54 
JOURiW^L OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 19, 188S. 
fruit. Young plants just coming into bearing should not be allowed to 
bear too soon, and by no means be overcropped. They are greatly 
assisted by removing the male flowers (also surplus female flowers) as 
they appear. The supply of moisture both at the roots and in the 
atmosphere must be governed by external influences. Syringing should 
not be practised over the foliage, except a light sprinkling in the early 
part of bright afternoons, damping the floor moderately at about 8 A.M. 
and 2 p.m. Encourage the roots to spread on the surface of the bed by 
adding a little lumpy loam from time to time, with which m.ay be incor¬ 
porated a little well decomjxjsed cowdung or fresh sweetened horse 
droppings. Keep a sharp look out for aphides, and fumigate several 
times moderately and consecutively rather than once severely. Canker 
is not uncommon at this season of the year ; fresh slaked lime rubbed 
into the affected parts will arrest its progress. If mildew appear dust 
with sulphur. 
Raising Cucumber Plants in Frames. —The greatest mistake is com¬ 
mencing too early. The materials are either not obtainable or they are 
ilot forthcoming in sufficient quantity to make up beds and continue the 
heat in them by linings, so as to keep the plants in progressive growth 
during weather that cannot be relied upon as assisting by sun heat ; 
consequently those not sowing seed before the beginning of February 
Cut fruit quite as early as some do with an inadequacy of heat-furnish¬ 
ing material'by sowing at the new year. The material for making up 
the bed for raising the seedlings being in a fit state for turning over and 
mixing wfith leaves, so as to induce a sweet regular heat, a site for a bed 
should be chosen with full southern aspect, and having shelter to the 
north, as that of a hedge or wall. If the ground be rather higher where 
the bed is to be formed than the surrounding ground all the brtter. 
Beat the dung and leaves well down with a fork as the work proceeds, 
making the bed about '> feet high at the back and 4 feet 6 inches in 
front, which will allow for settling, as it will do about a third. A few 
Pea sticks placed across and along the bed at intervals not only prevent 
overheating, but admit the heat from the linings being conveyed to 
the interior of the bed. For early work we have used frames with 
double sides with advantage. They are formed by placing an inner 
lining of half-inch boards 9 inches less in depth at the back and 6 inches 
less in front than the box, nailing strips of wood an inch wide and thick 
on the,inside of the box, and then the boards which form an inch cavity 
all around the inside of the box, and thus top heat is furnished. 
In about a week the heat will be up. Level the surface of the bed, 
replace the box, and put in sufficient sweetened dung to raise the inside 
to within 4 inches of the top of the inner frame or cavity, placing saw¬ 
dust, dry leaf soil, or spent tan on the dung for plunging the pots in. 
For raising the plants 3-inch pots are half filled with light rich loam, 
placing one seed in the centre of each pot, covering with fine moist soil, 
so that no water is required for the germination of the seed. Space is 
thus left in the pots for top-dressing, which is preferable to potting 
the plants. A square of glass placed over the pots will hasten the 
germination, but it must be removed as soon as the plants appear. The 
plants from a sowing made early in February in the manner described 
will be ready for planting early in March, and will afford fruit nearly as 
soon as those from a sowing made early in January. 
Melons.— Add a little soil as a top-dressing as the plants grow, 
having them near the glass to prevent drawing. Keep a sharp look out 
for slugs. A ring of soot or lime placed round the plants will generally 
preserve them, but means should be employed to entrap the slugs. For 
frame culture seed should be sown early next month. The bed as de¬ 
scribed for raising Cucumbers is suitable for Melons, and should be made 
forthwith, unless one be made for Cucumbers, which will answer the 
same purpose for raising Melons. Soil should be placed under cover, so as 
to become dried preparatory to forming it into ridges in the Melon 
house. Good loam rather strong than light is suitable for Melons, and if 
it has been laid up in ridges so as to reduce the turf it will be in a fitting 
state for the purpose. If deficient of grit add a fifth of road scrapings, 
and if not calcareous a similar proportion of old mortar rubbish. If 
there is need to add manure nothing is better than fresh horse droppings. 
The composition would in that case be four parts of loam, one part each 
of horse droppings, ro.ad scrapings, and lime rubbish. 
Strawberries in Pots. —When the plants commence flowering 
admit air freely, remove the Wraker blossoms, and when the pollen is 
ripe brush the flowers lightly with a feather. After the fruit is set thin 
them to about Kalf a dozen, more or less according to the variety. 
Whilst the fruit is setting .'>0° to .55° will be sufficient heat artificially, 
advancing to 00° to 65° with sun heat, but after the sAting is effected 
remove the plants to a house with a temperature of 00° to 65°artificially 
and 70° to 75° by day, supplying liquid manure until ripening commences, 
then employ water only and sparingly. See that successional plants do 
not require water and are not brought forward too rapidly in the early 
stages. If there be any trace of aphides fumigate moderately, taking 
care to have the plants perfectly clean before they come into flower. 
Cherry House. —Beyond the necessary care in watering trees 
in pots and syringing the house with attention to ventilation, there will 
be little work at present, the temperature being kept at 40° at night, 45° 
to 50° by day by artificial means, ventilating at 50°, and allowing a rise 
©f 10° to 15° from sun heat with full ventdation, closing at 50°. 
Peaches and Nectarines. — Earliest Forced Trees. —Continue 
to fertilise the blossoms, using a camel-hair brush or feather, which is 
more effectual than sh.aking the trellis. When the fruit is well set 
©yringing may be resorted to both morning and afternoon, but in dull 
weather syringing in the morning will be sufficient, damping the house 
in the afternoon, it being important that the foliage be dry before 
nightfall. The water employed must be of the same temperature as 
that of the house, the inside border being kept well supplied with water. 
Disbudding will soon require to be attended to, but it must be done 
carefully at this early season, it being better to remove a few shoots 
daily from a tree than many at a time at distant intervals, which last 
practice gives a check to the roots and is not favourable to the swelling 
of the fruits. The night temperature may now be maintained at 55° to 
00°, 00° to 65° by day, 5° less as the minimum when the weather is 
severe and dull, admitting a little air at 05°, not allowing an advance 
over 70° without full ventilation, closing at 05°, always excepting a 
small space left at the top constantly. 
Second, Early Forced Trees .—Syringing must cease for trees started 
at the beginning of the month, when the blossoms show colour, but 
damping every available surface in the morning and afternoon must be 
practised, for though a confined atmosphere is not favourable to Peaches 
in any stage of their growth, a dry atmosphere is equally pernicious, 
promoting excessive evaporation, the blossoms equally with foliage and 
fruit being invigorated by atmospheric moisture, provided it is not 
stagnant. See that the border is in a thoroughly moist state, and make 
a close scrutiny of the trees for aphides. If there bo any, fumigate the 
house on two or three consecutive evenings moderately, which will be 
sufficient to keep the pests under until the fruit is set. In case of an 
excess of blossom buds, and they are very abundant in our case, and 
promising, draw the hand the contrary way of the growth along the under 
side or back of the trellis, so as to reduce the number of the bloom buds, 
which will increase the vigour of those best situated, and tend to a more 
even and better swelling of the fruit after setting. 
Late Houses. —We should again urge the necessity of completing the 
pruning of the trees at once, dressing them with an insecticide, and 
tying the shoots to the trellis, the borders being forked over, but not 
disturbing the roots, any loose surface soil removed and fresh loam sup¬ 
plied, an admixture of wood ashes a fifteenth part, and a twentieth of half¬ 
inch bones being beneficial. If the borders are at all dry they should bs 
given a thorough watering. Those, however, that have moveable roof 
lights will not require any water, the soil being in a thoroughly moist 
state from rain, and the shoots are kept in a condition by the air 
moisture unfavourable to eva 2 )oration, so that the trees not only have 
thorough rest, but the buds are prevented falling (a consequence mostly 
of deficiencj’’ of moisture at the roots). With the trees exposed we have 
not experienced any loss of buds, yet they may fall from other causes, 
such as over-maturity, or imperfect formation through attacks of 
parasites, and deficiency of aliment and assimilating power, resulting 
from too crowded a condition of the foliage, 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Marantas. —Repotting should be done at once where needed, so that 
the plants will have a chance of establishing themselves again before 
the sun has much power. If they are left till about the middle or end 
of the]following month the sun often proves too strong for them, and they 
flag severely. These plants will do in the same pots for years provided 
the drainage is good and the soil about their roots in a sweet condition ; 
but the liberal supplies of water needed during the growing season soon 
renders the soil unfit for them. They unquestionably do best when they 
are repotted annually. When turned out of their pots and the drainage 
removed the old soil should be worked from amongst the roots by wash¬ 
ing it out in a tank of tepid water. This necessitates the plants being 
allowed to drain for some hours before they can be repotted. Many of 
the varieties do well in a compost of fibry loam, one-seventh of manure, 
charcoal broken according to the size of the plants and pots, with an 
addition of coarse sand. Others do better in rough peat, the fibrous 
portion of loam only, and charcoal in lumps. After potting plunge the 
plants where a night temperature of 65° can be maintained, syringe 
them freely, but water with great care until their roots are active. The 
pots used should be liberally drained. 
Aloeasias. —These may also be top-dressed or repotted if they need 
it, so that they will become established and te growing freely before 
the season is too far advanced. Those potted last year in peat fibre 
and lumps of charcoal freely intermixed should have the soil in good 
condition at their roots. They will only need the removal of the 
surface, top-dressing with rough material composed of peat, loam, and 
manure, which will induce the formation of roots from the stems, 
and thus add to their strength before the season is over. Those 
needing potting should have all the soil washed from their roots anil 
fresh supfflied. Drain the pots liberally, and cut off the lower portion 
of the stems if the crowns cannot be placed on a level with the rim 
of the pot. It is a mistake to elevate them much above the rim, for 
top-dressing cannot be well carried out after a season’s growth. 
Sphagnum moss in the compost, except for covering the surface, should 
not be used, it decays too quickly, and assists the decomposition of the 
other ingredients of the compost, rendering annual potting a necessity. 
If good peat and charcoal only are used they will last well for two 
years. Destroy any red spider that may be on the foliage by sponging, 
and treat in other respects the same as advised for Marantas. 
Anthurium Andreanum. —All plants that need repotting or top¬ 
dressing may be done at once. This, as well as A. ornatum, A. Ferrier- 
ense, and others do equally as well in loam from which the soily 
portion has been removed, charcoal and sand freely added as what they 
do in peat. Sphagnum moss, except for the surface, has long since been 
discarded as a requisite for these plants. They may not grow quite so 
rapidly in loam as what they do in a moss and peat mixture, but the 
growth is sturdier and the plants do not need cutting down so fre- 
