496 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ June 17, 188(1. 
a strong heat without fear of the fruit falling. Afford tepid liquid 
manure to the roots of trees carrying full crops, and otherwise not too 
vigorous, but be careful in giving liquid manure to very vigorous trees, 
as it tends to its increase, and may so exert influence as to interfere with 
setting and stoning in the succeeding year. Still liberal treatment is 
necessary, good surface mulchings and copious waterings every week or 
ten days in well-drained borders. Syringe twice a day to keep down 
red spider. Ventilate early, keep through the day at 70° to 75° artificially, 
and 80° to 85° with sun heat, and close sufficiently early to increase to 
90°. This with plenty of moisture in the house will insure large fruit, 
and if care be taken to give ventilation before nightfall no disaster will 
arise if it be increased sufficiently early in the morning, but if a close and 
high temperature be maintained the fruit, though large, will lack flavour, 
and not unfrequently has a musty taste, particularly if the water hangs 
for any length of time on the fruit after syringing. Keep the fruit with 
its apex to the light, laths across the trellis will admit of this being done 
perfectly, and clear away the leaves from the fruit, but do not cut them 
away unless it cannot be helped. When approaching ripening admit 
air freely, and 60° to 65° will be a sufficiently high temperature at night 
or artificially in the daytime, unless the ripening is wanted accelerated, 
when it should range 70° to 75°, and 10° rise from sun. 
Fruit Stoning. —Maintain a steady temperature of 60° to 65° at night, 
and 5° to 10’ rise by day, and the usual advance of 5° to 10° or 15° at 
closing time from sun heat. Avoid a close atmosphere, and maintain as 
uniform a condition of temperature and moisture as practicable. Sudden 
fluctuations of temperature and cold draughts are very pernicious ; 
equally disastrous is insufficient water at the roots. Allow a moderate 
extension of growth during this trying time, and do not permit a great per¬ 
centage of fruit to go to the stoning that must be removed afterwards, 
but remove in good time. A superfluity of fruit at stoning jeopardises the 
crop, and even if the trees succeed in stoning it rarely finishes well, but 
falls off small and flavourless, and a failure another season may be 
anticipated. Stop gross growths or remove them altogether, so as to 
keep up an equal diffusion of growth throughout each individual tree. 
Late Houses. —Train the growths thinly, reserving a shoot at the base 
of the current fruiting wood, and stop the growths on a level with or 
above the fruit at two or three leaves, and succeeding growth at a joint 
or two of growth. Side growths on extensions not required for furnishing 
the trees may be stopped at an inch or so of growth to form spurs, and by 
adding to the foliage will much encourage root-action and benefit the 
fruit; besides, these spurs usually set and swell fruit when the stronger 
growths on young trees do not. Thin the fruits to a few more than will 
be required for the crop, retaining the largest and best placed, and do 
not allow more than a fruit to each foot of trellis covered by the trees, 
but a few more may be left to meet casualties in stoning. Syringe 
twice a day except on dull days. During the prevalence of dull weather 
an occasional syringing will be all that is necessary, as it does not answer 
to keep moisture hanging on the foliage. Indeed, the leaves should 
always be dry, or nearly so, before dark. Water inside borders fortnightly, 
and afford liquid manure to weakly trees. Mulch the border with 
short manure, and keep it moist—a mulching on dry ground is no use 
whatever. 
Cucumbers. —When the night temperature can be kept from falling 
below 65° fire heat may be dispensed with, much being effected by hus¬ 
banding the sun heat and early closing. Continue to look over the 
plants weekly, well thinning the old growthp, training young in their 
place, avoiding overcrowding and overcropping as great evils certain to 
result in disaster. Afford liquid manure copiously twice a week, and 
surface dressings of lumpy loam, supplying ammonia by sprinkling the 
bed occasionally with horse droppings, but be careful not to overdo it, or 
the foliage will suffer irreparable injury. Syringe on clear days in the 
afternoon only, but keep a good moisture in the house all day long by 
damping available surfaces as they become dry. Morning syringing is 
often the cause of much injury to the foliage. Shade only to prevent the 
foliage flagging, and be careful to apply it promptly on bright weather 
succeeding a dull period. Ventilate early, but avoid cold draught, and 
never admit air in such volume as to lower the temperature. Keep 
through the day at 75° to 90°, according as the force of the solar heat 
dictates; in bright weather between 80° and 90° should prevail in the 
house from 8 A M. to 6 p.m. Close early so as to increase to 90° or 95°, 
and admit a little air before nightfall as a safeguard against condensed 
moisture, increasing it from 7 to 8 o’clock on fine mornings. 
Pits and Frames. —Night coverings will hardly now be necessary, but 
if put on it should not be done until the sun is off the frames, and it 
should be withdrawn early in the morning. Ventilate at 75°, and increase 
with the sun’s elevation, keeping through the day at 80° to 90°, closing at 
3 to 4 P.N., then syringe, and after being closed for an hour or two 
admit a little air at the back of the lights to allow of any pent-up 
moisture escaping. Supply liquid manure occasionally, but keep it from 
the foliage and fruit, and let it be weak and tepid. Remove bad leaves 
as well as exhausted growths, thinning the shoots once a week, stopping 
the growths one or two joints beyond the fruit, and when the plants are 
enfeebled by bearing top-dress with lumpy loam, and layer some of the 
younger growths at a joint from which fresh roots will be emitted and 
strengthen the sucoeediDg growths. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
French and Lancy Pelargoniums. —For early flowering another 
season cuttings may be rooted without further delay. For decoration in 
5 and 6-inch pots plants raised from cuttings annually are decidedly the 
best. Strong vigorous shoots should be selected for this purpose, and not 
mere flower stems after the shoots have become woody and the plants- 
exhausted by flowering. There are generally one or more shoots on each 
plant that can be taken for this purp se, and the operation can be con¬ 
tinued as the plants come into flower until the requisite quantity have 
been raised. Insert the cartings singly in sandy soil in 2-inch pots, and 
if placed on a shelf where the temperature ranges about 60° they will 
soon form roots. While in this position they should be kept moderately 
moist and shaded from strong sun. Directly they are rooted they may be 
gradually hardened and grown under cool airy treatment. The point of 
the young plant should be removed to induce it to branch, when they may 
be removed into larger pots. The majority of the varieties will only need 
pinching twice to form bushy specimens. The earliest plants should 
not be pinched after the beginning of September. Old plants that it may 
be necessary to retain for another year should, when they cease flowering, 
be exposed to full sun outside and kept rather dry until the wood is hard 
and ripe. During heavy rains the plants are better turned on their 
sides. 
Zonal Varieties. —The majority of the plants required for winter 
flowering may be placed in their largest pots. Frame room will now be 
more abundant, and these plants must be established in their pots, and at 
the same time gradually hardened in such positions and then turned out¬ 
side. The sooner they can be stood outside the better, so that firm sturdy 
growth will be made, for upon this depends whether the plants flower 
satisfactorily or the reverse during winter. If plants are required in 3 or 
4-inch pots for decoration root cuttings without delay. Many free-flower¬ 
ing double and semi-double varieties are serviceable in these sizes during 
the winter. Although they do not flower so freely as many tingles, they 
last much longer in good condition in rooms, and when they have dona 
duty there they can be conveyed to the rubbish heap. Root them in 
thumb pots, then place them in the sizes named and stand them outside. 
Ivy-leaf Varieties. —The improvement that has been effected with 
these is wonderful, and many produce their lovely flowers freely, possess¬ 
ing much better habits than the old forms. Where cut flowers are re¬ 
quired during summer and winter a number of these plants should be 
grown. Young stock to be in good condition for autumn and early 
winter flowering should be ready for transferring from 3-inch pots to 
others 2 or 3 inches larger. The soil may be pressed firmly into the pots 
to prevent a quick soft growth, consisting of fihry loam, one-seventh of 
manure and sand. They should be well established in their pots in a cold 
frame, and then stood upon a bed of ashes outside, where they will be 
fully exposed to the sun. These plants flower freely if they possess 
short-jointed, firm, well ripened wood when housed in autumn. The 
shoots may be pinched from time to time to induce them to become bushy. 
Few plants pay better for planting out than these under glass in some 
cool airy sunny position. 
Calceolarias. —Sow seed where plants are required in bloom as early 
in the season as possible. A pan or pot may be filled with light sandy 
soil, and the surface made even and fine, on which sow the seed. It 
should not be covered, but watered with a fine-rose can, and then 
covered with a square of glass with damp moss laid on the surface, and 
the pot or pan stood in a cold frame with a northern aspect until germina¬ 
tion has taken place. Light and air must then be gradually admitted to 
the young plants until they will bear full exposure in the frame. 
Cinerarias. —Place the earliest plants without delay into 5-inch pots, 
and grow them from this time under cool airy treatment. Younger 
stock may be placed into 3-inch pots from pans into which they were 
transplanted from the seed pot. Those sown some time ago will be ready 
for pricking out singly. Another pan of seed may be sewn. These 
plants, in whatever stage they mav be in, are much better grown cool 
than in a heated structure. If possible they can be grown in frames 
where they will receive abundance of light, but be shaded from the sun 
without the aid of artificial means. 
Cclosias. —To obtain plants for winter decoration seed should be sown 
at once in gentle heat. Cover the seed lightly, and shade the pan from 
the sun until germination takes place. Directly the seedlings are large 
enough they may be pricked singly into small pots, which is preferable- 
to placing them in pans or boxes, because from these they cannot be 
potted without receiving a check, and it is important that they be grown 
steadily without a check if fine large well developed plumes are an¬ 
ticipated. 
ROSE AND HORTICULTURAL SHOW FIXTURES, JUNE 
AND JULY, 1886. 
The following are the dates of the principal Shows to be held during 
June aud July this year. The great event of the season will be 
the provincial Show of the Royal Horticultural Society at Liverpool at 
the end of June. 
Manchester National Horticultural Exhibition, OldTrafford, June 11th 
to 18th. 
Brentwood, June 17th and 18th. 
Royal Horticultural Society Committee meetings and Pelargonium 
Show, June 22nd. 
York Floral Fete, June 23rd to 25th. 
Royal Horticultural Society Provincial Show at Liverpool, June 29th 
to July 5th. 
Bagshot and Windlesham Rose Society, at Bagsho*, Tuesday, 
June 29th. 
Canterbury and Kent Rose Society, at Canterbury, Tuesday, June 29th. 
Diss Horticultural Society’s Rose Show, June 30th. 
Royal Botanic Society’s Evening Fete, June 30th. 
