Augn*t 9,1894. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
139 
WOKK^fo^theWEEK,, 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Pines. — Preparing Hovses for Plants. —Thorough cleanliness is 
very important in the cultivation of Pine plants ; wash the houses, 
therefore, as they become vacant before being again employed. 
Attention must be given to the beds, as bottom heat is absolutely 
necessary. Whether the beds are of tan or leaves, the whole should 
be removed at least once a year, as insects, particularly woodlice, 
rapidly increase ; the old material also harbours other vermin. All 
brickwork must be scalded and brushed with fresh made limewash, the 
wood and ironwork with carbolic soap and water, thoroughly cleansing, 
using a brush, keeping the soapy water as much as possible from the 
glass, which should be cleansed inside and outside with water only. If 
necessary, the wood and ironwork may be painted, always in time for 
the paint to become hard before putting in the fermenting material, the 
roof being made as watertight as possible. Beds that are chambered— 
that is, the hot-water pipes covered with slate or other material, are 
■very much in advance of those surrounded or passing through beds of 
rubble. Those composed of the latter should be turned over, and any 
dirt removed to allow the heat given off by the pipes to penetrate 
the whole uniformly to the bed. Provide fresh tan in other cases ; 
if wet, turn it occasionally on fine sunny days. With hot-water pipes 
beneath about 3 feet depth of tan is ample, but more will be needed 
where such aid is not obtained. 
Potting Snchers Started in June. —These will soon have filled the 
pots with roots, and must be shifted into larger pots before the roots 
become closely matted together. Queens are accommodated in 9 or 
10-inch pots, and those of stronger growth in 11-inch pots. Give water 
immediately after potting if the soil be at all dry, and plunge in a bed 
having a temperature of 90° to 95°. Avoid crowding the plants—one 
of the greatest mistakes made in growing young Pines, as they become 
drawn and weakly instead of having a sturdy base, a condition that 
should always be secured if possible. 
Routine. —Attend to the bottom heat of beds that have been 
recently disturbed or upset by removing or replacing plants, not allow¬ 
ing the heat to exceed 95° at the base of the pots without being 
immediately raised, as too much bottom heat will disastrously affect 
plants with fruit, or those having the pots filled with roots. Examine 
the plants for watering about twice a week, and maintain a moist, 
genial, well-ventilated atmosphere. The climatic conditions are now so 
favourable that Pine plants grow luxuriantly, therefore discontinue any 
shading, such as may have been employed for an hour or two at midday, 
when the sun was powerful, through the months of May, June, and 
July, the plants after this having the benefit of every ray of sunlight, 
admitting air plentifully when the temperature ranges from 85° to 95°, 
affording fruiting plants a night temperature of 70° to 75°. Some 
suckers should be reserved on the shoots for starting in September. 
Peacbes and ITectarlnes. — Late Succession Houses, — Every 
attention must be given the trees in syringing to keep the foliage free 
from red spider, and in watering the inside borders. It will be an 
advantage to mulch the borders with short lumpy material, as stable 
manure freed from the straw, but it must not be used in great amount 
at a time in the fresh state, or the ammonia vapour will seriously injure 
the foliage, particularly if the lights for ventilation are kept close, a 
little air constantly being a safeguard against scorching, soft and 
attenuated growth. The value of using manure rather fresh, but not 
rank, as a mulch is that the ammonia given out is inimical to insects 
and invigorating to the plants, the waterings making its soluble con¬ 
stituents available for taking up by the roots, and by being lumpy or 
open atmospheric influences have freer access for effecting the assimila¬ 
tion of food in the soil than when it is practically sealed by a close mass 
of little manurial value. The shoots must be regularly tied-in, allowing 
space in the ligatures for the swelling of the shoots. To assist the 
colouring and ripening of the fruits they should be exposed as much as 
possible to the influences of sun and air by removing or shortening some 
of the foliage where too thickly placed. When the fruit is on the under 
side of the trellis the shoots may be untied and regulated, so as to bring 
it with the apex to the light, supporting each fruit in position by a lath 
placed across the trellis. Discontinue the syringing when the fruit 
commences to ripen, and lessen the supplies of water ; but on no account 
must water be withheld, to the prejudice of the health of the trees. 
A piece of soft netting (hexagon) placed below the trellis, and so 
arranged as to form pockets to save the fruit from a long run against 
each other, will prevent any fruit being bruised should they fall. Both 
top and bottom ventilation will be necessary constantly, except in cold 
weather, after the fruit commences ripening. 
Late Houses. —Continue syringing the trees as often as necessary to 
keep red spider in check, but avoid keeping the foliage constantly moist. 
Inside borders must be well watered and mulched. Tie in the shoots 
regularly and evenly, keeping them rather thin. Stop any gross shoots, 
or preferably, cut them clean out, thereby causing a division and more 
equalisation of the sap and vigour throughout the tree. When the 
iruit commences swelling after stoning, and it being desired to accele¬ 
rate the ripening of the fruit, close the house somewhat early in the 
afternoon, let the temperature rise to 80°, or 85° or 90°, ventilating a 
little before nightfall. Increase the ventilation early, and keep through 
the day from 70° to 85° whenever practicable. The wood Is so unripe — 
that every possible advantage should be taken of the solar heat alike to 
perfect the current crop and the wood and buds for the ensuing season, 
especially in unheated houses. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Iiate Peas. —The practice of sowing quite new seed of William I., 
Chelsea Gem, or any other early variety directly it is fully ripe is a good 
one, as it usually ends in the production of a few extra late dishes of 
Peas. This season the ripening is very late, but the plan of sowing 
some should yet be tried. New seed germinates the most quickly and 
strongly, and the plants maintain their superiority over those resulting 
from sowing old seed from first to last. Failing new seed, try what 
can be done with old Peas. Select rather high ground, free working, 
and not very poor soil for this crop, and the rows may then survive 
frosts long after those on lower ground have been cut down. Sow the 
taller growing varieties in drills 3 feet apart, and the dwarfs 20 inches 
apart. The ridges between late Celery trenches answer remarkably 
well for the dwarf early varieties, such as Chelsea Gem, English 
Wonder, and William Hurst. A single row may be as much as should 
be sown on each ridge, or otherwise soiling up the Celery may be inter¬ 
fered with. Late sown rows of Ne Plus Ultra, Latest of All, and 
others known to be good mildew-resisting varieties should not suffer from 
want of water or liquid manure at the roots, and they will then do good 
service in October and probably in November. Unless rainfall is 
exceptionally heavy there is seldom enough of it to moisten roots of 
Peas to their full depth. 
Winter Spinach.— The ground for this important crop ought to 
have been prepared ere this. It should be moderately rich and free 
working, cold, badly drained lumpy soil not answering at all well. 
Having a finely divided surface is not enough. If there are lumps 
underneath give the ground a good forking over, and break all clods 
found. Where grubs are troublesome, or a good plant is not often 
obtained, give a surfacing of soot and lime, and well stir this in with a 
Dutch hoe. Drills IJ inch deep should be opened not less than 12 inches 
apart, and if at all dry give a gentle watering prior to sowing the seed. 
Sow the seeds moderately freely, and if unfortunately the ground is 
still somewhat hard and lumpy cover with a little sifted soil. There is 
little likelihood of the first week in August being too early ; but if a 
good breadth of ground is sown now, and more again a fortnight hence, 
no mistake will be made. The Victoria is suitable for this crop, and is 
a fine broad-leaved variety. With this may be sown either the prickly 
seeded or round-seeded forms, one answering quite as well as the other. 
Onions. —During the second week in August Tripoli and other 
Onion seed should be sown. The White Spanish types are quite 
as hardy as the Italian or Tripoli Onions, and ought really to be sown 
freely, especially where Onion maggot is troublesome. The Tripoli, 
notably the white-skinned varieties, are the mildest flavoured, but they 
are the most liable to mildew, and do not keep nearly so well as do the 
White Spanish varieties. Those of the latter that succeed well when 
sown in February or March are equally well adapted for autumn sowing. 
Select rather high and dry, and not very poor ground, and get this into 
a good working condition ; then open drills 10 inches apart, or if ground 
is scarce sow two drills in the spaces between newly planted Straw¬ 
berries. Sow somewhat thickly, as should the plants come up rather too 
thickly the thinnings will prove acceptable for mixing in salads. Spring- 
sown Onions must not be left very thickly this season, and should also 
be kept quite free of weeds, or the probability is many of them will fail to 
mature properly. When the Tripolis and other autumn-sown varieties 
are dying at the tops, and come away very readily from the ground, they 
ought to be cleared off and properly harvested. In hot and dry 
weather they might be left on the ground to harvest ; but in dull 
showery weather they would do best on shutters or boards, or, better 
still, on a dry bed under glass, turning them occasionally in any case. 
Treat underground Onions, Garlic, and Shallots as advised in the case of 
Tripoli Onions. 
Turnips.— When the seed is sown during showery weather the 
seedlings are apt to come up and disappear again just as quickly, slugs 
in particular proving most destructive. If this cannot be checked by 
means of occasional dustings over with soot and lime, and the rows are 
very gappy accordingly, hoe over the ground and sow more seed. A 
considerable breadth of Potatoes ought now to have been either dug or 
be quite fit for lifting, and Turnips should be sown in close succession 
as well as in quantity now, in order to have abundance for storing and 
leaving on the ground during the winter. Chirk Castle Blackstone is 
one of the best for this important crop, and with this may be sown 
Veitch’s Redstone, Orange Jelly, and Snowball. Sow the seed thinly in 
drills 15 inches apart. 
Tomatoes. —Now is a good time to place a number of strong young 
plants in fruiting pots, the 11-inch size answering well. Use a good 
loamy compost, and only about three-parts fill the pots at first, this 
allowing good room for top-dressing later on. Should the weather be 
hot and dry during the next three weeks the plants may safely be stood 
in a sunny sheltered spot till September, but in the event of its being 
showery then the plants will be safer under glass. Potato disease has 
already shown itself in different localities, and will most probably soon 
spread to Tomatoes in the open. If room can be spared a row of plants 
might also be planted in narrow ridges of loamy soil and trained up the 
roof, say in succession to Melons or Cucumbers, They set and ripen 
