466 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 1, 1887. 
either from a wall, standard, or pyramid. Doyenne du Comice 
succeeds under all forms of culture, and is about the best November 
Pear. Beurre d’Aremberg is best from a south or west wall. Glou 
Morfeau is good on a south or west wall, although I have known it 
delicious from a standard in the neighbourhood of London. Jose¬ 
phine de Malines does well on a south or west wall, where it is, to 
my mind, the best flavoured Pear in existence. "Winter Nelis, on a 
south or west wall ; flavour delicious. Easter BeurA, from a 
pyramid or a wall. Bergamotte Esperen, on a south wall. The 
only doubtful Pear in the above is Easter Beurre, but where it 
does well it is well worth growing. 
In addition to the above we grow the following late Pears, 
which are good :—Nouvelle Fulvie, Knight’s Monarch, and Olivier 
des Serres. This Pear could be substituted for Easter Beurre 
where that does not succeed. Beurre Hardy and Thompson’s are 
good Pears for the end of October. By adding the old Jargonelle, 
which everybody knows, we have eighteen as good Pears as can 
possibly be planted. The above were selected from upwards of 
200 varieties, and grown under various conditions and aspects.— 
A. Young, Abberley Hall Gardens, Stourport. 
EARLY FORCING-FROST AND ITS EFFECT. 
Early frosts are looked upon with some misgivings by the 
majority of cultivators, and those that appear early in autumn 
prove very detrimental to late-flowering plants and many vegetables ; 
but it is not to these that I intend to allude, but to such as we have 
experienced this year during the early part of November. Frosts 
varying from 7° to 14° thus early in the season may be regretted, 
when they stop for the time being the digging and general clearing 
up of the garden, but I hope to show that they are more beneficial 
than otherwise. The harm that frost may do during the early part 
of November to vegetation is more than compensated for by the 
advantages it confers upon cultivators who have early forcing 
operations to conduct for the supply of fruits, flowers, and 
vegetables as early in the season as possible. There is a growing 
tendency to start fruits such as Vines and Peaches, various flower 
roots, early vegetables, such as Rhubarb, Seakale, Asparagus, as 
well as hardy flowering shrubs, as early as possible in the season in 
the hope of being before our neighbours, or at least as early. Old 
practitioners rarely err in this matter, but younger men in their 
eagerness to outstrip others often find that instead of success their 
efforts prove futile. 
At this period of the year, amongst the most important things 
that engage our attention are Vines and Peaches for the supply of 
early fruit. Much can be done in their preparation by training 
them to grow earlier each succeeding year by starting them a few 
weeks or a month earlier ; but there is a limit to this, and if it is 
exceeded failure or partial failure is the result. The fact cannot 
be overlooked that early forced plants retain their foliage for a 
much longer period than those that are started later in the season. 
If we glance at Vines or Peaches started at the end of November 
or the beginning of the following month how much sooner will they 
lose their foliage—if it has been well cared for—than Vines or trees 
that have been started two months later. This will show at a 
glance that the trees in many instances are robbed of a season of 
complete repose that is essential to their well-being. Very 
frequently the trees in these early houses, especially during mild 
autumns, have not gone properly to rest before they are subjected to 
counter influences to start them again into growth. What is the 
result ? The flower buds fall from Peaches, and the bunches of 
Vines invariably turn up, and eventually wither. Very often 
instead of such disasters teaching a practical lesson they are attri¬ 
buted to other causes, and not unfrequently to the immature state 
of the wood. Such conclusions are generally erroneous, for the 
wood has had a better chance of ripening thoroughly than that on 
trees in second, third, or even late houses, and yet on these the buds 
remain or the branches lengthen as the case may be. The cause of 
such failures can in most cases be traced to the trees never having 
properly rested before it has been considered time to start them 
again. Vines in pots grown on the ordinary method, that would 
under favourable circumstances do well, often fail simply because 
they have been robbed of a season of rest. One of the greatest 
mistakes that can possibly be conceived is to start such plants at a 
given time whether they are ready or not. In this matter the 
season must be taken into full consideration, for upon it depends 
in a large measure when the Vines or Peaches completed their 
growth. To delay starting such even a month, and then push them 
forward more rapidly than is necessary under ordinary circum¬ 
stances, will prove less injurious to their health than to start them 
into growth really before they have completed the work of the 
previous season. Starting too early and too quickly is a great 
mistake, and with Peaches often results in the flowers expanding, 
in a weak or crippled state. 
Another mistake in the management of early houses for forcing 
is closing them so as to exclude early frosts. No doubt this is duo 
in a large measure to the practice of storing plants in them ; to 
keep them safe the house is closed, and not allowed to fall below 40° 
perhaps. I have failed from such causes, and hope to prevent 
others doing so. Early houses of this nature should be kept free- 
from plants, or only those - placed in them that will bear a slight 
frost without injury. If the ventilators are left open and the trees 
subjected to a slight frost it will do them no harm, but the most- 
satisfactory result will follow. Frost will decide matters, and send 
the trees to rest, after which they may with safety be started into- 
growth. It will be found that they will start freely, even vigorously,, 
without that risk of failure that otherwise is liable to follow. A 
lengthened rest is unquestionably of benefit, but this cannot be 
accorded to plants required for early work, and therefore it is 
important that the rest they receive should be, if even for a very 
short period, as complete as possible. 
In passing, Strawberries may be considered. House plants say 
early in November, when the early Peach house or vinery has been 
cleaned and prepared for starting, and exclude frost from themi 
after they are placed under cover—supposing they have not been 
exposed to it before. These, for the purpose of early forcing, may 
be layered [first in 5-inch pots, thus being practically confined at 
their roots. Keep them rather dry to induce rest, and what will be 
the result ? Plants left outside in 6-inch pots without this trouble 
in preparation, and exposed to frost, then housed, say a month later,, 
will be as early as the others, and produce double the quantity of 
fruit. The difference will at once be perceptible ; the first plants- 
will start slowly, the latter at once, pushing up their new leaves,, 
and the flower stems will be stronger and thrown up above the 
foliage, while those of the early started ones will be weak and 
short, often not long enough to reach over the edge of the pot„ 
But Strawberries are no exception to the rule. If we take Seakale 
and Rhubarb as examples, and leave them in the ground until the 
foliage has died, anl then lift them and place them in the forcing 
house, they will prove stubborn, and often refuse to move for 
weeks unless severe measures are taken to force them into growth,, 
and even then the growth is weak in comparison with what it should 
be. If instead of placing them in the forcing house they are left 
upon the surface of the ground, or placed in any convenient position 
until they have been exposed to frost, and then introduced, they 
will come away strongly and at once. I have placed roots treated', 
in this manner by the side of those started a month before, and 
been able to gather from the latest introduced ones long before I 
could from the others. 
Some are even more difficult to start than any that have been 
enumerated. For years I have had Lily of the Valley from the 
3rd to the 5th of November, but this was not attained by lifting 
the roots and placing them in strong heat. It was the result of 
assisting plants to make and ripen their growth under glass, and 
then enjoy as complete a rest as we could force upon them. Any 
attempt to lift plants and force them for such early flowers would 
only prove a failure. The majority do not go in for such early 
forcing as this, and it is not essential, but in our case it was a 
favourite flower, and one of the essentials of the establishment. If 
plants are dug up before they have been exposed to frost, or im¬ 
ported plants introduced, either crowns or clumps, they will refuse 
to start. I have obtained imported single crowns, placing them in 
strong bottom heat, and after two months of this treatment as they 
refused to start they were turned out, and they flowered freely the 
following July. But subject home-grown roots, or imported ones,, 
to a week’s frost in pots, boxes, or pans, with their crowns fully 
exposed, and then introduce them ; they will start readily and in a 
short time produce their flowers. Spiraeas, Lilacs, Guelder Roses, 
Rhododendrons, Ghent and mollis Azaleas, and other plants of a 
similar nature also refuse to start early before they have been 
exposed to frost sufficiently severe to bring growth to a complete 
standstill. It will be seen then and can be proved by all, that com¬ 
mencing these operations too early is a great mistake and may lead 
to failure, while a few weeks’ patience and the beneficial effects of 
frost will bring them into a satisfactory condition for starting. 
Early frosts will always be welcome to those engaged in early 
forcing on a large scale. No doubt a sudden change from mild, 
weather to such frosts as I have mentioned are injurious to many 
plants. Hollies may be taken as an example, and it is clear that 
they grow until very late in the season unless they are prematurely 
brought to a standstill, by lifting them at a certain stage or by these 
early frosts. Plants lifted in August and September seldom lose a 
leaf through these early frosts, but unlifted ones do, for a large 
per-centage of leaves near the extremity of the shoots fall. The 
plants are brought to a standstill, and the supply to these immature 
leaves being cut off, they naturally fall.—A Northerner. 
