Hay 27, 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
429 
the laterals as an encouragement of root-action, but be careful not to 
crowd the principal foliage, and keep insect pests in check by syringing 
twice a day. When the fruits have stoned remove ail surplus fruits, and 
turn the others to the light to insure their colouring well from the apex. 
Give thorough supplies of water through a good surface mulching of 
manure, and feed weakly trees with tepid liquid manure. Vigorous trees 
will not need more than a surface mulching, as high feeding will only 
cause grossness, and must be studiously avoided. Ventilate early and 
close in the afternoon with plenty of atmospheric moisture, so as to raise 
the heat up to 80° or 85°, and ventilate a little afterwards for the night, 
the temperature being allowed to fall to between 60° and 65°. 
Late Houses .—Train and tie-in the young shoots that are to carry 
next year’s crop, and allow them to extend as far as space admits, being 
careful to avoid overcrowding. Pinch all side shoots that are not wanted 
for next year’s fruiting or for furnishing the trees, and any gross shoots 
should be stopped so as to cause an equal distribution of the sap. In 
thinning leave a few more than will be required for the crop. A Peach 
to every square foot of trellis covered by the trees is ample; Nectarines 
may be left a little closer. Keep the foliage clean by syringing twice a 
day in fine weather, and always sufficiently early to allow the foliage to 
become dry before night. Mulch the borders with manure, or if the trees 
are young and vigorous some lighter and less rich material will be better. 
Water thoroughly whenever necessary, always sufficient given at a 
time to reach the drainage. Ventilate early, and increase the ventilation 
with the sun heat, closing early if the ripening is to be accelerated ; but 
if wanted late keep as cool as possible by free ventilation day and night. 
Young trees in course of formation for filling their allotted space 
should be properly disbudded, leaving the main branches or shoots for 
forming them about 18 inches apart, and the bearing wood at 18 to 24 
inches along them, training the extensions their full length, and pinching 
the side shoots on last year’s wood to two or three leaves, so as t > form 
epurs. Laterals should be pinched at the first joint, and successional 
growths as made. 
Melons. —Houses or pits in which the fruit is ripening will require 
a rather dry and warm condition of the atmosphere, allowing a circula¬ 
tion of air constantly, and the moisture at the roots should be moderated, 
yet if kept too dry the foliage will suffer and the prospects of a second 
«rop seriously interfered with. When the fruit is cut clear out for 
another crop if the plants have fallen a prey to red spider, thoroughly 
cleansing the house, the woodwork with softsoapy water, the glass with 
water only, limewashing the walls, and removing the whole of the soil. 
If fermenting materials have been used for bottom heat add some fresh and 
mix with the top foot or 18 inches of the old material, some of the most 
exhausted being removed. Make firm, put in ridges or hillocks of good 
loam ; if not calcareous add some old mortar rubbish, and if deficient of 
grit add road scrapings. Heavy loam will be improved by having an 
addition of charcoal as well as mortar rubbish and road scrapings. 
Tread the hillocks or ridges well down after the soil has been in a couple 
of days. Make the soil firm about the plants, and the balls and soil being 
moist no water will be needed until the roots have taken to the fresh soil. 
Shade from bright sun for a few days, and maintain a genial condition of 
the atmosphere by damping available surfaces in the morning and after¬ 
noon. Ventilate between 70° and 75°, keep through the day at 80° to 85° 
from sun heat, and close sufficient early to run up to 90°. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Callas .—Plants that are not required to flower any longer may be 
hardened and planted outside. In planting them, a trench should be 
made and liberally enriched with manure at the base, as well as the soil 
to be returned again to the roots. Turn the plants out of their pots and 
divide them, if they have not been grown singly or an increase of the 
■stock is needed. When planting is completed they should be left a few 
inches below the level of the ground, so that good soakingsof water can be 
given during dry weather. This is all the attention needed until they 
are lifted in September. If sufficient stock cannot be obtained by division 
of the strong plants, the small suckers may be taken off and placed 
in small pots, grown for a time in heat, and then hardened and 
planted out. Care must be taken that these plants are not checked 
when placed out, then strong useful plants for G-inch pots will be 
produced. 
Kalosanthes .—The earliest plants will soon come into bloom under 
glass. A portion of the stock should be carefully hardened and stood 
outside where they will not be fully exposed to the sun. These will 
flower when those kept under glass are over, and therefore form a capital 
succession. Plants intended for flowering next year should not be 
pinched, but grown, or they will fail to flower. A clear season’s growth 
must be allowed to accomplish this end. These should be grown in 
■cold frames, giving them abundance of air on all favourable occasions. 
About the end of June they may be stood or plunged outside in a sunny 
sheltered position to harden and ripen their growth, and the result will be 
that every point will show flower the following spring. Young plants 
struck last autumn or this spring, and now in small pots, may be placed 
in 5-inch pots and pinched from time to time to insure their making 
bushy specimens. For ordinary decoration it is quicker and better to 
place four or five cuttings in each 5-inch pot, and root them together, and 
then allow them to flower the following season in the same pots. The 
shoots that fail to flower are suitable for this purpose, and may be rooted 
any time between now and August. 
Liliums .—Those in houses or frames are growing rapidly, and where 
there are large batches of a kind grown the whole will come into flower 
about the same time if kept together under glass. To obviate this, the 
stock should be divided, and the latest hardened and plunged outside, by 
which a capital succession of decorative plants will be produced. The 
whole of the Lancifolium section required for late flowering may be 
safely grown outside after this date. These plants should never suffer by 
an insufficient supply of water at their roots or they are certain to fail. 
On the other hand, they must not be saturated or they are equally liable 
to injury. To save labour in watering, the pots maybe plunged in a 
light open position not fully exposed to the sun. 
Hydrangea paniculata grandijlora —This is a useful decorative 
plant in 7 and 8-inch pots, and when well grown is even more beautiful 
than it is when outside. If grown in the greenhouse it must occupy a 
light airy position fully exposed to the sun. In a shaded house or confined 
atmosphere it soon draws up weakly, and if it flowers will only produce 
very small heads of bloom. The plants do best in a light airy frame 
standing upon some moisture-holding material where plenty of air can be 
given by day and the frame closed early in the afternoon to enclose as 
much sun heat as possible. If the pots are full of roots, weak stimulants 
should be given every time water is needed. 
Isolepis gracilis .—This is one of the most useful decorative plants 
that can be grown for forming a front edging in plant houses whether 
warm or cool. It gives but little trouble, and if divided now will remain 
in good conditim for twelve months in the same pots. Pots 3 inches in 
diameter are very useful, and if some of last season’s plants are divided 
they will make four or five each, and the remainder of the stock can do 
duty while these are established. The old ones can then be thrown out or 
broken up to replace those that have done duty in warm structures. If 
this is done the whole of the stock in the houses will be in good condition 
until next spring. They should never suffer at their roots by want of 
water, and two or three applications of Standen’s manure during the 
season will do them good after their pots are full of roots. 
Scented Pelargoniums. —The foliage and shoots of these are now 
largely used in a cut state for associating with flowers ; in fact, many are 
preferred to the fronds of Ferns in rooms on account of their lasting 
qualities. There is no difficulty in maintaining a supply during the 
growing season, but for the whole of the winter and spring the plants 
must be provided by autumn. For this purpose numbers of the different 
species most in demand should now be struck and grown on in 5 and S-inch 
pots, for young vigorous plants produce much finer foliage than old plants. 
The cuttings should be inserted singly in small pots and placed on a shelf 
in a warm house and shaded from strong sun. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN AND PLEASURE GROUND. 
Selections of Bedding Plants. —A considerable number of proprietors 
of gardens annually purchase the principal portion of their bedding 
plants, and a few hints at to which are the best in each section may 
prove acceptable both to them and others who may wish to add a few 
fresh sorts to their stock. They are given somewhat in alphabetical order, 
and include some in all sections of bedding plants. Abutilon Darwinii 
tessellatum, grand marbled foliage, is suitable for dotting among Iresines, 
Violas, and Verbenas, or for mixing with sub-tropical plants ; A. Thomp- 
sonii is also suitable for this purpose, but is not so effective. 
Tuberous Begonias. —These ought to be grown in every garden. 
Planted thinly among Mesembryanthemum cordifolium they are certain 
to please, and provided they are given a good soil to root in, will stand 
and bloom in either dry or wet weather. Nurserymen who make a speci¬ 
ality of them supply bulbs of good bedding sorts cheaply. B. ascotensis 
and B. weltoniensis are both suitable for bedding out. Shrubby Calceo¬ 
larias, Gaines’ Yellow; amplexicaulis, lemon yellow ; and Sparkler, crimson 
and yellow, are all effective. Cannas of any sort are of noble appearance, 
especially when planted in groups. Some of the best are atro-purpurea, 
Chateri discolor, erecta, gigantea major, Henri Vdmorin, Marechal Vail- 
lant, nigricans marginata, musaefolia hybrids, Prince Imperial, and pictu- 
rata fastuosa. Chrysanthemums.—Good early-flowering sorts for the 
borders are Fred Pdle, Hendersonii, La Petite Marie, Madame Piccol, 
Madame Desgrange, Mrs. Cullingford, Precocity, Scarlet Gem, and 
Mdlle. Jolivart. Marguerites are suitable for the flower beds, and thrive 
and flower abundantly in all weathers. In rather poor soil or in dry 
positions they are singularly effective in mixture with Petunias, while a 
few strong plants in mixed sub-tropical beds brighten these up surpris¬ 
ingly. C. coronariuta and C. frutescens are still the best for bedding, and 
Etoile d’Or is a good yellow companion. Coleus Verschaffeltii is the 
only reliable bedder. A mass of this, planted thickly in the first instance, 
and surrounded with a broad band of yellow-leaved Pelargoniums, never 
fails to please. In favourable localities some of the choicer sorts may be 
planted out in the mixed borders. 
Dahlias.—Any of these are effective in the back rows of mixed 
borders, but we will give a few of the best in each section. “ Show varie¬ 
ties ”—Imperial, Condor, Constancy, Earl Radnor, Henry Walton, Her¬ 
bert Turner, Mr. Gladstone, James Cocker, Lady Wimborne, Miss Canned, 
Mrs. Shirley Hibberd, Prince Bismarck, Mrs. Stancomb, James Vick, 
Georgian®, Delight, Canary, Royal Queen, and William Rawlings, 
“ Fancies”—Alderman, Chorister, Flora Wyatt, Gaiety, Henry Glass, 
cock, John Forbes, Maid of Athens, Mrs. Saunders, Parrot, John Saunders, 
Mandarin, and Florence Stark. “ Pompons”—Lady Blanche, Golden 
Gem, Little Prince, Rosetta, Fanny Weiner, Favourite, Isabel, Cupid, 
E. F. Junker, Nemesis, Guiding Star, and Royalty. “ Singles ”—Paragon, 
Acquisition, Terra Cotta, Velvet Mantle, Grandee, White Queen or Alba, 
Rosy Circle, Aurata, Mauve Queen Improved, Negress, Defiance, and 
Bertha. “ Cactus Dahlias ”—Constance, Mr. A. W. Tait, Picta formosis- 
sima, Glare of the Garden, and Juarezii. “ Bedders ”—Ri-ing Sun, Gem 
of the Dwarfs, White Bedder, King of Dwarfs, George Thompson, and 
Alba floribunda. Fuchsias.—Golden Fleece and Golden Treasure and 
sometimes bedded out, while any of the free-growing and free-floweriDg 
