350 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 14, 1886. 
position in the fruiting department. Maintain a temperature of 70° at 
night, 75° artificially by day, up to 85° to 90° with sun, closing at 85°, 
sprinkling the pathways when their surfaces have become dry, occasionally 
sprinkling the plants on fine afternoons. Keep the bottom heat steady at 
85° to 90°. Examine the plants once a week for watering, and if any 
require it afford a copious supply of clear liquid at about the same tem¬ 
perature as the beds. Care must be taken not to over-water the fruiters, 
as that has a tendency to cause the fruit, when cut, to be black at the 
centre. 
Plants to Fruit Early. —Queens are the best for this purpose, but 
there is not always a certainty of their doing so unless they are given a 
period of comparative rest after making good growth. Plants intended 
to show fruit early in the year should be kept in a temperature about 65° 
in the daytime by artificial means, 60° at night, ventilating at 70°, closing 
at 70°, allowing the bottom heat to fall to 70°. Water the plants only 
when necessary, but do not let them become so dry as to cause limpness of 
the foliage. 
Young Plants. —All young plants should now be arranged so as to 
obtain the fullest benefit of light and air. As the sun heat diminishes, a 
corresponding diminution of temperature must take place at night until it 
reaches jhe winter standard of 55° to 60° at night, and 65° in the daytime. 
Ventilate freely whenever conditions are favourable, paying particular 
attention to watering. Make an inspection of the plants about once a 
week, and whenever a plant needs water give it copiously at about the 
same temperature as the bed. 
Peaches and Nectarines. — Earliest House.— Prune the trees at 
rest, and put the house in order for a fresh start. The wood having been 
grown thinly, and care taken to equalise the growth, there will be little 
need of the knife. Any weak wood may be cut out, and any leading 
growths shortened, so as to originate the requisite growths for furnishing 
the trees. Where too crowded they may be thinned. Usloose the trees 
from ihe trellis, cleanse the house thoroughly, and dress the trees with an 
insecticide before again securing them to the trellis. There should not 
be any attempt at tight tying, but plenty of space must be left for the 
swelling of the branches. Remove the surface soil down to the roots, and 
supply fresh turfy loam, adding a tenth of lime rubbish, a fifteenth part 
of half-inch bones, and a similar proportion of wood ashes, making firm 
and following with a good watering. The outside border also should be 
surface dressed in a similar manner, and if in a thoroughly moist state, 
protect with a covering of litter or bracken, as cold rains and snow 
reduce the temperature of the soil considerably, but allow the soil to be 
thoroughly moistened before covering. The lights, if removed, may 
remain ofi until bad weather sets in. 
Second Early House. —The trees will have most of the foliage down. 
It may be assisted by lightly brushing them with a broom. It is best to 
prune, dress the trees, and top-dress as soon as all the leaves have fallen, 
and destroy all insects before they have time to find secure winter 
quarters. In properly managed trees there will be little wood to cut out. 
It will be confined to removing any useless parts having escaped the 
knife at thinning after the fruit is gathered, and these should now be 
removed. Any shoots considered too long may be cut back to a wood or 
triple bud, making sure that the centre one is a wood bud, which is not 
always the case, and to leave sufficient wood with fruit buds for insuring 
a crop. Shoots of 8 to 12 inches length must not be shortened, nor need 
those that are very much longer, as all shoots have a few wood buds at 
the base and one at the extremity, and others amid the fruit buds, espe¬ 
cially in the case of strong shoots, but the intermediate buds on short 
shoots are generally fruiting ones only. It is a great mistake, however, to 
retain much wood, which weakens the trees in flowering, and there is not 
space for training-in the necessary growths for future bearing to insure 
theii thorough exposure to light and air. Allow plenty of air at all times, 
but the lights being off, do not replace them until severe weather comes, 
but allow the borders to become well moistened by the autumn rains. If 
the lights are fixed, avoid permitting the borders to become too dry, which 
is more pernicious than a wet soil at any time. 
Midseason Houses. —The foliage in these will be approaching 
maturity. The lights should be kept open day and night, and, the wood 
ripe, the roof lights may be removed. There is no rain like that of the 
clouds for ensuring an even and thorough moistening of the soil. Any 
lifting or root-pruning should be attended to so soon as the wood becomes 
firm and the buds are developed, and before the leaves have fallen, so that 
fresh roots may be formed—a process that is more certain when the trees 
have foliage than when it is deferred until the trees are leafless. 
Late Houses. —Late Peaches are as valuable as early ones, and we 
have now some excellent varieties. We have in Alexander and Waterloo 
varieties that ripen in April with no more forcing than is necessary to 
have Royal George ripe in June, and there are others, as Early Beatrice, 
Early Alfred, Hale’s Early, Dr. Hogg, and Condor, that precede our old 
forcing varieties by weeks in the same temperature. In late varieties 
those of the greatest value are found. They have size and appearance, 
and under glass they ripen in the worst seasons. Barrington and Late 
Admirable were our best late Peaches, the Salwey seldom ripening, and 
under glass was very mealy. Now we have, thanks to the late Mr. Thos. 
Rivers, very fine sorts. They are sometimes dry and mealy—that arises 
from the trees not having due supplies of water and nutriment when the 
fruit is swelling, also when the fruit is taking its last swelling for 
ripening. The fruit is large and requires good support. Princess of 
Wales is beautiful; Lady Palmerston is very handsome ; Sea Eagle large 
and good ; Golden Eagle, and gold it is (of the Australian tint), Glad¬ 
stone very large and good ; and Comet, yellow or golden with a crimson 
cheek. All are first-rate. By ventilating freely through the summer, in 
fact taking oil the lights in “ broiling ” weather, they can be had as late 
as when grown outside, and the fruit can be insured ripening, which is 
more than can always be effected outside. Keep the wood thin and get 
it ripe. The useless wood should be cut out so soon as the fiu't is 
gathered, and trees growing too luxuriantly and late should have a trench 
taken out at such distance from the stem as will check their vigour and 
cause the buds to become plump. 
Cucumbers. — Autumn Fruiters. —Examine these regularly, not less 
frequently than once a week, removing any bad leaves and exhausted 
growths, training in young growths, pinching out the points of the shoots 
a joint or two beyond the fruit, avoiding overcrowding and overcropping, 
and remove all male blossoms, as well as a super-abundant show of fruit. 
Keep a night temperature of 70°, 75° by day, advancing to 80° to 85° with 
sun heat, closing early so as to rise 5° to 10°, advantage being taken 
of favourable opportunities to admit a little air, yet avoid drying 
currents and cold air. The evaporation troughs may be charged with 
liquid manure, or the floors occasionally damped wi h it. The floors 
should be sprinkled with water at about 8 Am. and 4 p.m. respectively, 
dispensing with the syringe over the plants. Reduce the supply of water 
at the roots, but not to cause flagging. Plant out at once on ridges or 
hillocks the plants for fruiting in winter and train with one stem to th& 
trellis, taking out the point of the lead at the second or third wire of the 
trellis. Good supplies of fruit may be had by growing plants in pots or 
boxes in a house sufficiently heated, as that of a Pine stove. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Eeutzias. —When necessary to increase the stock of these for another 
year’s forcing, strong plants may be lifted from outside borders and potted 
at once. Many lift these plants and force them the same season, but 
this is a mistake, for they should be established in their pots for one 
year before forcing them into bloom. If placed at once in 6 to 8-inch 
pots, according to their size, they will become partially established before 
the foliage falls, and will make splendid plants for another year. They 
can stand outside until the approach of severe frost, when they should be 
pruned and the pots plunged in a cold frame. If allowed to start into 
growth and are encouraged in cold frames until June they will be ripened 
early, and in a fit state for forcing into bloom early in the season. It is a 
good plan to lift a few plants annually from the outside for potting, and 
then the stock of these plants can be kept in admirable condition. Plante 
that have been weakened by forcing may now be turned out of their 
pots and have their roots reduced by one-half and repotted in fresh soil. 
These if given cold frame treatment will thoroughly recruit themselves in 
a season, and be in the best condition for forcing. A portion of our 
stock is subjected to this treatment annually, and by this simple method 
the whole of the plants are kept in good condition. Plants that die or do 
not start freely into growth are replaced by new stock from the borders. 
The plants for this purpose are raised by striking cuttings in heat in 
spring, placing them singly in boxes 2 inches apart, and afterwards 
planting them out. Deutzias do well in good fibry loam, one-seventh of 
manure, and a little sand. 
Viburnum Opulus (Guelder Rose).—To have these in good condition 
for forcing in pots they should be established in them for one year. 
Plants that were cuttings two years ago may be lifted for this purpose, 
and will require 6 or 7-inch pots. These plants Bhould be potted in the 
compost advised for Deutzias and then plunged outside, covering the 
surface of the soil and rim of the pots. They should be plunged where 
they can grow next year—that is, in a sunny open position. They will 
give no fuither trouble during the winter, and in spring should be pruned 
back closely. This will induce the formation of clean growths, which 
will be about 18 inches in length by the end of the year. No trouble 
will be given in watering during the summer if the pots are plunged 
nearly one inch below the surface. 
j Roses. —A good number of Hybrid Perpetuals, and the old common 
Moss should be lifted and potted at once where it is necessary to in¬ 
crease the stock of these plants. If strong plants are lifted, or the 
ordinary trade size relied upon, they should be placed in 7 or 8-inch 
pots in a compost of fibry loam of a moderately heavy nature, one-seventh 
of decayed manure, and one 6-inch potful of half-inch bones, and the 
same quantity of soot to each barrowful of soil. If lifted while the 
foliage is upon them they will make a good quantity of roots before 
winter, and the result next season will be strong growth and large 
blooms. The plants should be plunged outside, covering the rim of 
the pots with ashes until severe weather sets in, when the protection of 
a cold frame should be given them. If plunged they will need no 
water, but it may be necessary to syringe them occasionally if dry 
weather and dry winds prevail. 
Laurustinus. —Any plants ot the common English variety that have 
set their flower buds may be lifted and placed into pots at once, vary¬ 
ing in size according to the size of the plants. Those that have not set 
their buds are often destroyed by frost in the northern parts (f the 
country, and if these can be given protection for the winter, and planted 
out again in spring, all the better. If the Btock of these plants are 
deficient buy in at once some small bushy plants, and pot them and place 
at the approach of severe frost in a cold frame. In spring they should 
be plunged outside, covering the pots with soil, and the majority will set 
plenty of flower buds. The Belgian variety has been largely used for 
forcing during late years, but it very frequently fails to set buds unless 
the plants are prepared under glass. Such accommodation cannot be 
afforded them, and threfore the old form alluded to above, which opens 
white when subjected to forcing, must be relied upon unless the stock 
required is purchased annually. 
