January 25,1854. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
79 
conducive to a good set, and it is advisable not to stop the growth 
closely during the setting period. If any varieties are deficient of pollen 
it may be taken from those affording it freely, as Black Hamburghs, 
collecting it in a sheet of paper, and then loading a brush with it, pass 
it on the bunches of the shy setters. 
Vines Started at the New Year. —Continue to syringe the rods twice 
a day until the bunches are formed, when it is best discontinue!, but 
maintaining plenty of atmospheric moisture by damping the paths and 
borders three times a day. Increase the temperature to 55° at night, and 
60° to 65° by day, with an advance from sun heat to 75°, and ventilation 
in accordance with the state of the external air. It is desirable to keep 
up a supply of ammonia in all houses by turning over the fermenting 
materials and adding fresh droppings, or if this be objected to the 
house may be sprinkled with liquid manure, the evaporation troughs 
being kept filled with the same. 
Houses to Afford Ripe Grapes in July. —Start the Vines at the 
beginning of February. There is no need to cover the outside border 
with fermenting materials, but there is absolute necessity for applying a 
covering of leaves or litter so as to prevent the soil being frozen. If the 
Vines are planted outside, see that the stems are well protected by hay- 
bands, for if these become frozen after the Vines have started into 
growth it is certain they will receive a severe check and the crop be lost. 
Syringe the rods three times a day, maintaining a temperature of 50° at 
night and 65° by day with sun heat. Supply inside borders with tepid 
water or liquid manure, and repeat as necessary so as to bring the soil 
into a thoroughly moist condition, but not making it sodden and sour. 
Cucumbers. — Raising Plants in Frames. —Persons who do not 
BOW seed before February often cut fruit quite as early as some do 
with an inadequacy of heat-furnishing material and who sow at the new 
year. The material for making up the bed for raising the seedlings 
being in a fit condition for turning over and mixing with leaves, so as 
to induce a sweet regular heat, a site for a bed should be chosen with 
full southern aspect, and having shelter to the north, as that of a hedge 
or wall. If the ground be rather higher where the bed is to be formed 
than the surrounding ground level all the better. Mix and beat the 
materials well down with the 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, as it will do about one-third. A few Pea sticks placed 
across and along the bed at intervals not only prevents overheating, but 
admits the heat from the linings being conveyed to the interior of 
the bed. 
For early work frames with an inner lining are an advantage. They 
are formed by placing half-inch boards 11 inches in depth at the back 
and 9 inches in front, with the bottom edges level with the bottom of 
the box, nailing strips of wood an inch wide and thick on the inside of 
the box, and then the boards, which form an inch cavity all around the 
inside of the frame, and thus top heat is furnished. In a week after 
making up the bed and putting on the frame and light, level the surface 
of the bed and replace the box and put in sufficient sweetened 
fermenting material to raise the inside to within 4 inches of the inner 
frame or casing, placing partially decayed rather dry leaves or sifted 
spent tan on the manure, for plunging the pots in about 3 inches. 
For raising the plants, 3-inch pots are half filled with light rich loam, 
placing one seed in the centre of each pot, covering about half an inch 
with fine moist soil, so that no water is needed for the germination of 
the seed. Space is thus left in the pot for top-dressing, which is 
preferable to potting the plants. A square of glass placed over each 
pot will hasten the germination, but it must be removed as soon as the 
plants appear. The plants from a sowing made early in February will 
be ready for planting early in March, and will afford fruit at the end 
of April or in May. 
Strawberries In Pots. —When the plants commence flowering 
admit air freely, remove the weaker blossoms, and when the pollen is 
ripe brush the flowers lightly with a feather. After the fruit is set thin 
them to about half a dozen to each plant, more or less, according to the 
variety. Whilst the fruit is setting, 50° to 55° will be sufficient heat, 
but after the setting is effected remove the plants to a house with a 
temperature of 60° to 65° artificially, and 70° to 75° from sun heat in 
the daytime, supplying liquid manure until ripening commences, then 
employ water only and sparingly. See that successional plants do not 
require water without promptly supplying it, and are not brought too 
rapidly in the early stages. If there be any trace of aphides fumigate 
moderately, so as to have the plants perfectly clean before they come 
into flower. 
Melons. —Add a little soil as a top-dressing as the plants grow, 
having them near the glass to prevent drawing. Keep a sharp look 
out for slugs. A ring of soot or quicklime placed round the plants will 
generally preserve them, but these pests and woodlice may be trapped by 
placing a little bran on a slate, and inverting the half of a Swede or 
Mangold Wurzel, with the centre scooped out, over it, examining in the 
morning for the woodlice and in the evening for the slugs. Soil should 
be placed under cover, so as to become dried preparatory to forming it 
into hillocks or ridges in the Melon house. Good strong yellow or hazel 
loam is suitable for Melons, and if it has been laid in ridges, so as to 
reduce the herbage, it will be in a fitting state for the purpose. If 
deficient of grit add a fifth of road scrapings, and if not calcareous a 
similar proportion of old mortar rubbish. If there is need to add 
manure, nothing is better than fresh horse droppings. The composition 
in that case would be four parts of loam, one part each of horse 
droppings, road scrapings, and lime rubbish. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
Tuberous-rooted Begonias. —Very small seeds, or all that of 
necessity are sown on the surface of soil, germinate freely in January 
and February. Tuberous Begonias also need to be sown early if the 
plants are to be grown to a size large enough for bedding out in June 
next. New seed invariably germinates the most quickly and strongly. 
Prepare pans by well draining, and then filling with a mixture of loam 
and leaf soil sifted fine, adding a sprinkling of silver sand. Make the 
surface perfectly level, and give a gentle watering, or enough to well 
moisten the soil. It is a mistake to surface over with sand. 
The seed should be sown about three hours after watering the pan, 
quite on the surface, thinly, and regularly. Avoid letting it get together 
in patches. It will germinate most surely if given the benefit of a brisk, 
moist, bottom heat. Cover the pans closely with squares of glass and 
shade till it is seen the seeds have germinated, after which light should 
be gradually admitted, but no sunshine ought to reach the seedlings. 
The soil must be kept uniformly moist, but no water should be applied 
to the surface. Whenever necessary partially immerse the pans in a 
pail, tub, or tank of lukewarm water, the soil thus becoming moistened 
upwards. Tilt the glasses slightly, when the seedlings are plainly 
visible, by way of a preventive of damping. Seedlings should be 
pricked out directly they can be moved with a pointed stick in one 
hand and a forked pointed stick, for lifting them out with, in the other. 
Last year’s tubers should be kept dry and cool for several weeks longer, 
but if there are any strong old bulbs of good varieties it is desirous 
should be increased as much as possible, place these in boxes of light 
loamy soil and start in a vinery or Peach house being forced. They 
may be split after having made shoots about 2 inches in length. 
Dwarf Iiobellas. —If there is a good stock of old plants—these 
having been kept with a view to obtaining cuttings, or, better still, 
divisions—keep them in an intermediate temperature. Exposing them 
to high temperatures, and fire heat in particular, causes the young 
growths to harden and commence flowering, and to become, therefore, 
unfit for propagating purposes. Succulent tops root very quickly in 
heat, and in their turn give cuttings. The best plants, however, can be 
obtained by dividing old plants freely when they are emitting roots 
above the soil. Seeds of a reliable strain should be procured and sown 
at once, very much as advised in the case of Tuberous Begonias. If this 
is done now no great difficulty will be experienced in having extra 
strong plants to bed out next June. 
Antirrhinums and Pentstemons. —Guttings of choice or named 
varieties that were rooted last autumn and wintered under glass 
should be kept where they are for some time longer, and given plenty 
of air in order to prevent a premature and spindly growth. Varieties 
nearly, or quite, as good can be had by sowing seed saved from the best 
strains, and by proper cultivation the plants will flower strongly the 
same season as raised. Sowing seed early, or not later than the first 
week in February, is the first preliminary. Prepare pans as for Begonias. 
Sow the seed thinly, cover very lightly with fine soil, set in brisk heat, 
place squares of glass over pans, and shade heavily. After the seedlings 
appear admit light and air, and later on place on a shelf in a moderately 
warm house a fortnight, or rather longer, prior to pricking them out 
into other pans or boxes. 
Wlgrandlas. —Where a few or many sub-tropical plants are put 
out Wigandias caracasana and imperialis should be grown. A single 
packet of seed would give far more plants than are needed ; but they 
must be raised early in order to have them large enough for effective 
grouping in the summer. The seed is very minute, and should be sown 
and treated exactly as advised in the case of Tuberous Begonias, 
Zonal Felargronlums. —Since the introduction of varieties greatly 
improved in floriferousness it is found that spring-rooted plants are 
quite as serviceable as those raised in the autumn, and it not unfre- 
quently happens that spring-rooted plants of the variegated and golden¬ 
leaved varieties actually surpass older plants. Cutting-, however, will 
not readily root if taken off before sap movement has well commenced 
—that is to say, if the tops when cut are hard and dry. All old plants 
that are to produce cuttings should be first started in mild heat, such 
as that of a newly started vinery, and if kept in this heat many 
cuttings may be taken off and rooted in time for bedding out. As a 
rule it is a mistake to cut off the tops of autumn-raised plants, as the 
latter seldom do well after the severe treatment given. If, therefore, 
the young plants have been wintered thickly in small pots, pans, or 
boxes, all that should be done to them is to pinch out their points pre¬ 
paratory to shifting, and giving them more room in other pots, pans, or 
boxes. The Ivy-leaf Pelargoniums usually root better in the spring 
than they do in the autumn, and a good stock might be worked up from 
a few old plants placed in heat now. 
Various. —Old plants of Heliotropes introduced into gentle heat 
now would soon give a number of soft, easily rooted cuttings, and the 
propagation should commence early if strong plants are desired for 
bedding out. Verbenas also may well be started into active growth, but 
beware of exposing them to a strong dry heat, or of placing them very 
near to hot-water pipes. Only clean succulent cuttings can be grown 
into serviceable plants. If cuttings have been wintered thickly in 
comparatively small pots do not break them up, but shift them into 
larger pots, and they will produce good cuttings. Lightly top old 
plants of variegated Abutilons, and start in heat. Side shoots taken off 
with a heel root readily, and will develop into strong plants in time 
I for bedding out. 
