of which some thoroughly sweetened 
fermenting Oak or Beech leaves should be introduced, placing them 
loosely at the beginning round the pots, as only gentle excitement at the 
roots must be given at first, the heat not being allowed to exceed 70° 
or 75°. Syringe the trees and walls every morning and again in the 
afternoon, but not later than 2 p.m., as it is important the trees become 
fairly dry before night. In dull, wet, and cold weather syringing will 
hardly be necessary—the afternoon syringing in such weather should 
certainly be dispensed with. Apply tepid water to the roots at frequent 
intervals until every portion of the soil is well moistened. The tempera¬ 
ture to commence with should be 50° minimum at night and 5° to 10° 
more by day in mild weather ; but avoid a close vitiated atmosphere, 
ventilating a little at 55°, which should be the maximum from fire heat 
in the daytime in cold dull weather, and 65° from sun heat, closing the 
house when the heat from solar influences begins to decline. Undue 
haste in the early stages of forcing causes much and often irreparable 
mischief. The glass should be kept clean, and clear of condensed 
moisture by the admission of a little air in mild weather. 
Earliest-forced Trees. —The house should be closed by the early part 
of December if ripe fruit is to be gathered from the trees early in May, 
therefore anything that requires to be done in respect of cleansing the 
house, and dressing the trees, and securing them to the trellis must be 
completed at once.. Examine the borders, and if found very dry give 
a slight mulching with short manure, and afterwards water with that a 
few degrees warmer than that of the house, repeating at intervals until 
the whole mass of soil is rendered thoroughly moist. 
Young Trees for Forcing next Season.— Young ‘plants ought now to 
be shaken out and repotted. To prepare them for forcing they should 
be grown on with the forced plants, so that they make an early growth 
and have time to rest after they have matured their growth. Brown 
Turkey, Negro Largo, and White Marseilles are fine varieties for early 
forcing, having large well-flavoured fruit. 
Vines. — Early Vines in Pots. —These are now moving freely, and will 
need to be disbudded when more than one shoot start from an eye or 
joint, leaving the strongest and most promising ; and it is advisable to leave 
more shoots than will be allowed to carry fruit, as these aid in maintain¬ 
ing a good root-action, consequently a supply of nutriment is maintained 
in the canes for the bunches to draw upon as occasion demands. Six to 
eight bunches are mostly sufficient for a Vine in a pot to carry, but 
everything depends on the strength of the canes and the means of sup¬ 
port. Those numbers are quite sufficient for a Vine with the roots con¬ 
fined to the pot, but where the roots are allowed the run of a bed of 
fermenting materials we have seen a dozen bunches brought to much 
finer size of berry and finish. With the shoots about an inch long the 
temperature should be increased to 60° at night, or 5° more in mild 
weather, and 65° by day, advancing 5° to 10° from sun heat. Ventilate 
from 70°, and close at 75° when the sun heat begins to decline. Syringe 
morning and afternoon, but in dull weather the afternoon syringing 
should be omitted, especially where there is the advantage of a ferment¬ 
ing bed, the materials of which should be added to and turned over so as 
to keep the heat steady at 70° to 75°. Water as necessary with tepid 
water. Secure the canes in position after they have broken well 
throughout. 
Late Grapes. —Those that were forwarded by a judicious application 
of fire heat in spring are quite promising as to keeping, being fresh and 
plump, and, the foliage having fallen, the most critical stage in the treat¬ 
ment of late Grapes has passed. We allude, of course, to Grapes that 
have been ripened by the end of September under conditions so frequently 
advised in these columns. One of the most fatal mistakes with late 
Grapes, or those for spring use, is that they should be allowed to come on 
naturally and ripen their fruit some time before Christmas, or with fire 
heat in the dull autumn months. The wood in this case never ripens 
perfectly, and the bunches are loose and wanting in berries; the foliage 
hangs until December, and generally ripened off by cold, and if the 
berries escape damp they shrivel when the foliage is gone or the fruit is 
removed to the Grape-room, which becomes a very important compart¬ 
ment, especially where late vineries have to be occupied with plants. In 
the Grape-room cleanliness and perfect ventilation are essential, as too 
dry an atmosphere is quite as fatal to the Grapes keeping as a stagnant 
moist atmosphere. Grapes keep best in a room having thick dry walls, 
and therefore not subject to sudden fluctuations in temperature, hollow 
walls being unquestionably the best, and with sufficient heating power to 
expel damp, or not allowing the temperature to fall below 45° in the 
severest weather. The house should be thoroughly cleansed and white¬ 
washed ; the bottles also must be clean and filled with clear rain water, 
adding a small lump of charcoal to each, and placing in the racks ready 
for use. The Grapes should be cut on a dry day, and no portion of the 
wood above the bunches should be cut, or if it be cut must be dressed 
with styptic to prevent the escape of moisture from the wood. The 
Vines may then be pruned, and a long season of rest will then be secured 
to them. Any additions to the inside borders should have immediate 
attention, and surface-dress them after removing the loose inert surface 
soil, giving, if the border be dry, a good watering prior to the top¬ 
dressing of turf, crushed bones and charred refuse. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
French and Fancy Pelargoniums. —Every attention must be paid to 
these plants, especially the early batch, for if kept in a close atmosphere 
they will soon draw up weakly and their foliage become spotted. They 
must be kept close to the glass and in a temperature that, will not fall 
below 4o° at night, and every favourable opportunity they should have air 
admitted to them freely. No attempt must be made to push them forward 
now the days are short and sunless, but, on the contrary, keep them 
moving slowly, so that the growth they make will be dwarf and sturdy, 
which early in the season will be capable of supplying abundance of 
bloom. Watering must be done carefully and judiciously, only giving 
sufficient to keep their roots in an active healthy condition. After 
watering, if the day is fine apply a little fire heat for the purpose of 
expelling the damp. 
Chrysanthemums. —These plants are early this year, and where they 
have been disbudded they will be unfolding their blooms rapidly. These 
large blooms are very liable to damp during dull sunless weather, and the 
only means of prevention is the application of heat and abundance of air. 
The flowers will need daily inspection during such weather, and any 
petals that show signs of damping must be instantly removed, or a number 
will soon suffer and the flower in a few days will be spoiled. There is not 
so much fear of flowers of a smaller size suffering from this cause. The 
late batches now they are indoors must be watched, and if mildew appear, 
which it is very likely to do, it must be destroyed at once, for if allowed 
to spread the foliage will be injured. For this purpose use a solution of soft 
soap and water, in which a little sulphur has been mixed, lay the 
plants down and give them a good washing, and after the mildew has 
been destroyed wash off the remains of the sulphur with clear water. Do 
not neglect supplying the late batches that have only just formed their 
buds, for in this stage they require liberal feeding if the best results are 
expected. Ventilate freely day and night while the weather is mild, and 
only close the ventilators in stormy weather and on frosty nights. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN AND PLEASURE GROUND. 
Gladioli. —Unless frosts intervene the foliage of most of these will 
remain green till near the end of the month, when they may te lifted 
