324 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 18, 1889. 
spheric moisture when the fruit is fully ripening. The night temperature 
should be maintained at G0° to 65°, 70° to 75° by day, with 10° to 15° 
rise from sun heat. 
Succession Houses. —When the fruit is swelling the trees can scarcely 
have too much water, also keep the atmosphere moist by sprinkling the 
house and syringing the trees twice a day. Liquid manure should be 
given to trees carrying a heavy crop of fruit. Attend frequently to 
tying-in, thinning, and stopping the shoots at the fourth or fifth leaf of 
such as are required to form spurs, pinching the subsequent laterals at 
the first or second leaf. Avoid overcrowding the shoots, which is fatal 
to good crops and fine fruit. No fruit tree is more benefited by the 
full rays of the sun than the Fig. Any kind of shading, whether by 
other plants or too much of their own foliage, is injurious, and must be 
strictly guarded against by pinching out young growths in the later 
started houses and thinning all the overcrowded shoots. The border 
■should have a mulching of half-decomposed manure, and this with 
copious waterings will impart vigour to the trees. The night tempera¬ 
ture when the trees are in full leaf should be maintained at 60° to 65°, 
and 70° by day, allowing a rise to 80° or 85° from sun heat. 
Recently Rooted Trees.— Cuttings having been inserted some time 
ago as advised, and it being intended to grow trees for fruiting in pots, 
the young plants should be shifted into larger pots, so as to afford 
time for their forming good well-ripened bushes before autumn. From 
the cutting pots they may be transferred to 6-inch pots, and as they 
grow larger, which they will do rapidly, they may be transferred to 
9-inch pots, and have a final shift into the fruiting pot—viz., 12-inch. 
Turfy loam, with an admixture of a sixth of old mortar rubbish, a 
sprinkling of crushed bones, and a little decomposed manure, the whole 
well incorporated, will suit them admirably, employing plenty of drain¬ 
age, as it is necessary that the water pass away freely. 
Pines. — Young Plants. —Closing houses in which young plants are 
in course of preparation for fruiting at a high temperature causes soft, 
drawn, weakly growth. This should be carefully avoided by the 
employment of as little fire heat as practicable, conserving the sun 
heat and maintaining a moderate moisture in the house, by which 
means robust growth, combined with sturdy habit, is secured. Sprinkling 
will be necessary occasionally, especially at closing time, but do not 
close at a high temperature, and syringe about twice a week. Employ 
no more artificial heat than is needed to maintain the temperature at 
65° or 60° at night and 70° to 75° by day. Commence ventilating at 
75°, gradually increasing with the temperature to 85°, keeping it by day 
from sun heat at 85°, 90°, or 95°, but with abundance of air. Keep the 
bottom heat steady at 85°, or between 80° and 90°. Examine the plants 
regularly, and when water is required apply it liberally. Weak liquid 
manure may be applied to plants swelling but not ripening their fruit. 
If the plunging material settles down from the pots apply fresh to the 
surface. In the case of large panes of glass and the sun very powerful 
a slight shade for an hour or two at midday will be of service, but with 
small squares of glass it is not needful. 
Fruiters. —As the fruit ripens the plants may be removed to a cooler 
house, which will permit the fruit being kept sound for a lengthened 
period—longer at this time of year than any other. When the suckers 
of fruiting plants become large enough screw out the centre of those 
-not required for stock. One, or at the most two, suckers should be re¬ 
tained to a plant. 
Melons. —The earliest plants, notwithstanding the adverse weather, 
are now swelling their fruits. Secure to them every ray of light by 
keeping the glass clean, and apply water liberally at the roots, providing 
plenty of atmospheric moisture. Avoid overcropping ; it not only 
diminishes the size of the fruit but is fatal to high quality, which is 
everything in a Melon. Apply liquid manure when the fruit is swelling 
and until nearly ripe, but avoid stimulating plants before they have set 
their fruit. When the fruit commences ripening lessened supplies of 
water will be needed, not, however, allowing the soil to get so dry as to 
affect the foliage prejudicially, and admit a little air constantly with 
lessened atmospheric moisture. While observing a drier condition of 
the atmosphere and roots when the fruit is setting, do not permit the 
foliage to flag ; attend regularly to setting the fruit and avoid pruning 
if possible during the setting period, but stop the growths as the flower 
upon each is fertilised. Maintain a night temperature of 70° to 75°, and 
85° to 90° from sun heat, ventilating moderately, preventing as much as 
possible sudden fluctuations of temperature. 
Later plants, especially those in pits and frames, will now be showing 
fruits, and unless they are in abundance remove the first, for it is 
■important that the blossoms be nearly of one stage of growth, a con¬ 
dition that cannot always be secured ; but there will be no difficulty 
with plenty of foliage in securing five or six fruit blossoms of simul¬ 
taneous growth on each plant, which should be fertilised. Maintain a 
good bottom heat and a dry condition of the atmosphere when the fruit 
is setting. After the fruits are set let them be placed on a piece of 
slate and ultimately raised on a flower pot above the foliage. Continue 
earthing up the plants as they advance in growth, to make new beds 
and to plant out, potting and otherwise preparing for planting 
successional beds. Look out for canker at the collar, and prevent its 
spreading by rubbing quicklime into the affected parts. 
Cucumbers. —Give water abundantly to plants in houses, and keep 
plenty of moisture in the atmosphere all day by frequent damping and 
syringing about 3.30 P.H., closing at the same time. Shading may be 
necessary in the middle of the day for an hour or two in bright weather 
*o prevent flagging, but with the roots healthy and abundant very little 
shading will be necessary. In watering plants in pits and frames do so 
sufficiently early to have the foliage dry before nightfall, maintaining 
suitable bottom heat. Ventilate early and moderately, close early with 
sun heat, and well cover the glass at night in cold weather. Avoid over¬ 
crowding, stop the shoots to one joint beyond the fruit, and remove bad 
leaves as they appear. Keep young plants near the glass. Wireworm 
is often troublesome ; baits of Carrot, Turnip, or Potato cut into thick 
slices and pressed gently into the surface of the bed will attract them, 
the baits beiDg examined every day and the wireworm destroyed. For 
woodlice place boiled Potatoes wrapped loosely in a little hay in flower 
pots, and stand the pots where woodlice abound, examining the baits 
every day, and destroying those pests secreted in the hay. A toad or 
two placed in a frame will soon destroy many woodlice. To secure 
straight Cucumbers employ glass tubes. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
Vases. —As a rule these are indifferently filled, and consequently are 
not nearly so ornamental as they might otherwise be. A large vase 
with a few small plants stuck in it is far from being attractive, and 
the least that ought to be done is to fill them early in June with a mass 
of strong plants. When only a few ordinary bedding plants are placed 
in each these rarely attain an effective size, whereas a vase ought to be 
showy from the first day it is filled or put out. Where the vases are not 
fixtures—and in some instances they are placed under cover every 
winter—these might well be properly drained, filled with good loamy 
soil, such as Zonal Pelargoniums delight in, and be planted at once. 
Newly started vineries, or other warm and fairly light houses, are the 
best positions for starting the plants into active growth, and all will be 
ready for hardening off and subsequent full exposure to the open air by 
June. When the vases are fixtures, and also in the case of large speci¬ 
mens, a modification of the foregoing plan might yet be adopted. Zinc 
tins, or better still, strong galvanised framework, could be made to fit 
neatly into the vases, and these might then be filled now and dropped 
into them in due course. The same plan answers well with hanging 
baskets and window boxes. In filling the baskets or wire framework 
it is necessary to line them with turves to keep in the soil, and the roots 
also find their way into these. Iron vases ought always to be lined 
with turves, as these, whether made solid or with divisions, are certain 
to get too hot for the roots at times. 
Suitable Plants for Vases. —On the whole Zonal Pelargoniums are 
the most effective, and the vases might well be principally or wholly 
filled with these. There arc gardens, by no means the smallest or worst 
managed in the country, where a whole series of vases are entirely 
filled with scarlet Zonals, and a brilliant mass of colour is presented 
till frosts intervene. If preferred the vases could be arranged in pairs, 
the centres being filled with one variety of Zonal, and surrounded by 
an edging of either Ivy-leaf Pelargoniums, Petunias, strong growing or 
trailing Lobelias, notably L. gracilis and L. littoralis, some of the more 
spindly tuberous-rooted Begonias, Verbenas, and Tropseolums. Mixtures 
may be attempted in very large vases, large plants being massed in the 
centres of these, but as a rule they are failures. Fuchsias are not suit¬ 
able for vases, Calceolarias soon fail, Heliotropes become stunted, and 
Marguerites seldom continue effective throughout the season. Much of 
the foregoing is also applicable to window boxes. 
Terrace Plants. —Large specimen scarlet Zonal Pelargoniums in pots 
set along broad pathways, and lining the entrance drives, are not so 
often seen as of old, but they are not quite obsolete. These, Fuchsias, 
and Heliotropes if well grown, are yet very attractive, and Agapan- 
thuses, Funkias, Yuccas, Aloes, hardy Palms, and common hardy Ferns 
in pots are all more or less effectively employed in decorating sheltered 
terraces, drives, and approaches. The Pelargoniums, Fuchsias, and 
Heliotropes ought be cut back every spring, and when breaking afresh 
be turned out of their pots, much of the old soil pricked away from the 
roots, then placed in good fresh compost. Unless this is done, and the 
plants started under glass, they are usually more unsightly than orna¬ 
mental. The other plants named seldom require repotting, but if much 
root-bound a small shift may be given now. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Asparagus from Seed. —There is no easier, cheaper, or more 
satisfactory way of securing fine plantations of this popular vegetable 
than raising the plants from seed. If we wanted Asparagus to become 
useful as soon as possible after sowing the seed we would sow them in 
the positions the roots were to permanently occupy. We have sown a 
large quarter during the last few days in this way. The ground was 
well manured, deeply dug, and well broken, and a few seeds sown in 
patches 2 feet apart each way. We prefer clumps to single roots. In 
the meantime some low-growing crops, such as Lettuce, will be planted 
between, and care will be taken that nothing shades or interferes with 
the young Asparagus. By the autumn the growths will be 3 feet high ; 
next year they will be double this, and in the third year, or just 
two years from now, numerous useful heads may be cut. Transplant¬ 
ing Asparagus frequently throws it back a year, and this is why we 
are in favour of sowing in the permanent positions. All, however, 
may not have the ground at liberty to do this and may sow in drills a 
foot apart for transplanting. 
Transplanting. — A general transplanting of young vegetables 
reared in frames should now be made. If they have been treated as has 
been suggested the plants will be well furnished with leaves, and quite 
hardy by this time. In the case of Cauliflower and early Brussels 
