148 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ An gnat 18, 1887, 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Peaches and Nectarines. — Planting or Lifting Trees for Early 
Forcing .—If new houses have to be planted, and fruit is wanted next 
season at an early period, the trees should be planted as soon in the late 
summer or early autumn as the growth is perfected, the wood and 
foliage being ripe, and the buds plumped. The most suitable trees are 
those that have been trained three or four years to walls, and have 
been lifted annually or biennially. Those intended for moving to 
houses to be started early ought now, if there is any tendency to a late 
growth, or any doubt as to the maturity of the wood and buds, to have 
the soil taken out as deeply as the roots one-third the distance from the 
stem that the trees extend, and the trench so made should remain open 
for a fortnight or three weeks, when it may be filled again, care being 
taken not to allow the trees to want for water whilst the trench is open ; 
all that is necessary, however, is to give no more than to prevent 
bagging. This will effectually check, the growth and insure its ripen¬ 
ing, whilst it will materially assist lifting with a ball or a mass of 
fibrous roots. The trees for early forcing should be planted by the end 
of September, and lifting early forced trees should be commenced as 
soon as the foliage gives indications of falling. It will not matter about 
a few sappy laterals ; their softness will tend to the manufacture of 
roots. Soil should be obtained in readiness, so that work of this kind 
can be performed with the utmost promptness and dispatch. Clean 
drainage, too, in different sizes should be provided. The soil may con¬ 
sist of any good loam, preferably strong and calcareous, nothing being 
lacking in the top 3 or 4 inches of an old pasture overlying limestone or 
chalk, and if intermingled with flints all the better. Such will grow 
Peaches to perfection without any admixture. If the loam be at all 
light add a sixth of finely divided marly clay. Any deficiency of cal¬ 
careous matter may be overcome by an addition of chalk to sandy soil, 
and of lime rubbish to heavy soil. New borders must have efficient 
drainage, the bottom of the border being concreted if the strata beneath 
be unfavourable, or better laid with bricks on flat run with cement, the 
border being further enclosed with walls so as to confine the roots. A 
width of border one-third the width of the trellis will be sufficient in 
the first instance. It is essential that the drains have a proper fall and 
cutlet, rubble being placed over them a foot thick, the roughest at the 
bottom and the finest at the top, and if covered with a layer 2 or 3 inches 
thick of old mortar rubbish the drainage may be considered sound for 
an indefinite period. Twenty-four inches depth of border is ample. The 
best varieties for early forcing are Alexander, Waterloo, a high coloured 
and taking fruit of high quality, but unfortunately a clingstone, Early 
Beatrice, and Early Rivers. The finest, however, from a remunerative 
point of view are Hale’s Early, Early Alfred, Royal George, or its li e 
form Stirling Castle, and Grosse Mignonne, which are free setters, and 
good alike in looks and quality. Of Nectarines Lord Napier is superb, 
Hunt’s Tawny, though small, colours finely, and the quality unsurpassed 
in early Nectarines, Elruge being in every respect excellent. 
Melons. —Place out the last plants. Preserve the leading shoot 
until it reaches two-thirds across the trellis, then pinch out its point, 
rubbing off the laterals up to the trellis, and then every alternate one on 
opposite sides of the primary. Maintain a temperature of 65° to 70° at 
night, and 70° to 75° by day, 80° to 85° from sun heat, closing early so as 
to run up to 90° or 95°. Stopping the laterals should not be practised 
unless the plants are weak and they do not show fruit at the second or 
third joint. Weakly plants should have the first shows of fruit removed, 
relying on the sub-laterals. Early ventilation with plenty of light are 
the essentials of a thoroughly solidified growth. 
The last plants in pits and frames are swelling freely. Earth up the 
roots if necessary, but late plants on dung beds do not require a large 
amount of soil. Close early, affording the needful supplies of water at 
that time, keeping laterals well in hand, not allowing them to interfere 
in any way with the principal leaves. If the weather be dull afford 
good linings and admit a little air, as nothing is so fatal to quality in 
Melons as a close atmosphere. Sprinkling should only be practised on 
fine afternoons. If black aphides attack the plants fumigate on two or 
three consecutive eveninrs moderately. Examine frequently for canker, 
and promptly apply quicklime to the affected parts. Gradually withhold 
water at the roots and moisture in the atmosphere from plants ripening 
fruit, and if a little extra heat is afforded by means of linings so as to 
admit of a free circulation of air, the quality of the fruit will be 
enhanced considerably. 
Cucumbers. —Encourage the plants for autumn fruiting to make a 
strong growth by adding fresh soil from time to time, affording plenty 
but not overmuch water at the roots, with a moist genial condition of 
the atmosphere by syringing at closing time, and damping available 
surfaces occasionally. Sufficient fire heat must be employed to prevent 
the temperature falling below 65° at night, and to maintain it at 70° to 
75° by day. Old plants should have the exhausted growths cut out, and 
others where likely to be crowded thinned, so as to admit light and air, 
securing a sturdy solidified growth and a succession of bearing wood. 
The syringe should be iregularly employed about 3 P.M., and if mil¬ 
dew appear dust with flowers of sulphur in the evening whilst the 
foliage is damp, maintaining a somewhat freely ventilated atmosphere. 
Black aphides are unusually troublesome. Those and green aphides sub- 
cumb to repeated fumigation with tobacco paper, taking care to have 
the foliage dry, to deliver the smoke cool, and to ventilate freely the 
following day. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Crotons .—Wherj small plants are required in large numbers for de¬ 
coration during the autumn and winter in from 2 to 4-inch pots very 
few plants surpass Crotons, either for beauty or lasting properties. To 
have them in good condition they must be highly coloured or their 
effectiveness is lost. Well coloured side branches should be taken off at 
once and rooted in the pots in which they are to be used. Cuttin s of a 
suitable nature should be plentiful on plants from which the heads were 
taken and rooted some time ago. We invariably find the smallest 
cuttings with three or four well developed leaves very useful in thumb 
pots. It is useless to insert cuttings that are not fairly well coloured, 
for they will not improve after the end of September. As soon as these 
small plants are rooted gradually expose them to full light and sunshine 
close to the glass, and if the weather prove bright for a few weeks the 
colour of their foliage will be highly developed. The Crotons intended 
for autumn and winter decoration should by now be placed in their 
largest pots ; in fact, only the best rooted should remain to be potted, 
and these must be attended to at once. All our plants are well estab¬ 
lished, and will soon have grown as large as they are desired, while the 
beautiful markings of a few of the young leaves near the top only need 
developing. Where the plants have been grown close to the glass they 
should be examined for fear red spider has attacked the young leaves. 
This pest, if in existence, will quickly spoil the appearance of the plants. 
The quickest and easiest means of destroying the pest is to dip the plants 
in a solution of softsoap and water, one ounce of the former to a gallon of 
the latter, to which rhould be added a handful of sulphur. This may be 
left on the plants two or three daj s, and then thoroughly washed off 
with clean water, and the syringe used twice or three times daily. 
Panicum variegntum .—A good stock of this useful decorative plant 
should now be prepared by inserting cuttings thickly in 2 and 3-inch 
pots. After insertion a good watering should be given and the pots 
stood in the propagating frame and shaded until they are rooted. Grow 
the plants afterwards under moist, shady, warm conditions until they are 
well furnished, when slightly cooler treatment may be given them. 
Tradescantias .—Large numbers of the variegated forms should be 
prepared by inserting about five cuttings in each 2-inch pot. These 
will root freely enough on a high shelf or any other position in heat if 
shaded for a few days from the sun. A few boxes may also be filled so 
that the plants can be lifted out for various purposes when vases and 
baskets have to be made up with a variety of small plants. 
Coleus .—These are also useful in small pots, but the cuttings 
should be inserted singly, and distinct bright colours selected. A good 
dark form will be found most useful for dinner table decoration if the 
plants are dwarf and well furnished with large leaves at the base. For 
this purpose the tops of shoots that have grown strongly should be 
selected. Coleuses soon draw up too tall for a variety of purposes even 
when confined in small pots, and therefore some should be rooted at 
intervals of every three weeks during the winter. Although they do 
not last so long as Crotons they are distinct from those plants, and 
their highly attractive appearance during the winter renders them 
invaluable. 
Fittonias .—These are highly ornamental in appearance when dotted 
amongst small Ferns and other suitable plants near the edge of large 
baskets or vases that have to be regularly furnished. The plants 
required first should be rooted singly in 2-inch pots, and quantities 
of others in boxes and pans for lifting out when required during the 
winter. If they can be used in small pots two or three weeks is ample 
to establish them, and they can be potted from the boxes in batches as 
required. 
Pertolonias .—This is a good time to root a number of these as well 
as Sonerilas. Young plants pass the winter with greater certainty than 
those that have been growing luxuriantly the whole of the summer. 
The established plants need not be destroyed for this purpose, for 
cuttings near the base of the former will be found, and young growing 
shoots from amongst the latter should be selected without destroying 
the appearance of those now doing duty in the stove. These cuttings 
should be inserted in light sandy soil and kept close, moist, and shaded 
until thoroughly established ; in fact they will winter better in the pro¬ 
pagating house than the stove, where more airy conditions will presently 
be maintained. 
Polystichum proliferum .—Although this is a hardy variety, it is per¬ 
haps the most useful Fern that can be grown in small pots or pans for 
furnishing purposes. In 3 and 4-inch pans with the surface covered 
with Selaginella so as to hide the pans, few, if any, small plants are 
more handsome for forming rows on the dinner table. For this purpose 
two or three small plants should be inserted together, for by this method 
suitable plants are produced in less time, and have a better furnished 
and more ornamental appearance. Those in pots may be potted singly. 
A large stock is easily raised by growing a plant or two, and then 
pegging down the fronds from time to time. During the summer 
these plants do well in cold but shady frames, and in winter should have 
gentle warmth, or they do not retain their beautiful fresh appear¬ 
ance. Gentle heat keeps them growing slowly, while cool treatment 
