72 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 24, 1889. 
trained in this way than in any other at all seasons. Supposing the 
plants to have three branches to begin with, nail one of them to the 
right, and another to the left, near the bottom of the wall at an angle 
of 45° to form the base of the tree, and the third branch can be trained 
perpendicularly. Leave them their full length ; do not shorten any of 
them by pruning. When the buds burst in the spring, remove all but 
those which are required to form branches for the current year. See 
that they are well placed on the upper sides of the branches, except 
those on the cerftre one, which should be left alternate, one on each side. 
In disbudding always try to leave a good bud at the lower end of the 
branch to form a shoot, as near the axis or end of the previous year’s 
■growth as possible. They should not be left closer on the shoot than 
Trom 18 to 20 inches, but do not leave the terminal bud unless the wood 
is thoroughly ripened, or some fruit are set between it and the next 
shoot, when it is left to draw sap to nourish the fruit. At first 20 inches 
seems a long distance, but as the shoots grow they will be found to be 
quite close enough to allow of the leaves expanding and the growth 
ripening. Tack the shoots in regularly as they grow, and stop the 
laterals as soon as they appear above the first pair of leaves, and con¬ 
tinue stopping all the sub-lateral growths in the same way during the 
season. The trees should be carefully looked after to see that none of 
the shoots take the lead and are making gross wood to the injury of the 
others. When such is the case the point of the shoot should be pinched 
out at once, which will have the effect of retarding the flow of sap and 
allowing the other branches to benefit by it. 
When the trees have covered the wall and are in full bearing, the 
border should be mulched for some distance from the bottom of the wall 
with good stable manure, and watered frequently with diluted liquid 
manure from the cow-house. 
All that will require to be done to the trees after this is pruning, 
nailing in the shoots, watering, syringing, and keeping them clean. 
The great aim of the cultivator should be to keep up a good supply of 
healthy young fruiting branches by thinning out the weakest and re¬ 
moving the naked unfruitful wood when pruning. If the trees grow 
too vigorous the second year after planting they should be carefully 
lifted in the autumn, and some of the strongest of the roots cut back 
to give the trees a check, which will have the effect of bringing them into 
a fruitful state, after which they will require little done to their roots per¬ 
haps for years. 
The Peach is subject to the attacks of green fly, red spider, and some¬ 
times mildew, which should be guarded against at all times. Smoking 
with tobacco paper will destroy green fly, but it cannot be conveniently 
applied to walls in the open. But tobacco juice mixed with water and 
eoapsuds applied with a syringe in the evening will kill green fly, and 
if a little flowers of sulphur is added it will assist in keeping down red 
spider. But it is a difficult enemy to get rid of when once it gets a foot¬ 
ing on the leaves. Flowers of sulphur applied to the leaves will kill 
mildew and assist to keep down spider, but it is not easy kept under 
in some places even with the best of treatment, and that has been my 
•experience here, both inside and out in the open.—A. Pettigrew. 
SUCCESSFUL EUCHARIS CULTURE. 
At Devonshire House, Roehampton, the residence of D. B. Chapman 
bsq., Buchans grandiflora is very successfully grown, and the plants at 
the present time are indicating in a most satisfactory manner how well 
The. treatment suits them. The two largest specimens are in pots 
la inches in diameter, and have twenty-six and thirty-six spikes re¬ 
spectively, each bearing four to five large flowers. These flower three 
and four times a year, and it can be imagined what a valuable supply 
ot flowers they afford. They are rarely repotted, and are never dried 
in the way some practise. The supply of water is slightly decreased for 
a time after flowering, but not enough to check the plants, which are 
liberally encouraged in their time of growth and flowering with weak 
liquid manure. They are placed in a lean-to stove facing south, are 
n f ve J Ponged, but are occasionally syringed with the other occupants 
•ot the house, and the leaves are wonderfully large, strong, and dark 
green. A bulb was planted in a narrow border at the side of the house 
last year, and now has thirty-two grand leaves with four spikes of four and 
five flowers each. The situation suits the plants, and the practical 
gardener, Mr. Sullivan, evidently knows exactly how to manage 
them. ° 
In the same and other houses table plants are rather extensively 
grown, numbers of useful Crotons and Dracaenas beino' raised annually 
to maintain a succession of the right size. The Crotons in large 60’s 
and_ 48-size pots are excellent little plants, and capitally coloured, such 
varieties as Laingi, superbus, elegantissums, Warreni, Mrs. Dorman, 
majesticus,. gracillimus, and Sinitzinianus being the favourites. Of 
Dracaenas jucunda, Peoyi, and Guilfoylei are the principal, the first 
named being by far the best. Asparagus plumosus is also grown largely 
for decorative purposes. 3 
The Chrysanthemums, which constitute one of the specialties of 
Devonshire gardens in November, have been removed, and the Peach 
houses which usually contain them are now placed in forcing order. 
The two lean-to houses are occupied with young Peach and Nectarine 
trees trained to a trellis in front, and they have made remarkable 
progress in the last two or three years. They look most promising, are 
well furnished with fruitful wood, and are admirably trained. This is 
not the best time of year to visit this garden, but even now it bears the 
aspect that always distinguishes establishments under good manage¬ 
ment. The garden is pleasantly situated on a warm southerly slope, 
commanding a rather pleasant view in the direction of Richmond Park, 
aud it contains some fine old trees, such as Oaks, Elms, and a remark¬ 
able Scotch Fir with a handsome straight stem fully 50 feet high to the 
first branches.—V. 
WINTER CUCUMBERS. 
The subject under discussion has assumed the form of ventilation 
versus non-ventilation. We are all aware that air is quite as essential 
to plant as to animal life. I willingly accept the statement in its 
broadest sense. But there are facts that Mr. Ward has evidently 
overlooked. Are our modern houses for Cucumber growing air-tight 1 
If it can be proved that no air enters or escapes then he has a 
very strong case, and the non ventilating system is doomed. My 
contention is that sufficient air enters during the winter six months ; in 
fact more than is good for the plants. The process is a continuous one, 
and necessitates more firing than would be necessary if the houses 
could be constructel a little more air-tight. More enters through an 
uustopped keyhole than a good many people imagine. I could understand 
the opening of ventilators even during the winter if no air could enter 
the house by other means, but too much enters already and cannot well 
be prevented. The air from January to the middle of April, limit the 
time as much as possible, is cold, even if the sun is warm, too cold to be 
admitted in large volumes, as is the case when the ventilators are 
opened, and the plants are checked in their growth. 
Mr. Coombe advises a minimum temperature of 60° ; that is, if I 
understand him rightly, the lowest temperature he would desire during 
the coldest and severest of weather. Mr. Ward says this is too low (see 
page 13), then I take it for granted, although he is particular in saying 
“in dull mild weather a minimum temperature of 65° to 70° is maintained,” 
that the same temperature is maintained during severe cold weather. 
Here is astriking difference, and sufficient alone to bring attacks of red 
spider and mildew in the one case and not in the other. Mr. Coombe 
follows a more natural course than Mr. Ward. The former allows his 
plants to move slowly during adverse circumstances externally, the 
latter forces them when outside conditions are unfavourable to 
growth. My opinion is that the best results follow by keeping the 
temperature as low as possible consistent with retaining the plants in 
good health. 
If I read Mr. Coombe rightly, he advocates a higher temperature 
during mild weather than Mr. Ward. Being guided entirely by external 
conditions, he takes advantage of mild occasions to push the plants into 
growth. That, however, is my point, and I should fix the maximum 
night temperature higher than Mr. Ward, namely, 75°. This gives a 
range according to the weather of 15°. If I write night temperature 
60° to 75°, there appears an enormous latitude. Let us examine it, and 
see if external conditions do not justify such a course. If the outside 
temperature falls to 25° or 'ower, the inside temperature is 60°, a differ¬ 
ence of 35°. If it stand 45° outside, and the maximum inside is 75°, we 
have a difference of 30°. Natural conditions warrant such a course, or 
even a higher maximum night temperature than I have named. A 
steady heat on mild occasions is kept in the pipes, even if the tempera¬ 
ture exceeded the limit I have named. Mr. Ward then, as he has pre¬ 
sented his case, overforces the plants during severe weather, and neg¬ 
lects the opportunities and most favourable forcing conditions when the 
weather is mild, unless he shields himself behind the word “ dull ” in 
the quotation given above. 
Those who practise the non-ventilating system and regulate their 
temperature on the principles I have pointed out, are never troubled 
with red spider or mildew. Hard firing during cold severe weather 
brings about the former combined by the check the plants receive 
through opening the ventilators and admitting air in large volumes 
many degrees colder than the temperature of the house. Mildew is 
also the result of a check to the plant, and may arise from dryness at 
the root, or the extremes to which the roots are subjected by hard firing 
and constant watering. My experience leads me to the conclusion that 
watering during the winter months two or three times a week is not 
beneficial, but the reverse to the plants. On this principle they must be 
either wet or dry, and when bottom heat is applied to such an extent 
to render water necessary so many times during the week, I should 
expect both mildew and red spider. 
Mr. Ward very truly says—page 13—“Notwithstanding the full 
and repeated instructions given to young men on this very important 
cultural detail, it is hard for them to discriminate how and when to 
give air sometimes on two consecutive days.” This will always be the 
case, and it appears to me that it will ever remain one of the mysteries 
of plaut growing on the ventilating system. It is not lack of discrimina¬ 
tion on the part of young men. They do their best and try to carry out 
the instructions given them ; but they cannot carry it out just as the 
chief wants, and never will. When they become masters they will find 
young men just as troublesome as they have been. I have always found 
that this “ chink ” of air policy deve opes from day to day, the chief 
