November 20, 1890. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE ANt) COTTAGE GARDENER. 
457 
they require, and to order the trees before the best of the favoured 
nurseryman’s stock is already sold. The sooner, too, the trees are lifted 
and replanted after the leaves are fallen the better. Supposing a good 
number of trees are required the gardener ought to pay a visit to the 
nurseries and select for himself. If he is wise it is not the strongest 
trees that will be selected, but rather those of medium strength and 
vigour, the wood being well ripened. Such recover the most quickly 
from the check of removal, and are the first to attain a fruitful state, 
and eventually form the best trees. These should also be asked for 
by those sending their orders to nurserymen, and will be sent by the 
latter if they have them in stock. Maidens, or those that have had 
one clear season’s growth from the time the stocks were either 
budded or grafted, are the cheapest, and from these the healthiest and 
best trees are grown ; but trained trees, or those that have been cut 
back two or three times, are naturally the first to reach a fruitful state. 
Some varieties naturally commence bearing much sooner than others, 
but the precocity of Apples and Pears in particular is largely effected by 
the stock on which they are worked. For dwarf or bush trees of the 
former experts give the preference to those on the Broad-leaved Paradise 
stock, these growing well in spite of their early productiveness. 
Standards or orchard trees are best on the common or Crab stock. 
Pears are principally grown on either the. Quince or the natural or Pear 
stock. The former is best for shallow soils, and in all cases where early 
productiveness rather than large trees is desired. With a moderately 
deep and good root run those on the Pear stock develop into fine pro¬ 
ductive trees in the course of a few years, and these should be planted 
against high walls or wherever there is plenty of head room. In respect 
to the other fruit trees there is not much choice in the matter, the Muscle 
Plum being largely used as the stock for Plums. Peaches, Nectarines, 
and Apricots, and either the Mahaleb stock or seedlings for Cherries. 
Replanting Young Trees. —Those nurserymen who study the 
interests of their customers, and therefore their own as well, will see 
that the trees are not dragged from the ground in a reckless manner, and 
that the roots are not either long exposed to drying winds or are badly 
bruised in any way before they leave the packing sheds. Much depends 
upon this little attention, and careless labourers ought not to be employed 
in such important work. The roots of the trees packed in bales should 
be well surrounded and mixed with moist strawy manure, this keeping 
them plump and fresh till they are once more in the ground. Any not 
so treated, and the roots of which give signs of having been unduly 
exposed, might with advantage be immersed in a tank or pool of water 
for a few hours prior to planting. Never attempt planting if the soil is 
in a wet pasty state. Better by far to lay the trees in by the heels till the 
work can be done properly. Never prepare the stations far in advance 
of planting time, or they are liable to become badly saturated by rain. 
Fresh loamy soil, turfy if possible, suits all kinds of fruit trees well, and 
it is advisable to plant rather above the ordinary garden level. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Vines. —Earliest Forced Vines in Pots .—The earliest started will 
now be showing signs of growth, so that the temperature may be slightly 
increased—55° minimum, and G5° maximum from fire heat, with 10° 
more from sun heat, proportionately increasing the atmospheric moisture. 
Very little ventilation will be required, and what is given should be 
at the top of the house ; if side ventilation be given the cold air should 
pass over the heating surface so as to become warmed. 
Houses Cleared of Grapes .—When the Vines are leafless and the 
Grapes cut attend to the pruning. If the Vines are strong, having 
stout short-jointed wood, they may safely be pruned to a couple of 
eyes. If, however, the base buds are small, and the Vines from similar 
buds in previous years gave as large bunches as desired, the laterals 
may be left a little longer, but it is necessary that a round, not flat 
bud, well developed, be selected for pruning to, aiming at a close 
compact bunch of well set berries with a stout footstalk in preference 
to a large uneven bunch, which usually follows large flat buds on long- 
jointed wood, the foliage supporting such being large, thin, and incapable 
of elaborating the food and concentrating it in the buds at their 
base. Avoid pointed buds, they usually are not productive of bunches, 
and if they are the bunches have a tendency to revert inio tendrils. 
Wash the house thoroughly and cleanse the glass. Remove only the 
loose bark, avoiding the usual scraping. Tepid soapy water, softsoap 
4 ozs. to the gallon of water, is unquestionably the best means of cleans¬ 
ing the Vines, using a brush with care and judgment, following with an 
approved insecticide. Remove the mulching or loose surface material 
down to the roots, and place on a couple of inches of fresh loam mixed 
with some old mortar rubbish passed through a three-quarter-inch 
sieve, night soil, and wood ashes. If the loam be light add some clay 
marl dried and reduced to powder. Of turfy loam, cut 3 inches thick 
and chopped moderately small have 20 bushels, of sifted old mortar 
rubbish add 2 bushels, of night soil 1 bushel, soot half a bushel, wood 
ashes 1 bushel, clay marl (if the loam be light) 2 bushels, and 1 bushel 
steamed bonemeal. Charcoal dust may be added to the extent of 
4 bushels, together forming a chaldron, when thoroughly incorporated, 
of dressing for Vine borders, good alike as a rooting and feeding area. 
The early watering will wash the assimilated matter down to the roots, 
and fresh feeders encouraged into it can be kept there by surface 
dressings or mulching with manure after the Grapes are set, feeding 
with liquid as necessary. If the houses must be used for plants they 
should be kept cool, admitting air freely, not exceeding 40° to 45° by 
artificial means. It is best, however, to dispense with the plants, 
admitting air freely in all but very severe weather, a few degrees of 
frost doing the Vines no harm, but insuring more complete rest. 
Houses of Thin-skinned Grapes .—Black Hamburghs damp in a close 
confined atmosphere, which should be avoided by judicious ventilation. 
Madresfield Court keeps well until the end of November or later, but it 
loses colour perhaps more than Black Hamburgh. Black Hamburghs 
well ripened will keep until January, particularly when ripened in late 
August or early September, the flesh being firmer, rich, and sugary, Foster’s 
Seedling being a good companion white sweet Grape, both keeping 
wonderfully well. These early ripened thin-skinned Grapes are not so 
juicy as those ripening in September, which still have foliage, and keep 
the colour of the Grapes better than early ripened. They will also keep 
sounder with more moisture than those ripened in August, and a 
moderate amount of air moisture is necessary to prevent undue evapora¬ 
tion, the shrinking of the Grapes, it not being so much air moisture as 
a stagnant atmosphere that is fatal to the keeping of Grapes. Slight 
heat in the pipes will be required constantly to maintain an equable 
temperature, but this must not be high, or it will cause the berries 
to shrivel prematurely, 50° not being exceeded by artificial means, 
ventilating freely and early in bright weather, so as to prevent moisture 
being condensed by the berries. The outside borders must be protected 
from rains by shutters or other material, inside borders being covered 
with clean dry straw to prevent moisture rising, and it prevents the soil 
cracking. 
Melons. —Fruits on the latest plants are beginning to net, and will 
be ripe in December. To swell them off they require a rather moist 
genial condition of the atmosphere, damping the house in the morning 
and early afternoon, admitting a little air early in the forenoon to insurer 
the dispersion of moisture and induce evaporation from the foliage. 
Maintain the night temperature at G0° to G5°, 70° to 75° by day arti¬ 
ficially, advancing as much as can be had after the sun passes the 
meridian. The plants should have liquid manure about once a week. 
Plants that set their fruit early in September are ripening. The house 
should have air constantly and a temperature of 70° to 75°, with as- 
much more as can be accorded by day, husbanding the sun heat, but not 
closing the house, withholding water from the atmosphere and roots. 
Fruit though not of high flavour proves acceptable from variety at 
Christmas or even later. 
Cucumbers. —Continued firing dries the atmosphere more than is 
good for their foliage, the fruits becoming stunted and swelling in¬ 
differently, and when the pipes are close to the roots the soil is dried too 
much for healthy growth. Be careful in ventilating, providing it, how¬ 
ever, whenever a favourable opportunity offers, but exclude air when 
the external atmosphere is sharp and cold. In bright but cold weather 
turn off the top heat when the sun is powerful and likely to raise the- 
temperature above 80° in such weather, damping the house morning and 1 
afternoon, closing early. Care must be taken in damping so as not to 
wet the embryo fruits, as they will damp off if water remain on them or 
hang from their points for any little time. Water will be required at 
the roots about twice a week. Maintain a temperature of G0° to G5° at 
night and 70° to 75° by day. 
Winter fruiters, or plants from August or September sowings, having 
grown to the extent of the trellis, should not be allowed to fruit for a 
few weeks unless they are unduly vigorous and there is a pressing demand 
for fruit. Attend frequently to stopping and tying, thinning, avoiding 
overcrowding and overcropping as the two greatest evils, subduing 
canker at the collar with quicklime well rubbed into the affected parts, 
removing every decayed leaf and bad growth promptly. If mildew 
appear, dust with flowers of sulphur, it being well to dust some over the 
plants with a view to its prevention. Aphides should be destroyed by 
fumigation with tobacco, being careful not to give too much. It is best- 
to fumigate on two or three consecutive evenings, or preferably follow 
the evening with early morning fumigation. 
* 2 ° All correspondence should be directed either to “ The 
Editor” or to “The Publisher.” Letters addressed to 
Dr. Hogg or members of the staff often remain unopened 
unavoidably. We request that no one will write privately 
to any of our correspondents, as doing so subjects them to 
unjustifiable trouble and expense. 
Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions 
relating to Gardening and those on Bee subjects, and should 
never send more than two or three questions at once. All 
articles intended for insertion should be written on one side of 
the paper only. We cannot reply to questions through the 
post, and we do not undertake to return rejected communica¬ 
tions. 
Sonerilas (J . //.).—To have pans and pots of these in good con¬ 
dition cuttings may be inserted in succession. They root freely in the 
