September 23, 1886. 1 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
283 
refuse, making it firm, and following with a good soaking of weak liquid 
manure. It will cause the trees to form fresh roots and invigorate them, 
also preventing the buds falling. 
Trees Ripening the Fruit in August and Early September. —Cut out 
the wood that has borne fruit, leaving no more than can be freely exposed 
to light and air. Cleanse the foliage of dust and red spider by water 
directed with force from a garden engine or syringe, and repeat occasion¬ 
ally. If there is scale promptly apply an insecticide, also against red 
spider and brown aphides, which sometimes attack the younger parts of 
the wood in autumn. There must not be any lack of moisture at the 
roots, therefore apply water to the inside borders as necessary to keep 
them from becoming too dry. Aff >rd abundant ventilation, and if the 
wood is not ripening well keep the house rather warm by day, and throw 
the ventilators open at nightq but a warm, close, moist atmosphere must 
be avoided, as that would be more injurious than otherwise. 
Late Trees. —These tre°s will need to have the shoots thinned where 
too crowded, and those which have borne fruit should, as soon as the fruit 
is gathered, be cut out to a successional shoot at the base. This with free 
ventilation and gentle fire heat in dull weather in cold localities, afid with 
the growth strong, will assist in ripening the wood, which is of primary 
importance as regards next year’s crop. Avoid a too-dry condition of the 
borders. The trees must not lack moisture, and yet a rather drier condition 
is advisable whilst the fruit is ripening. Some soft netting will be useful 
to save any fallen fruit, but it must be looped up in small pockets to 
prevent the fruit bruising each other. With an examination of the fruit 
every morning by an experienced person, the ripe fruit being removed, 
there is no necessity for the netting. The fruit is better gathered 
before dead ripe, and kept in a light airy fruit room until required. 
Figs.— Early-forced Trees in Pots. —Examine the roots, and as it is 
not advisable to increase the pit room, remove a few inches of soil from 
the base of the balls, cutting back the roots, and replace, fresh fibrous 
loam, about a sixth of old mortar rubbish, and a sprinkling of crushed 
bones, good drainage being provided. Remove the loose surface soil also, 
and supply the above compost, adding a fourth of well decomposed 
manure. Afford a good watering, and place the trees where they can 
have plenty of air with shelter from heavy rains and snow. This is only 
available for trees that are not in large pots, as those that are in large 
pots and have been stood on brick pedestals to prevent their sinking with 
the fermenting leaves require different treatment. In their case all the 
decayed, indeed every particle of the old Oak or Beech leaves, should be 
removed, and remove all the surface dressing from amongst the roots with 
a hand fork, shorten the strongest roots, and the drainage being 
attended to the trees are placed in position on the loose brick pedestals, 
and the soil surface-dressed with the compost named firmly rammed into 
the pots. Supply water to settle the soil, and after this keep the house 
cool, dry, and well ventilated until the time of starting in November or 
early December. This is a preferable plan to repotting annually, as the 
trees are less likely to cast their first crop of fruit, and it is not advisable 
to disturb trees in 18 or 20-inch pots at the roots more than can be 
helped. Trees that are not in as large pots as desired, or when it is 
thought advisable to increase the root space, a liberal shift may be given, 
the sides of the ball being loosened with a hand fork, and any straggling 
roots cut back, also the matted roots in the drainage. Provide good 
drainaze, using the same kind of soil for potting as previously advised, 
and ram it as hard as the ball, the soil being well moistened before the 
potting is proceeded with. 
Succession Trees. —Houses in which the trees are ripening off second 
crops of fruit must be kept drier as the days become shorter, a little fire 
heat being necessary to admit a f ee circulation of air and prevent damp, 
Particular attention must be given to the exposure of the wood to the full 
influence of sun and air, thin all soft and useless wood, and allow the 
points of the shoots to stand well up or out to the glass and light. 
Supplies of water must be discontinued for borders that have been 
properly mulched and watered up to the middle of this month. 
. Lifting Over-luxuriant Fig Trees. —Gross-feeding as Figs are, they are 
in rich borders apt to come too strong, and in that case prepare for lifting 
them as soon as the leaves have begun turning yellow ; indeed, it should 
be attended to as soon as the crop is gathered. Carefully lift the trees, 
cut back all long roots, reserving the fibrous only. Good drainage is 
necessary. A foot of brickbats with a thin layer of old mortar rubbish over, 
and then a couple of feet depth of soil c imposed of good turfy loam, a 
sixth of old mortar rubbish, and a similar proportion of road scrapings, 
with about a twentieth of crushed bones, forms a suitable and durable 
border for Figs. Place the compost together firmly so as to insure a sturdy 
shoit-jointed growth. Spread out the tree roots evenly, work in the soil 
amongst them and make it firm, placing them in layers as they rise, and 
keeping them well up, not covering the topmost more than 2 or 3 inches. 
The soil may be moist when used, but it ought not to be wet. Give a 
moderate watering, and keep cool and dry. A border of 4 to 6 feet width 
is very much better than a wide border, and the pit-like borders filled 
with rich soil that becomes a sour mass impervious to air are very unsuit¬ 
able to Figs. What is wanted is firm sweet calcareous soil that will 
admit of the free percolation of water and air through and retain the 
manurial elements essential to the production of fine Figs. 
Melons. — Latest Plants. —While the fruit are swelling water must be 
Riven. Keep the roots active with tepid liquid manure < ccasionally, and 
supply ammonia to the atmosphere by damping available surfaces in the 
evening. Keep a moderate moisture by syringing in the morning and at 
closing time, at which time a light syringing of the foliage may be 
practised if the weather be bright. Remove all superfluous growths as 
they appear, and admit air early or at 75?, keeping the bottom heat steady 
at about 80°. Maintain a night temperature of 65° to 70°, 70° to 75° by 
day, and 85° to 90° with sun heat, closing sufficiently early to run up to 
95° or more. 
A little fire heat so as to insure a circulation of air constantly and 
prevent the deposition of moisture on the fruit, and no more water at the 
roots than is necessary to prevent flagging, will accelerate the ripening and 
do much to improve the flavour. In dung-heated pits and frames no 
water will be required, but keep the sides well lined and leave a little air 
on at the back at night. Keep the fruit well raised above the surface of 
the bed. Any fruit wished to be kept for a time should be cut with a 
portion of stem and placed in a dry airy room, or if wanted ripe in a 
warm house in the full sun, and they ripen better than in cold frames. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN AND PLEASURE GROUND. 
Early Frosts. —Already, September 15th, we have had a slight taste 
of winter, and although the frost has done no harm, there was enough to 
warn us to prepare for more severe weather. If not already done, stock 
plants of Alternantheras, Iresines, Coleuses, Heliotropes, Lobelias, Agera- 
turns, Tropaeilums, Centaureas, or all that are usually propagated from 
cuttings in the spring should be potted up. It is a mistake to lift any 
with large balls of soil about the roots, as this is generally of too close or 
cold a nature to suit pot plants during the winter. Neither should large 
pots be given them, as they will form but few fresh roots before the 
spring, at which time they may be given a shift in order to encourage the 
production of abundance of soft wood. When first lifted, these old 
plants are best stood under frames in a cool position for a few days, or 
till recovered somewhat, and must be very carefully watered, or the more 
delicate of them will damp off badly. If damaged by frost they are still 
more difficult to winter, and all injured parts must be removed whenever 
they decay, or it will spread to the sounder portions. In nearly every 
case we prefer to prepare stock plants during the summer, as these are 
invariably much the most serviceable in the spring. Dahlias should now 
be looked over, and the labels attended to, as later on, or alter they are 
disfigured by frosts, it is a difficult matter to correctly label them. Seed¬ 
lings especially ought to be attended to in this respect, as only the best of 
these should be preserved. In many instances a little timely attention 
saves much subsequent confusion and annoyance. 
Summer Chrysanthemums. —With us these are exceptionally fine. For 
mixed borders they are simply invaluable, as they flower abundantly 
from July till frosts intervene—that is, if planted on fresh or well- 
manured ground. La Petite Marie is a little gem, and St. Mary is also 
a most useful white sort ; and there are abundance of other good sorts to 
choose from, and which may be alluded to at some more seasonable time. 
What we have to say no w is that young or spring-struck plants are much 
the best. Strong old plants may escape slugs and frosts during the 
winter, but unless lifted in the spring and freely divided they will form 
too many weakly shoots, which are not the best for long and continuous 
flowering. We left all ours out the first winter we had them ; but never 
again, as we lost them all, principally by slugs. Already a certain num¬ 
ber of each sort worth growing next season are carefully potted up, and 
after being stood in a cool shady position for a few days were transferred 
to the conservatory and greenhouse. Here they are very effective, and 
will be till the successional and late sorts are in full bloom. They will 
then be cut down and stored closely in a cold frame, and protected from 
severe frosts only. In the spring we shall have abundance of good cut¬ 
tings, which will be struck in boxes and soon transferred to the open 
ground. 
Shrubby Calceolarias, Violas, and Gazanias. —The two first named are 
the most popular, but all are useful, and where many thousands of summer 
bedding plants have annually to be put out a good per-centage of Calceo¬ 
larias and Violas especially ought to be included. They can be wintered 
in closer compass and with much less trouble than the majority of bedding 
plants, and this with us is a strong recommendation. A good time to put 
the cuttings in is either late in September or the first week in October, 
later than this there is a risk of the Calceolarias and Gazanias being 
injured by frost. We prepare a series of frames for the cuttings, but 
where fewer are required one or two frames or a few handlights may 
suffice, the preparation and after treatment being the same in every case. 
No bottom heat is required, and all that is necessary is to stand the frames 
on a well-drained hard bottom, placing inside about 1 foot of semi-rotten 
stable manure or leaves, making this firm, and disposing on the top of it 
about 6 inches of any light loamy soil, facing this over with 2 inches of 
fine sandy soil. In the case of the Calceolarias the preference should be 
given to sturdy flowerless shoots, cutting to a joint and trimming off the 
lower pair of leaves, and none should be more than 3 inches in length. 
They ought to be dibbled in firmly up to the first pair of leaves, and about 
3 inches apart each way, as fa9t as they are made, for if allowed to flag 
badly they do not quickly recover. After being lightly watered in, the 
glass should be put on and the cuttings kept carefully shaded from bright 
sunshine. When the nights are mild a little air may be admitted, the aim 
being to keep the cuttings fresh and green and to check premature weakly 
growth. They strike in about eight weeks, after which they ought to 
receive abundance of light and air whenever the weather permits. The 
best Viola cuttings are those obtained from the base of the plant and 
which have not reached their flowering size ; but the tops ot the old 
shoots may also be easily struck and form good plants the following 
spring. The former may be pulled off the old plant and require no 
trimming, while the tops can be treated similarly to the Calceolaria 
cuttings, and in cold frames or under handlights every one of them will 
strike. Young shoots of Gazania splendens may be struck as simply as 
Calceolarias, and are also very easily protected from frosts. 
