April 21, 1392. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
307 
wide. If yours is a narrow house there will only be room for staging 
round the sides ; hut should the house be wide enough, another tier of 
shelves may be placed in the middle of the house. There ought also to 
be one or two windows, which should be provided with shutters. The 
windows should also be made to open. There should likewise be a fire¬ 
place or a small stove in the room. 
House for Strawberries (F, Ellis). —In very few gardening 
establishments where Strawberries are largely forced are there to be 
found any other conveniences than shelves in forcing houses and heated 
frames such as you describe. The plants do much better in frames, and 
produce finer fruits with greater certainty than is the case upon shelves 
after the season has advanced and the sun has great power. On shelves 
when the sun is very bright and hot, not only do the flowers fail to set 
satisfactorily, but the fruit is often seriously injured by exposure to the 
sun. A heated frame where air can be admitted freely is admirably 
adapted for the purpose you have in view, but if you intend erecting a 
structure on purpose we should advise a low span-roofed house, or a 
three-quarter span, with a walk down the centre and a stage on each 
side. A house 9 feet high and from 10 feet 6 inches to 12 feet wide 
outside (including the walls) would be of a suitable size. If the side 
walls were 2 feet 3 inches above the ground level you could arrange 
small front lights for the purpose of admitting air when required. The 
reason we advise a house of this description is not only because you 
could get at the plants and attend to their wants better than in a frame, 
but because the house could be utilised for a variety of purposes after 
the Strawberry season was over to which the frame could not be 
applied. 
Vines Unsatisfactory (IF. B .).—The Vines have no doubt 
suffered from the severe forcing to which they have been subjected and 
have scarcely had time to recuperate. It would have been a good plan 
to have lifted the roots in the inside border and laid them in fresh 
compost instead of surface-dressing the border with turfy loam, lime 
rubbish, and half-inch bones, as these can only be of use when taken 
possession of by roots. We advise your doing what we suggest in the 
autumn after the leaves give indications of ripening but before they 
fall from the Vines, lifting the roots in the inside border, and laying 
them in fresh soil within one foot of the surface. Vou could not have 
anything better than loam, lime rubbish, and bones, for what the 
Vines evidently need are more active roots. If done carefully the work 
would not prejudice the following year’s crop. We presume the border 
is well drained, if not that must be effected. In a year or two after 
operating on the inside border the outside may be taken in hand, and 
this will give the Vines a long lease of fresh vigour, and enable them to 
produce satisfactory crops of fruit. Beyond encouraging more growth 
this year, yet not crowding it, little may be done. If the Vines are 
weakly, and have the spurs much attenuated, it would be a good plan to 
train up fresh canes from the base of the old rods, and when the fruit is 
cut remove the old rods in favour of the young canes. This, however, 
would be best done gradually, so as not to cause too great a loss of crop 
all at once. The extra foliage would assist the current crop rather than 
hinder its swelling and perfecting. 
Tblnnlng* Fruit and Crops (^A. Allen). —The subject is undeniably 
of importance. It is concisely treated in Johnson’s “ Gardeners’ Dic¬ 
tionary,” where it is said that the exhaustion consequent upon the 
production of seed is a chief cause of the decay of plants. This explains 
why fruit trees are weakened or rendered temporarily unproductive, and 
even killed, by being allowed to ripen too large a crop of fruit, or to 
overbear themselves.” The thinning of fruit is, consequently, one of 
the most important operations of the garden, though one of the least 
generally practised. It is equally important to be attended to in all 
fruit-bearers, but especially the Vine, Nectarine, Peach, Apricot, Apple, 
and Pear. It should be done with a bold, fearless hand ; and the per¬ 
fection of that which is allowed to remain will amply reward the grower, 
in harvest time, for the apparent sacrifice made. But he will not reap 
his reward only in this year, for the trees, thus kept unweakened by 
over-production, will be able to ripen their wood, and deposit their store 
of sap in their vessels, so absolutely necessary for their fruitfulness next 
season. Thinning is a most necessary operation with plants as well as 
with the fruit they bear. The roots of a plant extend in a circle round 
it, of which the stem is the centre. If the roots of adjoining plants 
extend within each other’s circle, they mutually rob of nutriment, and 
check each other’s growth. Thinning in the seed bed is generally 
applied with too timid a hand. 
Hames of Fruits. — Notice. —Special attention is directed to the 
following decision, the object of which is to discourage the growth of 
inferior and promote the culture of superior varieties. In consequence 
of the large number of worthless Apples and Pears sent to this office to 
be named, it has been decided to name only specimens and varieties of 
approved merit, and to reject the inferior, which are not worth sending 
or growing. The names and addresses of senders of fruit to be named 
must in all cases be enclosed with the specimens, whether letters 
referring to the fruit are sent by post or not. The names are not 
necessarily required for publication, initials sufficing for that. Only six 
specimens can be named at once, and any beyond that number cannot 
be preserved. (^Grange). —We do not recognise the Apple. Probably it 
is a local or a Norman variety. 
Names of Plants. —We only undertake to name species of plants, 
not varieties that have originated from seed and termed florists’ flowers. 
Flowering specimens are necessary of flowering plants, and Fern fronds 
should bear spores. Specimens should arrive in a fresh state in firm boxes. 
Slightly damp moss, soft green grass or leaves form the best packing, dry 
wool the worst. Not more than six specimens can be named at once, 
and the numbers should be visible without untying the ligatures, 
it being often difficult to separate them when the paper is damp. 
(^Eveleigh). —Cypripedium hirsutissimum. The plant was introduced 
from Assam in 1857. The species is highly worthy of cultivation. 
((?. A. K.), — Dendrobium fimbriatum. (Af. P.). — 1, Dendrobium 
Wardianum ; 2, Cattleya Mossiae ; 3, Odontoglossum Pescatorei. 
{F. K. B.). —Rubus spectabilis, a native of Columbia, introduced to this 
country in 1827. 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— April 20th, 
Trade at a standstill owing to the Easter holidays. No revival expected during 
the present week. 
FRUIT. 
s. 
d. 
S. 
d. 
6. 
d. 
S. 
d. 
Apples, J-sieve. 
1 
0 to 5 
0 
Grapes, per lb. 
2 
6 to 
4 
0 
Apples, banada and Nova 
„ New, per lb. 
4 
0 
5 
0 
Scotia, per barrel ,, .. 
12 
0 
20 
0 
Lemoms, case . 
15 
0 
2) 
0 
Apples, Tasmanian, per 
Oranges, per 100 .. .. 
4 
0 
9 
0 
case.. . 
10 
0 
15 
0 
St. Michael Pines, each .. 
3 
0 
6 
0 
Oobs, Kent, per 100 lbs. .. 
0 
U 
0 
0 
Strawberries, per lb. 
2 
0 
4 
0 
VEGETABLES. 
S. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
Beans, Kidney, per lb. 
0 
9 
to 2 
0 
Mustard and Cress, punnet 
0 
2 to 0 
0 
Beet, Red, dozen. 
1 
0 
a 
0 
Onions, bunch . 
0 
3 
0 
5 
Carrots, bunch. 
0 
4 
0 
0 
Parsley, dozen bunches .. 
2 
0 
3 
0 
Cauliflowers, dozen .. 
2 
K) 
3 
0 
Parsnips, dozen. 
1 
0 
0 
0 
Celery, bundle . 
1 
0 
1 
3 
Potatoes, per cwt. 
2 
0 
3 
0 
Coleworts, dozen bunches 
2 
0 
4 
0 
Salsafy, bundle. 
1 
0 
1 
6 
Cucumbers, dozen 
4 
0 
6 
0 
Scorzonera, bundle ,. 
1 
6 
0 
0 
Endive, dozen . 
1 
3 
1 
6 
Seakale, per basket .. ., 
1 
6 
1 
9 
Herbs, bunch .. ,. .. 
0 
3 
0 
0 
Shallots, per lb. .. 
0 
3 
0 
0 
Leeks, bunch . 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Spinach, bushel. 
2 
0 
0 
0 
Lettuce, dozen. 
1 
3 
1 
9 
Tomatoes, per lb. 
0 
4 
1 
9 
Mushrooms, punnet .. 
1 
6 
2 
0 
Turnips, bunch. 
0 
0 
0 
4 
AVERAGE 
WHOLESALE 
PRICES.—CUT FLOWERS. 
Orchid Blooms in variety. 
s. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
S. 
d. 
9. 
d. 
Arum Lilies, 12 blooms .. 
2 
0 
to 5 
0 
Maidenhair Fern, dozen 
Bouvardias, bunch .. .. 
0 
6 
1 
0 
bunches . 
6 
0 to 
9 
0 
Carnations, 12 blooms 
2 
0 
3 
0 
Marguerites, 12 bunches .. 
3 
0 
4 
0 
Carnations, Malmaison, 12 
Mignonette, 12 bunches .. 
1 
6 
3 
0 
blooms . 
3 
0 
6 
0 
Mimosa or Acacia (French) 
Cineraria, dozen bunches.. 
6 
0 
9 
0 
per bunch. 
1 
6 
2 
0 
Cyclamen, dozen blooms .. 
0 
3 
0 
6 
Narciss (various), Scilly 
Daffodils (double), dozen 
dozen bunches. 
2 
0 
4 
0 
bunches . 
2 
0 
4 
0 
Pelargoniums, 12 bunches 
6 
0 
9 
0 
Daffodils (single),doz. bnch. 
3 
u 
6 
0 
„ scarlet, 12 bunches 
4 
0 
6 
0 
Eucharis, dozen. 
4 
0 
6 
0 
Primula (double) 12 sprays 
0 
6 
0 
9 
Euphorbia jacquinieeflora 
Roses (indoor), dozen 
1 
6 
3 
0 
dozen sprays. 
2 
0 
3 
0 
„ Red, per doz. blooms.. 
3 
0 
6 
0 
Freesia, dozen bunches 
2 
0 
4 
U 
„ Tea, white, dozen .. 
1 
0 
3 
0 
Gardenias, per dozen 
3 
0 
6 
0 
„ Yellow, dozen .. .. 
2 
0 
6 
0 
Hyacinths, dozen spikes .. 
3 
0 
4 
0 
Tuberoses, 12 blooms.. .. 
1 
0 
2 
0 
„ Dutch, per box 
1 
6 
4 
0 
Tulips, dozen blooms.. .. 
0 
6 
1 
0 
Lilium longiflorum 12 
White Lilac (French) per 
blooms . 
3 
0 
6 
0 
bunch. 
4 
0 
5 
0 
Lilium (various) dozen 
Violet Parme, French bchs. 
2 
0 
3 
0 
blooms . 
1 
6 
3 
0 
„ „ small bunches 
1 
6 
0 
Lily of the Valley, dozen 
„ English, doz. bunch. 
1 
0 
1 
6 
Sprays . 
0 
6 
0 
10 
Wallflowers, dozen bunches 
2 
0 
4 
0 
PLANTS IN POTS. 
s. d. s. 
Arbor Vitae (golden) dozen 6 0 to 12 
Arum Lilies, per dozen ..90 12 
Azalea, per plant .... 2 0 3 
Cineraria, per dozen .... 6 0 9 
Cyclamen, per dozen ., .. 9 0 12 
Daffodils, per dozen .. .. 9 0 12 
Dracaena terminalis, dozen 14 0 42 
„ viridis, dozen .. 12 0 24 
Erica various, per dozen .. 12 0 24 
„ Willmoreana, dozen 12 0 18 
Euonymus,var., dozen ..6 0 18 
Evergreens, in var., dozen 6 0 24 
Ferns, in variety, dozen ..40 18 
Ficus elastica, each .... 1 6 7 
Foliage plants, var., each.. 2 0 . 10 
Bedding Plants in variety in pots and in boxes. 
TURN-OUT TIME. 
May Day is a favourite time with many graziers for turning 
out cows and store cattle to grass, more from custom than 
anything else. The practice has little, if anything, to commend 
it to a thoughtful man, who knows that much harm and positive 
loss are often a result of its observance. Not many fixed rules 
are possible in the management of live stock ; a very safe one is 
never to subject the animals to sudden changes. To turn cows out 
on pasture rich in the fresh herbage of spring, to suffer them to 
eat it to repletion, as they invariably do if unchecked, and at the 
1 . 
0 
pot 
Genista, per dozen 
Hyacinths, per dozen,. 
Lily of the Valley, per , 
Lycopodiums, per dozen 
Marguerite Daisy, dozen 
Mignonette, per dozen 
Musk, per dozen .. 
Myrtles, dozen .. .. 
Palms, in var., each .. 
„ (specimens) .. 
Pelargoniums, scarlet, doz. 
„ per dozen 
Rhodanthes, per dozen 
Spirsea, per dozen 
6 
6 
1 
5 
6 
6 
4 
6 
1 
21 
4 
9 
6 
8 
6 
d. 3. d. 
OtolO 0 
0 9 0 
1 6 
4 0 
12 0 
12 0 
6 0 
9 0 
15 0 
63 0 
6 0 
18 0 
8 0 
12 0 
8 0 
