August 26, 1880. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 195 
be the minimum to ensure a continuous supply of Mushrooms during 
the winter months. The time and trouble of collecting the material 
may be dispensed with where there is a sufficient accumulation in the 
dung yard in the course of a fortnight or three weeks to allow of the 
short material bring shaken out, which may be formed into beds 
18 to 24 inches deep, and when heated can be beaten down and other¬ 
wise treated as before advised. If the material shaken out be light 
about a sixth of turfy loam may be added before placing it in the bed. 
FRUIT HOUSES. 
Peaches and Nectarines .—The trees in the earliest-forced houses will 
soon be shedding their leaves, and as sooa as those are all fallen the 
shoots may be loosened from the trellis to have it painted, and the 
woodwork of the house also, thorough cleanliness being of first im¬ 
portance in the forcing of fruits. When any renovation of the 
borders has to be done it should be attended to as soon as the leaves 
show indications of falling, and -where new borders have to be formed 
the necessary material should be collected and stacked for future 
use. Peaches and Nectarines do best in rather strong loam, and 
if of a chalky or a calcareous nature all the better. The top 3 or 
4 inches of grass or pasture land without the addition of manure is 
the most suitable. Soil deficient in calcareous matter may have a 
tenth of chalk or old mortar rubbish mixed with it, and light soil 
should have an admixture of about a sixth of clay. The border must 
be efficiently drained with about 9 inches of rubble, and have drains 
to carry off superfluous water, 24 to 30 inches depth of border being 
sufficient; and should be so arranged that the trees for forcing may be 
planted inside, allowing the roots to extend in outside as well as in¬ 
side borders. Por early forced Peaches and Nectarines planting should 
never be delayed longer than the end of September. As the fruit 
from the succession houses is cleared off thin out all shoots not re¬ 
quired, so as to admit all the light and air possible to those left for the 
purpose of properly maturing the wood. Syringe the trees to keep 
red spider in check, and see that the inside borders do not lack water, 
admitting air freely, and in case of the wood not ripening well a gentle 
fire heat will be an advantage, air being admitted night and day. 
Pines .—Suckers obtained from the summer fruiting plants will soon 
be ready to be repotted. Transfer the strongest to pots 10 and 11 inches 
in diameter according to the variety, affording the plants a position 
near the glass in a light airy house, keeping them gradually 
growing throughout the winter months, under which conditions they 
start into fruit readily about the following May or June, and afford 
a good supply of early autumn fruit. The remaining portion of the 
plants above referred to should be wintered in 7 or 8-inch pots, and 
placed in larger pots in spring. These, with suckers of Smooth¬ 
leaved Cayenne and Charlotte Rothschild started last March, will 
without much difficulty provide a successional supply of ripe fruit 
throughout the winter months, and be supplemented by Queens and 
other varieties which were started at the same time. At this period of 
the year it will be necessary to effect a re-arrangement of the plants 
which were started as suckers last autumn, many of the free-fruit¬ 
ing varieties now having fruit swelling off ; and these should be sepa¬ 
rated from the others, as plants not in that condition will by this 
time have completed their growth, and will more readily start into 
fruit at the required time by subjecting them to more liberal venti¬ 
lation during the next six weeks when the temperature exceeds 80°) 
the temperature at the roots being kept at 75° to 80 9 . For plants 
that have been recently repotted 90° at the roots is suitable, but for 
plants well established a mean of 80 9 is best. When fruit is swelling 
off the atmosphere should be kept moderately moist, and a little air 
admitted at the top of the house early in the morning to dispel super¬ 
fluous moisture before the sun’s rays act powerfully on the fruit. 
Ripe fruit required to be kept should be moved to a shady house and 
have abundant ventilation. Shading should be dispensed with except 
for rootless suckers. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Stove. —Ixoras that have been employed for conservatory decora¬ 
tion must now be placed in warmer quarters ; the rest they have had 
whilst in the cooler house will be sufficient for them. All the old 
flowers should be cut off, and if there be any mealy bug or scale give 
a good dressing with an insecticide. Clerodendrons, Bougainvilleas, 
and similar plants that have whilst flowering been placed in a cool 
house must now be removed to a warmer situation, but not where 
they will receive so much heat as to excite growth, and should have 
a drier atmosphere to ripen the shoots, supplying water only to pre¬ 
vent flagging. Medinilla magnifica when in a moist high tem¬ 
perature grows freely, but does not flower well; but in plenty of 
light and not too much heat it flowers freely both from the current 
year’s and the old growths. It should now be kept drier, ceasing to 
syringe it, and watering only to maintain the foliage in good con¬ 
dition. FEschynanthuses coming into flower must not be neglected 
with water, or the probability is the flowers will drop when showing. 
Amaryllises .—The growth of many of these fine spring-flowering 
plants will be complete, and they should have a house with plenty of 
light and air, so as not only to thoroughly ripen the growth, but 
increase the size of the plants and induce free flowering ; indeed they 
should be grown under conditions favourable to the solidifica¬ 
tion of the growth all through its formation—a matter of great im¬ 
portance ; and instead of drying them off, as is often done, water 
should be given so as to keep the soil moist. 
Achimenes and Gloxinias .—Plants that have nearly done flowering 
are often placed under shelves or in cool houses, where they are 
allowed to remain until the weather becomes cold, and are then re¬ 
moved to a warmer position ; the consequence is the conns are very 
small and weakly. Instead of removing the plants from the light 
they should be kept close to the glass with the temperature neces¬ 
sary to grow them in, and have sufficient water to keep the soil 
moderately moist until the cornis are matured and the tops have died 
down. If any varieties of Gloxinias are required to be increased, the 
matured leaves may be inserted round the sides of pots well drained, 
and filled with sandy loam or peat, with half an inch of sand on the 
surface, and being kept rather close and moderately moist they will 
form young plants. Scarce varieties may have the leaves laid flat on 
the surface of the pots, severing the midrib nearly through on the 
under side three or more times, placing a small stone on the top of 
the leaf over each cut. 
Euphorbias and Poinsettias .—Plants that were moved some time 
ago from heat into cooler quarters must not be allowed to remain too 
long,- or the roots will decay, and the plants will dwindle away when 
they should be starting into bloom. They should have a house or pit 
kept at 55° at night, with plenty of air and light. Poinsettias that have 
been planted outdoors or placed in cool pits must at once be moved 
indoors ; and those planted out should be lifted with as little mutila¬ 
tion of the roots as possible, and potted in well-drained pots in a 
mixture of turfy loam and leaf soil, keeping them close, shaded, and 
moist until established. These plants cannot have too much light 
and air, the temperature being kept from falling below 55°. 
Winter-jloivering Plants .—The earliest batch of Plumbago coccinea 
superba, Eranthemums, Thyrsacanthus rutilans, Centropogon Lucy- 
anus, &c., will by this time have filled the pots with roots, and 
should be supplied with liquid manure, and be kept near to the glass 
in a light house or pit, with a free circulation of air, so as to induce 
stout short-jointed growths, and with these well ripened a full comple¬ 
ment of bloom may be expected, it being useless to expect well- 
developed flowers from puny plants. Winter-flowering Begonias 
should be potted without delay, and be grown in a light position. 
NOTES ON VILLA AND SUBURBAN GARDENING. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Onions .—If those to stand the winter are not already sown the 
operation should no longer be delayed. Select open ground, which 
should be well manured and deeply dug, heavily trampled, and raked. 
Draw shallow drills about 10 inches apart, water them if at all 
dry, sowing the seed thinly a few hours later, trampling it in and 
raking over. The white Tripoli varieties, such as the Early Naples 
or Early White Italian, are the earliest and mildest in flavour, and 
the Brown Tripoli and Giant Rocca grow to a great size and are the 
best keepers. Assist the ripening of the spring-sown varieties by 
twisting down the tops of those that require it, and those with their 
tops dying should be pulled and laid on a dry base in the open to 
thoroughly ripen, and thereby improve their keeping qualities. 
