842 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 5, 1832. 
Latent Honnes .—Tbe fruit in these may be timed to come in quite 
as late as that on wall trees by attention to ventilation, admitting air 
freely and fully above 50°. Proceed with disbudding and heeling-in 
the shoots, thinning the fruit unflinchingly, but with due regard to that 
properly fertilised, which takes the lead in swelling. Examine all 
inside borders at least once a week, giving supplies of water when neces¬ 
sary. Syringe the trees twice a day except when the nights are likely to 
be cold and the trees are vigorous, these requiring to be kept drier than 
others that are smaller and thinner in foliage. All syringing should be , 
practised so early as to allow the foliage to become fairly dry before 
night. Early closing mav be practised in unheated houses with a view 
to husband the sun heat, but the foliage must not be wet at night. 
Cherry House. —With the fruit ripening syringing must cease, the 
fruit being kept dry, but atmospheric moisture must be furnished by 
keeping the surface of the borders moist, damping them with the 
syringe, and admitting air constantly, as if condensation take place the 
fruit is seriously affected, cracking, and becoming impaired in quality. 
Damping the border is calculated to mislead as regards its condition ; 
at this stage it must be quite moist, and if necessary a thorough supply 
of water must be afforded without delay. Tie in the shoots as they 
lengthen, and stop those not required for training in at about the fifth 
leaf. If black aphides are troublesome dip the infested shoots or leaves 
in tobacco water, rubbing them gently with the fingers whilst wet. 
Ventilate freely on all favourable occasions, having recourse to the 
heating apparatus when the external conditions are unfavourable to 
insure a circulation of warm rather dry air. Trees in pots require 
abundant supplies of water and nourishment. Place some netting over 
the ventilators to prevent birds attacking the Cherries. 
Melons. —The atmosphere should be dry and well ventilated after 
the flowers appear, fertilising the female blossoms when fully expanded, 
stopping the shoot one joint beyond the fruit. This should be persisted 
in daily until the number required are secured on each plant, not 
allowing one fruit to take the Ead, but having them all on as nearly 
an equal swelling as possible. Do not spare the knife after the fruit has 
commenced swelling, but keep the principal leaves fully exposed to 
light, attending frequently to stopping the laterals. Maintain plenty 
of moisture where plants are swelling their fruits, syringing the walls 
as well as the plants about 3 P.M., damping the floors several times in 
hot weather. Afford water or liquid manure about twice a week. The 
night temperature should be maintained at 65° to 70°,70°to 75° by day from 
fire heat, and 85° to 90° with sun. Ventilate freely, but avoid admitting 
too much air at a time so as to reduce the temperature, commencing at 
75°, increasing or diminishing it with due regard to external influences. 
When the fruit is full-sized and advanced for ripening gradually reduce 
the supply of water at the roots, but not so as to cause the foliage to 
flag, afford a circulation of warm air, and keep rather dry when 
ripening. Cracked fruits are produced by a close moist atmosphere, 
with too much water at the roots. If any fruits show a tendency to 
crack cut the shoots about half way through with a knife a few inches 
below the fruit, lessen the supply of water at the roots and also the 
atmospheric moisture. Shade only to prevent flagging. If thrips 
appear fumigate on two or three consecutive evenings. For red spider 
brush the hot-water pipes with a cream of flowers of sulphur and skim 
milk. Plants in pits and frames should have the growths regulated and 
trained, keeping them rather thin. Plants swelling off their fruits should 
be well earthed and the laterals thinned and pinched, placing the fruit 
on pieces of slate. Maintain a good top and bottom heat by linings, 
and employ thick coverings over the lights at night. 
Cucumbers. —Aphides sometimes become troublesome, and are best 
subdued by tobacco smoke, taking care not to give an overdose, having 
the foliage dry but the floor well damped ; the latter is especially 
necessary where there is white fly to contend with. Soapy applications 
are not safe to apply to Cucumber foliage. For this pest fumes of 
sulphur are as effective as against red spider. The sulphur must be 
employed carefully, as an overdose on hot-water pipes at a high tempe¬ 
rature is as fatal to the plants as the pests are. Plants in bearing all 
the winter will now be showing signs of exhaustion, and would be best 
removed, cleansing the house, providing fresh soil, and putting out 
young plants without delay. Remove the male flowers from young 
plants and most of the first fruits, stopping at two or three joints beyond 
the fruit, removing all weakly and unnecessary growths. Little or no 
fire heat will be required by day, shutting the valves at about 8 A.M. 
and opening them again at about 4 p.m., maintaining a good moisture 
by damping available surfaces in the morning and at closing time. 
Sow seed for raising plants to occupy pits and frames. A fair amount 
of bottom heat should first be secured by using the less decomposed 
material from Rhubarb, Seakale, Vine borders, or exhausted hotbeds, 
which, with about a fourth of fresh material, will afford all the bottom 
heat now required. The linings of beds made up some little time must 
be attended to, renewing as required. Close early, so as to run up to 
90° or more, and protect well at night. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
Hardeninu Bedding Plants. —In order to make room for the 
more tender plants no time should be lost in hardening off all Zonal 
Pelargoniums well established in pots or boxes. They must not be too 
quickly exposed to all weithers, and considering that heavy cold rains 
and hailstorms are veiy iojurious to them, the best form of protection 
that can be used, next to old lights, are large wooden shutters. The 
latter are handy for a variety of purposes, and should be found in most 
gardens. Make good use of them for warding off cold rains as well as 
frosts. Avoid over-watering plants when first turned out of houses or 
pits. Verbeuas, Lobelias, Ageratums, and Heliotropes also suffer 
severely if they are very cold and wet at the roots, more especially 
when placed in rather deep boxes, and only the strongest of the two 
former should be placed out of doors as yet, being then well protected. 
Calceolarias are very much hardier, and whether placed singly in 5-inch 
pots or in boxes, or better still temporarily bedded out in rich light soil, 
they will need little protection, but must be kept well supplied with 
water at the roots. 
Propagating. —There is yet time to root a considerable quantity of 
plants, and when abundance are raised the work of arranging and 
planting the beds and borders is much simplified. Soft tops of 
Heliotropes root in a close warm frame, or in a box covered with glass 
and set in fairly brisk heat, in a few days, as also do Verbenas, 
Tropmolums, Iresines, Coleuses, and Alternantheras, stocky little plants 
being got ready by bedding-out time. These late-propagated plan's can, 
if necessary, have the small pots and boxes newly emptied of the hardier 
or more forward plants, and if kept in gen le heat till well rooted into 
the fresh soil will eventually bed out surprisingly well. After pits have 
been cleared of early vegetables or Violets they might be got ready for 
propagating purposes. In some cases there will be enough heat left in 
the old hotbed underneath, in others a slight renewal will be necessary. 
With the aid of short heating material below, raise about 4 inches of 
fine light soil well up to tbe glass, and face the latter with sharp sand. 
In this dibble short, soft cuttings of Verbenas, Iresines, Alternantheras, 
and such plants about 3 inches apart each way, give a gentle watering, 
and keep close till rooted. Shade from bright sunshine, freshen up with 
water occasionally, and cover with mats during the night. When 
growing freely pinch out the points of the strong growers, and a number 
of capital plants will soon be fit for transplanting direct to the flower 
beds. This plan is particularly to be recommended where many 
thousand plants are required for the beds and borders, and it obviates 
the use of either boxes or pots. 
Bedding Plants from Seed. — Ageratums, Lobelias, Zinnias, 
Asters, Scocks, Phloxes, Gaillardias, and other plants raised from seed 
ought not long to be kept thickly together in pans or boxes, starvelings 
rarely recovering properly ; all should therefore be temporarily bedded 
out in pits and frames (rouiih or otherwise), and if they do not have time 
to make much top growth they will form fresh roots, and will transplant 
all the more readily. French and African Marigolds sown thimy now 
in boxes of light soil and placed in gentle heat will germinate very 
quickly, and be quite large enough for iha beds early in June. Sun¬ 
flowers, notably the miniature forms, may yet be raised thus, these also 
moving out of seed pans and boxes without experiencing a severe check. 
Love-lies-bleeding moves well out of seed pans, and a back row of this 
annual is fairly effective in borders. Tne extremely showy bedding 
Nasturtiums may yet be raised, and are particularly well adapted for 
poor hot soils. Raise the plants singly in small pots. It is not too late 
to sow seed of Ricinuses and Japanese Maize, both being noble border 
plants. Sow the seed singly in 2^-inch pots, and place in heat to 
germinate. 
Violas. —These are most showy early in the season, but by good 
culture they can be kept gay throughout most summers. Young plants 
raised and treated much the same as shrubby Calceolarias arc the best 
for summer bedding, though much may be done in the way of dividing 
old plants. The former must not be allowed to remain in frames or 
closely packed anywhere, nor should they be permitted to greatly weaken 
themselves by flowering now. It is not wise to delay finally planting 
them out till the more tender plants are ready for the beds or borders. 
The site for them ought to be specially prepared, being early manured 
and deeply dug, for they are moisture-loving plants, mildewing badly if 
starved at the roots. Plant out or divide and replant the old plants 
now, at all events where possible, and this whether they are to edge 
beds or to form a groundwork for variegated and bronze Pelargoniums, 
Iresines, and others. Mulch with either short manure, leaf soil, or 
spent tan, and pick off all the flower buds as they form. Thus treated 
they will push up strongly from the base of the plants, and a good 
summer display result. 
Dahlias. —Too ofien extra strong old roots are planted intact, 
whereas sturdy single stems, with few or no tubers, give much the best 
results. The former push up numerous growths, which only serve to 
weaken and smother each other, but the single stems branch freely and 
flower early and profusely. It pays well to shift rooted cuttings from 
small into 6 inch pots, fine stroug plants being thereby prepared for the 
borders. Old clumps may with advantage be freely split up when the 
shoots are about 3 inches loog, one or two tubers retained with each 
shoot being ample. Place these divisions singly into 6-i ch pots, and 
keep them under glass till the fresh soil is well occupied by roots. They 
will make good stuff by the end of May. Plants obtained by post from 
a distance are necessarily small, therefore order early and establish them 
in pots prior to transferring to borders. This will give them a fair 
chance, and a much earlier display will be obtained. Even those 
obtained in small pots should be had early and given a shift. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Asparagus —This promises to be plentiful and good, and in most 
localities cutting will have already commenced. A good length of stem 
adds considerably to the appearance and value of Asparagus, and in 
order to secure this, without the p lints being unduly run out, draw 
where possible some of the light surface soil into little mounds imme¬ 
diately over the clumps. The time taken up in moving this with the 
