248 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
f March 20, 1890. 
wood they proceed from without danger of breaking. Overcrowding 
must be carefully guarded against. It is fatal to fine, highly coloured 
fruits and the formation and perfection of the wood of future crops. 
Thin the fruits by degrees, leaving those well placed upon the upper 
side of the trellis in sufficient quantity for a crop, or a little more until 
the final thinning before stoning. In no case is it good practice to tax 
the trees with superfluous fruit after it is the size of marbles. Tempera¬ 
ture 55° to 60° at night, 65° by day, increasing to 70° to 75°, ventilating 
Treely between 70° to 85° if it rise to the latter, as it often does on bright 
mild days. 
Hovxes Started at the Beginning of Fehvvary .—The trees are in full 
flower or setting the fruits, and it is an anxious time. Continue to 
fertilise the blossoms on late trees when the pollen is ripe, as we have 
not found it satisfactory to trust to Nature in the case of trees under 
glass, which from unfavourableness of weather often have to be kept 
close, or with a crack of air only, for most of the flowering season. When 
■the blossom is all set recourse must be had to syringing in the morning 
and afternoon, having the foliage and young fruit dry before nightfall. 
Disbudding may be done gradually, commencing with the strongest 
■shoots, also thinning the fruit after it is seen which takes the lead in 
swelling, removing the smallest first, but avoid large reductions of shoots 
or fruit at one time. Temperature 55° at night, 5° less on cold morn¬ 
ings ; 55° to 60° by day, advancing to 65° or 70° from sun. 
IJoKses Started Early in March .—The flowers are expanding. 
Syringing must cease directly the anthers show clear of the corolla, but 
■damping the floors and borders must be practised on fine days, admit¬ 
ting air freely in mild weather, fertilising the flowers on fine days. 
Maintain the nifiht temperature at 4.5° to 50°, 55° by day artificially, 
and 65° from sun heat. Admit a little air constantly. Superfluous 
'lowers on the under side or back of the shoots may be removed by 
drawing the hand down the growth. 
Late House .—Lights removed in winter must be replaced at once, 
the buds being well advanced in swelling. Nothing assists to a good 
set so much as turning on the heat for a short time in the early part of 
the day to advance the temperature to 50°, and to permit ventilation 
after the flowers expand, as if there be a prevalence of dull cold weather 
at that time, closing the ventilators for safety produces an atmosphere 
"that converts the pollen into paste. Houses that have fixed roof lights 
must have the borders rendered thoroughly moist. If there be any trace 
of aphides fumigate thoroughly before the flowers expand. 
Figs. —Early Forced Trees in Pots .—Those started early in Decem¬ 
ber will be induced to swell their fruits by a top-dressing of rich 
material applied to the surface of the soil, and if a layer of turves has 
been placed around the rim of the pots as before advised, space is aSorded 
for the top-dressings. Do not give heavy dressings of rich compost all 
at once, but apply it little and often ; apply also liquid manure, 1 oz. 
of the soluble artificial manures to a gallon of water, but give it in such 
■quantity as to pass through the pots. Dribblets do no good. Maintain 
a genial atmosphere by syringing twice a day when the weather is 
bright, but avoid keeping the foliage constantly wet, as would be the 
■case by syringing vigorously in dull weather. Damp the paths, walls, 
and bed, keeping the evaporation troughs charged with liquid manure, 
and to check red spider paint the hot-water pipes with sulphur. Admit 
a little air at 70°, increasing it with sun heat up to 85°, which ought not 
to be exceeded, closing at 80°. The night temperature may still range 
from 60° to 65°, 65° in the morning in very severe weather is safer than 
the higher temperature, advancing 10° by artificial means in the day¬ 
time. Avoid crowding, stopping, or tying the shoots as growth 
advances, as the fruit to have flavour and colour must when ripening 
have full exposure to light, combined with a circulation of warm 
•dry air. 
Cherry House. —When it is seen that the fertilising has been 
effectual by the swelling of the Cherries at the base of the decayed 
flowers syringing must be resumed once a day at present or in dull 
weather, and twice a day when the weather is clear and warm. Fire 
heat will only be necessary to prevent the temperature falling below 
40° at night, and to maintain 50° by day as a maximum. Ventilate at 
50°, closing at the same time, regulating the ventilation according to 
circumstances. If green aphides appear fumigate the house, having the 
foliage dry, and keep a striet look out for grubs. Stopping will soon 
require attention. Pinch out the points of the shoots when they have 
made 4 to 5 inches of growth, removing those shoots that are not re- 
■quired. Train extensions in their full length, also those for filling 
vacant space. Overcrowding must be carefully guarded against, it 
being prejudicial both to the present and to future crops. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
Work in Shrubberies .—Shrubberies generally ought now to be put 
into good order for the season. In many instances the older ones will 
be much improved by having some of the ugliest overgrown Laurels 
sawn down to near the ground, others merely require to have some of 
•the branches freely shortened back, while all pay for timely attention 
in the way of pegging down branches of Laurels, Rhododendrons, and 
Aucubas especially wherever the fronts are badly furnished. Where 
•extra large Laurels are cut down it will in some cases be necessary to 
plant a few young bushes, and these will grow and fill the space in con¬ 
junction with the branches from old stumps much more regularly than 
before. Newly formed shrubberies are usually planted much more 
thickly than is ultimately good for the trees and bushes. Thinning out 
ought, therefore, to be freely resorted to, transplanting a portion of the 
shrubs to where there are more needed being the wisest course to pursue. 
This work may be continued for another six weeks, always providing it 
is done well. Nor should pruning be neglected in the case of young 
shrubberies, as, with the aid of a knife used just now, many plants can 
be kept within bounds and of better form than if allowed to grow at 
will. All open shrubberies especially ought to be lightly forked or 
skimmed over with a spade, this burying much rubbish and presenting a 
far neater appearance. 
Climbers.—The commoner and more vigorous kinds, notably Ivies 
and Japanese Honeysuckle, are apt to overgrow the rest, and both are 
objectionable when in a rough state. When either get too large or 
coarse it is a good plan to cut them hard back to the wall, or, better 
still, down to near the ground, the young growths that soon follow being 
far more ornamental in appearance. Ugly overgrown plants of 
Cratsegus pyracantha might also be cut down with advantage, young 
spreading branches neatly laid in to a sunny wall invariably flowering 
and fruiting freely. Thickets of Clematises must always be prevented. 
Those that flower from young growths formed last summer should be 
only thinned out and lightly shortened back, but the late summer and 
autumn flowering species, including the well known C. Jackmanni, 
ought to be freely shortened, the aim being to secure as many strong 
back growths as possible. These will flower strongly. All lateral 
growths on Jasminums to be spurred back to the old wood, the common 
sweet-scented white kind flowering on the young shoots, while J. nudi- 
florum will form fresh wood for flowering next winter. Chimonanthus 
fragrans, Pyrus japonlca. Pomegranate, Myrtles, and Garrya elliptica to 
have all straggling branches shortened back and leading growths laid in. 
Euonymuses to be similarly treated. Magnolias require no pruning, but 
must be firmly fastened to the walls. Wistaria sinensis to be treated 
similarly to Pears, the flowers being most freely produced by short 
spurs. 
Pruning Boses in the open were at one time more forward 
than those against walls, but cold winds and severe frost have effectually 
checked their progress. Pruning may now be safely done, both of those 
growing against sunny walls and in the open. The former are too often 
neglected, but they require to be pruned quite as much as those in the 
open. Unpruned they flower profusely the first season, bat fail to form 
good growth for the following year. Therefore thin out spray, freely 
cut back all medium-sized shoots, and lay in and lightly shorten back 
the more vigorous yet well-ripened growths. Only the smaller wood 
will flower in the case of Banksians, and at the present time it is advis¬ 
able to reserve this and remove some of the gross shoots. Quite the 
opposite treatment holds good in the case of Marechal Niel, this flower¬ 
ing most freely on long well-matured growths. Standard Roses must 
be kept within bounds, as when once neglected it is almost impossible to 
get them into a presentable condition again. These ought to have the 
centres well thinned out, and all long shoots cut back to better placed 
inner growths. Next cut out all spray, as this is never of any good, then 
thin out the remaining shoots where these are at all thick, finally leaving 
about six of these, and which should be cut back, the strongest to about 
the ninth eye, and the moderately strong to third or fourth bud. Dwarf 
Roses should be either somewhat similarly treated, or the pegging down 
system must be adopted. In the latter case it is the long and strong 
young shoots that should be lightly shortened back and pegged down, 
the old flowering wood being cleanly cut out. The pegged-down growths 
will flower freely, pushing up extra fine blooms, while from the centre 
of each plant will spring vigorous shoots, these eventually taking the 
place of those pegged down this season. 
Manuring Roses .—If starved at the roots, Roses need not be expected 
to grow strongly or produce good solid blooms. They are often located 
where mulchings of manure would prove unsightly, but even this diffi¬ 
culty can be overcome. The simplest and best plan in most cases would 
be to carefully remove the soil down to the roots of the plants, returning 
this after a liberal dressing of manure has been given. The manure 
being thus covered with soil, is well hid from view, that is if the birds 
can be kept off. It is within easy reach of the roots, and retains mois¬ 
ture much longer than it does when spread on the surface. Those Roses 
growing against sunny walls stand in especial need of a heavy mulching 
of manure, and may with advantage also frequently receive liberal 
supplies of water and liquid manure from the present time and onwards. 
The least that can be done for those in the open is to lightly work in a 
dressing of half-decayed manure, this being done directly after pruning 
is completed. 
NOTES ON BEES. 
On the 14th of March, after four days’ stormy weather, mild¬ 
ness succeeded the low temperature up till the 9th, and in twenty- 
four hours the thermometer rose from 20° to 55“ with a falling 
barometer, which clearly foretold the coming storm. With the 
thermometer at 32° some of the bees were getting restless. No 
doubt a paucity of pollen within their hives, through so early 
