Kovember 2, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
411 
are small, the shoots may he cut back to two or three leaves above 
the pruning buds, and this tends to plump them and induce rest in the 
Tines. 
Flgrs.— Early Forced Trees in Pots. —IE these have been placed in 
the open air they should be taken under cover to protect them from the 
cold autumn rains. Trees that are forced for affording fruit at the close 
of April or early in May will now need to have the wood brushed over, 
using softsoap, 4 ozs. to a gallon of water, brought to the consistency of 
cream by adding flowers of sulphur ; but when using the mixture do 
not rub off the young fruit. Very little pruning will be necessary, the 
trees having been regularly stopped during the growing season, but if 
the growths are too crowded or irregular they must be thinned to 
render the trees open and symmetrical. Wash the woodwork and walls 
with hot water, and the walls afterwards with quicklime and sulphur 
formed into a rather thin wash, reaching well into every crevice. 
A mild bottom heat is essential to a successful swelling and perfecting 
of the earliest crops ; the pots therefore must be raised on loose bricks in 
pedestal fashion to the position they are to occupy, and the pit be filled 
with Oak or Beech leaves firmly pressed. If the pit be not more than 
3 feet deep a third of stable litter may be added. Avoid overheating, 
not allowing the heat about the pots to exceed 65° until growth takes 
place. The house should be kept close and moist by sprinkling twice 
a day in bright weather, employing fire heat to maintain a temperature 
of 50° at night, 55° by day, and with sun 60° to 65°. If the soil in the 
pots be dry, a thorough soaking of water must be given. Forcing 
operations need not begin until the middle of the month. St. John’s, 
Early Violet, White Marseilles, and Brown Turkey are excellent varieties, 
and come in successionally ; but the two first have small, and the two 
last large fruit. 
Early Forced Planted-out Irees. —Trees in borders intended for 
early forcing should now be untied from the trellis and pruned. Those 
with the roots restricted to small borders, as Fig trees should be, will 
require little more pruning than thinning out the shoots where too 
crowded, but those not having the roots restricted will require a hard 
pruning at the upper part of the trellis, so as to allow for the growth of 
the branches, yet leaving a sufficient number of succeasional shoots for 
bearing. Fork the surface of the border lightly, remove the loose 
material, and apply a surface dressing of fresh loam not more than 
2 inches thick. The roots will ramify through this, and they can be fed 
to any extent by mulchings, top-dressings, or liquid manure when the 
trees are swelling their crops. Ventilate fully at all times, except when 
frost prevails, and at such times heat should be used to exclude it or 
nearly so. 
Succession Houses. —Prune the trees, cleanse the house, and put 
everything into thorough order. Dress the trees with a warm soapy 
solution, using a brush, which will do much to dislodge scale and render 
more potent the insecticide, which should be applied after the trees 
become dry after washing with the soapy solution. Complete any root- 
pruning and lifting. Any unfruitful trees must be severely root-pruned, 
and the roots restricted to moderate sized borders, depending more upon 
active feeders near the surface encouraged by mulching than a large 
extension of roots. Make the soil firm, employing one-sixth of old 
mortar rubbish and a similar proportion of road scrapings where the soil 
is deficient of calcareous matter and grit. To succeed with planted-out 
Fig trees it is necessary to restrict the roots to a limited area, and keep 
the growths well exposed to light. 
Late Houses. —The trees in these showing a tendency to over^ 
luxuriance should be lifted and root-pruned, providing good calcareou^ 
gritty loam over thorough drainage and firming the soil well. This i® 
an excellent remedy for trees casting their fruit in an unaccountabl® 
manner. Too rich soil and too large borders cause the trees to becom® 
exuberant and cast their first and only crop Figs, except in seasons lik® 
the present, when the second crop fruit ripened in many cases, and has 
not done any harm to next year’s first crop where the second crop was 
only allowed on the bases of the current year’s wood. When the leaves 
fall the trees must be unloosed from the trellis, and the branches being 
tied together in convenient bundles they should be made secure with 
some dry straw or fern amongst and over them or matting. The collar 
of the trees and for a little distance from the stem should also be 
protected with dry litter. This is only necessary in unheated houses, 
but frost must be excluded in heated houses or nearly so, otherwise the 
trees may suffer from severe frost, they sometimes being killed to the 
ground against walls when unprotected. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
Clearing Beds and Borders. —If possible all the beds should now 
be cleared, the work of refilling being best done before cold wet weather 
sets in. When there are no attempts mads to fill the beds with either 
spring flowering plants, bulbs, nor any ornamental shrubs and Conifers 
put out, the beds or borders ought to be simply cleared of plants and 
rubbish now, digging being completed after all the leaves from deciduous 
trees near at hand have fallen. In many cases it is scarcely necessary 
to dig the beds prior to refilling with a variety of bulbs and plants, 
moderately firm ground suiting these better in every way. 
Refilling the Beds. — Those who have prepared abundance of 
Wallflowers, Polyanthuses, Primroses, Daisies, Silenes, Saponaria, Forget- 
me-nots, Limnanthes, and similar plants, and can therefore afford to 
plant these rather thickly in masses with suitable edgings, will most 
probably be rewarded with a fine display next spring. The strains of 
Polyanthus are now particularly fine, and if strong plants can be given 
the benefit of a little fresh loamy soil their effect will be considerably 
enhanced. See that the plants are in a moist state when lifted, and 
move with a moderately large ball of soil about the roots. Violas 
suffered greatly from the drought, and young plants are scarce. These 
latter may, however, be supplemented by the old ones duly shortened 
back and replanted. Old plants of Golden Pyrethrum that have not 
been allowed to flower can be worked in again effectively, Stachys 
lanata being also quite hardy, and may be pulled to pieces and replanted 
now. Euonymus edgings can likewise be retained. 
Small neat plants of Retinosporas, Cupressuses, Thujas, Tew, 
Junipers, and other Conifers are very suitable for flower garden 
decoration, these being planted in panels or masses according to their 
height and shades of colour, while taller well formed specimens are 
particularly well adapted for central and dot plants. With the Conifers 
may be associated neat plants of Hollies, Box, Euonymuses, Berberises, 
Ivies, Osmanthuses, Aucubas, Laurels, and berried plants of Pernettyas, 
Skimmia japonica, and Cotoneasters. Dwarf Rhododendrons well set 
with buds move readily, and would flower grandly next April or May. 
Single pieces of Yuccas are very effective as dot plants, a groundwork 
of Saxifraga crassifolia being very suitable. Nor should the value of 
Iris foetidissima variegata be overlooked, large clumps of this dividing 
readily. Neat branches of evergreens, notably Mahonias, Aucubas, 
Tree Ivy, Hollies, and Box thrust firmly into the soil in masses will 
keep fresh for several months, and are fairly good substitutes for 
plants. 
Spring-flowering Bulbs. —Early in November is a good time to 
plant Hyacinths, Tulips, Narcissi, Daffodils, Leucojums, Crocuses, 
Scillas, and Snowdrops, a moderate outlay on new bulbs being all that 
is necessary to insure a charming display next spring. They may either 
supplement the other plants and shrubs already alluded to, or be chiefly 
depended upon to brighten up the beds in the spring. Indiscriminate 
mixtures should be avoided. Hyacinths, Tulips, and Narcissi being most 
effective when separately occupying the centres of the beds ; while 
Crocuses, Scillas, and Snowdrops are most suitable for edging. Mixtures 
of one kind, or say of Hyacinths, are attractive enough, and so are 
masses of one colour. The bulbs of most of these may be planted 9 inches 
asunder each way, the miniature varieties being disposed somewhat 
closer, and should be covered by 4 inches of soil, a little sand under and 
about each bulb being used where the ground is of a heavy nature. 
Narcissi should be in every way treated similarly to Hyacinths, Daffodils 
being best planted in borders where they can remain undisturbed, while 
the neat growing Van Thol Tulips may well be planted 4 inches 
asunder each way and 3 inches deep, stronger varieties being disposed 
6 inches apart. Snowdrops, Crocuses, Winter Aconite, and Scillas may 
either quite fill very small beds or be planted near the margin of the 
larger beds. Single lines look lost, and these small kinds should be 
planted in double lines or circles 3 inches apart and 4 inches deep. 
Storing Summer Bedding Plants. —The best results attend the 
practice of putting out strong spring-rooted Dahlias, but in order to be 
certain of plenty of strong cuttings a good proportion of the old roots 
should be stored where either drip or frosts cannot reach them. Cut 
down the old stems to within 9 inches of the ground, fork out the roots so 
as to preserve most of the tubers, leaving a little soil, lay them on their 
sides for water or sap to run out from the stems, and dry before storing. 
They keep well in a dry cool shed, the roots being surrounded with sand 
or fine dry soil, and protected when severe frosts are anticipated. 
Gladioli also should be cut down after the tops are either ripened or 
damaged by frosts, and after the corms have been dug up, and well dried 
all, large and small alike, should be surrounded by sand in shallow boxes. 
Cannas should have rather more soil left on them than is neces¬ 
sary in the case of Dahlias, and after being dried somewhat should be 
stored in a warm dry cellar or greenhouse where drip will not reach 
them. Salvia patens is tuberous-rooted, and should be treated 
very similarly to Dahlias, while a few boxes may well be filled 
with the long fleshy roots of Verbena venosa. When frosts have 
blackened the tops of Tuberous Begonias lift the roots, leaving a little 
soil about the bulbs, and dry thoroughly in a vinery or other structure. 
When the stalks are quite decayed remove them cleanly from the bulbs, 
and store the latter closely together on boards or in boxes in a dry cellar 
or shed where frosts cannot reach them. 
Acacia lophantha, Grevilleas, Abutilons, Cyperus natalensis, and 
Marguerites can usually be lifted and placed in pots. If it is intended 
to store many of the old Zonal and variegated Pelargoniums pick off 
most of the leaves and shorten the roots, this admitting of their being 
packed closely together in either large or small pots. Given the benefit 
of a little dry heat they will not shrivel or damp off badly, and yield 
good cuttings in the spring. If Fuchsias are still green gradually dry 
them off with a view to hardening the wood prior to storing. 
GARDENERS’ CHARITABLE AND PROVIDENT 
INSTITUnONS. 
The Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution.— 
Mr. G. J. Ingram, 50, Parliament Street, London, W.C. 
United Horticultural Benefit and Provident Society.— 
Secretary, Mr. W. Collins, 9, Martindale Road, Balham, London, S.W. 
Royal Gardeners’ Orphan ¥vst).— Secretary, Mr. A. F, Barron, 
Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens, Chiswick, London, W. 
