272 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 18, 1884. 
There must be no rash or careless work here, or such trees may be killed 
outright. 
Bipe Fruit .—Look frequently over the fruit trees now and get the 
fruit gathered and stored carefully as it becomes ready. Autumn Pears 
are all fast approaching maturity, and we have been busy among the 
Apples, gathering a fine crop of Warner’s King, Small’s Admirable, 
Kymer, Nelson’s Codlin, Cellini, and Wormsley Pippin. 
FRUIT-FOKCING. 
Peaches and Nectarines. —Lifting Early-forced Trees .—In all cases 
where lifting is about to be performed two great essentials to success are a 
properly moistened state of the old border and dispatch in carrying out 
the work. If the roots of the trees are confined to inside borders the trees 
should be shaded before they are disturbed, and when the old soil has been 
picked out and cleared away the exposed roots should be drawn aside 
and kept moist during the time the drainage is being made ready for 
covering with sods grass side downwards. Upon this the roughest portion, 
consisting of strong calcareous loam, old lime rubbish, or charred earth, 
should be put a proper depth and made very firm. This done the points 
of any long bare roots should be shortened with a knife, being careful to 
preserve all the small roots possible, spreading them out evenly over the 
surface of the bed, soil being cast over them and worked in with the 
hands, arranging the roots in layers according to their previous disposition. 
When all are covered a good watering with tepid water will settle the soil 
firmly, and the remainder may be placed over them, but not covering the 
uppermost roots more than 3 or 4 inches deep. It will be well to keep the 
front ventilators closed to check evaporation, and to have the foliage 
moistened with water from the syringe for a few days until the leaves 
become crisp, which is evidence that new roots are taking to the fresh 
warm compost; the houses may then be thrown open and the trees will be 
in a fit state for forcing when the proper time arrives. 
Old frees as a rule do not require lifting entirely, particularly where the 
borders are composed of sound healthy loam free from manure, but a 
trench taken out along the front and the removal of inert soil from the 
surface inwards will give space for the addition of fresh compost that will 
add greatly to the vigour of the trees and quality of the fruit. In the 
management of Peach trees it should be borne in mind that the soil cannot 
be made too firm about the roots, and if it be rich and strong they will 
make a better class of bearing wood and remain longer in a healthy state 
if manure is used as a top-dressing only. If fresh trees have to be intro¬ 
duced from the walls some time must elapse before they can be disturbed ; 
but if they have been lifted annually, as trees intended for the purpose 
should be, they will be ready for removal much earlier than trees that have 
to be brought from a distance. 
Pruning .—Trees from w'hich the fruit has recently been cleared should, 
so soon as this is effected, have the bearing shoots of the current year cut 
away to the shoot at their base intended for next year’s fruiting. This will 
admit of a freer access of light and air, and assist in the maturation of the 
wood. If the trees are overcrowded with wood thin it well out, as 
it is important that the growths be well ripened and the buds prominent. 
If there be any doubt about the wood ripening increase the day tempera¬ 
ture to 80° or 85° from sun, ventilating early, and throw the house open for 
the night both top and front. There must be no deficiency of moisture, 
but water should be given as necessary to keep the soil in a moist condi¬ 
tion, and if the trees are weakly and have carried heavy crops of fruit some 
weak liquid manure will help to swell the buds. 
Trees of late kinds will now be ripening their crops of fruit, and require 
good mulching with heavy watering at short intervals to support them 
through the strain they are undergoing, keeping the temperature at 80° 
from sun heat, and resting the trees at night, particularly those that are 
carrying heavy crops. 
Figs. —Early Trees in Pots .—These ought to have a resting period of 
about two months, during which they should be kept moderately dry and 
as cool as possible. If they persist in making growth the roots that have 
found their way into the mulching may be cut through with a sharp 
instrument run round each pot some 12 or 18 inches from the rim, and 
as a means of starving them the mulching material may be removed 
quite down to the bottom of the pots. Remove all unripe fruit, and 
prevent red spider from spreading by giving an occasional syringing 
until the leaves fall, when the annual cleaning may be performed. In the 
meantime the interior of the house Cnd the roof lights should be painted 
if they require it, which will allow time for its hardening before it is 
subjected to the trying ordeal of the vapour arising from fermenting 
material in addition to the confined moisture. 
Succe.'^sion Houses .—The trees are still ripening quantities of useful 
Figs, the fine weather having been favourable to the admission of a free 
circulation of air. Where it is necessary to keep the trees in bearing, a little 
dry heat with ventilation through the night will be necessary, and any 
root-watering that may be required must be performed early in the 
morning when the day promises to be fine. Brown scale is often trouble¬ 
some. It must not be allowed to spread, but the shoots infested should 
be well washed with an insecticide. Thin out the growths where too 
crowded, remove all useless spray, and allow the regular succession of 
shoots intended forgiving next year’s crop to find their way up to the glass 
instead of keeping them closely tied-in to the trellis. 
Young Trees in Pots .—If any of these still under glass have rooted 
into the bed in which they are plunged they should be cut off as a means 
of inducing rest, whilst those that require another shift before they are 
forced should be transferred to larger pots without delay. Cut off all 
strong roots when potting, and use rich turfy loam, bones, and lime 
rubbish in a dry state. Make it very firm as the work proceed^, otherwise 
the water when they are again started will pass away, the old soil 
becoming dry, and the first crop of fruit drop. Variety being an object, 
the pot system answers well, as many of the moderate growers can be 
accommodated in a small house, and being extremely prolific, plenty of 
heat and moisture supplemented by good feeding will result in the pro¬ 
duction of a plentiful crop cf delicious fruit. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Steplianotls florilunda .—Plants that are intended to flower early 
next year cannot have too much sun. They should be exposed to every 
ray of light, and, if possible, kept in a drier and a little cooler atmosphere. 
Every attention should be paid to the thorough ripening of the wood and 
bringing the growth to a complete standstill. After this has been accort - 
plished the plants will rest well and safely in a temperature of 50° to 55° 
where the atmosphere is moderately dry for the following two months. 
While at rest no more water should be given than is necessary to keep 
the wood and foliage fresh. 
Allamandas.—?\a.nia that commenced flowering early in the season 
may, if required for the same purpose again, have their unripe or growing 
ends removed. This is the more necessary if they are trained upon a 
trellis, for if the wood where they are to be pruned back to is not 
thoroughly ripened, the growths next season will attain a very great length 
before they show any flowers. These plants should also be kept drier at 
their roots, gradually at first until water can be withheld entirely, and the 
soil in which they are growing kept quite dry. Expose the plants as much as 
possible to the light, and allow a good circulation of air to reach them as 
well as keep the temperature cooler and drier. Later plants, and those 
intended to flower as long as possible during the winter, should not at this 
season be in a lower temperature than 65° at night. All shading, if any is 
employed, should be removed, for the rays of the sun from this date will 
not prove too strong, shade being only needed for a few hours daily during 
the brightest part of the year. Apply water freely and feed liberally if the 
pots or borders in which they are growing are full of roots, or the plants 
■will soon cease flowering. All plants of this description that have been 
used in the conservatory during the summer should be removed to warmer 
quarters without delay, or the roots will become injured, and perhaps the 
plants go off altogether. 
Antliurium Schertzerianum .—This is one of the most useful plants 
that can be grown for flowering in the stove during the early months of 
the year, provided it be carefully and judiciously treated from the present 
time. To have them in flower early the growth must be completed and 
the plants subjected to an early rest, then there is no difficulty in having 
them in flower when required. Those that flowered early and have been 
in a moist warm temperature will have completed their growth, and 
should be removed into a house where an intermediate temperature is 
maintained. While in this condition the watering must be done care¬ 
fully, keeping the roots rather dry than overwet, or the roots will perish. 
Avoid cold draughts striking upon the plants, or the foliage be 
injured. When rested for two or more months they are afterwards 
readily brought into flower by introducing them into a warm moist 
structure. 
Crotons .—This is perhaps the best time of the whole year to root suc¬ 
cessfully fine large heads into small or moderately small pots for 
purposes of decoration. If strong cuttings are rooted now in small pots 
and afterwards transferred into 6-inch pots they will be ready for 
starting into vigorous growth early the following year, while well-coloured 
tops for table decoration can be prevented from growing, and thus spoil¬ 
ing their beauty by green oruncoloured foliage on the newly-made growth. 
When struck large enough for the purpose for which they are required 
there is no need for pushing them into growth afterwards ; on the contrary, 
they should be gradually hardened to a lower temperature, when they 
will remain healthy and retain their beautiful colour. Heads and cuttings 
will root in about three weeks if kept in a close warm frame and shaded 
from strong sunshine. 
Gardenias .—Where the entire stock for spring flowering is raised 
annually from cuttings, in preference to cutting back and keeping old 
plants, the cuttings should be inserted at once. Young plants are much 
better than old ones, for they grow luxuriantly, and can be kept cleaner 
from insects than plants that have become stunted or checked in their 
growth. The principal object is to select robust cuttings, not too firm, 
and insert them singly in small pots of sandy soil. If well watered after 
insertion, and placed in a close moist frame and shaded, nearly every one 
will root. The only attention after is to keep them moving slowly during 
the winter, pinch the buds off when they need it to induce a bushy growth, 
and place them, when ready, in 4-inch pots. Plants intended for 
winter flowering, and which have been kept cool to ripen the wood will, if 
they are introduced again into brisk moist heat, soon show their flower 
buds. The side shoots that appear should be removed so as to induce the 
buds to swell as rapidly as possible. After they are swelling feed 
liberally if the plants are root-bound and need manurial assistance. 
Begonias.—Yo\m^ plants of the B. nitida type are very useful for 
spring flowering, and if good euttings are selected and rooted at once the 
plants will be invaluable for flowering in 4-inch pots early in the season. 
They should be inserted singly in small pots and placed on a shelf close to 
the glass, where they will root much better if shaded from bright sun than 
in a close frame. Any house with a night temperature of about 60 will 
do for them. They should be flowered in 4-inch pots and grown without 
being stopped. 
