72 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AXD COTTAGE GARDEXEH 
r ss. 
toft growths, and the eraporatire power of the leares is a; ye: snal], 
soon becoming inj'sred by exoeusire moisture. SuScient rroisture can 
be secured by damping the paths and borders on dull day;, and the 
foliage ii then free to ela'ooratc the ‘ap. When the fruits sweih and are 
the size of horse beans and too thickiy p'.aced, remove a few of tie 
smallest and those on the under side of the branches ; but do n:t thin 
too severely, as exce;«ive thinning often gives a check inimical to the 
fmit left, therefore thin the fmits by degrees, removing a few at a 
time, commencing with the weakest parts of the tree. If aphides 
appear fumigate carefully and moderately on two or three consecutive 
evenings, having the foliage dry, and delivering the smoke cooL or 
syringe with a mixture of quassia water and -oftsoap. plac.ng 2 ozs. of 
quassia chips in a gallon of coil water ; let this stand a night and 
then l>oil ten minute s, dissolving in it as it cools, 2 ozs. of softsoap. 
straining through muslin before use. Tnis may be u.sed with a brush to 
parts infested with brown aphides, and is best applied in a spray, cue 
gallon going as far as six gallons by or dinary syringing, and is just as 
efBcacious against the ins.ects and less dangerous to the trsses. The 
following mixture is thoroughly effectual against aphides, red spider, 
and thrips : — Hot water one gallon, dissolve in it 2 ozs. of softsoap. and 
add one pint of tobacco juice ; strain, and spray or syringe the trees with 
it in the evening, syringing with clear water the following day. If 
mildew appear dust the infested parts with flowers of sulphur, but if 
syringing is piroperly attended to there will not be any mildew, the 
hou.se V.>eiDg judiciously ventilated. Be careful in giving air in cold 
weather, as cold draughts may cause the fruits to fall, and in clear j 
frosty weather it is safer to allow the temperature to rise a little higher | 
than to open the ventilators too much. In watering inside borders ' 
liquid manure will assist weakly trees to swell their fruit in the fir-t 1 
stage, and always apply it equal in temperature to that of the mean of ’ 
the house, ' 
7re^ Started Early in Year . —The buds having swelled and • 
none showing colour syringing must cease over the trees, but sprinkle 
the borders occasionally —morning and afternoon on fine days — so as to 
maintain a genial condition of the atmosphere. Examine the inside 
border, and if necessary supply water so as to thoroughly moisten the ! 
soil down to the drainage. If there is a superabundance o‘ flowers 
remove that on the under ride or back of the trellis, drawing the hand ■ 
contrariwise of the growth along the shoots. The temperature may be 
advanced to 4-o^ to -oO", and .vO' to -o-o' in the daytime hy artificial means, 
and c/Y to Y/' from sun heat, ventilating freely above ■o5‘', and leave a 
little corLstantly at the top of the house. 
Treet to lilpen Fruii Early in Jvly . —The house must be closed now, 
and the trees started at the commencement of February. Syringe the trees 
two or three times a day in bright weather, once a day .sufficing when dull, 
and in severe weather merely 'lamp the path and border. Turn the heat 
on in the morning .so ss to rai.se the temperature to '/J', keeping it at 
that figure until the decline of the snn, tnen allow the temperature to 
fall to its night minimum, employing fire h'at only to prevent its falling 
below Water ihe inside border if nece-S-sary, that the light* having 
been removed no water will be required for monfos to come ; yet there 
is a great difference in border requirements, those formed of retentive 
material not needing water nearly as often as th'-./se compyosed of loose 
porous soih 
Later Ilovue ^. —Tloe buds in these are swelling fast where the lights 
are fixed, but where the lights are off the buds are quite dormant ; and 
whilst the former have lost many blossom buds, the latter retain all the 
buds. Ventilate freely in bright weather so as to retard the buds as 
much as possible, not omitting to water inside borders if they show tne 
least indication of dryness. Houses from which the lights have been 
removed should not have them replaced until the time arrives for 
starting the trees or the buds are so advanced as not to be safely longer 
eiposch 
ViKE.e .— Earlient Forced Vineis in PoU .—These will now require 
c-opiious supplies of liquid manure, always tepid, and never too strong. 
Thin the berries b^.>mewLat freely to induce fine berries, but not going to 
the extreme of making the hunches lo^yse, though that is better than 
wedged bunches, yet the compraod even Ijerried cluster is most tempting. 
Maintain the nizht temperature at VP, falling 'P on cold nights, VP to 
70^ on cold day's, 7(F to 7. o'" when mild.ventilatinga little at 70'",increasing 
it vrith sun heat to VP or VP, at which keep the house through the day 
from that source, closing at VP, and so as to run up to VP or Vf", 
damping all available surfaces. Hamp^ing is also necessary in the early 
p/art of the day. 
Earlient E'orced PlafP.ed-</ut I7«c^. — Attention must be given to 
tying the shoots and stopping them to one or two joints aVx/ve the show 
of fruit where space is limited, the aiiTary growtla or laterals below 
the bunch t>eing removed, ezeepA those on the two loweat joints, which, 
with th^rse aVjve the fruit, should be stopped at the first leaf and sub- 
se^puently as made. 'The stopping is very impy^rtant for allowing more 
growth to be made than there is room for, and not c'unsidering that a 
little lateral extension is desirable, causes overcrowding, and tliat is 
fatal to govi results. 'The cultivator must be guided by circumstances, 
and manipiulate so that the princip./a] foliage be fully ezpy>sed to light. 
Very close stopping is not desirable where there is room for extension, 
the increased foliage p^romoting eorresjxmding root-action and the 
elaborating py>wer is eniarged, therefore make provision for an increase 
of growth and rodaiu all the foliage cymsistent with its full exp^osure to 
air and light. Maintain a temperature of VP" at night, and 'P'' more for 
Mu.scats where the Grapes are in flower, Sweetwater and others that do 
n'.;t set freely should be brushed over with a large cameTs-hair brush or 
bunch of feathers. This is essential with Muscats, assisting fertnisa-titn 
by shaking tne rods daily or dusting the bunches after hmshirg them 
with pollen taken from varieties that afford it freely, and this 
applied to the stigmas usually results in a good set, especial'y if acc:m- 
panied by a constant ciicnlatiun of rather dry warm air. Ccmmtuce 
thinning when the berries are about the rize of pieas, it then being 
seen which benriei are fertilised by their taking the le^d in swelling. 
Ventilate carefully, a little at a time, so as nor to reduce the tempera¬ 
ture. only to prevent its rirlug too suddenly and too hijh. Maintain a 
genial condition of the atmcrsphere after the Grapes are set by damping 
available surfaces in the morning and a: closing time. Water inside 
borders with tepid licnii mannre U; 0 t less in temperature than the 
houer::. 
Yinn .Started at the Xrtc Year. — These are moving, breaking 
strongly. Continue syringing the Vixes twice a day until the bunthes 
are formed, then disoontinue it; mairttain the atmosphere in a genial 
condition by damping instead two or three times a day. Avoid syringing 
hot-wa'^er pii>es when hishly heated, the steam dein? different from that 
given out by cooler surfaces, and :s a common cause of rusu The 
temperature should be increaBei to PP at night, and VP to fia" by day. 
with an advance of IP sun heat, ventilating carefully, early, and 
in accordance with external influences. 
t" APord Ripe Grapes in July. — ^Tbe Vins must be started 
early in next m onth. Tnere is no need to cover the outside borders with 
fermenting materials, bat they should be covered with leaves or litter to 
prevent frest or snow c'uiil’ng the roots. Syringe the Vines two or three 
times a day, maintaining a tempoerature of PP at night, and VP by day 
from sun teat. .Supply the inside borders with water, c>r liquid manure 
in the case of weakly Vines, at a temperature of 7->', repeating if neces¬ 
sary, so as to bring the whole border into a thoroughly moist ccnditicn. 
Late Golman, Gros Guillaume, Mre. Pmoe, Trebblano, 
and other Grapes requiring a long time to grew and perfect their crops 
should be started during next month, therefore Lave the house p<ut in 
order, and everything essential in respect of cleanliness to the Vines 
doing well effected without delay. 
Eyee and Cvt-haelu . — Eyes may now be inserted in pots, rat.5, or 
square pieces of turf, taking the eyes from well-ripoened woeod, fliing the 
peots or pans with light loam, inserting the buds with a pinch of silver 
sand and La f an inch beneath the surface, plunging the poots or pans in 
a bottom heat of eOq and in a house with an artif rial temperature of 
VP to VP' at night. Cut-backs —Vines raised from eyes last spring, and 
not of a strength for fruiting or planting— should I* cut back to an eye 
or two, as near the soil as p>cssible. dressing the cuts with styptic or 
poatent knottirg. When they have made 2 inches of growth shake them 
out and repot in turfy loam rather rough, with a sprinkling of finely 
crushed steamed bones, 6 or 7-inch pots being quite large eiwngh. The 
pots may be plunged in bottom heat, but it is not essential ; suSoe if th-e 
house be kept at a proper temperature— VP to V' at night, 7-1/' to 75" 
by day, advancing 10' to 15' from sun heat, and the Vines are trained 
in ahundance of light. 
THE ETTCHZK GABDZy, 
POTATOE.S IX PoT.=, — These are not very profitable, but a few 
extra early dishes, obtained by means of pot culture, are usually well 
appreciate. .Shelves in Peach honsss, vineries, or other structurea 
where a gentle heat only is maintained are the best p>oations for these 
early Potatoes, and b-inch or sfightiy larger pots answer well, though 
larger sizes may be used when the fronts of the bouses are the places 
selected for the purpose. A suitable compost consists cf two p^arts 
of light loam to one of old Mushroom bed refuse. Lightly drain the 
pots, then half fill with the s'.<ii, making this rather firm. Place a 
.single strongly sprouted tutor in each “-inch pot. and surround with 
! sufficient sod about three parts fill the pot, whidi will allow space for 
a good top-dressi Dg. This to be given when the sb-yots are level with 
; the rim of the pots. Water sparingly at the ontset, and let them have 
I picnty of light, or otherwise the gro^h will be spnodly and the crops 
, light. .Sharpe’s Victory, Early Border, Old Ashleaf, Mona’s Pride, and 
Veitch’s Improved Ashleaf are all suitable for pot culture. 
PoTATOE.~ IX Pits axd Fbakes. — P rofitable crops can usually be 
had from either pits or desep frames without very much trouble. A 
gentle hotbed of leaves on well-prepared manure and leaves in mixture 
is m'jit nbcesearj in the case of the earliest coops, r>ut can be dispensed 
with if need be for the later supplies. Potatoes ought nek to be grown 
far from the glass, therefore raise the beds well up to the lights of pits, 
the frames loeing set on hotbeds about 4 feet deep at the back, with a 
slight slope to the front, and about half filled with the heating materiah 
Not less than 'J inches of lig’ut and fairly rich loamy compost should be 
sprea.'i over the surface of the ioed, and directly this is warmed through, 
and all nsks of the ’oed overheating be past, the p’^anting may well be 
completed at once. Varieties recommended for growing in pot* are also 
suitable for frame and pit culture, medinm-rized stron^y sprouted sets 
being selected. Op»en drills about 15 inches apart and 5 inches deep, 
and disp^joe the tuners inches apart, carefully levelling with the hand. 
If seed of early liadishes is sown very thinly and broadcast, a few 
bunches of tender roots will be obtaired before the Potato haulm 
requires all the space. The soil being in a fairly moist state, it will 
some time \jtion water is required beyond what may be given to the 
Ba'Jis’oes, but it is unwi.se to let the soil become very dry. Ke*p the 
frames close till the shoots are well through the soil, and then ventilate 
with moderate fre^J'nxi, closing somewhat early, and well covering up 
with mats or litter every night —tnat is, if there is no top heat afforded. 
.Stkoctixg Potatoe.:;’— I t IS Very injurioas to seed Potatoes 
