November 5, 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
397 
night temperature of 60°, and 65° by day artificially, advancing from 
sun heat to 75° or more, but air must be admitted between 70° and 75°. 
Suckers or stock not in fruiting pots must not be brought forward too 
.rapidly, as they are not prepared to make growth until well rooted and 
have formed a sturdy base. They will progress satisfactorily in a night 
temperature of 55 u to G0°, and 60° to 65° in the daytime, but avoid chills 
or anything likely to cause a stunted growth. As regards moisture, 
fruiting plants require a genial atmosphere at all times, therefore 
sprinkling available surfaces must be regularly attended to, and the 
plants will need syringing in a light house during bright weather two 
or three times a week. Succession plants will only require syringing 
occasionally, as they will derive essential moisture from the fermenting 
beds. Suckers will have sufficient moisture in moist pits with recourse 
to syringing. 
Cucumbers. —Plants that have been in bearing some time can be 
invigorated by a top-dressing of turfy loam, to which has been added a 
little superphosphate and about a sixth of charcoal broken up small, 
surfacing with an inch depth of horse manure. This must not be used 
fresh or the foliage may be injured by the ammonia. Afford copious 
supplies of water, but let the soil be getting dry before any is given, 
then give enough to moisten the bed through, using it at the same 
temperature as the house. Thin the old exhausted growths and lay 
in young, by which means the plants will continue fruiting some time 
longer. The autumn fruiters are now in full bearing, and must not be 
overcropped, therefore remove the fruit as soon as it attains a fair size, 
and all deformed fruit when observed. Examine the plants at least 
once a week for the removal of bad leaves, stopping or cutting away 
surplus growths, keeping the foliage fairly thin, yet an even spread on 
the trellis. 
Winter fruiters should be allowed advance well up the trellis before 
stopping them, training the side growths evenly, and not more closely 
than to allow of the foliage being exposed to light. Stop at a few joints 
of growth, or one or two joints beyond the show of fruit; but if the 
plants are weak allow more extension, and crop lightly at first. Remove 
all or most male flowers, and do not allo .v tendrils, but remove them as 
fast as they appear. Keep the bed replenished with soil, adding fresh 
and warmed as often as the roots appear at the sides of the ridges or 
hillocks. 
Maintain a night temperature of 70°, a few degrees less in severe 
weather, 70° to 75° by day artificially, advancing to 80° and 90° with sun 
heat. Admit a little air at the top of the house whenever the weather 
i3 favourable, affording it, however, without lowering the temperature, 
it being better to allow the temperature to rise a few degrees over the 
ordinary sun heat range than admit air to keep the temperature down 
when the sun is powerful and the external air sharp. Judicious 
ventilation is, however, highly beneficial in carrying off accumulated 
moisture and giving solidity to the growths, enabling the plants to tide 
over the trying ordeal of prolonged severe weather, when plants with 
thin-textured leaves often succumb. The syringe will only be neces¬ 
sary for damping the piths, walls, &c., in the morning and afternoon in 
bright weather, which will give rise to the needful moisture, especially 
where the evaporation troughs are kept charged with liquid manure. 
On bright afternoons a light bedewing of the plants will be beneficial, 
but care must be taken to practise it early and not make the foliage 
tender by its too frequent recurrence. All water used for damping, 
watering, or liquid manure applied to the roots must be of the same 
temperature as the house or bed. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Beet. —This crop will not stand a very severe frost, and must therefore 
be either protected or stored at once. The leaves are more hardy than 
the roots, and if the latter are well mounded over with soil, these also 
will be uninjured in many winters. Lifting and storing, however, is 
the safest course to pursue, and this should be done as much as possible 
in dry weather, or when there is less likelihood of injury being done to 
the roots by reckless lifting or handling, breaking the thongs being 
followed by bleeding and a consequent loss of colour. Fork rather 
than pull the roots out of the ground, and trim off the tops, but not too 
closely, or bleeding from the crown will result. A cool dry shed is the 
best place for storing, but the roots must be packed in sand or fine soil, 
crowns outwards, or otherwise premature shrivelling will take place. 
Shed room being limited store the roots in conical heaps in a cool dry 
place, where neither rats nor mice are plentiful, covering with strawy 
litter and banking over with a good thickness of poor soil. The Turnip- 
rooted forms are the 'worst keepers, and should be the first used. Extra 
large roots of any variety, and the former are rather numerous this 
season, to be given to the pigs or cows, these not prying for storing with 
the reBt. 
Carrots. —These have ceased to grow, and may well be lifted and 
stored at once, or otherwise the formation of root fibres may recommence. 
These, again, should be carefully forked out of the ground, damaged 
roots keeping badly. Roughly clear off soil, and cut off the tops rather 
closer to the crowns than was advised in the case of Beet, and store 
similarly. Late sown crops to be left where they are, as these wdl con¬ 
tinue to increase in size, and can be drawn as required for use. Horn 
Carrots, notably the Nantes and Guerande, store and keep admirably, 
and if fully grown should be treated similarly to the Intermediate and 
Long Orange sections, but if they are still growing leave them undis¬ 
turbed, as Carrots are always more tender and sweet when cooked soon 
after being lifted. Those sown late in frames and pits to have plenty 
of air, and not to be much crowded, or they will form top growth 
only. 
Other Root Crops. —Parsnips, Salsafy, Scorzonera, Chicory, and 
Jerusalem Artichokes keep much the best when left in the ground till 
wanted for use, or as in the case of Chicory till required for forcing. 
A few of each might be lifted in anticipation of extra severe frosts, but 
if instead of this a part of the beds were heavily covered with strawy 
litter it would be possible to dig at all times according as required. 
Main and late crop Tomatoes have been fit for lifting for some time 
past, but the weather has been all against such work, especially where 
the soil is of a heavy clinging character. The crops are perfectly safe 
where they are for some time longer, and dry weather ought therefore 
to be waited for before lifting the bulk of the Potatoes. It is particu¬ 
larly unwise to trample on heavy or clayey ground while it is in a wet 
state. When the tubers are forked out of the ground most of those 
diseased will be easily separated from the rest, and may well be well 
mixed with fresh lime at once. All the sorting over needed should take 
place before the tubers are stored, the alternative of deferring thi3 to a 
convenient time during the winter not having anything to recommend 
it. Let quite the smallest be placed on one side for the pigs, select 
rather more medium sized tubers than are usually required for planting, 
and the rest can be stored separately for consumption during the winter, 
either in a cool dry shed or in a heap in the open. Warm cellars and 
dry rooms are quite unsuited for storing Potatoes of any kind, these 
causing premature sprouting and shrivelling, while if they are placed 
in cool sheds they must be kept quite dark, and be further protected 
whenever severe frosts are imminent. If ridges in the open are formed 
select a dry cool place for these, and cover the tubers first with 9 inches 
of poor dry soil, and then give a thick thatching of straw, this being 
a far better plan than placing the straw next to the Potatoes. The 
tubers intended for planting next season ought from the first to be 
stored thinly in light and cool positions, warmth and dark promoting an 
undesirable and most injurious early sprouting. Protect from severe frosts, 
and take advantage of wet weather to set all the Ashleafs up in trays or 
shallow baskets, sprouting end uppermost. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Allamandas .—Plants required for early flowering should be kept dry 
at their roots to harden and ripen them. They will rest better in a 
temperature of 55° than in the stove, but on no account should they be 
kept too cool. Water may be withheld until they flag, but do not allow 
the wood to shrivel. Young plants ra ; sed from cuttings in the spring 
should be kept rather dry until the end of the year, when the unripe 
wood can be removed and the plants placed into larger pots. The 
temperature advised will suit these well; they need not be dried to the 
sime extent as older plants, the roots of which will require to be reduced 
by one-third. 
Dipladenias .—These should be thoroughly cleaned if infested with 
insects, and rested in a temperature of 60°. They will bear without 
injury the temperature advised for Allamandas. Water with care during 
the period of rest. They may be kept rather dry, but should not become 
so dry as to injure their roots. When these plants can be planted out 
where they can enjoy a temperature of 55° during winter and have 
a warm moist treatment, fully exposed to the sun during the spring and 
summer, they will be found to grow much more luxuriantly than when 
confined to pots. Young stock in small pots can be kept slowly advanc¬ 
ing ; they rarely do well if rest is forced upon them in their early 
stages. Water them carefully, and keep them in a warm house. 
Amasonia punicea —Keep these growing in a temperature 
of 60 u to 65° ; if retarded or starved in their present condition they will 
fail to develop their crimson bracts and creamy white flowers. If gentle 
bottom heat can be given them all the better. Water carefully, but do 
not allow the soil to become dry. This plant requires greater cure at 
this period of its growth to do it well than at any other time. 
Cyanophyllum magnificum .—If plants with large bold foliage are 
needed they must not be allowed to suffer by the want of root room. 
When confined in small pots the foliage at the base soon becomes dis¬ 
figured. Repot all plants that need it. Use a compost of loam and 
leaf mould in equal proportions, with the addition of sand. Peat may, 
where plentiful, be substituted for the leaf mould. Grow these plants 
in the warmest part of the stove and syringe freely. If thrips exist in 
the house they are soon attacked if the atmosphere is allowed to become 
dry. Watch for these pests and destroy them directly they appear on 
the leaves. 
Tydcas .—Grow these where water will not fall upon their foliage. 
They will do well on a shelf in the stove provided they are kept liberally 
supplied with water. Soot water in a clear state is beneficial to these 
plants. Gesneras may have the same treatment until they come into 
flower, when they should be arranged by themselves, or well e’evated 
above other plants in an intermediate structure where the atmosphere is 
moderately dry. 
Francisceas .—These should not be kept too warm, a temperature of 
55° will suit them well. Keep them on the dry side to ripen and harden 
their growth. Even a temperature 5° lower will not injure them after 
their wood is firm if judiciously watered. They can be brought into 
flower in succession by introducing them into moist heat. 
Bougainvilleas .—If these have been hardened and kept dry at their 
roots they may be removed to any cool structure where the temperature 
does not fall below 45°. A profusion of flowers depends upon the 
plants enjoying a complete season of rest and thoroughly ripened wood. 
This plant requires a longer season of rest than is necessary for the 
Allamanda, and will bear a much lower temperature without the slightest 
injury, providing its roots are kept dry. If the soil is wet about the 
roots while in a cool place the plants are almost certain to fail. 
