252 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ September 16,1881. 
ing of the joung wood and spurs. Autumnal Raspberries will soon 
be ripening, and will require, where birds abound, the protection of 
nets. This crop is a valuable one, but is not so much cultivated as 
it deserves. All that is needed is an open situation with liberally 
enriched soil; and as soon as the crop is over the canes should all be 
cut off close to the surface, selecting in spring about half a dozen of 
the strongest canes to each stool, pulling up or cutting off all that 
are weak or superfluous. Recently made plantations of Strawberries 
should be kept free from runners and weeds ; and those formed of 
plants which have been forced will probably have set their fruit for 
an autumnal crop ; indeed we have now very fair fruit of Yicomtesse 
Hericart de Thury and Pioneer from plants that fruited in April. 
They will need protection from birds, with a mulch of some clean 
material. 
STRAWBERRIES IN POTS. 
Some of the plants that fruited last April or early May were re¬ 
served and partially shaken out and potted or surface-dressed. They 
were then placed on the north side of a wall until re-established,being 
afterwards transferred to an open situation and well supplied with 
water and liquid manure. They have now set a plentiful crop of fruit, 
and when this is swelling they can be placed in a pit or other light 
well-ventilated structure, with a temperature of 50° to 55°, and 10° to 
15° rise from sun heat by day. The fruit will swell to a good size 
and be of fair flavour ; indeed they are much appreciated where there 
is not much variety in fruits for dessert in October and November. 
Yicomtesse Hericart de Thury is one of the best for this purpose, also 
Sir Harry and Pioneer. Later batches for autumn fruiting may be 
continued out of doors until frost, when they may be placed in cold 
pits and transferred to the houses in October and November, so as to 
afford ripe fruit in November and December. Runners layered in 
the fruiting pots some time ago should be kept free from runners 
and weeds, and be well supplied with water and liquid manure to 
encourage vigorous growth, affording them plenty of room. 
FRUIT HOUSES. 
Vines. — The earliest-forced Yines must now be pruned, it not 
being necessary to wait until all the foliage is down, for if the 
wood be brown and hard and the leaves are turning yellow early 
rest will be induced by the pruning. Both the house and Yines 
should be given a thorough cleansing ; the woodwork being brushed 
with soap and water, and the glass thoroughly cleansed both 
inside and out with water. If necessary the house should be painted. 
The loose baik can be removed from the canes, and then wash them 
with a brush and tepid w T ater, and dress them with an insecticide. 
Remove the loose surface soil from the border, and supply good loam 
with about a fortieth part of bone dust and a similar proportion of 
wood ashes. Any Yines in an unsatisfactory condition should be 
partially lifted, carefully laying in the roots near the surface in fresh 
compost, but this process is best done whilst the Yines are in leaf. 
After pruning keep the house cool, closing only when there is likely 
to be frost. Yines in pots to be started in November should now be 
fully ripe, pruned, and at rest. Owing to the wounds on young Vines 
not healing quickly they should be dressed with styptic or patent 
knotting; keep them comparatively dry at the roots, but excessive 
dryness must be guarded against, as that would prove injurious 
through causing the fibres to perish. Later batches of Vines can, as 
soon as the wood is mature, be placed outdoors to ripen, having the 
canes secured to a wall or fence to prevent injury by wind. Young Yines 
that have made a strong growth take a long time to ripen properly, 
and should be assisted with a little fire heat accompanied with con¬ 
stant ventilation, continuing this until the wood is brown and hard. 
Late Grapes not yet ripe require extra heat, 70° at night and 80° to 
85° by day, accompanied with free ventilation. If the roots of late 
Yines are in outside borders it will soon be necessary to protect them 
from heavy rains by means of shutters, tarpauling, or straw. The 
Grapes keep much better when the roots are not chilled by the 
autumn rains. When the Vines are planted inside it will only be 
necessary to guard against excessive moisture in the border, such as 
will cause mischief by its evaporation, which may be prevented by 
covering thinly with clean straw or a double thickness of mats ; the 
covering also prevents the soil cracking. 
Peaches and Nectarines .—Late kinds have the fruit swelling and 
ripening fast, and the house should be freely ventilated day and 
night; if the weather be cold and wet a little heat by day will 
accelerate the ripening process and improve the quality, for late 
Peaches from being long in ripening through cold are very often 
poor in flavour though of good appearance, which causes them to be 
in ill repute, but when well ripened they, like some late Grapes, are 
very different. As the fruit is gathered in the latest houses cut out 
the wood that has borne fruit this season, not being extensions, and 
if necessary thin the wood well out so as to admit of the foliage and 
young wood having full exposure. In the case of trees having strong 
wood and green a little fire heat will be necessary to ripen it properly, 
with a somewhat drier condition at the roots than is advisable for 
trees in a less vigorous condition. Trees that ripened their fruit 
in July now have the wood matured, and should where prac¬ 
ticable have the roof lights removed ; this will tend to prevent the 
premature development of the buds to which trees long subjected 
to forcing are prone. Occasional syringings will be necessary to 
keep the foliage free from red spider, and if scale infests the trees 
syringe with an insecticide at a temperature of 120® to 140°. Brown 
aphides sometimes attacks the wood at this season and later, and 
must be promptly eradicated by fumigation, or syringing with an 
insecticide. 
Pines .—Young plants at this season invariably present a luxuriant 
condition of growth. Great care will be necessary to prevent the 
growth becoming soft and attenuated. To consolidate the growth a 
drier condition of the atmosphere will need to be maintained, even if 
fire heat have to be resorted to in unfavourable weather. Syringing 
the plants should only be done occasionally early in the afternoon 
of sunny days. Afford a plentiful supply of w r eak guano water in a 
tepid state. Ventilate above 80® liberally, especially on sunny days 
and secure a minimum temperature of Go® at night. At the close of 
the present month the plants most likely for starting into fruit early 
in the ensuing year should be chosen from those started last March, 
bringing them together where they can be subjected to a comparative 
rest for about six weeks. All fruiting plants should be placed in a 
suitable structure for ripening, which will now depend greatly on 
artificial heat, encouraging them with a liberal supply of moisture 
ranging the night temperature from 70° to 75°, and through the day 
from 80° to 90°, closing rather early at 85®. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
St:we. —The dull weather lately prevailing has necessitated the 
removal of flowering stove plants from conservatories to their winter 
quarters; and as they have been kept somewhat dry at the roots, 
which with the lower temperature has checked growth, care mu fctbe 
taken in moving such back to the stove that they are not excited 
into growth. To prevent this withhold water, so as not to injure the 
foliage, and,keep the atmosphere somewhat drier than in the season 
of active growth ; indeed the temperature of this structure for the 
next two months should be kept at its lowest, C0° to 05° at night and 
70® to 75° by day being ample. Stove plants as a rule do not require 
a long season of rest, but, if anything, should have the season of 
growth extended. The best season of rest is unquestionably the 
autumn months, and this will admit of the temperature being raised 
at the commencement of the new year ; the plants will then start into 
growth and have the advantage of a long growing season. Resting 
them early induces a disposition to start early. Allamandas, Bou¬ 
gainvilleas, Ixoras, and other plants that were started latest into 
growth at the beginning of the season will naturally continue flower¬ 
ing the longest, and at no time are they more acceptable than through 
the autumn ; hence they should be placed together at the warmest 
end of the stove. Those that were started early can be placed at the 
coolest end, keeping them as dry as they will bear without injury. 
Where there is a partition in the stove, so as to form two divisions, 
there will not be any necessity for an arrangement as above pointed 
out, as one compartment can be kept for such as require a high 
temperature and the other for those that do not need more than a 
cool stove or intermediate temperature. Shading, except for the 
tender-leaved foliage plants, can now be discontinued, and the glass 
both inside and out should be thoroughly cleaned. The woodwork 
also must be cleaned, and a thorough overhaul of the plants made 
