April •!, 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
319 
to plants undet glass, but we are now dealing with the first sowing in 
the open air. Many who have no glass to devote to them will be glad to 
make the first sowing; this may be done at once. Give them the most 
comfortable corner in the garden. Do not sow extensively, a few short 
rows of an early sort will be enough for this month. Open the drills to 
the depth of 3 inches, keep the rows 2 feet apart, and sow rather thickly, 
as if cold weather occurs some of the plants may perish. It is too early 
to sow Canadian Wonder, as it is more tender than Ne Plus Ultra or 
others of this type. In very favourable localities a short row of Runner 
seed may be put in, but the second week in May is early enough to 
begin with them in most districts. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Pines.— Closing houses in which young plants are in course of pre¬ 
paration for fruiting at a high temperature causes soft, drawn, •weakly 
growth, which should be carefully avoided by the employment of as 
little fire heat as practicable, husbanding the sun heat and maintaining 
a moderate moisture in the house, by which means robust growth, com¬ 
bined with sturdy habit, is secured. Sprinkling will be necessary occa¬ 
sionally, especially at closing time, but do not close at a high tempera¬ 
ture, and syringe about twice a week. Employ no more artificial heat 
than is needed to maintain the temperature at 65° or (50° by night and 
70° to 75° by day. Commence ventilating at 73°, 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 83°, 
or between 80° and 90°. Examine the plants regularly, and when water 
is required apply it liberally. Weak liquid manure may be applied with 
advantage to plants swelling, but not ripening their fruit. If the 
plunging material settles down from the pots apply fresh to the surface 
to keep the pots from being acted on by the atmosphere prejudicially. 
In the case of large panes of glass and the sun very powerful a slight 
sliade for an hour or two at midday will be of service, but with small 
squares of glass is not needful. As the fruit ripens both plant and fruit 
may be removed to a cooler house, which will permit its 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 centres of those not required for stock ; one, or at most two, 
suckers should only be retained to a plant. 
Figs. —To obtain well-ripened fruit it is necessary to ventilate very 
freely whenever the weather is favourable, admitting air constantly day 
and night, lessening the supply of water and atmospheric moisture 
when the fruit is fully ripening. When the fruit is swelling the trees 
can hardly have too much water, especially those in pots, also keeping 
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 laterals succeeding at the first or second leaf, avoiding over¬ 
crowding 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 the young growths in the later-started houses and thinning all the 
overcrowded shoots. The borders should have a mulching of half de¬ 
composed manure, and this, with copious waterings, will impart vigour 
to the trees. The night temperature, when tne trees are in full leaf, 
should be maintained at 60° to 65°, and 70° by day, allowing it to rise to 
80° or 85° from sun heat. The cuttings having been inserted some time 
ago as advised, and it being intended to grow them in pots for fruiting, 
they 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 get 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 ad¬ 
mixture of a sixth of old mortar rubbish, a sprinkling of half-inch bones, 
and a little decomposed manure, the whole well incorporated, will suit 
them admirably, employing plenty of drainage, as it is necessary that 
the water pass away freely. 
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 water liberally at the roots, providing 
plenty of atmospheric moisture. Avoid overcropping ; it not only 
diminishes the size of the fruits, but is fatal to high quality, which 
is everything in a Melon. Apply liquid manure liberally when the 
fruit is swelling and nearly ripe, but avoid stimulating plants before 
they have set their fruit. When the fiuit commences ripening lessened 
supplies of water will be needed ; avoid, 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 allow the foliage to flag ; attend regularly to setting the fruit, 
and do not prune if possible during the setting period, but stop the 
growths as the flower upon each is fertilised. Maintain a night tempe¬ 
rature of 70° to 75° by day, and 83° to 90° with sun heat, ventilating 
moderately, avoiding as much as possible sudden fluctuations of tem¬ 
perature. 
Later plants, especially those in pits or frames, will now lie showing 
fruits, and unless they are in abundance remove the first, for it is im¬ 
portant that the female blossoms be nearly of one stage of growth, a 
condition tliat cannot always be secured ; but there will be no difficulty 
with plenty of foliage in securing five or six female blossoms of simul¬ 
taneous growth on each plant which should be fertilised. Maintain a 
good bottom heat, ami maintain a dry condition in 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 to earth 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. —Water abundantly in houses, and keep plenty of 
moisture in the atmosphere all day by frequent damping, syringing both 
ways about 3.30 P.M., closing at the same time. Shading may be neces¬ 
sary in the middle of the day for an hour or two in bright weather to 
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 a 
good bottom heat. Ventilate early and moderately, husbanding the sun 
heat by early closing, employing a thick night covering, as the nights 
are yet cold. Avoid overcrowding, keeping the shoots stopped to one 
joint beyond the fruit, removing 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 being examined every 
day and the wireworms destroyed. For woodlice place boiled Potatoes 
wrapped loosely in a little hay in flower pots, and stand the pots where 
the woodlice abound, examining them every day and destroying those 
secreted in the hay. A toad or two placed in a frame will soon destroy 
many woodlice. To secure straight fruits employ glass tubes. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
AbutV&ns .—Plants that are trained to cover walls or pillars in various 
houses may now be well pruned back if they are to be in good condition 
until next season at this time. When the plants are expected to bloom 
over a long period of time hard pruning should be resorted to. This, 
combined with a judicious system of thinning during the growing 
season, will insure a succession of bloom for at least eight or nine 
months of the year. If the roots are restricted in borders remove a 
good portion of the surface soil and top-dress them with equal parts of 
good loam and manure. A good batch of cuttings of dwarf free- 
flowering varieties may now be rooted singly in 2 or 3-inch pots, and 
afterwards transferred into 5 or 6-inch pots. These, if grown for a 
time in heat, will make valuable plants for the decoration of the con¬ 
servatory during the summer months. Plants rooted some time ago may 
be transferred into the last size, and as soon as they commence flowering 
may be removed to the conservatory. 
Habrothamnux eleganx. —A very useful plant for covering walls and 
pillars; for the latter few equal it when trained 10 or 12 feet high, 
and then allowed to form a large head. Such plants that have done 
flowering should be cut hard back, for by this means only can they be 
kept clean and presentable. Those pruned now will before another 
autumn make shoots 6 or 7 feet in length, which will droop gracefully, 
and will flower from the axil of every leaf. The flowers of this plant 
during the winter are invaluable for the system of table decoration now 
in vogue. By lamplight the flowers have the appearance of coral, and 
are most striking on the white tablecloth. 
Clematis indivisa, lobata. —If not already done plants that have 
ceased flowering should be well pruned back, especially large established 
plants that would become crowded if the whole of last year’s shoots 
were left. This plant flowers on the ripened wood of the current sea¬ 
son’s growth, therefore every endeavour must be made to produce 
abundance of growth, which after flowering may be thinned and pruned 
back. If the roots are restricted top-dress with rich soil and feed 
liberally with stimulants after they start into growth. Young plants 
that it may be necessary to extend need not be pruned. 
Big non ia grandiflora. —This and other varieties that are used for 
furnishing the roof and pillars of the conservatory and greenhouse 
should be examined, and their shoots tied and arranged for the season. 
Prune all that flower from ripened wood, and train the branches thinly, 
so that light and air can penetrate freely to harden and ripen them. It 
is useless to plant Bignonias in houses densely shaded, for they will 
not flower. The wood must be thoroughly ripened if a profusion of 
bloom is expected. B. venusta and some others make capital evergreen 
pillar climbers for those houses that are heavily shaded. 
Lapagerias. — These will now be growing freely and require 
abundance of water at their roots. If confined in small borders weak 
stimulants may be given every alternate time water is needed, clear soot 
water being very beneficial. Keep the shoots from the glass, but not 
tied in too tightly. They flower better, and present a more striking 
appearance when all the small growths are drawn below the wires on 
which the main branches are trained. This process somewhat arrests 
growth, and the shoots become finn and hard, and large racemes of 
bloom are the result. Young plants that are to be extended should have 
the whole of the shoots trained vertically or horizontally, according to 
the mode of training adopted. Keep the house in which these plants 
are grown cool and airy, for the ends of the shoots quickly discontinue 
growth when the atmosphere is close. 
Tacsonias and Acacias .—These, as well as other greenhouse 
climbers that have flowered, must be pruned and their growths re¬ 
gulated. If left for a season or two they become crowded, and light is 
excluded from the plants below. Arrange the main branches thinly, so 
that the roof will be evenly covered by the end of the season ; but with 
well established plants of Tacsonias and Passifloras the shoots require 
