82 
JOURNXL OF IIOIITTCULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 8,189?; 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Pbacuks and Nkotauineh. — Earlient Forced Ilouxe .—Maintain 
■tliC night temperature at .50° to 5.')°, the latter only when the nights are 
mild, 5.')° V)y day aa a maximum in severe weather by artificial means 
wlien the sky is overcast; fi5° by day from sun heat, and if the air be 
mild a few more degrees may Vkj allowed. Hyringing must cease as 
regards the trees, but damping the floor and border on bright days in 
the morning and early afternoon should bo practised. Lose no oppor¬ 
tunity of ventilating freely when external conditions are favourable, 
and when theipollen is dry choose the warmest and driest part of the 
day for aiding its distribution by shaking the trees or trellis, or taking a 
camel’s hair brush applying the pollen to the stigmas. A feather 
brushed over the blooms will serve the same purpose, also a smsll plume 
of dried Pampas Grass, or a rabbit’s tail tied to the end of a sma 1 stick. 
If there Vje a deficiency of pollen of any variety some shoul 1 betaken 
from those that afTord it plentifully, and applied to the stigmas of the 
(lowers. Inside borders must not bo neglected for water; outside 
liorders must be protected with litter or some other protective material, 
avoiding fermenting material. 
S/cond Early Force I Home. —To have ripe fruit in early.June of 
such varieties as Early Alfred, Hale’s Early, followed by Royal George, 
the house must be set to work at once. Gamp the trees and house in 
the morning and early afternoon, turning the heat on in the morning so as 
to raise and maintain through the day a temperature of 50°, taking care 
that it does not exceed 50° by artificial means, allowing the heat to rise 
to 55° with sun heat and free ventilation from 50°. When the buds 
swell maintain a night temperature of 40°. Riing the borders, if at 
.all dry, into a thoroughly moist state by repeated waterings. Protect 
the outside border with litter or leaves, but not of a depth to cause 
a warmth over 00° to 05°, for excitement at the roots causes growth, 
and wood growth before the settinsr of the blossoms are effected 
often causes the incipient fruit to fall. All that is neerled for pro¬ 
tection of outside borders is a covering to prevent chill from frost and 
enow. 
Succeenon Honees. —Lose no time in putting the houses and trees in 
order. It is not sound and safe to defer pruning and dressing the trees 
until the buds begin swelling. Insecticides then are more likely to do 
harm than good. If any trees are swelling their buds more rapidly than 
is desired, as occurs where the houses have been used for plants, a 
•covering of mats over the lights will prevent the temperature being 
raised by sun heat to a prejudicial degree, retarding the flowering con¬ 
siderably. Late flowering is mosfly a sign of a good set, the sap is less 
active because the wood is riper and does not evaporate, thereby not 
exciting root growth unduly. 
Late Honnex .—Lot the lights remain off these until the flower buds 
swell. Complete, however, the pruning and dressing of the trees and 
cleansing of the house, as favourable weather for such work offers, 'i'lie 
buds take no harm until they commence swelling, and even then are 
proof against frost until the flowers show clear of the scales of the buds. 
Then the lights must be put on, for which there usually is no necessity 
until middle February or early March. 
CiiEitRV IIOUSK.—Having been closed last month, as advised, and 
frost excluded from the house, gentle excitement will have taken place, 
and fire heat miy now be applied so as to maintain a temperature by 
artificial means of not more than 40“ at night ami 45° in the day, 
advancing 10" from sun heat, ventilating at 50°and closing at that [loint. 
Ventilate very freely in mild'weathcr, and avoid hasty treatment in the 
early stages of growth. Make sure that no deficiency of moisture 
exists in the soil, and see that trees in pots or tubs are not neglected for 
water. Kprinkle the trees and house occasionally in the morning and 
afternoon in bright weather, but avoid keeping the trees dripping with 
moisture, ami ventilate a little eonstantly, .as a close atmosphere 
weakens the blossoms even when they are enveloped in the scales of 
the buds. Cherries can hardly be brought on too slowly in the early 
stages of forcing. 
MEi.riN.S.—Heed should be sown at once for the first crop. The 
seeds are best sown singly in ll-inch pots, or a dozen or more may bo 
placed round the edge of a fi-ineh pot, the seedlings to bo transferrt'd 
singly into Ji-ineh size. Whichever method is pursued the pots should 
only be about two-thirds filled with soil, covering the seeds about half 
an inch deep, jilunging the pots in a bottom heat of 80°, jilacing a 
S({uare or squares of glass on them to bring up the seeds (luiekly, and 
removing it directly the cotyledons lift the soil. Good fibrous loam 
and leaf soil in equal parts gently pressed down form a porous compost 
for the young rootlets, the pots being efficiently but not excessively 
drained. Kee[) the plants near to the glass, not permitting them to 
become drawn. Kijie fruit from a sowing made at this time may be 
ox|)ectcd at the close of April or early in M.ay. A tcrnjierature of (15'' 
to 70° at night, and, 7U" to 75° by day artificially, is suitable. Vbirieties 
.are endless, every grower has his special favourite. lUenheitn Orange 
and Hcuilet I’nimier arc good Ecarlet-llesh varieties; Eastnor Castle, 
Hero of Lockinge, and Longleat Perfection of the green and white- 
fleshed sections are good and free. 
-Cucu.viiiEHH.—P.e cautious in cropping young plants just commencing 
to bear ; assist them to swell their fir-st fruits by removing superfluous 
fruits and staminate blossoms as they appear ; trim up plants in l>earing 
twice a week, removing all weakly and exhausted growths, reserving as 
much of the young growths as can have space for expanding their 
foliage, but overcrowding tends to certain disaster, inasmuch as it must 
end in denuding the plants of a large extent of foliage. Stop th« shoots 
at one or two joints beyond the fruit, but young plants should be allowed 
more freedom, avoiding overcrowding. The temperature by night should 
Ire (J5° to 70°, 70° to 75° by day, with a rise of 10° or more from sun heat, 
admitting a little air at 80° if the external air be warm and soft; but if 
cold and sharp it is Ixjtter to allow the temperature to advance a little 
higher than admit too much cold air, even when the sun is powerful. 
Canker putting in appearance rub affected parts with quicklime, main¬ 
tain a drier atmosphere, and sprinkle a little superphosphate of lime 
over the bed, with a dus'ing of soot. A little sulphur, brought to the 
consistency of cream, brushed on the hot-water pipes will keep down 
red spider and annihilate mildew. It must not l)e overdone, just a little 
coating being sufficient ; but mildew appearing dust flowers of sulphur 
over the affected parts. Avoid syringing, but damp the floors and other 
available surfaces in the morning and early aG,ernoon, using a little 
weak ammoniated water occasionally. The drainage of stables is 
excellent for this purpose diluted with five or six times its bulk of 
water. 
To secure plants for growing in frames or pits heaced by fermenting 
materials seed should now be sown for February plantings, the materials 
for which should now be in process of sweetening for making up the 
bods. Where no convenience exists for raising plants a bed of leaves 
and stable manure should be made uj) forthwith, the seed to be sown as 
soon as the bed affords a suitable temperature—viz,, a Iwttom heat of 
!)0° and top heat of 70° to 75°. A sowing made at this time will yield 
jilants to afford a late spring and early summer supply of fruit. There 
18 not so much variety in Cucumbers as obtains in Melons. We find 
everything necessary in Telegraph when had true, both as regards size 
and cropping, but the quality is not always sweet. Cardiff Castle is 
an everyday throughout the year variety, good in crop, useful in size, 
ami excellent as well as uniform in quality. Tender and True has 
size as well as (|uality. 
HTRAWBKituiKS I.V PoT3. —Proceed steadily with plants that are 
not required to give fruit at a particularly early stated time, especially 
in severe weather ; 50" to 55° is ample at night for those started in 
December, and (10° to 05° by day, erring if at all on the safe side—the 
low ; therefore 5° less in cold weather and the absence of sun is ad¬ 
visable. Ventilate whenever there is a chance. The trusses rise boldest 
and the flowers are strongest when the plants have the foliage well 
elaborated. (Jlose atmosphere induces soft tissues, weakly organs of 
fructification. Imperfect sets, and deformed ill-shapen fruit. Jntroduco 
more plants to shelves in Peach hjuses or vineries started about this 
time. Rectify the drainage of the pots, remove moss or other matter 
from the surface of the soil, and wash the pots clean. Surface dress 
with an approved fertiliser mixed with a little fine soil, or steamed bone- 
meal and soot, a quart each to a bushel of fibrous loam, stirring the 
surface lightly. If the jilants do not pash freely use a little nitrate of 
soda or nitrate of potash (saltpetre). They wake up sleepy plants 
because their sluggishness arises from a deficiency of salic or potassic 
elements, but be careful against excess ; half an ounce to a gallon of 
water is ample. Hoda is best for plants potted in light soil, potash for 
those in heavy. Noble is an excellent variety for introducing now to 
fruit in April, also Auguste Nicaise, the latter being the brighter fruit, 
equally large, prolific, and of better quality. President, Sir Joseph 
Paxton, and Sir Charles Napier may also Ik? introduced, but to maintain 
the succession plants of La Grosso Sucn'ie or Vicomtessc Ilericart de 
Thury must also bo introduced at the same time. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
JSeddlng Plantx in, Framex. — This is a very trying winter for 
bedding plants in frames, and in all probability many of those in charge 
of small (rardens will lose the greater part of their stock of the more 
delicate kinds. It has been unsafe to uncover the lights for at least 
three weeks together, and in some instances they have been hermetically 
closed for fully one month. This blanching process must inevitably 
greatly weaken the plants, and unless more than ordinary precautions 
have been taken the frosts will also have penetrated to the interior of 
the frames. Anything in the shape of a sudden thaw would prove most 
ruinous to the plants generally, and it is not advisable, therefore, to 
uncover frames directly there is a clnangc in the weather. The better 
plan is to leave thorn closely covered up for one or two days or till it is 
seen all are properly thawcil, when they may be gradually uncovered 
and ifiven air when it is warm. 
I’lantx Injured, by Froxt. —Once they have been injured or much 
pinched by frosts temler plants become even more tender, and consc- 
quendy will require very close and good attention to keep them alive. 
The heavy snow which fell in many parts of the country will have done 
much towards excluding frosts ; but more of the latter may be ex¬ 
perienced witlurut a covering of snow to moderate its effects. In 
anticipation of this all frames and |)its from which frosts must bo 
excluded ought to be heavily surroundeil with either dry strawy litter, 
bracken, or leaves enclosed by hurdles. Much of what may have 
^ Iircviously been used in a similar matter would, after the snow has 
