214 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September S, 1888. 
generally satisfactory in producing the desired effect—maturation and 
rest. 
Home Cleared, of Fruit .—Vines that have been cleared of Grapes will 
need a thorough washing with a syringe or eDg'ne to cleanse the foliage 
from dust and red spider, and the laterals kept well in hand, unless the 
Vines have been heavily taxed in carrying a heavy crop, when a mode¬ 
rate lateral growth will promote root-action and have a recuperative effect 
upon the \ines ; but the principal foliage must not in any case be inter¬ 
fered with by crowding, it being essen'ial that they have full exposure to 
light and air, as upon their continuance in health depends the perfecting 
of the fruit-bearing buds. A moderate amount of moisture in the border 
is absolutely necessary, but it will not be necessary to have them more 
than healthlully moist, but anything like dryness should not be allowed. 
If the Vines have not the wood as ripe as desirable, allow the temperature 
to rise to 80° or 85° by day, with early closing, and throw the house open 
by night. Houses of ripe Hamburghs, &c., will be better with some 
slight shade for a few hours on bright days, as, independently of the 
berries losing colour, the strain of a heavy crop taxes the energies 
of the Vines, and the shading lessening evaporation reduces that strain 
considerably. 
Muscat and Winter-hanging Orapes .—These are or ought to be of a 
degree of ripeness admitting of a reduction of fire heat and a lower tem¬ 
perature through the night, which applies to houses that were helped for¬ 
ward with a little fire heat in the spring, but where this was neglected 
from parsimoniousness, trusting to sun heat, the Grapes will not be in a 
condition to keep well. The Muscats will not have a fine amber colour, 
nor the black kinds well coloured or ripened, and in their case the fires 
will have to he kept going, which, though neces ary, is not favourable to 
the finish or keeping of the Grapes. Whatever fire heat is needed should 
be applied chiefly in the daytime, with a circulation of air constantly, 
but the Vines should be rested at night by turning off the heat, or so 
much of it as will allow of a decline to 65° or even 60° ou cold n ghts. 
_ Houses of Late Hamburghs .—The Grapes are colouring fast, the 
bright weather having forced them forward with greater rapidity than is 
desirable, especially where they have to be kept for use in December. 
When this is the case a good spread of foliage for the next month or 
six weeks will be of great service in delaying the ripening and preserving 
the colour of the fruit. As days decrease in length, and there is danger 
to be. apprehended from damp, the steady reduction of the laterals and 
increased ventilation, with gentle fire heat, will be advantageous to the 
Grapes and the ripening of the wood. As the season advances the 
Grapes should be cut with wood and placed in bottles of water on a shelf 
or elevated position in a house in which the late thick-skinned kinds are 
hanging, such as Lady Downe’s, which require some time to mature 
after they are apparently ripe ; but to succeed with late Hamburghs it is 
necessary to cut off all the largest shows, depending on the medium-sized 
bunches for the crop, and well thin these to prevent the berries 
from binding. The Vines being cleared of fruit the spur shoots can be 
cut back to five cr six eyes, end fire heat can be applied until the wood is 
thoroughly ripe. Perhaps there is no Grape so much esteemed as Black 
Hamburgh late in the season, and those that can command these wiih 
Muscat of Alexandria at the dessert at the winter’s festive season rank as 
first-class Grapeists. 
Cucumbers. —Plants recently planted out will require treatment in 
accordance with the time when they are expected to tear fruit. If to 
produce a supply of fruit as soon as possible early stopping will be 
needed, commencing at the second or third wire of the trellis, which will 
cause fruit-bearmg shoots to emanate; but in a majority of cases the 
object is to secure fruit in time to succeed those grown in pits or 
frames, in which case the plants may be allowed to grow until they reach 
the fourth or fifth wire of the trellis before being stopped, and all the 
fruit removed as it shows, and from the axil of each leaf will proceed a 
shoot or lateral, which should be allowed to grow until they nearly meet 
before they are stopped. This concentrates the vital energies on the 
development of leaves and wood which, being solidified by judicious ven¬ 
tilation and exposure to light, the plants are qualified to produce con¬ 
tinuously a good supply of fruit during the winter and early spring 
months. Water must be applied somewhat sparingly until the plants 
have become well established, when with nlenty of roots permeating the 
soil they will need more liberal supplies ; but avoid over-watering and 
over-moisture as the greatest of evils, leading to soft growth, as only plants 
with thick leathery leaves and firm short-jointed wood are likelv to 
endure the strain on them at a later period. The temperature should be 
kept at 65° at night and 70° to 75° by day from fire heat, with a rise to 
80° to 90° from sun heat. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Chrysanthemums .—Plants grown for producing large flowers must be 
examined at intervals of a few days, for the flower buds have commenced 
forming. The bud being produced now is what is commonly called the 
crown bud, and if well-developed flowers are required this bud must 
be taken. If the bud is perfectly healthy in appearance, the growths, as 
soon a3 they can be seen, should be removed from around it with the point 
of a sharp knife. All growths below should be removed from the axils of 
the leaves, so that the whole strength of the plant can be concentrated 
into the central flower that is left. If the bud is unhealthy remove all 
but one shoot, which will extend to 6 or 9 inches in length, according to 
the variety, and will produce what is termed the terminal bud. Three 
of these shoots can be left if several flowers are required from the plant 
or the shoot. The terminal bud differs from the crown bud in having 
other buds nestling close around it instead of growths. As soon as the 
terminal bud has formed, all the other flower buds should be removed. 
If from six to twelve large flowers on bush plants are preferred to a 
greater number of smaller ones, they should be disbudded as soon as the 
crown buds make their appearance. All the plants required for yielding 
u'eful cut blooms, or for all ordinary forms of decoration, should not be 
stopped or pinched, but be allowed to branch naturally, and hundreds of 
useful small sprays of bloom will be the result, and these will be found 
much more serviceable for cutting than those of a larger size. The plants 
intended to supply large blooms must have a top-dressing of rich material 
to keep the roots active, and supply stimulants liberally in a weak state 
every time water is needed. The last applies to plants grown for deco¬ 
ration and cutting. Plants that have exceeded the length of their stalks 
are very liable to be broken during windy weather. The stalks should 
be lengthened to prevent this, or one or two ties cut during wind so that 
they can sway to and fro, which will prevent them from snapping. 
Roses in Pots .—If Hybrid Perpetuals established in pots have not 
been repotted it should be done without farther delay if they need.it, or 
they will not have time to become sufficiently established before winter. 
If the pots are already large enough turn the plants out and carefully 
remove about one-third of the old soil, retaining as many roots as possible, 
repotting them in the same size in a compost of good fibrv losm, one- 
seventh of manure, and a little coarse sand, according to the nature of 
the loam. To this may be added one 6-inch potful of bonemeal to a 
barrowful of the compost, and the same quantity of soot. Those that do 
not require repotting should be examined to see if the drainage is suffi¬ 
ciently clean to act the part for which it is provided. From these a good 
portion of the old surface soil must be removed and top-dressed with the 
same compost, only one-third instead of one-seventh of manure may be 
used. After potting and top-dressing, as the case may be, the pots 
should be plunged and the foliage syringed twice daily. 
Tea Roses .—Those intended for early forcing should also be repotted 
if they need it, or top-dressed, the same compost being ustd with the 
addition of a little leaf mould : this and the manure may amount to about 
one-third. Treat them the same as the H.P.’s after potting. Plants in 
pots that have remained indoors up to the present time and do not need 
repotting should be top-dressed, re-tied, and stood outside until the end of 
next month, when they should be housed, and if liberally treated will 
break into growth and produce flowers until Christmas. Young stock 
rooted in spring for the same purpose should be transferred without delay 
into 7 or 8-inch pots, plenty of leaf mould being used in the compost to 
encourage a free and rapid growth when the days are dark and sunless. 
Grow these plants under glass and remove the flowers as they appear. It 
is a good plan to strike cuttings now of Gloire de Dijon, Mardchal Niel, 
and similar varieties for growing into strong plants another season for 
early forcing the following spring. Cuttings of the smaller-growing 
varieties may also be rooted now, for few plants are more useful for 
decoration than these are in 5 and 6-inch pots. Where plants are placed 
under glass and early flowers are required, the main object should 
be to bring growth to a standstill and thoroughly ripen the wood. Open 
the house wide day and night. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN AND PLEASURE GROUND. 
Propagating Redding Pelargoniums .—The Zonal Pelargoniums have, 
considering the excessive dryness of the season, succeeded remarkably 
well, but at the same time cuttings will not be very abundant. If they 
are fewer in number they will be harder than usual, and therefore more 
certain to strike freely. No time should be lost in getting in as many 
cuttings as are required, in order that they may become well established 
before the dull winter months arrive. Select, where possible, without 
disfiguring the beds, the most prominent and best ripened cuttings, cutting 
to a firm joint and trimming off the lower leaves. Any light sandy soil 
will be good enough to keep the plants alive during the winter, a3 the less 
they grow the less likely are they to damp off during a trying wink r. 
Road grit or fine ashes from the stokehole will answer quite as well as 
silver sand for mixing with the soil, and the boxes or pots may be drained 
with clinkers or coke. We prefer to dibble the more delicate bronze, 
silver, and golden-leaved varieties into well-drained pots, or say about 
four cuttings into a 4-inch pot, and six or more into a 6-inch pot, and 
they can then be stood on dry shelves to winter. The more robust may 
be dibbled thickly into boxes, and with ordinary care will survive most 
winters in cool houses or pits. If they must be wintered in frames, then 
large pots should be preferred to boxes, as the latter cannot well be kept 
dry enough to prevent the plants damping off. In cold or moist localities 
the cuttings ought at once to be protected with glass, as should the soil 
become saturated with rain many of the cuttings will perish. In no case 
should much water be given, all that is required being to prevent undue 
shrivelling. 
Verbenas, Ageratums, and Heliotropes .—The principal portion of these 
are usually struck in the spring, and for affording abundance of healthy 
cuttings strong autumn-struck plants are preferable to old ones that may 
be potted from the ground. Short, soft, and flowerless shoots should be 
selected, and these, after being duly trimmed, may either be dibbled into 
fine sandy soil over a mild hotbed and covered with a frame or handlights, 
or they may be put into boxes, pans, or pots filled with fine and fairly 
good soil, and placed in a mild hotbed to strike. In either case they 
should be frequently sprinkled with water, and be kept close and shaded 
from bright sunshine till well rooted, when plenty of air should be given. 
Air must be given in small quantities on the first signs of the cu tings 
damping off, and any that are decaying should be removed at once. 
Iresines, Colevs, and Alternantheras .—Young plants of these also are 
the best for stock purposes, and cuttings ought to be struck at onco. 
