244 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND C01TAGE GARDENER. { September 9, isso. 
been gathered and the wood not being in a favourable condition as 
to ripening, gentle fire heat with a free circulation of air will be 
advisable, which more particularly applies to the late varieties ; the 
midseason Peach trees will ripen the wood if the autumn be favour¬ 
able, but if wet and cold they are benefited by gentle warmth and 
a free circulation of air. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Orchids .—In the East India house the temperature should still 
range from 75° to 85° by day and 65° at night, which should be 
maintained until the end of the month, when a gradual reduction 
will be necessary. Give every encouragement to Aendes, Phalae- 
nopses, Saccolabiums, and Yandas, the blocks, baskets, or pots being 
damped every morning, and in the afternoon of fine days a syringing 
overhead will be of great benefit, but care must be taken not to 
render the sphagnum or peat soddened. Shade as little as possible— 
only sufficient to prevent the sun scorching the foliage. Encourage 
Calanthe vestita and vars. Yeitchii and Warneri, also Limatodes 
rosea to make large pseudobulbs, for the stronger these plants are 
grown the finer will be the flower spikes. They should have a maxi¬ 
mum of light, and be supplied with weak liquid manure. Too much 
light cannot be had in the Cattleya house henceforth, therefore dis¬ 
pense with shading, and clean the glass both inside and out, it being 
important that the growths be well ripened before winter. Lselia 
purpurata and Cattleya Mossiae may be repotted if necessary, and 
should be kept in the warmest part of the Cattleya house to enable 
them to complete the growths as soon as possible; but forward 
plants of these which have completed their growth should have an 
increased ventilation ; and Cattleya citrina, Lrelia albida, L. acumi¬ 
nata, and L. majalis should be thoroughly exposed to the sun. 
Thorough cleanliness is of the greatest importance in Orchid culture, 
therefore sponge the leaves frequently, thrips and aphides being 
readily and safely destroyed by dipping the plants in a solution of 
2 ozs. or 3 ozs. of nicotine soap to a gallon of tepid rain water, being 
careful that it does not reach the roots, and washing it off in about a 
quarter of an hour with soft water at 90°. The present is a good 
time to repot Odontoglossums, Masdevallias, and Oncidiums, giving 
them fresh pots, baskets, or blocks as may be necessary, employing a 
compost of equal parts sphagnum and fibry peat, with a sprinkling 
of charcoal and small potsherds. The pots must be clean, and 
should be drained to a depth of two-thirds, covering with a layer of 
sphagnum, potting moderately firmly, and keeping the base of the 
plant a little above the rim of the pot. Any plants not in a satis¬ 
factory condition should be carefully cleared of the old compost; 
remove the dead roots, and place the plants in pots just large enough 
to hold the roots, keeping the atmosphere as moist as possible, and 
carefully supplying water at the roots until re-established. 
Stove. —The warm weather at the beginning of the month may 
induce some to retain flowering stove plants in conservatories longer 
than usual; but although the days are warm the nights are becoming 
cool, and if the plants remain in such quarters very long it must 
injure them for future flowering considerably. When moved to the 
stove care must be taken not to excite them into growth, as they will 
naturally be disposed to do in the higher temperature, seeking to 
prevent this by withholding water, but not so as to injure the foliage. 
The temperature should now be gradually reduced; and although 
stove plants do not require a long season to rest, no time is better for 
it than during the three closing months of the year. Eire heat will 
only be necessary at present to prevent the temperature falling below 
60° at night, and to keep it at 70 p to 75° by day. Allamandas, 
Bougainvilleas, and Ixoras that -were started latest into growth will 
continue flowering the longest, and as flowers are now valuable the 
plants should be kept at the warmest end of the stove. Shading, 
except for tender fine-foliaged plants, should now be discontinued, 
and thoroughly cleanse the glass both inside and out. Tuberous- 
rooted Gesnera3, Caladiums, Gloxinias, &c., as their leaves become 
discoloured and evince signs of ripening should have water gradually 
withheld, keeping them in a light airy position in the stove. Ges- 
neras of the zebrina type should be kept well up to the glass and 
have copious supplies of weak liquid manure at every alternate 
watering, similar remarks applying to Tydeeas for winter flowering j 
also Begonias, as the stronger they are the finer will be the flowers. 
Winter-flowering plants generally should have liquid manure in pre¬ 
ference to increasing the size of the pot, and keep them near to the 
glass, the object being to produce compact growth. 
NOTES ON VILLA AND SUBURBAN GARDENING. 
Pruning Hardy Fruit Trees .—It is now getting late for the summer 
pruning of fruit trees, and those who have not performed this opera¬ 
tion should no longer delay. Young standard trees of any kind 
should have the growth thinned out if at all crowded, but do not 
shorten-back that retained. Pyramidal and bush-shaped trees of 
either Apples, Pears, Plums, or Cherries, Morellos excepted, that have 
grown to the required size, and are fruitful, should have all the young 
growth cut back to about the fourth joints, but the younger trees that 
are being formed only require to have the growth thinned out where 
crowded, cutting to near the fourth joint, the shortening back of the 
remaining shoots being delayed till the winter. Hard pruning is 
very unadvisable where a tree is vigorous and unfruitful, as it only 
induces the formation of still stronger growth in greater quantities. 
A better practice is to thin out and leave a few strong shoots un¬ 
pruned distributed throughout the tree. An Apple tree treated in 
this manner in 1878 is this season clothed with Apples in a manner 
resembling ropes of Onions. If this plan fails to make a tree fruitful, 
then root-pruning must be resorted to, and the present is a good time 
for this if not performed too severely. Standard Morello Cherries 
have this season been most profitable, in fact they seldom fail to bear 
well. The growth of these may be thinned-out if crowded, but it must 
be borne in mind that the next crop will be taken from the present 
season’s growth. 
Wall trees of the above kinds of fruit may be treated much the 
same as above advised for the pyramids. Trees having covered their 
allotted space to be rather closely spurred back, and the younger 
trees to have all leading shoots, and any required to fill up inter¬ 
vening spaces as the tree extends and spreads, laid in full length. 
Apricots to be treated similarly, but the young growth of Peaches 
and Nectarines for next season’s crop requires to be laid in thinly. 
Outdoor Grapes are a failure this season, owing to the badly ripened 
state of the bearing wood. To avoid a recurrence of this failure, 
freely thin out the growth, and lay in a few shoots at intervals on each 
side of the main rods, stopping those with bunches to a joint or two 
beyond these, and those without to be left about 12 inches in length. 
Lay in young growth where old rods have failed of late years to bear 
well, and stop leading canes if weak to about 18 inches, and if strong 
to about 3 feet. To assist the maturation of young Raspberry canes, 
cut out all the old canes (those that fruited this season), and thin out 
the young canes if at all crowded. Keep the runners of both old and 
young Strawberry plants closely pinched off, and during dry weather 
give the plantations of the latter an occasional watering. Weeds to 
be kept down by frequent hoeings, choosing bright days for the 
operation. 
VINERIES AND GREENHOUSES. 
Grapes .—Keep all lateral growth stopped to a single joint at 
each time, and give abundance of moisture at the roots, especially 
where the borders are of very limited extent. The fruit ought now 
to be ripening fast, and the earlier in this month it is ripe the better 
in every respect. If it is later than the middle of this month, the 
probability is that it will be of indifferent quality, owing to the 
failing solar heat being of insufficient strength to properly elaborate 
the requisite amount of sugary matter, and without which Grapes 
will not keep well. To assist the ripening give more air both during 
the nights and days, and maintain a drier atmosphere. Grapes will 
not ripen properly in a cool house crowded with plants, and as a 
matter of course quickly decay under such conditions. Hence the 
necessity, previously alluded to, of forwarding them as much as pos¬ 
sible in the earlier stages of growth, in order to have them ripened, 
cut, bottled, and stored away in a dry room before the winter occu¬ 
pants of the house are brought in from the open. Many amateurs’ 
houses are imperfectly ventilated, so that air cannot be given in 
sufficient quantities in the usual way. Every house ought to be so 
arranged that air can be admitted at each light, both at the front and 
highest part of the roof. Much may be done in badly ventilated 
houses by opening the doors on warm sunny days. 
