September IP, 18f». ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
253 
For Pansies, Show and Fancy, Mr. Geo. Davison and Mr. George C. 
Murray were the respective winners. For six bunches of stove and 
greenhouse out flowers Mr. H. Johnston was first. 
Great credit is due to the local florists and nurserymen for sending 
plants not for competition. Messrs. Wm. Fell & Co., Hexham, sent a 
very fine collection of Coniferas, finely coloured and well grown, in¬ 
cluding Retinospora plumosa, 6 feet ; Retinospora plumosa aurea, 
Juniperus chinensis aurea, Retinospora variegata plumosa argentea, 
Abies Englemanni and gloriosa, and Osmanthus ilicifolia, Cupressus 
Frazeri, and Hydrangea paniculata, which is quite hardy ; also a very 
fine collection of herbaceous plants in bloom. Mr. W. R. Armstrong 
exhibited Palms, Ferns, Eulalias, Lycopods, and other useful decorative 
plants. Messrs. Little & Ballantyne, Carlisle, exhibited a fine lot 
of half-specimen Crotons, including Queen Victoria, Ruberrima, 
and others, also seedling Begonias with very large flowers. Messrs. 
Jos. Robson, Hexham, showed hardy and useful Conifene of choice 
varieties. Messrs. Harkness, Bedale, had a unique and choice collection 
of herbaceous flowers similar to those described before. Mr. J. W. 
Tate, Florist, Sax’s Gardens, exhibited plants suitable for house decora¬ 
tion, and Mr. W. J. Watson, nurseryman, Newcastle, a basket Virginia 
Creeper, white variegated, called Ampelopsis variegata, which should 
contrast well with Veitch's. Messrs. Stuart & Mein, Kelso, had two 
stands of French Marigolds and some beautiful Asters. Messrs. Kent and 
Brydon, Darlington, also showed a mixed stand of cut flowers, consisting 
principally of herbaceous plants. 
After the judging was over the Committee, Judges, and other gentle¬ 
men had luncheon in an adjoining tent. Mr. Alderman Hooper of 
York was present with a deputation from the York Gala. The new 
Chairman of Committee, Councillor Baxter Ellis, presided, and was 
supported by the Mayor of Newcastle, Sheriff, Professor Flower, 
President of the British Association, Canon Loyd, and Mr. Alderman 
Lucas, Mayor of Gateshead. It is to be hoped that the Committee 
may have better weather another year, and recoup their heavy loss of 
the last two years, for the zeal and energy displayed by the Committee 
are worthy of success. 
Peaches and Nectarines. —Lifting Trees in Succession Houses .— 
When the growth is too free, the crops not being satisfactory, the trees 
may be root-pruned or lifted as soon as the foliage shows indications of 
falling. Injudiciously performed this will check their vigour and in¬ 
duce short-jointed fruitful wood. Any lifting or root pruning should be 
performed before the leaves fall, affording a good watering afterwards, 
mulching with a few inches thickness of short manure, and syringing 
the trees each evening for a few days. The trees will soon produce 
young active feeders. 
Late Houses .—Trees of those very fine varieties, Princess of Wales, 
Barrington, Sea Eagle, Gladstone, Lady Palmerston, Walburton 
Admirable, the Nectarine Peach, and Comet, are now ripening ; indeed, 
are ripe, the fruit being fully a fortnight to three weeks earlier than 
usual in the same houses and conditions as obtained in previous years— 
viz., been freely ventilated, kept as cool as possible through the hot 
weather by those means, well watered at the roots through a good sur¬ 
face mulching, and the foliage kept clean and healthy by forcible 
syringings. The trees must now have the benefit of a free circulation 
of air, utilising sun heat by keeping the ventilators closer than usual, 
or with ventilation in the early part of the day the temperature may 
be allowed to run up to 80° or 85.°, which will do more to ripen the fruit 
and wood than sharp firing in dull weather. A somewhat drier con¬ 
dition at the roots is desirable when the fruit is ripening, but they must 
not be allowed to suffer for want of it so as to affect the foliage, and 
though the trees are not to be syringed an occasional damping will 
greatly tend to improve the health of the foliage. In dull wet weather 
a gentle heat in the pipes will be serviceable in securing the tempera¬ 
ture essential to finishing the fruit and allowing a circulation of air. 
Unheated Houses .—Induce ripening by a somewhat dry atmosphere. 
Make the most of sun heat by allowing a considerable advance under 
its influence, closing early, but providing a little top ventilation before 
night. Keep the wood thin, cutting away any gross growth, and shorten 
any sappy shoots to 12 or 15 inches, and keep all laterals closely pinched 
to one joint. 
Cucumbers. —Keep young plants well up to the glass to insure a 
sturdy growth, and pinch out the growing point at the second leaf if 
the plants are to be trained with more than one istem. It is important 
whether the plant are to have one or more stems that the laterals up to 
the trellis be rubbed off as soon as discernible, leaving the leaves, when 
they may be allowed to make side shoots for bearing. Continue the 
preparation of fermenting material where such is employed for bottom 
heat. Manure will require to be turned over about every three or four 
days, while tan need only be turned once, and that as soon as it is fairly 
warmed through. In forming the beds whatever material is employed 
tread it well down. Give a light syringing only in the early part of the 
afternoon on bright days, but moderate moisture must be secured by 
sprinkling in the morning every available surface, and damping before 
nightfall. Maintain the temperature at 70° to 75° by artificial means, 
falling 5° through the night, and allowing an advance to 80° or 85 u to- 
90° from sun heat, closing at 80°. 
In pits and frames the temperature must be maintained by reno¬ 
vating the linings as necessary, and employing night coverings. Water 
very carefully, and sprinkle the foliage only on bright days. Keep the 
foliage thin, removing bad leaves and exhausted growths, and husband 
the sun heat as much as possible by early closing. 
Melons. —The latest plants are now well up the trellis, having been 
stopped when they extended two-thirds across. We grow all our 
Melons in houses on the single cordon system— i.e., the plants have all 
the laterals rubbed off up to the height of the trellis, and then every 
alternate one on opposite sides of the primary, stopping it when two- 
thirds across the trellis. The laterals show fruit blossoms at the second 
or third joint ; if not, the laterals are pinched at the second joint, relying 
on the sub-laterals for the show of fruit. If the plants are weak and 
there is no hurry for the fruit remove all staminate and pistillate flowers- 
on the laterals, stopping at the second or third joint waiting for fruit on 
the second or sub-laterals, which is an advisable plan where time is not a. 
consideration, and a full crop and large fruit i3 required. We 
generally contrive to have both methods in the same house, which gives 
a longer succession of fruit—viz., plants allowed to fruit on the first- 
laterals ; those give two to four fruits per plant, and those that fruit- 
on the second or sub-laterals four to six fruits each, the latter being 
a fortnight to three weeks later. As we have to maintain a succession 
daily from May to November inclusive the plan in an excellent one. A 
rather dry condition of the atmosphere with a little ventilation so as to- 
insure a circulation of air is advisable, with a bottom heat of 80° to 85° r 
and impregnating the blossoms after they become fully expanded is 
advantageous to a good set. Do not earth up the roots until after the 
fruits are set and swelling. Fire heat will be necessary to maintain a 
temperature of 70° to 75° by day artificially, rising to 80° to 85° from 
sun heat, losing no opportunity of closing early, so as to run up to- 
90° or 95°. Be sparing of the syringe, only use it for damping in the 
morning and afternoon, syringing the foliage only on bright days and in 
the early part of the afternoon. Water at the roots only when neces¬ 
sary, using liquid manure to assist in swelling the crop, giving a 
thorough soaking when needed. Sprinkle all available surfaces with 
liquid manure, as we find this highly beneficial to the foliage, but a 
better plan is to sprinkle the surface of the border with a few fresh 
horse droppings about twice a week, and a little soot. We go a little 
further—viz., give each plant a handful of dissolved bone (super¬ 
phosphate of lime), but we use no manure in the soil, except some lime 
rubbish and charcoal refuse, if they can be termed manures. 
Considerable attention is necessary with plants swelling their fruits 
in guarding against canker and to prevent the fruit cracking. Fresh 
slaked lime applied on the first appearance of canker will subdue it,, 
repeating it as necessary. A lessened supply of water both at the roots 
and in the atmosphere, particularly the latter, is the proper remedy for 
cracked fruits, or cutting the shoot half way through a few joints 
below the fruit in the case of very vigorous plants. Fruit ripening 
should have a little air constantly, with a temperature of 70° to 75°, and 
as much more as can be had from sun heat under 100°, with a corre¬ 
sponding increase of ventilation, but the fruit as soon as there is the- 
least indication of the footstalk parting from it, even earlier than that 
if the fruit is expected to keep, and place it in a light and moderately 
airy fruit room. They will have more flavour and be more mellow than 
fruit allowed to bake on shelves in the sun. 
Wet the foliage of plants in pits and frames as little as possible, and 
water only at the roots to prevent flagging. Renew or renovate the 
linings to finish off the crop directly the heat is found to be on the 
wane, and employ a covering on cold nights. In dull damp weather,, 
and especially at night, leave a little ventilation. A little tilting of the 
lights at the back will allow the pent up moisture to escape, it will 
improve the quality of the fruit, and may prevent its cracking. Keep 
the foliage thin and the fruit well raised to the light. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Lifting and Storing Midseason Potatoes. —Many of the main 
crop or midseason Potatoes are now ripe, and advantage should be 
taken of good weather to lift and store them. Our plan is to dig up a 
good quantity on the morning of a fine day, and after being exposed 
for a few hours all that are to be stored for use are placed under cover, 
where they may remain for a day or two until quite dry, when they are 
either put in a dark shed or into clamps in the open, the object through¬ 
out being to prevent them becoming green. The seed tubers are next 
gathered, and are medium sized. These are not kept from the light, but 
great care is taken that they are well formed and free from disease. 
Open Air Tomatoes. —The wet, dull weather experienced near Em¬ 
end of August checked the development of these for a time, but of late- 
they have been improving, and by exposing the whole of the fruit as 
much as possible to the sun they will make much progress. As very 
small fruit at the points of the shoots will not ripen, these should be. 
cut back to the larger fruits, at the same time the foliage should be 
freely removed. Should the. weather be unfavourable and any spare 
frame lights are disengaged, place these over the Tomatoes on the walls, 
and ripe fruit may be produced where it would otherwise remain green. 
