February 84, 1887. ] 
JOURNAL of horticulture and cottage gardener. 
159 
a most acceptable change two or three times a week during the winter. 
Very rich soil causes them to make too much top growth, and we 
prefer to grow them in soil that is slightly poor. The whole of the 
roots should be dug now, the best stored for use, and the smaller re¬ 
planted. They are put in like Potatoes, but the rows should be kept 
3 feet apart and the sets 18 inches asunder. 
Broad Beans. —The earliest are well through the soil, and a second 
sowing should be made of Seville Long Pod. 
Horn Carrots. —The first sowing of these may be made in the open 
ground. They should be sown on a warm border where the soil is 
friable and free from maggots. Keep the rows 15 inches apart and do 
not sow very thick. Do not cover the seed more than an inch deep, and 
cover them carefully. We sow a long border of them, and have 
lately had a quantity of sandy leaf soil forked into it. The other day 
we cleaned out a Cucumber pit flue, and the whole of the material that 
came from it was placed on the Carrot border. This has been spread on 
the surface and Dutch-hoed in, and we will guarantee that no worms 
will be found in that border for the next twelve months at least. 
Early Carrots in frames are becoming crowded and should be freely 
thinned out before they have injured each other by being too close. We 
are very particular in avoiding this, as when the plants are forced into a 
long stem before being thinned they fall over afterwards and receive a 
check from which they do not readily recover. 
Kidney Beans. —Everyone who has a glass house or "pit may sow 
Dwarf Beans, as they will grow freely in time to come and the fruit will 
be most acceptable in April or May. The Ne Plus Ultra fruits most 
freely, and it is astonishing the quantity of pods that may be gathered 
from two or three dozen pots. Sow six, eight, or ten seeds in a 3-inch 
pot, use good soil, place them in a little warmth, and a fine batch of 
young plants will soon appear. Give plants bearing pods abundance of 
liquid manure. Do not syringe those in flower. 
Herbs. —Mint extends rapidly, therefore cut it well in with a spade 
and dig up the surplus part. Place a surface dressing of manure over 
that which remains. Sage plants which were raised from seed last year 
should be lifted and replanted, allowing 18 inches from row to row and 
1 foot from plant to plant. Sow a pinch of Sweet Basil seed in a 6-inch 
pot. It requires a little heat to germinate, and must be grown under 
.glass until the summer time. 
TGarlic, Shallots, and Potato Onions.— The whole of these may 
be planted. A small bed of Garlic will give a good supply, but Shallots 
may be more extensively planted. The large varieties of these are 
showy, but in quality they are not quite so good as the old fashioned 
sort, and it is this which forms the bulk of our crop. The roots are 
planted in rows 1 foot apart, with a distance of 6 inches between the 
bulbs, and they are simply planted by being pushed into the surface of 
the ground until they are almost hidden in the soil. Potato Onions are 
treated in the same way, only they are kept a few inches further apart 
as the bulbs are larger. 
Horseradish. —Where this is degenerating lift the whole of it, 
select the thickest and straightest roots and dibble them into deep 
fresh ground at a distance of 20 inches by 15 inches. This crop is 
generally neglected and consigned to some out-of-the-way corner, but it 
is in frequent demand in the kitchen, and roots about as thick as one’s 
wrist are always acceptable. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Vines. — Early Houses .—Early Grapes approaching the stoning 
process will require careful treatment, ventilating early in the day, 
affording a little air at 70°, increasing the heat to 85° with sun, closing 
at 80°, and if an advance follow to 85° or 90° all the better. Avoid cold 
draughts—they cause rust more than anything else ; and if red spider 
appear paint the return pipes with sulphur, keeping the evaporation 
troughs replenished with guano water or liquid manure, and water the 
inside border with water at 80°. 
Fruiting Vines in Pots .—These require generous treatment, such as 
liquid manure 10° warmer than the house in which they are growing, 
affording it also to the plunging material where the roots are allowed to 
find their way from the bottom of the pots and over the rims, encou¬ 
raging the Vines to make plenty of foliage, as close pinching only 
restricts the root growth, there being nothing like plenty of feeders to 
.secure well swelled berries. 
Succession Houses .—Disbud, and when the bunches show increase the 
temperature to 55° to 60° at night, 65° by day, rising to 70° or 75° from 
■sun heat, maintaining a moist genial atmosphere. Tying and stopping 
will need to be attended to as required, allowing all the foliage that can 
have exposure to light and air. 
Late Houses .—If late Vines are not yet cleared of fruit it should be 
done at once, pruning the Vines, applying styptic or knotting to the 
euts, dressing the Vines and borders, keeping the house as cool as pos¬ 
sible, so as to afford a period of rest. Examine Grapes in rooms, as one 
mouldy berry soon destroys a bunch ; the more equable the temperature 
the better they will keep. The room being dry and frost-proof they will 
keep plump. Muscats and Lady Downe’s, and other late varieties, may 
now be encouraged to move, as the fruit keeps much better when the 
Vines break early in March, time being allowed for the thorough ripen¬ 
ing of the Grapes before the cold and sunless weather. The inside 
borders must be brought into a thoroughly moist state by the application 
of water at a temperature of 85° or 90°. Little, if any, advantage is 
derived by Vines started now from covering the outside borders with 
fermenting materials, but a protection of litter or other material should 
be provided to prevent chill from cold rains or snow. 
Peaches and Nectarines. -Earliest House.- Tying and regulating 
the young growths will be necessary as they advance, in doing which allow 
plenty of room for the shoots swelling. Avoid overcrowding the foliage, 
every leaf should have light and air. Those shoots retained to attract the 
sap to the fruit must be kept closely pinched to one leaf after having 
been previously stopped. Be not deceived by the syringing— i.e., making 
the surface of the border look wet whilst the soil beneath may be too 
dry, but give good waterings, and if the trees are weakly apply liquid 
manure. If the syringings morning and afternoon fail to keep red 
spider in check employ softsoap, 2 ozs. to the gallon of water. The 
temperature should be maintained at 60° to 65° by artificial means, 
a fall to 55° on cold mornings being much better for the trees than 
hard firing, .which only induces attenuated growth. 
Second Early House. —The trees will now want attention in disbud¬ 
ding, doing it gradually, removing the strongest and ill-placed, thinning 
the fruit where too thickly set by first removing the smallest and those 
on the under side of the branches, but avoid wholesale thinning and 
disbudding. The temperature should be kept at 55° at night in cold 
weather, and a little warmer, or 60°, in mild, but a comparatively low 
night temperature is preferable to a high one ; 65° by day with an 
advance to 70° or 75° from sun heat, and free ventilation from 65°. 
Syringing must be practised morning and afternoon. 
Third Succession House. —Trees started early in the month will be in 
flower, and must have attention in fertilising the flowers by shaking the 
trellis or dusting them with a camel-hair brush. Syringing must cease 
whilst the trees are in flower, but the floor should be sprinkled morning 
and afternoon, avoiding cold currents of air, but ventilating freely. 
Maintain a temperature of 50° at night, 55° by day by artificial means, 
advancing to 65° or more with sun, but not without full ventilation. 
House to Afford Fruit in Late July or Early August. —This should be 
closed early in March, syringing twice a day until the buds show colour, 
when it must cease. Maintain a temperature of 50° by day, and 40° to 
45° at night, advancing to 65° with sun. Make a careful examination 
of the border, and if at all dry afford a thorough supply of water. If 
there is a very plentiful supply of blossom remove that at the back or 
under side of the trellis by drawing the hand the reverse way of the 
growth. 
Late Houses. —Many are unheated, which is a mistake, but a greater 
still is having the roof lights fixed. The roof lights of our late house 
are still off, and not a bud has started, whilst trees against a south 
wall have the buds considerably advanced. Ventilate freely, merely 
excluding frost. Heat is essential in cold localities, as the blossom is not 
safe from severe spring frosts, and the fruit does not ripen perfectly if 
the late summer be cold and sunless. A gentle heat during flowering 
does much towards ensuring a good set, and in autumn artificial heat 
ripens the fruit and wood, plumping the buds wonderfully. See that 
the borders in all the houses do not lack water, but afford it liberally to 
all whe r e the trees are in growth. Outside borders in all cases should 
be protected with litter. 
Pines. —At the commencement of March a batch of suckers should 
be started, which are intended to afford a supply of ripe fruit from 
about December onward through the winter and early summer months. 
The pots most suitable are 5 to 7 inches in diameter, they being per¬ 
fectly clean and dry, draining them with about an inch of crocks of 
moderate size, employing fibrous loam torn up moderately small, reject¬ 
ing the dust, ramming it firmly about the base of the suckers, and 
plunging in a bottom heat of 90° to 95° at the base of the pots. No 
water should be applied until new roots are formed, which will take ten 
days to a fortnight. A close moist pit is the most suitable place for 
these plants, where they can be near the glass ; they will not need 
syringing except the weather be very bright, when slight shading from 
midday sun and a light syringing through a fine rose will be necessary 
about twice a week. The temperature should be kept at 55° to 65° by 
artificial means. Any plants in an unsatisfactory state should be shaken 
out, disrooted, and treated as advised for the suckers. It is advisable 
to leave the small suckers upon the shoots until the end of May, which 
is a good time for another start. Shoots, when the leaves are cut off, 
should be inserted closely together in any pit having a moderate.top and 
bottom heat, where light and air can be obtained, so as to insure a 
sturdy sucker. 
Plants started in December for early summer fruiting will be show¬ 
ing fruit, it being desirable to advance the ripening as much as possible, 
the temperature being sustained at 65° to 70° by artificial means, 
with 5° to 10° more under favourable conditions. If the plants cannot 
be afforded a structure to themselves, which is advisable, they should be 
placed at the hottest end of the fruiting house. With the fruit ad¬ 
vancing the plants will need more water at the roots, going over the 
stock once a week. Recently started plants must be kept at 65° by 
night and 70° by day, keeping the atmosphere for these plants and 
fruiters generally moist, watering as required with weak guano or other 
form of liquid manure. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Hydrangea*. —The earliest plants in 5-inch pots will have heads of 
flowers 2 inches across, and should now be grown in a temperature of 
60° close to the glass in a light position to prevent their being drawn 
too tall. In this stage they must not suffer by an insufficient supply of 
water. A little artificial manure applied to the surface of the soil once 
a fortnight will assist them wonderfully in the development of heads- c f 
large size. Later batches must not be kept too warm until their flower 
