132 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ June, 
where they are to grow, so much the greater will be their chance of success. This 
remark applies to various fruits, even such as Cherries, which may be taken up 
thus in early autumn, forced moderately, and fruited with success the same season. 
It is not even necessary to wait until the leaves have fallen off, though judgment 
must be used to ascertain whether they have ceased to exert their primary 
functions to a useful degree or not. The same remarks apply with equal force 
to more lowly productions, in the form of Ehubarb or Seakale. The earlier 
these can be induced to make a robust growth, so much the better will be the 
supply of organisable material. 
In regard to actual forcing, these hardier subjects fall under two distinct heads, 
viz., those w^hich are forced for the purpose of obtaining good crops of fruit; and 
those which are forced for their early flowers alone, irrespective of any considera¬ 
tions as to the value of the plants themselves. The former group, representing 
the growing and bringing to early maturity and perfection of various hardy 
and semi-hardy fruits, such as Peaches^ Cherries^ Strawberries^ and even Grapes, 
demands by far the greatest amount of skill, and involves an amount of uninter¬ 
mitted study and close attention which would surprise the unitiated or superficial 
observer. And yet in the description of the necessary formula very few sentences 
are called for. We need at starting but to imitate our own actual spring, under 
its most favourable conditions, by rejecting all its harsher, non-felicitous, fluctuat¬ 
ing features. Thus, for any house or structure containing such subjects, we take 
a temperature of 45° as a starting-point to induce a gentle activity, a few, 5° or 
6° more being admissible, with actual sun-heat, and with an air on, but not one 
degree more by night, save as the warmth of the outer atmosphere may influence 
it, and even then it were better to afford air in lieu of permitting an increase of 
temperature. By this means, and an occasional damping over of the wood and other 
cool internal surfaces, the flower or wood-buds will be induced to ‘‘break.” At 
the first symptoms of actual activity, let the heat be very gradually increased, 
by say 1° in every three days, up to a mean of 55°, or temperate. This, when 
attained to, should during all further progress be maintained as a minimum. It 
is a safe temperature, as with ordinary care in air-giving, and affording moderate 
supplies of moisture, (fcc., a sound healthy advance will be assured,—without 
fail. When the plants are in bloom, a dry, buoyant, or rarified atmosphere 
must be maintained to aid the setting of the flowers; and immediately a suffi¬ 
ciency of fruit is set, a slight increase of heat and moisture must be allowed— 
moving gently, but certainly onwards until the middle of March or beginning 
of April is reached, when the general treatment should be merged into such as 
I have described in my former paper (No. II.) as being necessary for tropical fruits, 
and which must be continued until the fruits ripen, and the wood is prepared and 
properly ripened for the ensuing season, which may be early or late in autumn. 
Finally, those subjects which are forced to produce very early flowers must 
have at the commencement a very high temperature, with moisture in abundance. 
