August 12, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
143 
It is this which mikes their destruction rather difficult, as no dusting of 
soot wifi destroy them. The only way is to press each blotch firmly 
between the finger, or pick each of the affected parts off. By doing this 
when the plants are first showing signs of being attacked they may be 
checked so severely that they will fail to be further injurious. 
E vrly Potatoes. —The whole of the early varieties are now matured, 
and they are remarkably free from disease, but if wet weather should 
come they may still suffer from it; and to prevent this we advise that the 
whole of the crops which are matured be dug and harvested. Those 
intended for see 1 need not be kept in the dark, but others which are to be 
kept for use taut not be allowed to become green. None of them should 
be dug when the soil is wet. 
Autumn Spinach. —Summer Spinach runs so fast to flower that it is 
not a profitable crop to grow during July, August, and September, and as 
all kinds of choice vegetables are plentiful then its absence is no incon¬ 
venience, but by October and onwards many of the summer vegetables 
are bee ming scarce, and a good supply of Spmach is then very 
acceptable. Apart from this, late autumn Spinach is not very liable to 
run to fl >wer, and the plants whioh give a supply in October will also go 
on bearing for many weeks afterwards. With this object in view a good 
sowing of the prickly variety should now be put in. It may he sown after 
Potatoes or any other crop recently cleared off the ground. The leaves 
should be fairly luxuriant, and to secure them of the right stamp the soil 
must be moderately rich ; but a too rich soil is a mistake, as it forces the 
plants too much, and makes them too soft and tender to stand the severe 
weather of winter. The rows should be from 15 inches to 18 inches 
apart, and as soon as the young plants can be handled thin them out to 
G inches or more asunder. Wa have frequently began to gather irom a 
planta'ion in October, kept it pretty close down throughout the autumn, 
retained the plants uutil spring, when they began to grow afresh, and they 
were very profitable in March and April. 
Winter Greens. —These are now growing freely, and it will be 
found a good plan to earth up the whole of them. Some growers profess not 
to know of the a 1 vantages attending earthing up these crops, but we have 
no doubts about it. Our gar lea is rather exposed to high winds from the sea. 
Sometimes we have been too busy to earth up all our quarters of 
late Canlifliwer and Broccoli at this time, and when the plants were 
fully grown in November or further on, the wind has upset many of 
them at the time they were about forming heads. Those earthed, however, 
have a good bank of soil against the stem, and this invariably holds them 
firm and allows the heads to swell off without a check. All earthing up 
should be done before the leaves meet between the rows, as after that it 
canuot be done without breaking some of the leaves. 
Chicory. — Wheaever winter salads are in demand this should 
be grown in quantity. It is the hardiest of all salad plants. At times 
when our Ls'.tuce and Endive have been destroyed by frost we have kept 
the salad bowl going by large batches of this, and it can be gr wn and 
forced at half the expense of Lettuce or Endive. When the seed is eovn 
too early the plants always run to se d in the autumu, but when a batch 
of it was sown a month ago the young plants should now be thinned out 
to 6 inches apart, and where sowing has been omitted there is yet time 
to get up a supply of plants before winter. Sow in rows 15 inches apart 
in deeply worked ground. 
Glore Artichokes. —In many cases the heads will all have been cut 
off and the plants may have suffered from dry weather where planted in 
light soil, bur if the stems are cut off down to the ground level, and the 
roots are mulched and well watered, they will soon produce Iresh leaves and 
produce new fruit stems which will bear u-eful heads late in autumn. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Peaches and Nectarines. — Earliest Forced Trees.— The lights 
have been wholly removed now to expose the trees to the cleansing influ¬ 
ence of rain and the invigorating effects of night dews, which will assist 
in plumping the buds, and the soil of the borders will get thoroughly 
m listened. The object is to prevent the trees starting into growth pre¬ 
maturely, and that can only be effected either by keeping them dry 
(.rhich is fatal to the buds), or keeping them cool, along with some outlets 
for the sup in m iderate lateral growths and the preservation of the 
oliage in health. If the weather be dry water must be given at the roots, 
and syringing practise l to keep the foliage clean, if need occasion 
employing an insecticide. 
Succession Houses. —As the trees become freed of the fruit cut out all 
the bearing wood of this season, unless forming part of the extensions, 
and the shoots for uext year’s fruiting where too thick should be thinned 
to admit light and air to assist the ripening of the wood, afterwards 
cleansing the foliage thoroughly with water from the garden engine, 
which will be required daily in fine weather. The roof lights may be re¬ 
moved as soon as the wood is ripe and the buds plumped, and up to this 
the ventilators should remain open constantly, unless there is any doubt 
about the ripeness of the wood, when the house may be kept up to 80° or 
85® by day from sun heat, and the house thrown open at night, which, 
however, must not be done when the house is at that temperature, but 
after the suu heat is declining or declined to 70° or 75°. The soil of the 
borders must be kep f well watered. 
Late Houses.—See that the borders inside and outside have sufficient 
water, especially in the case of trees swelling their fruit, assisting with 
liquid manure, and mulching the surface of the borders with sh >rt 
manure. Continue the syringing until the fruit is well advanced for 
ripening, it beiDg required en fine days in the morning and afternoon ; 
hut on dull days do not keep the foliage and fruit dripping with moisture. 
Provide a little ventilation constantly, and increase it early in the day. 
If it is desired to accelerate the ripening the temperature through the day 
may be kept at 80’ to 85°, closing in the afternoon early enough to rise to 
90° or 95°, and before nightfall admit a littlo air at the top of the roof, so 
as to allow of any excess of moisture escaping and induce a cooling of the 
atmosphere and rest. In other circumstances admit air freely day and 
night, except in the case of high winds, and an unusually low temperature 
at night. Let the fruit have full exposure to the sun, and keep the 
growths tied in as they advance in growth. Stop or remove gross 
growths, and let all have full exposure to light and air. Laterals should 
be kept well in hand, but they may be allowed moderate extension in the 
case of trees carrying heavy crops so as to maintain activity at the roots. 
Trees carrying light crops and having much lateral growth and strong 
wood should be marked for lifting or cutting the roots as soon as the wood 
is sufficiently firm, which in ordinary cases is about a month before the 
leaves fall. 
Scale. —This is sometimes very troublesome when the fruit is advanced 
for ripening, in which case the application of an insecticide is out of the 
question on account of the damaging the fruit, but much may be done 
with a brush and sponge, softsoap 3 ozs. to the gallon of water being used 
to the worst infested leaves and wood. After the fruit is gathered the 
trees may be syringed thoroughly with petroleum—a wineglassful to 
4 gallons of water in which 8 ozs. of softsoap and an ounce of soda has 
been dissolved, mixing it thoroughly with the water and keeping mixed 
by alternate squirts into the watering pot and tress. If the petroleum is 
not kept mixed whilst being applied it is best not to attempt its applica¬ 
tion, as some parts of the trees will receive nothing but petroleum and 
other parts none of any efficacy in destroying insects, and so do more 
harm than good. It is efficacious against thrips, red spider, and indeed 
every insect. 
Figs. — Earliest forced Trees .—The second crop will be ripening, and 
the trees should not have more water at the roots than is necessary to 
keep the foliage fresh, and syringing must be discontinued or the fruit will 
crack, besides being deteriorated in flavour. A free circulation of dry 
warm air is essential to ripening the fruit and wood. Wnen the fruit is 
all gathered the main point is to secure the proper maturity of the 
growths, and if due attention has been given to stopping and thinning the 
shoots little will now be required except attention to ventilation and 
watering. The syringe should be laid aside except as a means of sub¬ 
duing insects. Future crops depend entirely upon the ripening ot the 
wood, therefore maintain a circulation of warm air until the leaves die 
naturally. 
Exposing Fig Trees. — Excepting early forced trees in pots they should 
not at any time be exposed to the weather by removing the lights, but 
should have abundant ventilation. Trees in pots, from growing less 
vigorously than planted out trees, are the better for exposure after the 
fruit is gathered and the wood ripened, the trees being given a sheltered 
sunny situation. Open-air influence will do much to invigorate them and 
harden the wood. 
Second Crop on Planted-out Trees. —Trees that ripened a first crop 
in June will in a short time be ripening the second crop, and should be 
liberally supplied with liquid mannra if carrying a heavy crop and the 
trees are weakly; hut if vigorous and the crop is not heavy, water will 
be all that is wanted except mulching, which should be kept moist, as 
the trees in such a case will probably require lifting, and surface roots 
are of consequence in that case, as well as being conducive to fruit¬ 
fulness. 
Late House. —The fruit will he advanced for ripening, therefore spare 
no pains to have the foliage free from red spider by forcible syringiugs, 
and to insure flue fruit see that the borders have due supplies of water 
through good surface mulchings, and feed if necessary with liquid manure. 
Avoid wetting the fruit after it commences ripening, and keep the growths 
rather thin alike for the benefit of the fruit and for the thorough solidi¬ 
fication of the wood for future crops. Stop side growths at the fifth 
joint. 
Young Trees in Pots. —Young trees from this spring cuttings, and which 
are intended for fruiting in the second or third year of their growth, 
must still be attended to in pinching off the top of the strong shoots to 
form tho foundation of a symmetrical head in tbeir first year’s training. 
The plants shoul i have a clear stem, and no suckers be allowed on any 
account, but the stems for dwarf trees need only be a few inches high. 
For standards they must be trained with a single stem until the height 
required is attained and then be stopped. 
& 
HE BEE-KEEPER. 
1 
THE WINTERING PROBLEM. 
The wintering problem is one which has, owing to 
the moat favourable climatic conditions, attracted far less 
interest and discussion in this country than in America. The 
sharp cold of the United States in many districts necessitates 
an altogether different management from the one which may 
with a certainty of success be followed in this more genial 
climate; but it may be useful to consider at some length the 
best means of ensuring the safety our stocks in winter, and 
