24 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 14, 1892. 
Crousse dotted here and there around the tracing and dessert 
dishes. The G-olden Yew and yellow silk formed a most pleasing 
combination of colour when seen under the influence of artificial 
light, and the whole arrangement was low, yet imposing and 
effective, and moreover a complete change from the preceding 
attempt. The subject will be resumed next week.—D. 
CUCUMBER DISEASES. 
Although I grew Cucumbers for the production of seed many 
years, yet it was always in frames, or if in houses at least on soil 
Oeds in a trailing fashion rather than on hanging trellises. For 
that reason perhaps, for I could not discover any other, my plants, 
or rather fruits, never suffered from that form of disease recently 
referred to, and which is in evidence in so many houses where 
Cucumbers are grown on trellises. 
It has often been a matter for surprise to find fruits doing so 
badly where all conditions of soil and heat seemed favourable ; 
indeed, it may be said, almost with truth, that miserable, imperfect 
fruits seem to be more the rule than the exception. Now, 
I had never attributed this marked defect to any bond fide 
disease ; rather I had attributed it to some defect in the fruit 
organs, arising either from imperfect fertilisation or from absence 
of essential parts of the flowers. There are perhaps conditions in 
Cucumber houses which are not favourable to perfect organic 
production, perhaps too close an atmosphere, perhaps too damp, 
perhaps too hot and dry, generating red spider in the flowers, which 
destroyed the vital organs. Whatever it may be, this very imperfect 
development of Cucumber fruits is a common and troublesome 
matter, and doe3 not seem to be easily overcome by even ordinary 
good growers ; but if this defect is not common with the fruit of 
plants grown on the ground may the cause be traced to the method 
of growing plants in houses? It is very well known that fertilising 
the blooms is not at all essential to the production of good fruits 
for immediate use, but only for seed production, and blooms so 
fertilised seem, so far as my experience goes, never to fail in pro¬ 
ducing perfect seeding fruits. Does that fact tend at all to show 
that the very imperfect structure of fruits, so common with 
Cucumbers, must arise from imperfect floral organs ; and if so, 
how is such imperfection to be associated with disease? 
The only disease, if it might so have been fitly termed, with 
which I was troubled when growing Cucumbers for seeding was 
stem decay, and which always showed itself at a very critical time 
in the plant’s life. That usually was when several fine fruits had 
set on each, and there was considerable strain on the plants to 
support them. Then, when the days were hot and sunny the leaves 
would flag, points of the shoots would become flaccid, and in three 
or four days the collapse was complete. I cured that trouble, 
which once was common, sometimes losing one-half the plants in 
that way, by planting originally as shallow as possible, for deep 
planting seemed to have been more productive of this stem decay 
than any other cause. In planting also I adopted the practice of 
inclining the plants so much, that when the branches rapidly 
developed there was no breaking down or undue bending of the 
main stem, which also aids to produce this form of stem canker 
or decay. Thus the evil eventually was greatly minimised. 
Even to plants that suffered from it I found great aid could be 
given by mulching the beds or soil with a coating of very short 
or decayed manure, as if shoots here and there were somewhat 
buried in the mulch roots would be emitted, and thus I have had 
plants producing heavy crops of fruit which have had to exist 
entirely on these layered branches, the main stems having entirely 
decayed. 
Mildew on Cucumbers is more easily dealt with in heated 
houses, where the pipes can be well coated with sulphur wash, than 
in frames, whilst thrips and red spider are chiefly the product of 
neglect. Generally Cucumber culture is not difficult, and some 
growers always succeed in rearing perfect fruits.—A. D. 
BULB CULTURE AT HOME. 
Regarding the question of cultivating spring-flowering bulbous 
plants in Britain, I have no doubt as to either its feasibility or to 
its being practical. For very many years I have made the 
cultivation of Lily of the Yalley somewhat of a study, and with 
the ordinary forms, the stock of which I had alone to begin with, 
as with the Berlin variety, of which I have now a very large 
quantity of strong growths ready either for forcing or for flowering 
in the open, I do not think any foreign produce could be better ; in 
fact, I have many times been told that our home-grown flowers 
were much the best. The chief factor to securing this result has 
been simply to give the grow'ths sufficient space for development, 
and to lift and give a change of ground every third or fourth year. 
Annual surface dressings of rich soil or of natural or chemical 
manure do the rest. 
Yery much, or perhaps to speak more correctly, exactly, the 
same remarks apply to the culture of the best Narcissi, to Tulips, 
and even to Hyacinths. For a few years past the latter have been 
grown in good soil instead of being planted out in the pleasure 
ground on grass, where they dwindled away to nothing but leaves. 
I find that after a few years to get over the bad results of forcing 
the spikes come in the open quite as good as many of those bought 
in for pot culture. Some sorts do better than others, as for instance 
King of the Blues is always specially good. Tulips do better than 
Hyacinths. A near neighbour (Mr. Porter, gardener to Lady 
Dalrymple, Leuchie) makes quite a speciality of Tulip culture, and 
not only flowers them in the open but forces them quite as success¬ 
fully as bulbs bought in. The soil in this case inclines to clay. In 
ours it is open and light. 
In the case of Narcissi I had an opportunity, during the 
season just past, of testing the relative value of Dutch and own 
grown bulbs, and I have no doubt whatever that the latter are 
quite as good as the former. Through the kindness of a friend I 
had bulbs of a few leading sorts from one of the best Dutch 
growers, and our own were in every respect as good. The sorts 
comprised Poeticus ornatus and bicolor, and of both of these three- 
year-planted bulbs produced flowers equally as good as, and foliage 
rather better than, the imported. The other kinds I could not 
fairly compare. But without having the best means of comparison 
there is no reason to doubt that equally good flowers and foliage 
of such popular sorts as Emperor, Empress, Sir Watkin, the double 
Incomparabilis section, all the forms of Poeticus, Cynosure, Stella, 
Telamonius, and others can be grown in this country. 
The main point to consider in regard to Narcissi is not to 
allow the bulbs to get overcrowded. In the case of sorts which do 
not increase rapidly there need be no hurry in lifting for a number 
of years, only in this case provision must be made for feeding by 
means of surface ■ dressings, applied either in autumn or early 
spring, the latter time being more suitable for the application of 
chemical manures, and the former for ordinary manure. Three 
years appears to be quite long enough to leave in one spot such 
prolific varieties as poeticus recurvus, biflorus, and poeticus fl.-pleno. 
The second year after planting the flowers appear to reach the 
maximum of size and vigour, and thereafter they decrease in size, 
and in course of time refuse to flower with regularity. 
As it is not the purpose of this paper to discuss the general 
culture of these I pass on to notice other bulbous plants. Irises 
are deservedly popular, and of bulbous forms none are more useful 
than the English Iris. Home-grown plants of this, if managed in 
somewhat the same way as hinted at for Narcissi, attain a vigour 
and perfection which puts imported flowers completely in the 
shade. Of the quaint and lovely Spanish forms I cannot write 
with the same decision, as they have in the past displayed a 
tendency to dwindle away ; but that may be on account of want 
of proper treatment, as they have not been cared for in the same 
way as the others. The Kaempferi varieties I have never tried, 
as I feared the dryness of our soil would be so prejudicial that 
they would never succeed ; however, I am inclined to give them 
a trial. 
Then Gladiolus The Bride may be so cultivated as to produce 
as fine or finer spikes than are obtainable from foreign bulbs, and 
to Montbretias the same remark is applicable. But of the 
generality of Gladioli there seems no reason to doubt that we 
cannot produce corms to come up to those grown abroad. I have 
tried these for so long, and so many times have had opportunities 
to test home and foreign corms side by side, that, leaving any 
particular method of culture aside, there seems no possibility of 
doubting the superiority of continental-grown bulbs. — R. P. 
Brotherston. 
SCALDING AND SHANKING OF GRAPES. 
Muscat of Alexandria sometimes has the berries at the upper 
side of the bunches and on the side exposed to the sun more or 
less scorched. It is most prevalent after a period of dull weather. 
The sun acting on the house before air is admitted causes the 
atmospheric moisture to be condensed on the cooler surface of the 
berries, which do not heat as quickly as atmospheric air charged 
with moisture. The preventive is to admit air rather freely, 
especially in the early morning and through the day, with a little 
constantly in dull weather and at night, maintaining a genial 
warmth in the pipes so as to keep a temperature of 65° to 70° 
artificially. It is most prevalent tosvards the close of the stoning 
