434 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 8, 1888. 
THE NATIONAL AURICULA AND THE NATIONAL 
CARNATION AND PICOTEE SOCIETIES. 
(Southern Sections.) 
The annual general meetings of the above Societies were held on 
October 23rd, and not only were inaccurate reports of them sent to the 
gardening papers, but articles were written founded upon the erroneous 
paragraphs. As Honorary Secretary of both Societies, I beg to say that 
Oot a line was either written or prompted by me of those matters. The 
£rst of the inaccuracies I complain of is the statement that it had been 
decided to hold the annual displays at the Crystal Palace. Nothing of 
ttie kind was decided at the meetings. The Societies are also termed 
‘‘National Societies,” but to be correct the meetings were of the 
“ Southern Sections ” only. As some of the criticisms have been adverse 
it is only fair to the north to say that they are not included. I 
decidedly object to the publication of the proceedings of any societies 
such as have appeared in the papers, even if they had been accurate. It 
was decided at the meeting this year, as it was also last year, to com¬ 
municate with the Directors of the Crystal Palace to ascertain on what 
terms they would receive the Societies ; at the same time it was agreed 
that a similar application be made to the Council of the Royal Horticul¬ 
tural Society. I thought it best while negotiations were in progress to 
'make no public statement; others evidently differed from me in this 
respect. When it had been finally decided where the Exhibitions were 
rto be held I would have sent the usual report to the Press.—J as. 
Douglas, Barking Sale, Ilford. 
V/QRKfortheWEEK,. O 
jip ) 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Peaches and Nectarines. — Early-forced House. — The final 
thinning of the shoots in the earliest house should have immediate 
attention. Wash the trees in the first instance with warm soapy water, 
and afterwards dress them with an insecticide. Thoroughly cleanse 
the glass with water, the woodwork and trellis with soap and water, and 
whitewash the walls. Tie in the trees loosely, allowing space for the 
growth to swell without binding, letting the young shoots be laid in so 
as to secure an even spreal of foliage, and sufficiently wide apart to 
admit of next year’s growth being trained without crowding as the fruit 
approaches maturity ; and to effect this the shoots should be 9 to 
1‘2 inches apart, and not closer on the main branches than 18 inches. A 
shoot of 12 to 18 inches in length will give a heavy per-centage of fruit 
for thinning, provided the wood be well ripened, and a Peach worthy of 
the name to every foot of trellis covered by the trees is quite as much as 
trees under early forcing can support year after year. If the lights 
have been removed they may be kept off until the middle of the month 
if the weather be mild, or if put on ventilation should be freely given 
until the house is closed. If the roof lights are fixed the doors and 
ventilators may be constantly open, and see that the inside borders of 
such houses do not lack moisture, but give a thorough soaking of water 
if necessary, so as to moisten the soil down to the drainage. 
Trees Intended to Ripen their Fruit in June.— Trees that are to be 
started at the be-inning of January will now be leafless, and should be 
pruned without delay, while, if the wood on which the fruits were 
borne this season was cut out when the fruits were gathered, this will be 
light. Indeed beyond removing any weak growths and where they are 
too crowded the knife will not be needed, for however long the shoots, 
they will, if the trees are healthful, be ripened to their points, having 
stout short-jointed wood well set with flower buds. Trees extending 
may have the leading shoots cut back to originate others for furnishing 
the trees, being careful in all shortening the shoots of the current year 
to cut back to a wood bud, or if to a triple bud, making sure that, the 
centre is a wood bud, as trees in some cases form triple fruit buds at a 
joint. The house and trees should be thoroughly cleansed and secured 
to the trellis. The roof lights having been removed some time ago need 
not be replaced until the middle of December, as the autumnal rains 
will thoroughly moisten the borders and keep the trees in a complete 
state of rest, which is a matter of importance, as trees that ripen their 
fruit and growths early are easily excited, and excitement in November 
by putting on the lights, should the weather prove mild followed by a 
check, is very often the cause of the flower buds falling when they 
should be expanding. 
Houses Started in February. —These trees are now parting with 
their foliage, and should have all the air possible. Any lifting or root- 
pruning yet in arrears should be seen to and brought to a close as soon 
as possible. When the leaves are all down it will be an advantage to 
remove the roof lights and expose the trees for a month or six weeks, 
but if the roof lights are not moveable admit air freely in all but severe 
■weather, and see that there is not any deficiency of moisture in the 
borders. If the trees are not lifted remove the surface soil down to 
the roots, and supply fresh stifE loam to which has been added some 
charred refuse and steamed bonemeal. 
Late Houses. — Lifting and root-pruning trees in these structures 
should be taken in hand at once and completed without further delay. 
During the operation the house must be kept rather close, the trees 
syringed, and the roots as little exposed as possible. When the roots 
have taken to the fresh material ventilate freely. If the trees do not 
require lifting it will be well to keep the house rather close by day, 
especially from sun heat, and to throw it open at night, which will soon 
ripen the growths, especially if the wood be thin, so as to allow of light 
and air having free access to the wood. If the wood be at all crowded 
it should be well thinned. There must not be any deficiency of moisture 
at the roots or they will not develope the buds perfectly, falling when 
they should be expanding in spring. 
Cucumbers. —Plants which have been in bearing the past three or 
four months will be considerably renovated by receiving a good surface¬ 
dressing of a mixture of three parts light turfy loam, and one part in 
equal proportions of peat and charcoal. The loose surface soil should 
be first removed, and the surface dressing applied warm. When the 
roots are working freely in the fresh material surface-dress or mulch 
with horse droppings, a sprinkling once or twice a week, the manurial 
properties of which will be worked down by each successive watering, 
imparting vigour to the plants, and giving the fruit a deep colour with 
a “ blue ” lustre. Examine the soil, and when water is necessary give a 
thorough soaking at the same temperature as the house. Ventilate 
freely during mild weather, which must not be done to lower the tem¬ 
perature, but to prevent it becoming too high, increasing it as the 
temperature rises, so as to prevent chilling draughts, which are highly 
injurious to the plants. Maintain a night temperature of 63°, but on 
cold nights 60° is sufficient, with 70° to 75° by day with fire heat, ad¬ 
vancing 10° to 15° from sun heat. Close early in the afternoon, and the 
glass being clean a good heat will be secured, which must be accom¬ 
panied by a fair amount of atmospheric moisture. Canker is unusually 
scarce this autumn, but if it appear rub quicklime well into the infected 
parts. Aphides should be combatted by moderate, frequent fumiga¬ 
tion. 
Winter Fruiters. —Add more soil to the hillocks or ridges of late 
plantings as soon as the roots show through the sides, and complete the 
earthing of the first autumn plants, and then place a mulching of short 
sweetened stable manure, which will act beneficially by keeping the 
roots in an equable condition as to moisture, encourage surface roots, 
but stimulate them by the manurial properties being washed down. 
Decomposing material is also of benefit to the foliage through the 
ammonia evolved. Keep the bottom heat steady at 80°. Use as little 
fire heat as possible. On fine mornings turn off the heat about ei.ht 
o’clock, or by the time the solar heat is acting on the house, and keep 
up the required temperature without having to resort to much ventilation 
to keep it from rising too high, as would be the case when the fires are 
kept going until the maximum day temperature is reached. The heat 
should be turned on again when the sun is going off the house, so that 
by the time the heat husbanded by early closing has fallen to 75° the 
heat radiated by the pipes will be sufficient to maintain the temperature 
through the night at 65°, to effect which, in severe weather there should 
be plenty of pipes. Blinds of such material as frigi domo will prevent 
the necessity of so much fire heat, and are particularly useful during falls 
of cold rain or snow. They must be used so a3 to interfere with as 
little light as possible. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Passifloras and Tacsonias,— Where these are trained under the roof 
of plant structures they must be subjected to a liberal thinning. This 
can be done now without the least injury to the plants, and with bene¬ 
ficial results to the occupants that have to be grown beneath them. It 
is essential that every ray of light and sunshine should be admitted to 
the plants beneath. Tacsonia Van Volxemi will still produce flowers ; 
these should be allowed to hang naturally from the roof, and as shoots 
cease flowering cut them close back. The flowers are very useful where 
low floral decorations are required on the dinner table. Plenty of wood 
can be removed without the destruction of many flowering shoots, so as 
to admit light freely to the plants below. 
Imantophyllums. —These plants will have completed their growth, 
and those not wanted to flower for some months should have a cool airy 
structure. They should also be watered with great care, giving con¬ 
siderably less than has been the case up to the present time. If over¬ 
watered during the resting period the tips of their dark green foliage 
are certain to turn yellow, and the beautiful appearance of the plants is 
destroyed. If kept on the dry side they will remain in perfectly good 
condition. Some of the earliest plants are showing their flowers, and 
will be much brighter in colour if they are developed in a little 
warmth. At this season of the year the flowers,, if allowed to expand 
in a cool house, are practically colourless. Seedlings raised from good 
varieties will be better in a cool than in a heated house during the 
season of rest. This treatment results in increased strength and vigour 
another year. 
Bielytra spectabilis. —Imported roots of this easily forced plant can 
now be obtained, and may be potted in good soil in 5 and 6-inch pots. 
Home-grown roots are as good as those that are imported from the Con¬ 
tinent annually, provided they have been prepared for the purpose. 
When the stock is grown at home the finest crowns only should be 
selected, and the smallest replanted for the following year’s supply. 
Acacia Riceana. —Where this plant is grown up pillars or under the 
rafters oE the roof do not attempt to tie the shoots up in a formal 
manner. By doing this its beauty is totally destroyed. The long 
slender shoots should be permitted to hang naturally from the plant, 
the plant has then a graceful appearance when in flower. If it obstructs 
