280 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 8, 1886. 
shade and protect the strong wood from the direct rays of the sun as the 
season advances. Avoid overcrowding, not allowing more shoots than 
can have full exposure to light and air. Ventilate freely but carefully, 
so as to avoid cold currents of air and sudden depressions of temperature. 
As the fruits will be swelling fast thin it if too thick, as with the trees in 
good health the fruit is more likely to stone well than when they are over¬ 
burdened, besides taking from the size of those that remain for the crop 
at the final thinning after stoning. Water the inside border copiously, 
and keep them well mulched with short well-worked horse dung. 
Third House .—Trees started early in February should be examined 
frequently for disbudding, and as this is best done gradually the strongest 
parts of the trees should be first commenced with, being careful to 
preserve a shoot at the base of the current year’s bearing shoots, and to 
leave no more on the extensions than will be required for furnishing the 
trees with bearing wood at 15 to 18 inches apart, and all the others on 
these may be pinched in closely to form spurs. A shoot on a level with or 
above the fruit must be retained on each bearing shoot and be pinched at 
the third joint. As the fruit is swelling freely remove those worst 
placed, and leave only a few more than will be required for the crop, one 
fruit to every square foot of trellis covered by the trees being ample. 
Syringe early on fine mornings, give a little air shortly afterwards, 
gradually increase it, and close with a rise from sun heat about 3 P M. 
Fourth House .—Trees started early in March will be out of bloom, 
and should be fumigated if there is any trace of aphides on two or three 
consecutive evenings. Syringe morning and early afternoon, and see 
that the inside borders do not lack moisture. Proceed with disbudding 
gradually, and rub off all small and badly placed fruit as soon as the 
most prominent show signs of taking the lead. Ventilate freely on all 
favourable occasions, and close early with a view to husbanding the 
sun heat. 
Late Houses .—The trees in these are unusually backward, but this is 
none the worse, as the blossoms are usually stronger and set quicker than 
when brought forward by mild weather in the early part of the year. Venti¬ 
late freely until the blossoms begin expanding, but keep them safe from frost. 
When the anthers show turn on the heat in the morning so as to raise the 
temperature to 50°, and keep it at that with a gentle circulation of air, 
turning off the heat early in the afternoon so as to allow of the pipes 
cooling before night, and the temperature falling to its night minimum of 
40° to 45”, which is quite safe, and ought to be secured after the blossoms 
expand, with a little air to prevent the deposition of moisture through 
the night on the flowers. Artificial impregnation should be resorted to 
either by shaking the trees, or by dusting the flowers with Pampas plume, or 
camel’s-hair brush, but the best aids to a good set are proper borders full 
of active roots, kept so by constant attention to lifting, root-pruning, and 
the addition of fresh calcareous food with rich surface dressings. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Azaleas .—As these plants cease flowering they should be pushed into 
growth at once by placing them in a temperature of 55° to 60° by night, 
with rise of about 10° from sun heat by day. Directly the roots are 
active pot the plants if they need more root room. Those that do not need 
repotting may have during the season two or three applications of 
artificial manure applied to the surface with advantage. Shade must 
be provided for a few hours during the hottest part of the day, and the 
atmosphere must be kept moderately moist. All plants required for late 
flowering should be in some structure with a northern aspect, and must be 
kept as cool as possible. They come forward rapidly at this season ot the 
year in the houses exposed to the sun. In such houses ventilation must 
be provided day and night, whenever the weather is favourable, and 
heavy shade applied during the day. 
Epaerises .—Except the latest these will have flowered, and should be cut 
back without delay and introduced into a temperature of about 50° to 55°. 
If kept moderately close and syringed twice daily they will soon break 
again in growth. The earliest flowering plants will have made 2 inches 
of growth, and will be ready for repotting if they require more root room, 
In potting the roots should not be disturbed further than the removal of 
the draiuage from the base. The soil used should be pressed firmly into 
the pots and the plants watered afterwards with great care. If they are 
kept close, slightly shaded from the sun in a moderately moist atmosphere, 
they will be rooting in the new soil in about a fortnight. When they 
reach this stage they should be gradually hardened to cool treatment or 
their shoots will draw up weakly. Care must be taken that the plants 
are not checked. 
Camellias .—As these cease flowering start them into growth by keep¬ 
ing them in a close moist atmosphere where the temperature at night can 
be maintained at about 55°. The house at which they are grown should 
be lightly shaded for a few hours daily during bright sunshine. Syringe 
the plants liberally, and throw plenty of water about the paths and stages 
of the house. As soon as growth is visible repotting may be done, 
Camellias do well in a mixture of fibry loam, one-seventh of decayed 
manure and a liberal dash of coarse sand, or they may be successfully 
grown in equal proportions of loam and peat. Provide liberal drainage, 
for these plants when in active growth require abundance of water, in 
fact they must never suffer by an insufficient supply in any stage of 
growth. Carefully remove the old drainage and any loose soil into which 
the roots have not entered. Pot firmly, but do not bury the collar of the 
plant below the surface of the soil. Plants in tubs or large pots, that it is 
not necessary to repot, may have the surface soil removed and then top- 
dressed with fibry loam and one-third of manure. A little artificial 
manure applied to the surface of the soil about once every three weeks 
will prove advantageous to these plants, or they may be given weak 
liquid manure every time they need water. If the plants are infested 
with scale syringe them before the growth is advanced with petroleum 
and water, one ounce of the former to one gallon of the latter. This is an 
operation for two persons, the one to syringe into the pail, while the other 
distributes it upon the plants. Shade the plants from the sun for a few 
days afterwards. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN AND PLEASURE GROUND. 
Shrubberies .—A busy time has arrived, much work in all directions 
now requiring to be done before it is too late. Hollies, Conifers generally, 
Box, Phillyreas, Aucubas, and various other evergreens may yet be safely 
transplanted, care being taken in every instance to preserve as much soil 
about the roots as can be retained without unduly increasing the weight. 
Unless the soil is very loose no great difficulty need be experienced in 
securing a good ball of earth about the roots if sufficient time is allowed 
to do the work properly. The start should be made at a good distance 
from the stem of the tree, the trench being cut slightly deeper than the 
principal roots. This renders the gradual undermining, as well as the 
preservation of many of the roots, a comparatively easy matter, the tree 
being eventually well balanced on a short stout plant barrow, or a legless 
hand barrow, and on this transferred to its new site. No attempt should 
be made to drag out a tree or shrub, neither should they be cramped in 
small holes with nothing but poor soil to root in. The new sites should 
be of good width and depth, and a liberal addition of leaf soil or other 
good light compost be well mixed with the ordinary soil. Either common 
peat or leaf soil must be freely added to the ordinary soil where Rhodo¬ 
dendrons and Belgian Azaleas are to be planted, or in most cases failure 
is certain. Cutting evergreen hedges and banks of Laurels should now 
be completed, and this is also a good time to cut down tall and unsightly 
Laurels, Laurustinuses, Yews, Tree Box, Hollies, Portugal Laurels, Lilacs, 
Rhododendrons, and other trees and shrubs, most oE which will soon 
break afresh from the old stems, and in time grow into handsome trees. 
Use the saw for all stout wood, the edges of the cuts being neatly rounded 
with a knife. Jagged wounds do not heal so surely, especially if they 
hold water. 
Climbers .—Ivies are improved by being shorn closely to the wall, as 
they soon form fresh bright green leaves, and are much less liable to 
become detached from the walls. Where it has reached the water-shoots 
or eaves of the roof, unless it receives rather severe trimming it may soon 
become a nuisance. In such cases cut it clean away from the wall for at 
least a yard from the top. Evergreen Magnolias require little or no 
pruning, but unless the principal branches are secured to the walls, and 
the smaller branches tied to these, they are liable to be much damaged by 
winds. Virginian Creepers, notably Ampelopsis Veitchii, require but 
little assistance, but it is advisable to cut away all loose growths, unless 
these are leading shoots, in which case they should be fastened to the wall 
or woodwork. All loose growth on Passion-flowers may be cut back to 
the principal branches, the flowers being produced on the young growths 
resulting. Wistarias also must be spurred back, only a few thinly dis¬ 
posed main branches being kept properly fastened to the walls, and plenty 
of bloom should thus be secured. Cut back Jasminum nudiflorum and 
Forsythia viridissima rather closely after they cease flowering, while the 
common white Jessamine oughtto be spurred in closely now. Pyracanthas 
require little pruning, but neither these nor Pyrus japonica should be 
allowed to extend far from the wall. Cutback flowering Loniceras freely, 
and the golden-leaved Lonicera should also be prevented from becoming 
bushy and unsightly, a free use of the knife or shears greatly improving 
its appearance later on. Clematis and Roses were alluded to on page 240. 
Lawns —Since the introduction of mowing machines there has been 
less need for the use of the roller, but the late frosts will have loosened 
the soil rather more than usual, and a good rolling will serve to fix the 
roots of some of the best grasses. If there are many wormcasts or moss 
abounds a bush harrow should first be freely used, or on small lawns a 
sharp-toothed iron rake may be substituted. Where it is considered de¬ 
sirable to improve the quality of the sward a thin top-dressing of good 
compost, consisting, say, of good sifted loamy soil, to every twenty 
bushels of which has been added one bushel each of lime, wood ashes, and 
soot. This if well raked or harrowed into the surtace will soon become 
incorporated with the old soil, and will quickly effect a change for the 
better. Where the grass is very thin it is advisable to prick up the 
surface with garden forks, next giving a good top-dressing of the compost 
mentioned prior to sowing a suitable mixture of lawn grass seeds. These 
should be lightly raked in, and if the soil does not pick up badly a good 
rolling should follow. Levelling and turf-laying may still be proceeded 
with, and it is not yet too late to drain lawns or tennis grounds when 
these are too damp and mossy. April is also a good month for sowing 
grass seeds to form a new lawD, as during showery weather the seeds 
germinate in a few days, and consequently are not so long exposed to the 
attacks of small birds.’ In all cases the ground should be prepared as 
much as possible during rather dry weather, this admitting of the work 
being done well. The ground must be made firm, or inequalities will 
soon become apparent. The greater the depth of soil the more need for 
extra heavy ramming. The principal seedsmen supply mixtures of seeds 
to suit all soils and positions, and if birds are troublesome the seed 
may be sown thinly in drills 2 inches apart and well covered. The 
turf soon meets. 
Herbaceous Plants .—Now that the bulbous-rooted plants are showing 
above the surface the herbaceous borders may safely be overhauled. 
Such strong growers as Phloxes, Asters, Pyrethrums, Potentillas, Japanese 
Anemones, Irises, Delphiniums, Spiraeas, Hemerocallip, Geum“, Tiitomas, 
Hellebores, and Aquilegias are frequently much improved by being lilted, 
freely divided with plunging forks, and replanted in fresh well-enriched 
