108 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
I August 2, 1888 
object to the use of the knife amongst the plants whilst the fruit is setting, | 
but we hesitate not to cut out superfluous growths whenever the neces¬ 
sity for it arises, and with the best results. Crowding the foliage tends 
to nothing but disaster. The blossoms do not set well, the fruit swells 
badly, and worse still, they have large seed cavities, are hollow, and 
have neither weight nor quality. Copious supplies of water are neces¬ 
sary to plants swelling their fruit about twice a week in bright weather, 
once a week or more distantly in dull moist weather. Sprinkle over¬ 
head at closing time, those in houses being well syringed both ways in the 
afternoon of bright days, and a good moisture maintained by sprinkling 
the floors, &c., two or three times a day, which will be all that is neces¬ 
sary in dull weather. Do not neglect to fertilise the flowers daily of 
plants now in bloom, and to go over the plants frequently for the 
stopping or removal of superfluous growths. Keep the atmosphere dry 
when the fruit is setting and ripening. Maintain a bottom heat of 80° to 
85°, top heat 70° at night, 75° by day, in dull weather admitting a little air 
at that if there is a prospect of some sun, allowing the heat to rise to 80°, 
then admit more air, increasing the ventilation with the increased tem¬ 
perature up to 85° or 90°, closing sufficiently to raise the temperature to 
!)0° or 95° or more. A free circulation of rather dry warm air greatly 
improves the finish and quality of Melons when near ripening. If 
canker appears at the collar promptly arrest its progress by rubbing 
quicklime into the affected parts, repeating as necessary, maintaining a 
drier and better ventilated atmosphere. If there be any indications of 
the fruit cracking cut the Vine about half way through a few joints 
below the fruit, reducing the supply of water at the root, and maintain 
a, dry well ventilated atmosphere. 
Strawberries in Pots. —Runners intended for forcing should be 
transferred without delay into the fruiting pots. The plants for early 
forcing succeed best in 5-inch pots, or at most in 6-inch pots. Turfy 
loam, with an admixture of about a fifteenth of bone dust, is a suitable 
compost, giving preference to loam of a rather strong but friable texture. 
Pot firmly, keeping the crown of the plants rather high, and allow a 
■depth of about half to three-quarters of an inch for watering. Stand 
the pots on a hard bottom imperious to worms, in a situation where the 
plants will have every advantage of light and air, and with due atten¬ 
tion to watering and the removal of runners the plants will grow 
vigorously and mature the crowns early. Plants of the strong-growing 
varieties intended for successional and late forcing may have 7-inch pots. 
Plants that were layered into the fruiting pots should be detached after 
they are well rooted, keeping them well supplied with water, and remove 
the runners. They should be given a position after their removal from 
the layered quarters similar to those transferred from small to fruiting 
.pots. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Clioisya ternata .—Plants that have been grown in frames since they 
were pruned after flowering will now be better outside. Plunge them 
in a sunny position, where they will have a chance of thoroughly ripen¬ 
ing their wood, for upon this depends whether they flower well or the 
reverse. When kept under glass the whole season they invariably grow 
tall, are often imperfectly ripened, and consequently do not flower pro¬ 
fusely. Be careful the plants have sufficient water at their roots. Soot 
water in a clear state is a capital stimulant for this plant, and adds to 
its beauty by the dark green appearance it imparts to the foliage. 
Chorozemas .—This should now have abundance of air ; from this 
time they are better exposed than under glass, only they need pro¬ 
tection from such heavy rains as has been experienced lately. If bright 
weather follows use the syringe freely to insure the foliage remaining 
free from red spider. Water carefully, but do not allow the soil to be¬ 
come dry or serious injury will result. 
Ilardwooded Ericas. — Heaths may now be fully exposed, especially 
all the spring and early summer flowering varieties. Select a sunny 
position for them, and protect their pots from the burning rays of the 
sun either by plunging them or by securing round the pots on the sunny 
side old mats or bags, anything that will prevent the sun striking direct 
upon the pots and doing injury to the roots will answer this purpose. 
Water carefully while the plants are outside, but do not allow the soil 
to approach a dust dry condition, or their silk-like roots will perish and 
their leaves eventually will turn brown and fall. 
/Soflwooded Heaths .—These also are better outside than in frames. Full 
sunshine is necessary to harden and ripen their growths if they are to 
flower well. The sun will not injure or brown the plants provided they 
Rave been grown cool and fully exposed. The only care that is needed 
is to protect the pots from the sun. If the plants are arranged in beds 
running north and south the front row and those on the west side only 
will need protection. The outer rows of plants will afford ample shade 
for all the other pots in the bed. The pots should be full of roots, and 
therefore liberal supplies of water will be needed. Keep the material on 
which they are standing moist by syringing liberally during bright 
weather. 
Epacrises .—The earliest plants have lengthened out good growths, 
and may be fully exposed the same as Heaths. Protect the pots and 
subject the plants to the same treatment. Late flowering plants may 
still be encouraged to grow by keeping them in frames. Abundance of 
air should be admitted during the day, but the frames may be closed in 
the afternoon at syringing time before the sun has passed off it. 
Cytisus racemosus .—Young plants in 5-inch pots that are standing 
outside must not be pinched after this date, or they may not flower as 
freely as desired. If the shoots are allowed to extend they will become 
thoroughly ripened by the time they have to be housed, and are certain 
o be a mass of bloom. Water freely and syringe liberally during 
bright dry weather. 
Genetyllis tulipifera .— This and G. Hookeri, if they are to flower 
profusely, must have the wood thoroughly ripened out of doors. 
Protect the pots from bright sunshine, and be careful not to allow the 
plants to become saturated by heavy rains. Boronias, Eriostemons, 
and other hardwood greenhouse plants of a like nature may with 
advantage be exposed outside. 
Acacias. —Those that have made a good growth may be stood outside 
after carefully hardening them. If the pots are full of roots weak 
stimulants may be given them. All that are restricted at their roots 
may be fed liberally to enable them to make a good robust growth. 
FLOWER GARDEN. 
Bedding Plants .—Very few of these have made any real progress ; 
in fact, many of them do not fill the beds so well as they did when first 
plaeed out, owing to the decay of the old leaves and the formation of 
smaller ones in their place. Filling up with surplus plants has been 
largely resorted to in the case of Coleus Verchaffelti, Iresines, Alter- 
nantheras, variegated Pelargoniums, and Tuberous Begonias. The 
three first named are the greatest sufferers from the long spell of wet 
weather, and it is doubtful if the Alternantheras will be very effective 
this season unless all blanks are filled in and rains warded off them in 
some way. Lobelias, Ageratums, Pyrethrums, Violas, and a few other 
of the hardier kinds are not so much injured, and may yet become 
more showy; but the Zonal Pelargoniums are in a sad plight, and in 
warmer -weather will grow away strongly rather than flower freely. 
Seeds to he Sown .—There are many hardy annuals and perennials 
which ought to be sown now or during August, in order that the plants 
may be of good size before the winter sets in. Those that should be 
sown at once are Alyssum maritimum and A. saxatile compactum, 
Arabis alpina, Bartonia aurea, Saponaria calabrica, Silene pendula com- 
pacta, both red and white, Eschscholtzias, Candytuft, and such Poppies 
(Papaver) as bracteatum, Marshalli, nudicaule, orientale, umbrosum, 
and pulcherrimum. Towards the end of August sow Calandrinia in 
variety. Clarkias, Coreopsis, Cyanus major, Collinsia bicolor and grandi- 
flora, Erysimum arkansanum and Peroffskianum, Limnanthes Doug- 
lassi. Gypsophila elegans, Lasthenia californica, Virginian Stock, 
Venus’s Looking Glass, Viscaria cardinalis, and Whitlavias. The seed is 
best sown on warm borders, the soil of which is in good working order. 
Shallow drills may be drawn thickly, moistened if at all dry, the seed 
being sown thinly and covered with fine soil. The seedlings to be duly 
thinned out where crowded, and may either be transplanted in October 
to where they are to flower, or this important proceeding may be 
delayed till the spring. 
Layering Carnations .--Propagation by layering is the surest and 
quickest way of securing a number of serviceable young plants of 
superior varieties, and which, it should be added, invariably produce 
during the following season much the finest blooms. Early in August 
is the best time to commence this important work. First loosen the 
soil about the plants, then surround them with a depth of 3 inches or 
more of good compost, nothing being better than a mixture of two 
parts of fine fresh loam to one of sifted leaf soil, with plenty of road 
grit or coarse sand added. Next. select all the best placed young 
growths, trim off the lower leaves, and at a convenient distance from 
the main stem cut half through the under side of a joint, then give the 
knife an upward turn till a tongue about 1 inch long is formed. Next 
carefully peg them down so as to bury this tongue as well as the rest of 
the joints where cut in the fresh soil. It is of importance that these 
layers be prevented from springing out of the ground again ; and to 
prevent this fairly long and strong pegs, such as may be cut from old 
birch brooms or Hazel wood, should be used. It is by no means a 
difficult operation, a very little practice being needed to give the desired 
confidence. In dry, hot weather, gentle waterings over the foliage may 
be given every evening, or till such times as the layers are well rooted, 
when they ought to be detached and either potted up and wintered in 
frames or planted out in fresh beds. Any border Carnations that have 
been flowered in pots are seldom of any service the following season, 
and these are the best to layer. They ought to be planted out either in 
cold frames or the open borders in sandy, loamy soil, as just advised, not 
uprightly, though, but in a sloping direction, this rendering layering a 
comparatively easy matter. See that the old balls of soil and roots do 
not suffer for vvant of water till such times as they have rooted into the 
surrounding soil. 
Seedling Carnations —Those raised last season are wonderfully gay 
at the present time, and will continue in full beauty for several weeks. 
Many strains include a good per-centage of handsome varieties ; even 
the singles among them are very pretty and serviceable, and all are 
much more floriferous than named varieties from cuttings or layers. 
Plants obtained by sowing seed in April or May ought now to be of 
good size, or large enough for finally putting out in beds. The latter 
should be about 6 feet wide, raised a few inches above the level, and 
well drained. If the soil is of a medium loamy character, and the 
position somewhat sheltered, so much the better, though seedling Carna¬ 
tions as a rule are not very fastidious, and will often thrive in mixed 
borders, and other but slightly prepared positions. They should be 
carefully transplanted from the boxes or pans in which they were first 
pricked out, with the aid of a trowel, and be put out about 12 inches 
l apart each way. Water in dry weather, and in showery weather look 
| out for slugs. 
