328 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 7, 1889. 
over bracken or straw answering well, or a good thick thatch of s'raw or 
bracken will be serviceable, the surface being given sufficient fall from the 
house outwards so as to throw off the wet. 
Young Vines. —These have a disposition to continue growing to a late 
period ; check them by stopping the shoots moderately, and facilitate 
ripening the wood by a high and dry temperature by day, shutting off the 
heat and keeping the ventilators open by night. 
Melons. —-The Melon season as regards dung-heated pits and frames 
may now be considered at an end. Any fruits yet remaining and fully 
grown may be cut and placed in a warm house to ripen. The latest 
plants in houses will require a night temperature of 70°, falling 5° through 
the night, and 75° by day by artificial means, advancing to 85° with sun 
heat, admitting a little air at every favourable opportunity. Sprinkling 
the paths will be needed about 8 A.M. and 3 p.m. until the fruit is full 
grown, when a drier atmosphere will be advisable. Cut out all super¬ 
fluous laterals, well thinning the old foliage so that the fruit may have 
the full benefit of the autumn sun. Before the ground is soaked by the 
autumn rains secure the required quantity of soil for next year’s crop— 
rather strong loam taken off with its turf, stacking it grass side downwards, 
adding about a bushel of quicklime to every cartload will be in capital con¬ 
dition by spring. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Shading. — The blinds that have been used for breaking the sun’s 
rays may be taken down and stored for the winter. They must be 
perfectly dry before they are rolled up, and the position in which they 
are placed must be free from damp or they will be of but little service 
another year. A note should now be made of what blinds that are too 
old for further use, and new ones should be prepared during the winter 
so that they are ready for use when required. This work is generally 
delayed until the spring, but, at that season work presses in every depart¬ 
ment. A little shade will still be needed for Ferns, but this must be as 
light as possible, and allowed only to be down when the sun is very 
bright. Prepare these plants to stand full light as early as it can possibly 
be done. All shade must be dispensed with for those plants that have 
been grown to supply fronds for cutting. The blinds must be left on 
Orchid houses for a few weeks longer, but they should only be used when 
the sun is very bright. The majority that have completed their growth 
and are ripening their pseudo-bulbs must not be shaded. The blinds 
must be used for Odontoglossums for some time yet. 
Housing and Cleaning. —Washing and painting must be pushed 
on rapidly, so that the various plants can be housed in their respective 
positions for the winter. In many instances this is the most convenient 
time of the year for painting, commencing with the warm structures and 
finishing with cool houses. When done in early autumn the houses are 
light and clean for the winter, and the paint has a chance to become 
properly hardened during the period that less moisture is used. It is a 
wise plan to thoroughly dry, before painting, stoves and such structures 
by the removal of all the plants for a short space of time. This not only 
assists wonderfully in the preservation of the wood, but the paint remains 
in g rod condition much longer. This is not always practicable, but 
when possible it should be done. Before the houses are painted, how¬ 
ever, the glass should be thoroughly washed to free it from dirt. This 
is necessary in the neighbourhood of towns outs’de as well as in, for the 
latter is generally coated with soot which, if not persistently removed, 
acts as a shade. The glass must be clean, so 'that every ray of light can 
reach the plants during the winter. 
Cleaning Plants. —All plants should be thoroughly cleaned before 
they are returned to the structures that have been washed or painted. It 
is a bad practice to place clean plants in a dirty house, but worse t > place 
insect-infested plants in a clean house. If insects have been kept in 
check during the summer and the plants well cleaned at this season, little 
trouble will be experienced another summer. Azaleas, as they are housed, 
should be dipped or syringed, as the case may be, according to size, if 
there has been any thrips upon them during the season. A very few 
upon these plants spread rapidly when introduced into heat to force them 
into bloom, and quickly destroy the appearance of the plant. A good 
solution for this purpose is tobacco water about the colour of stout, half 
an ounce of softsoap dissolved in each gallon of the solution, and a piece 
of common washing soda about the size of a cob nut to the same quan¬ 
tity. Azaleas should be under cover if they can only be sheltered from 
heavy rains in Peach houses and vineries, until their proper position has 
been cleaned for them. 
Heaths and Epacris. —Soft as well as hardwooded varieties must be 
under coyer. The latter must occupy a light airy place in toe greenhouse 
with their pots standing upon gravel or some other moisture-holding 
material. Abundance of air must be admitted to them day an! night 
whenever the weather allows of this being done, for some weeks too 
much air cannot be admitted. The softwooted Heaths and Epacris will 
succeed very well in frames where they can be sheltered from slight 
frosts and heavy rains, the latter do the most injury. Now that the 
flower buds are formed in the majority a slight check must not be given, 
either by being allowed to become too wet, too dry, or from frost. A 
check in their present stage would ruin the display of bloom for the 
season. E. hyemalis and others ar« very apt to go blind if subjected to 
the very slightest check, l’he lights may be entirely off these plants 
during the day when the weather is fine, and at night when mild and no 
appearance of frost. Acacias, Correas, Cytiaus, Eriostemon, AphelexiB, 
Pimeleas, Pleromas, greenhouse Rhododendrons, and many other plants 
must be placed where they can be protected, the same as advised for 
Heaths. 
Camellias. —Some care is needed when these plants are removed from 
the outside and placed under glass. Very frequently a check is given to 
the plants, which results in their casting the majority of their flower buds. 
The foliage must be thoroughly cleaned, but in their present stage strong 
insecticides must not be used. Abundance of air must be given after the 
plants are housed, and great care exercised in supplying them with water 
at their roots. The soil must not be allowed to approach dryness, or the 
buds are certain to fall. The plants must also be liberally syringed twice 
daily, and a liberal quantity of moisture maintained in the atmosphere. 
They should stand upon some moisture-holding material, for a dry or 
close atmosphere at the present time is unsuitable for them. 
Daphne indica. —The whole stock of these plants should be in cold 
frames, where abundance of air can be admitted to them, but where they 
can be protected from heavy rains. Those that have set their buds may 
occupy a cool airy greenhouse if they can stand upon gravel that is kept 
moist. Any house where frost only is excluded will suit them admirably. 
Those that have not set buds may be plunged in a c old frame ready for 
the winter, where they will be perfectly safe and better than if housed in 
the greenhouse. They are nearly hardy, and frost will not injure them 
when the pots are plunged and the protection of a frame given them. 
Choisya ternata. —These plants may remain outside for fully another 
month, for a few degrees of frost will do them no harm. It is hardy in 
some localities, and only needs the protection of a cold frame during the 
winter. It is ruined in heat, and soon becomes prey to red spider if 
placed in dry sultry positions. It flowers freely in the spring by the aid 
of cool greenhouse treatment. If kept cool it will bloom at a time when 
it will prove very serviceable for the conservatory, when many spring- 
fljwering plants are over. 
Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora. —This is even more beautiful in 
pots for conservatory decoration from July onwards than when grown in 
outside borders. To have plants in good condition for this purpose strong 
plants sh uld be lifted from the borders and placed into 6 to 8-inch pots 
at once. If lifted while the foliage is upon them, they will become 
partially established before winter and then start freely into growth next 
spring. Plants may be obtained from nurseries for the same purpose if 
the necessary injunctions are given for the roots to be thoroughly 
moistened before they are dispatched. If allowed to become dry no 
advantage will be gained by potting them at the present time. These 
plants do well in good fibry loam enriched with decayed manure. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN AND PLEASURE GROUND. 
Late Displays. —Although we have experienced several cold, frosty 
nights, very little harm was d me, and the majority of beds and borders 
are, considering the time of year, exceptionally gay. Even Zmal Pelar¬ 
goniums, which with us are usually shabby by the middle of Septem¬ 
ber, are yet very bright with colour, and Ageratums, Lobelias, Calceolarias, 
Heliotropes, and Tuberous Begonias are all still at their best. The last- 
named are quite opposite to the Zonal Pelargoniums in their character, a 
showery season suiting them, while the Pelargoniums delight in dry 
weather. Oa the whole the Begonias,whether in masses or planted thinly 
with a carp ding of Mesembryanthemum cordifolium variegatum, are the 
most attractive, and no amount of rain apparently disfigures them ; come 
quently we cannot dj better than to plant them in large numbers. 
Doubtless certain growers do possess strains very suitable for bedding 
out, and this may lead some to think those that are considered extra 
choice are not robust enough for the open air. This is a mistaken notion, 
however, and in-tead of raising and planting out the strong-growing 
inferior sorts, the preference should be given to seed saved at the present 
time from the choicest varieties, named and otherwise, and this, if 
sown early in January, will germinate quickly. Seedlings thus raised 
may be had by the thousand, and can be grown large enough to plant out 
the same season, and will be extra fine the next year. In many gardens 
the beds and borders are supposed to be particularly gay late in August 
and as far into October as the frosts will permit. For this purpose Antir¬ 
rhinums in separate colours or mixed, Pentstemons, the earliest flower¬ 
ing autumn and Ead Lothian Stocks, Zinnias including the free-growing 
yellow variety Z. Haageana flore pleno, and Asters in variety all raised 
fr >m seed the same season, prove most serviceable. We have cut many 
basketfuls for various Harvest Thanksgivings this season, and there are 
still plenty left for effect. The back rows of the borders containing the=e 
are composed of single Dahlias in variety, and Cactus Dahlias, among 
which may be included the medium-height and wonderfully floriferous 
Glare of the Garden. Dahlias Juarezi and Constance are always very 
grand in the autumn and afford heavy supplies of cut blooms, and the 
same may be said of the charming white Pompon Guiding Star. In the 
herbaceous borders the Japanese Anemones, white and rose-coloured, are 
very gay, and these and the tall-growing very floriferous Pyrethrum uli- 
ginosum all afford unlimited supplies of lovely cut blooms. 
The earliest flowering Chrysanthemums are very effective in the mixed 
borders, and some of these may, when the break-up commences, be plant id 
against walls or whore they may be roughly protected from frosts. We 
group a good number of the most useful sorts, including Madame Desgrange, 
Soeur Melanie, Alexander Dufour, Snowdrop, the Bundle family, Julie 
Lagravere, and Elaine, where they can have a rough framework formed 
over them, on this being stretched heavy blinds that we have principally 
tor protecting Apricot blossom, and with this aid wonderful masses of 
bloom are obtained. It may have been genemlly observed that Curysan- 
ihemums planted on good ground and stopped but once after they are 
plauted are remarkably free-blooming, in this respect being far superior to 
pot-grown plants. This year Roses, especially the Teas, are very continuous 
flowering, and mmy are very beautiful at the present time (September 
