April 6, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
285 
excessive watering and feeding induces growth at the expense of the 
fruit stoning, therefore be guided by the condition of the trees and 
crops. 
Houses Started in February. —Trees that were set to work early in 
that month will have been disbudded, and the growths retained heeled- 
in. Those started later in the month should be examined frequently 
for disbudding, commencing with the forwardest and strongest parts of 
the trees, being carefnl to preserve a shoot at the base of the current 
year’s bearing branches, and to leave no more shoots on the extensions 
than will be required for furnishing the trees with bearing shoots at 
15 to 18 inches distance apart along the main and subsidiary branches, 
and all the others on extensions may be pinched to form spurs. A shoot 
on a level with or above the fruit must be retained on each bearing 
shoot, and be pinched at the third joint. As the frnit swells freely 
remove those worst placed, and leave only a few more than will be 
required for the crop. Syringe on fine mornings and in the after¬ 
noon. Commence ventilating early, increase it with the sun heat, and 
close so as to secure a slight rise of temperature. 
Houses Started in March. —The trees that were started early in last 
month are out of bloom, and should be syringed occasionally to assist 
the fruits to cast off the remains of the flowers ; and on fine days they 
may be moderately syringed in the morning and afternoon, but excessive 
washings are not desirable, as they only induce growth and weakness. 
Seenre sturdy growth by free ventilation on all favourable occasions. 
Proceed with disbudding gradually, a little and often, and observe the 
same in thinning the fruit, rubbing off those that are small and badly 
placed as soon as the most promising can be selected. If there is any trace 
of aphides promptly apply an insecticide, or fumigate the house on two 
or three consecutive evenings moderately, taking care to have the foliage 
dry, deliver the smoke cool, and not give an overdose. 
Late Houses. —All that is necessary is to prevent injury to the 
blossom from frost or damp. When the days are bright free ventilation 
will be all that is needed, with sufficient warmth in the pipes at night 
to exclude frost, but when the days are raw, dull, and wet it is desirable 
to turn the heat on in the morning so as to raise the temperature to 50°, 
and keep it at that with a free circulation of air, turning off the heat 
early in the afternoon so as to allow the pipes to cool before night and 
the temperature falling to its right minimum of 40° to 45°, which is 
quite safe, and ought to be secured after the blossoms expand, with a 
little air to prevent the deposition of moisture on the flowers through 
the night. The trees should be shaken to assist fertilisation, and 
artificial impregnation may be resorted to by dusting the flowers with 
Pampas plume, a rabbit’s tail mounted on a stick, or camel’s hair brush. 
Figs.— Earliest Forced Trees in Pots. —The very early varieties, St. 
John, Early Violet, and Angelique require free ventilation and full 
exposure to the sun, the fruit being now ripe or ripening. These varieties 
are useful for supplying early fruit, but they have not the quality of 
White Marseilles and Brown Turkey, which, now showing signs of 
ripening, should have the ventilation increased and be exposed to the 
sun as much as possible. All cannot have this, but judicious stopping, 
thinning, and tying the growths will help them. The temperature should 
be 60° to 65° at night with a little air, 70° to 75° by day artificiallv, 
and 80° to 85° with sun. Top ventilation should be given at 70°, 
increased at 80°, and a good moisture maintained whilst the fruit is 
swelling, but syringing the trees must cease when ripening commences, 
and a circulation of warm rather dry air secured constantly, for 
fruits ripened in a close moist house are insipid. Where syringing 
has been practised red spider makes little progress, but when atmcl- 
spheric moisture is reduced it spreads rapidly, therefore no effort should be 
spared to keep the foliage quite clean up to the ripening time. Supplies 
of water are needed at the roots at all stages, and the trees may be 
syringed at times during the ripening season by gathering all the fruit 
ripe at one time. For private use Figs should be thoroughly ripe when 
gathered, but for marketing purposes or packing they may be gathered 
before they are fully ripe. Brown scale also increases rapidly over the 
young shoots and extends to the leaves and fruit. It must be kept 
under by the timely use of an insecticide, carefully applying it with a 
brush or sponge upon the first appearance of the pest. Red spider may 
be treated similarly, the thing is to contest insect invasions before they 
become firmly seated on the plants. 
Succession Houses. —Trees permanently planted out in borders 
require water and liquid nourishment in proportion to the vigour of the 
trees, their crops, and the rooting area. With the roots restricted to a 
narrow border large quantities of water or liquid manure will be re¬ 
quired ; those having the run of a large border will need less, but large 
trees and borders are great mistakes in Fig culture. Syringe the trees 
twice a day when fine. Let the night temperature range from 55° to 60°, 
70° to 75° by day with gleams of sun, and 80° from sun heat, ventilating 
from 70° and fully at 75°, but with an advancing temperature to 80° or 
85°, closing at 80°, and sufficiently early to cause the temperature to rise 
5° or 10°. Keep the growths regulated, thinned, and stopped, avoiding 
overcrowding as the greatest evil in Fig culture. 
Late Houses. —Trees in these and wall cases must now be tied in 
and syringed on fine days, but sufficiently early to allow the trees 
becoming dry before night. Fire heat need only be employed to exclude 
frost where the fruit is required late. Trees in unheated houses should 
be retarded as much as possible by free ventilation in the daytime and 
in mild weather, and the house kept dry at night, syringing not being 
practised over the trees in the early stages of their growth. Cold houses, 
however, are not the best to insure success, though the trees afford one 
crop annually as a rule, yet in cold localities there should be some pro¬ 
vision for keeping out frost in the spring and ripening the wood in 
the autumn. In winter the trees are quite safe tied in bundles and 
protected with dry straw or bracken, with dryness at and a mulch over 
the roots. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
Carnations and Plcotees.— Once more young plants have proved 
much the hardiest. Stems of old plants not being protected by leaves 
are most susceptible of injury, and not a few beds of them are scarcely 
worth preserving. If there are any young plants in pots under glass, 
and intended for the open borders, these should be hardened off and 
planted out before they commence to produce their flower stems. They 
will be useful for filling up gaps, or may be planted in slightly raised 
beds, 6 feet or rather less in width, planting them about 1 foot apart 
each way. If they cannot have the benefit of quite fresh loamy compost, 
they ought at least to be surrounded with a mixture of fresh loam, old 
Mushroom bed manure, or better still, horse droppings swept up from 
the roads and grit of some kind. The soil should be well rammed about 
the balls of old soil and roots with the handle of the trowel. Lightly 
hoe among established plants, and mulch with leaf soil or old Mushroom 
bed manure. 
Carnations and Plcotees from Seed. —The Marguerite Car¬ 
nations will flower strongly the same season they are raised, providing 
the seed is sown moderately early. In order to be certain of their 
flowering in August or September, the seed ought to be sown in gentle 
heat in March, but if seeds are at once sown the plants would yet flower 
if protected or lifted and placed under glass. The seed germinates in 
about a week or nine days, and as surely as Aster seed. When well into 
rough leaf prick the seedlings out 3 inches apart each way in boxes or 
pans of good loamy soil, or else place them singly into 3-inch pots. 
Keep them in gentle heat till they are rooting afresh, after which cold 
frames or pits are the best positions for them till they are strong enough 
for planting in the open. Seedlings of the ordinary border Carnations 
and Picotees flower grandly during the following season, but are rarely 
of much service afterwards. The stock must, therefore, be kept up by 
means of layering and raising of seedlings every spring. Sow the seed 
thinly in either pans or boxes of fine soil previously well moistened, and 
place in very gentle heat—a newly started vinery answering well—to 
germinate. Much fire heat is objectionable, a cold frame being preferable 
to strong heat for raising seedling Carnations. 
Half-hardy A.nnuals. —If seed of Asters, Stocks, Zinnias, Dian- 
thuses. Phlox Drummondi, Godetias, miniature Sunflowers, Perilla, and 
such like are sown now the plants will be in excellent condition for the 
open beds or borders late in May or early in June. Sow rather thinly 
in boxes or pans, and place in gentle heat. If squares of glass are 
available cover with these, shade heavily from bright sunshine, and see 
that the soil never becomes dust dry. When the seedlings are well up 
gradually expose to the light. Soon after the first rough leaves have 
formed prick the seedlings either in other boxes and pans, or on shallow 
beds in frames and pits. Given the benefit of good loamy soil, and a 
little warmth and shade, all will soon start growing strongly. Variegated 
Maize (Zea japonica) and Ricinuses may also be sown now. 
Hardy Annuals. —There are a considerable nnmber of beautiful 
kinds and varieties that may be raised in the open borders where they 
are to flower. These comprise Alyssum, Bartonia, Calandrinia, Calendula, 
Candytuft, Cornflower, Chrysanthemums, Coreopsis, Eschscholtzia, Gilia, 
Godetia, Gypsophila, Hawkweed, Helichrysum, Hibiscus, Larkspur, 
Leptosiphon, Limnanthes, Linaria, Linum, Love-Lies Bleeding, Lupine, 
Malope, Mignonette, Nemophila, (Enothera, Sanvitalia, Sanonaria, Silene, 
Sweet Sultan, Sweet Peas, Tropaeolum, Venus’ Looking-Glass, Viscaria, 
and Xeranthemum. Supposing the ground has been laid up roughly 
during the winter or for the past month, a showery time during the early 
part of April should be taken advantage of for fining this down and 
sowing the seed. The usnal practice is to sow all in circular patches a 
foot or rather less across, and it is a good plan to form these slightly 
below the surface, covering with a little rich finely sifted soil. Avoid 
crowding of either the patches or seed, annuals to be seen at their best 
requiring good room. A close look-out must be kept for slugs, trapping 
these either with Broccoli leaves, or better still heaps of bran or brewer’s 
grains. 
Ornamental Grasses. —These may be treated exactly as advised 
in the case of other hardy and half-hardy annuals, but merit a separate 
reference. If required principally for drying, and they are very service¬ 
able in that state during the winter, they ought really to be grown in a 
kitchen garden border where there will be nothing to prevent cutting 
the flower heads directly they are fit. They vary greatly in height, but if 
sown thinly in lines 12 inches apart across a border,no mistake will be made. 
Popples.— Those that are annuals are among the gayest of summer 
flowering plants, and there are many beautiful single and double flower¬ 
ing varieties, the Japanese section of the latter being not unlike good 
Japanese Chrysanthemums, but their beauty generally is of a fleeting 
character. If sown in patches in mixed borders they are not so much 
missed in the late summer and early autumn, but they are very gor¬ 
geous in masses. No time should be lost in sowing the seed, not for¬ 
getting a good breadth of the charming Shirley Poppies, Avoid sowing 
thickly, and thin out the seedlings freely. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Dammann & Co., Naples, Italy.— Miscellaneous Plants. 
E. D. Shuttleworth & Co„ Albert Nurseries, Peckham Rye, S.E.— 
Trade List of Miscellaneous Plants. 
Wrinch & Sons, St. Lawrence Works, Ipswich.— Garden Lmplements, 
Garden Furniture, c^'c. 
