August 2 , 1SB8 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
181 
the fore part of the summer, but of late they have swelled rapidly, and 
at the present time we have bulbs of Trebons weighing If lb. This is 
a grand Onion for sowing in autumn ; indeed it is the best, and we have 
just sown 6 07,s. of seed. Giant Rocca is the commonly sown variety, 
but in many cases it splits and fails before the bulbs are really in good 
form, and it does not keep very well ; we are not sowing it this autumn, 
but put in a few White Tripoli for the early crop and depend on 
Trebons for the main supply. All matured autumn Onions should now 
be drawn and cleared from the ground, but only the best should be 
stored. They must be laid in the sun for a time before cutting off the 
stems. 
Celert. —We are never troubled with Celery bolting, but some 
complain of it, and where many of the plants are running to seed they 
may interfere with the supply, as seeding plants are useless at all 
times; and if late plants have been retained in the seed bed a 
quantity should be planted out to take the place of those that are 
seeding. A deficiency of Celery is often severely felt in the kitchen, 
and the supply should be kept up by all means. The American 
White Plume is now ready with us. It is really very good, and as it 
requires no earthing up it may be cultivated very cheaply. Plants 
intended for use in October and November should not be fully earthed 
up, but late plants need not be earthed until they have gained con¬ 
siderable size. 
Winter Turnips. —Turnips always bulb best when well thinned, 
and although it is very necessary to thin them freely in summer, it is 
still more so with the winter crop. Those intended for winter have 
been thinned once, and they are now 4 or 5 inches apart, but this 
is much too close, and we are about to thin them all to 15 inches apart. 
This is a good distance for winter Turnips, and it is much better to 
thin them when small than allow them to grow and then find they are 
too close. Bulbs produced in this way are never so fine or hardy as 
those properly thinned out from the first. 
Runner Beans.— We never knew Runner Beans to be so scarce in 
August as they are this year. Some pods are much in advance of 
others, and all of these forward pods should be carefully gathered at 
once. If left they would soon become too old and check tbe main 
supply which is yet to come. Should the weather remain dry a good 
soaking of liquid manure occasionally would greatly benefit the crop. 
Globe Artichokes. —Cut the old stems from these, and should all 
the heads not have been used and some of them become too old remove 
them also, as by doing this some of the forward growths may be induced 
to throw up young stems, which will produce small useful heads in 
October or November. 
Sowing Cauliflowers.— Where Cauliflowers are wanted early in 
the spring a good mode of securing them is to sow the seed in the 
autumn, winter the plants in a frame, and have them ready for planting 
the first opportunity in spring. The present is the proper time to sow. 
We prefer sowing the seed in a little bed on a warm sunny spot in the 
open, lifting the plants and putting them in the frames in October, to 
the plan of sowing them in a frame altogether. Plants raised in the 
open are always robust and generally pass the winter well. The secret 
of having good Cauliflower plants in spring is to keep them hardy in 
autumn and never protect them until it is necessary to do so. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Vines. —Earliest House .—Trees in this house will be casting their 
leaves, and should have all the ventilation practicable, and the border 
allowed to become as dry as is consistent with preservation of the roots. 
The Vines should be pruned at the end of the present or early part of 
next month at the latest, the house thoroughly cleansed, repaired, and if 
required painted, the Vines being dressed, removing no more than the 
loose bark, and washing the rods with a solution of softsoap, 8 ozs. 
to the gallon of water. If there be any scale or mealy bug a wine- 
glassful of petroleum may be added, with flowers of sulphur to bring it 
to the consistency of cream. Apply it to every part, after mixing 
thoroughly with a brush. The borders, both inside and outside, should 
be cleared of the old mulching material and the loose surface soil, and 
have a top-dressing of turfy loam, with about a fifteenth part of bone 
dust incorporate'!. If the border be dry a moderate watering should be 
given, and the house kept as cool as possible. 
Houses Started Late .—This is a great mistake, particularly when the 
varieties are late, which as a rule require a long time to ripen, necessi¬ 
tating, especially in a season like the present, sharp firing to have the 
fruit well ripened by the middle or end of next month at latest. Main¬ 
tain a night temperature of 65° to 70°, to 75° or 80° by day up to 85° or 
90° with sun, this being the period to make up for lost time instead of 
deferring firing until the Grapes show colour, as they may not do until 
September is well advanced, prolonging the ripening into October or 
ater. Grapes so ripened do not keep plump or satisfactory to a late 
period. The atmospheric moisture, as well as that at the roots, must be 
kept up in proportion to the condition of the Vines and the temperature 
maintained, accompanied with free ventilation so as to accelerate the 
ripening process. Vines in other houses that were started in good 
time will be well advanced towards ripening, and should have the 
atmospheric moisture reduced gradually without giving more fire heat 
than is necessary to keep up a circulation of dry warm air, to secure 
well-ripened wood and highly finished fruit. 
Vines from which the Grapes have been cut must have all the 
laterals closely stopped, and a dry warm atmosphere with abundant 
ventilation maintained to insure the thorough maturation of the wood. 
With a view to the preservation of the foliage, give a good washing 
with the garden engine on fine evenings, especially if there be traces oi 
red spider. 
Tines.— Suckers obtained from the summer fruiting plants will soon 
be ready to be repotted. Transfer the strongest to pots 10 and 11 inches; 
in diameter according to the variety, affording the plants a position 
near the glass in a light airy house, keeping them gradually growing 
throughout the winter months, under which conditions they will start 
into fruit readily about the following Mayor June, and afford a good 
supply of early autumn fruit. The remaining portion of the plants 
above referred to should be wintered in 7 or 8-inch pots, and placed in. 
larger pots in spring. These, with suckers of Smooth-leaved Cayenne 
and Charlotte Rothschild started last March, will without much diffi¬ 
culty provide a suecessional supply of ripe fruit throughout the winter 
months, and be supplemented by Queens and others which were started 
at the same time. At this period of the year it will be necessary to- 
effect a re-arrangement of the plants which were started as suckers last 
autumn, many of the free-fruiting varieties now having fruit swelling ;; 
and these should be separated from the others, as plants not. in that 
condition will by this time have completed their growth, and will more 
readily start into fruit at the required time by subjecting them to more 
liberal ventilation during the next six weeks when the temperature 
exceeds 80°, the temperature at the roots being kept at 75° to 80°. 
For plants that have been recently repotted 90° at the roots is 
suitable, but for plants well established a mean of 80° is best. When 
fruit is swelling the atmosphere should be kept moderately moist, 
and a little air admitted at the top of the house early in the morning to 
dispel superfluous moisture before the sun’s rays act powerfully on the 
fruit. Ripe fruit required to be kept must be moved to a shady house- 
and have abundant ventilation. Shading should be dispensed with, 
except for rootless suckers. 
Melons. —In pits and frames the last plants will have set or be 
setting their fruits. Ours are well set, the atmosphere having been kept 
dry, and are swelling away freely. We now sprinkle the plants with 
tepid water and close early in the afternoon at 80° to 85°, admitting air 
at 75°, increasing with the advancing sun heat to 85° or 90°. Those in 
frames should be attended to as required with linings of sweetened fer¬ 
menting material as the nights beccmc cold, so as to prevent the tempe¬ 
rature falling below G5° in the morning, and if mats are placed over the 
lights after the sun leaves the frames, and removed shortly after the 
sun has risen, very much better results will be had with late Melons 
than usually results from frames. 
Maintain a night temperature of 60° to 70° at night, and 75° by day 
in Melon houses heated by hot water. As the days are shorter lessened 
supplies of water will be required, yet give sufficient to keep the soil in 
a moist state whilst the fruit is swelling, but after it is full sized or 
ceases swelling afford no more than to maintain the foliage from flagging.. 
Keep the laterals well stopped to one leaf, and rub off superfluous 
shoots as they show, allowing nothing to interfere with the principal 
leaves or to retard the swelling of the fruit. Plants with fruit advanced 
for ripening should be kept dry at the roots and have air very liberally, 
with, if practicable, an advance of temperature, avoiding a close moist 
atmosphere, which invariably results in cracking of the fruit or inferior 
flavour. The last plants will have been placed in houses and are 
growing freely. The leader must not be stopped until it reaches 
the trellis, when it may be pinched out if more than one leader is wanted, 
or may be allowed to grow two-thirds of the distance up the trellis if 
only one leader is wanted, and then be stopped, removing every alternate 
lateral directly they can be handled. Maintain a moist and warm 
atmosphere—70° to 75° by artificial means, with the bottom heat at 80° 
to 85°. Keep a sharp look out for canker at the collar and upon the 
stem, rubbing quicklime well into the parts affected, striving to main¬ 
tain a clean growth and healthy collars to the last. 
PI ANT HOUSES. 
Camellias. —The earliest plants will be swelling their flower buds 
rapidly, and weak stimulants will prove beneficial. They need assist¬ 
ance more at this than at any other stage of their growth. Strong 
stimulants should be avoided, for they are liable to overforce the plants, 
with the result that the buds will eventually fall. Weak stimulants, 
such as clear sdot water, light sprinklings of Clay’s fertiliser, or that 
made from cow manure liberally diluted with water may, with ad¬ 
vantage, be given weekly until the flowers commence expanding. The 
utmost care must be taken that the p'ants receive no check or dis¬ 
appointment will follow. Water liberally and syringe freely twice 
during the day. Disbudding may be practised at once by the removal 
of all small and badly placed flower buds. If insects exist upon the 
plants syringe them with petroleum and water at the rate of 3 ozs. to 
4 gallons of water. This will do no harm to the buds or plants, but 
if very strong doses are used the effect may be visible about the time 
the blooms should expand. Later plants just completing their growth 
must be carefully treated, for in this stage they are liable to start again 
into growth. Give abundance of air and maintain a drier atmosphere 
until the buds commence to form, -when the syringe may be used and 
the moisture in the atmosphere increased. 
Azaleas. —Plants of narcissiflora, amoena, indica, and such varieties 
that have been forced into bloom early for several years past will 
be swelling their flower buds rapidly. Some of these are coming 
forward too quickly, and it will therefore be necessary to carefully 
harden them and place them outside in a northern position. They 
should have been out before now, but the wet weather would have 
proved serious to the well-being of these plants. Plants that are not too 
