January 26, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
81 
Ruskin, La Grosse Sucr4e, and Vicomtesse Hericarfc de Thury, the first 
beingr a splendid pollen bearer, therefore useful for fertilising the others, 
which is best done with a camel-hair’s brush lightly drawn over the 
central part of the flower when coated with pollen. The small flowers 
should be removed, and the fruit thinned early, so that those left may 
have the advantage in swelling. This is best effected in a brisk and 
moderately moist heat—say, 60° to 65° or 70° artificially, with 10° to 15° 
advance from sun heat; and when the fruit commences to ripen a drier 
atmosphere will improve the colour and flavour of the fruit. Liquid 
manure should be given freely, but not overstrong, and it must be kept 
from the fruit, which is best raised on forked sticks well up to the light. 
Plants advancing to the flowering stage must not be hurried, 50° to 55° 
being ample by artificial means, and 60° to 65° with sun heat, and free 
ventilation. Another batch of plants should be introduced between now 
and the beginning of February, introducing some of the early varieties 
along with the second early sorts, so as to secure the succession unbroken. 
La Grosse Sucrde and Sir Harry are excellent early varieties, the latter 
having the rich mellow flavour and high colour so much esteemed by 
many palates. President and Sir Joseph Paxton also please most tastes, 
and Sir Charles Napier is brisk in flavour and brilliant in colour, with 
plenty of size ; whilst Noble, with Auguste Nicaise, produce enormous 
fruits and heavy crops. 
Every care should be taken to have the plants perfectly free from 
aphides before they come into flower. Scrutinise them closely in all 
stages preceding the flowering, and upon the first appearance of the pests 
fumigate, repeating so as to thoroughly annihilate them. If this is done 
before the flowers open there will be little trouble, if any, afterwards, 
and it is better that way, as fumigation dries the skin of the fruit, 
causing it to become brown, and the Strawberries rarely swell well 
afterwards, but crack or ripen prematurely, and are worthless. 
Cucumbers.—Seedlings from the sowing made at the beginning of 
the month should be earthed up, and when that may not longer be done 
they may be transferred to larger pots or be planted in their fruiting 
beds, following generally the instructions before given for Melons, using 
the soil named hereafter. If the seeds were sown in frames lining the 
beds must be attended to, with mats over the lights at night. The 
fruiting bed must now be made, or it may be that the seeds of 
Cucumbers or Melons are not sown before February, which is, all points 
considered, much the best plan where reliance must be placed solely on 
fermenting materials. The materials — two-thirds Oak, Beech, or 
Spanish Chestnut leaves and one-third stable litter — having been 
thrown into a heap, moistened if dry, turned in a week and again 
moistened, and again turned, will be in a fit state for forming the bed. 
Choose a site for a bed with a southern aspect having shelter from the 
north, as that of a hedge or wall, and higher than the surrounding 
ground level. If the site is low place some Pea sticks so as to keep the 
material from being saturated by the wet, and mark out the bed a few 
inches larger only than the size of the frame. Beat the manure and 
leaves well down with a fork as the work proceeds, making the bed 
about 5 feet high at the back and 4 feet 6 inches in front, which will 
allow for settling, which it will do about one-third. A few Pea sticks 
placed across and along the bed at intervals prevent overheating and 
admit of the heat from the lining being conveyed to the interior of the 
bed. 
It is an excellent plan to use frames with double sides, formed by 
placing inside a lining of quarter-inch boards, less in depth by 9 inches 
at the back and 6 inches in front than the depth of the frame, kept an 
inch from the box by nailing strips of board upright on the inside of the 
box, so as to form an inch cavity all round the inside, and 
thus top heat is furnished by means of linings against the sides of the 
box. The bed should be brought up perpendicular, and the frame put 
on, which will bring up the heat in about a week. Level the surface, 
replace the frame, and, if the bed is to be used for raising plants, put in 
sufficient manure to raise the inside to within 4 inches of the top of the 
inner frame or cavity, placing sawdust, dry leaf soil or spent tan on 
the manure for plunging the pots in. To raise the plants half fill 3-inch 
pots with light, rich, moist soil, place one seed in the centre of each, and 
cover about half an inch with fine soil. Place a pane of glass on each 
pot, so as to hasten the germination, and remove it as soon as the 
seedlings appear. The space left in the pots can be occupied with soil 
as the plants advance and require top-dressing, which is better than 
potting them. The plants from a sowing made early in February in the 
manner described will be fit for planting early in March, and will afford 
a supply of fruit nearly as early as those from seed sown early in 
January. 
If seed has been grown early in January the plants will be fit 
to plant early in February, forming the hotbed, as before advised, 
for the seedlings, only using manure for levelling the surface of the 
bed, and forming a ridge or hillock of soil in the centre of each light 
about 10 inches deep, and with a flattened top of that width across, the 
surface of the bed being covered lightly with soil. For planting, see 
advice given for Melons. The lights will need mats over them at 
night, and linings must be given from the bottom of the bed so as to 
maintain a proper bottom and top heat. A suitable soil for Cucumbers 
is fibrous loam inclined to be light rather than heavy, good warp or 
alluvial soil answering, perhaps, best of all, the loam being cut about 
3 inches thick and laid up so as to reduce the turf. To this, broken up 
moderately small, may be added a fourth in equal proportions of old 
mortar rubbish and charcoal thoroughly incorporated. We prefer fresh 
turfy loam subjected to a gentle charring over a wood fire, but only 
heating so hot that it cannot be handled with the hands, and this not 
only kills the herbage but destroys the germs of every disease or pest, as 
well as grubs and everything alive. It is the best preventive of the 
nematoid worms—the eelworms that produce the Cucumber and Melon 
disease. Manure is best avoided, as the plants can be fed to any extent 
by liquid applications. 
Wuiter Fruiters .—If the plants show signs of exhaustion, remove the 
surface soil of the bed, and supply fresh three parts loam and one 
decayed manure and leaf soil, with a quart of wood ashes and a good 
handful or two of soot to each bushel of compost. Fresh roots will soon 
ramify through the fresh compost, and then they will take manure 
water beneficially. Keep the growths tied to the trellis, cat out 
exhausted growths, and encourage young shoots in their place. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Pelargoniums.— Young plants that have been kept perfectly cool 
and have not been pinched since the end of September may be trans¬ 
ferred into their flowering pots. A compost of good loam, one-seventh 
of decayed manure, and sand will suit them. Press the soil firmly into 
the pots, and water carefully until the plants are rooting freely in the 
fresh soil. Place them on a shelf close to the glass in a cool structure, 
where they can enjoy abundance of air. Those for later flowering may 
have the points of their shoots removed, and the plants repotted if 
necessary. Remove the points of late-rooted cuttings and place into 
4-inch pots ; about one-fifth of leaf mould may be employed for these. 
Old plants that were cut back late and have broken thickly disbud if 
the shoots are too numerous. Water carefully, but do not allow the 
soil to become too dry, or else the active roots will be liable to suffer. 
Watch for aphides, and destroy them as soon as they appear by 
fumigating with tobacco smoke or some of the various materials manu¬ 
factured for the purpose. 
Zonal Varieties.— Maintain a dry atmosphere and a temperature 
of 60° for double and semi-double kinds in flower. If they need feeding 
it is better to apply artificial manure to the surface than administer liquid 
stimulants frequently. Keep plants that have done flowering on the dry 
side to harden their w'ood ready for shortening back. Any dwarf bushy 
plants will flower profusely if introduced into gentle warmth. Plants 
that have been kept dry for some time cut back and placed in warmth 
to break, and those that have been kept slowly moving during winter, 
may be placed into their flowering pots. A temperature of 50° will be 
ample at first. Those for later flowering may have the points removed. 
For successional flowering cuttings may be inserted in thumb pots singly, 
and planed on shelves in a temperature of 60°. 
Freeslas.— Where a good batch has been brought forward in gentle 
warmth they may now be divided into two, placing the later ones in a 
structure where the temperature does not fall below 45°. The 
remainder of the stock may be allowed to grow on under cool 
conditions. 
Bulbs of Various Kinds. —Now that there is a favourable break 
in the weather go over at once the bulbs that are plunged in ashes, and 
remove to cool quarters all that are ready. Whether placed in frames 
or cool houses admit light to them with care at first until they turn 
green, or else their foliage will be injured. Keep them perfectly cool 
for the present; do not attempt to excite them into growth in their 
present condition. The soil about their roots must not be allowed to 
become dry, or the atmosphere in which the plants are placed. 
Clerodendron Balfourlanum. —Start one or more plants under the 
conditions advised for Allamandas. These plants should not, however, 
be repotted before they start into growth. They do well in the same 
pot for several years providing they are top-dressed with rich material, 
and liberally assisted by stimulants during the season of growth. Plants 
that need larger pots need only have loose surface soil removed, and the 
drainage from the base. Before potting see that the old ball is in an 
intermediate state for moisture, and the new soil should be pressed 
firmly round it. Do not keep plants raised from cuttings last year that 
have not yet completed their period of rest in too low a temperature, 
or they will fail to start into growth, A lower temperature than 
55° is not safe. 
Crotons. —Where brisk moist heat can be maintained good well 
furnished heads that need re-rooting may be carefully notched and 
mossed. They will soon form roots ready for taking off, and thus have 
a long season’s growth before them. Young plants that have been kept 
in small pots may, if slight bottom heat can be given, be potted at once ; 
but where plenty of heat cannot be maintained potting must be delayed 
for a time. At this season of the year the plants should be potted in the 
houses in which they are to be grown, and the soil must be thoroughly 
warmed. 
Dracaenas. —Young stock should be potted at once if they need 
more root room. It is a great mistake to allow these plants to become 
root-bound before they are placed into larger pots. Repot plants that 
are in a healthy condition and need such attention in the course of the 
next week or two. It is useless to repot any that show signs of having 
been checked, they never grow freely again. Any damaged plants may 
be used for grouping, and the stems afterwards cut up for stock. Roots 
of these plants may be cut up if the stems have been well ripened and 
brisk bottom heat can be afforded, if not they are very liable to decay 
early in the season, 
Plumbagro rosea.— This, and its variety coccinea, may be cut 
well back as the flowers fade. The plants must be kept in heat 
to induce them to break into growth, so that cuttings can be obtained 
for another year. Syringe these plants freely, for they are very liable 
to be attacked by thrip. 
