50 
THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. 
October 2o. 
The subjects may be Vines, Peaches, Nectarines, or 
any of those dainty fruits which go to make up a 
modern dessert. I do not, of course, include Pines, as 
they do not belong, strictly, to the forcing department. 
The success of early forcing, then, depends chiefly on 
a healthy and fruitful tree, one that has gone through 
its due degrees of growth, maturity, and rest, and that 
has a good volume of root beneath, situated in a proper 
medium. These, beyond all question, are the chief 
points for consideration. 
There may be more ways than one of attaining these 
points; and, in truth, many such ways may meet in 
one centre. Tt is admitted by all, that well-ripened 
wood is one necessary condition; but wood to be well- 
ripened must have been I'reely developed, possessed a 
freedom from insects, been matured from a healthful 
root, and received the other accessories to a fruitful 
habit which are known to most gardeners. So much 
for the conditions requisite as to the ripening and ; 
perfecting the wood; the development of the buds is 1 
altogether another affair. j 
, But, then, in Vineries, Peach-houses, &c., there is , 
something to say about the root; for it will not do to [ 
force a branch into activity without a lively root, i 
Granted ; the brauch may advance, may ju’oduce pretty | 
good fruit; but, in all such cases, the constitution of j 
the tree has to pay the ])enalty. ’ 
Many a gardener, however, is sorely pttzzled when in ; 
such a fix. He has Vines planted nearly a score years ; 
since; perhaps more. Who made the border, it does 
not signify here to relate ; but all is not right beneath; j 
and to hope for better things, by high-spun notions 
of pruning, is about as wise a jiroceeding as to look I 
for a good tune from a cracked fiddle by merely rosin- j 
ing the bow. 
Well, a gardener, on a moderate scale, has a coujde of 
Vineries of this kind; neither first-rate; and it so hi(])peus 
that the family he serves cannot attbrd to lose a crop of 
Grapes for a couple of years,—the time required, under 
ordinary circumstances, to get up young Vines. The 
consequence, then, is, that he pokes on, from year to 
year, with indifferent Grapes; not for want of know¬ 
ledge it may be, but because he dare not cause the afore¬ 
said privation. This is a source of much annoyance to 
many a worthy character; and 1 name it here, to show 
that failures of this kind are not always chargeable on 
ignorance, or apathy; but result from a kind of ex¬ 
pediency, before which even princes succumb in the 
hour of need. 
But to come back to my starting point more closely. 
I would here observe on the condition of outside 
borders as matters of grave consideration. We all 
know that many early-forced things have outside roots, 
perhaps inside as well, and that, as a matter of common 
sense, the roots should be in an equal condition as to 
temperature. 
Now, it is well-known that many good gardeners, as a 
proper antecedent to a course of early forcing, think it 
expedient to create an artificial warmth by means of 
fermenting materials. That the principle is correct, up 
to a certain point, there can be no doubt; but even 
without such warmth from fermentation much may be 
done. 
A good sound thatching with clean straw is of eminent 
service, esjiecially if the thatch could be laid on rather 
tliickly, say nine inches deep; but, in fact, one portion of 
this might be dry litter of any kind, taking cave that 
the thatch is laid on so as to keep out rain. It is now 
about twenty years, or more, since I recommended the 
use ot a tarpaulin to cover the litter of borders, and I 
much doubt it anything can be more effective as to the 
end in view. I believe, that if nine inches in depth of 
dry litter were put on the border of the early Vinery at 
the end of August, and covered by a tarpaulin, there 
would bo no urgent necessity for powerful fermenting j 
materials. J say at tlie end of August, but I do not | 
think it would be worth while to be particular to a week 
or two, sooner or later; the object should be to catch 
the border when tolerably dry, and to secure it from the 
inroads of more wet. 
It is of no use philosophising in this affair about 
sheltering out the air and such like. I believe it is 
understood that some of our best gardeners have even 
concreted the surface of their borders, and that it has 
succeeded admirably. 
I need scarcely uige, here, that where borders are 
soured, or hold too much water, draining, even as in 
agricultural matters, should he the foundation-stone to 
all real progress. 
The dressiug of the wood of Vines, Peaches, &c., is 
another of the most important steps in early forcing. We 
can never depend on security from insects without tbi.s 
precaution. Indeed with it, and all appliances, it takes 
all our energies in these days, when tliat obscure army, 
the fungi—from the Field Mildew up to that pest of the 
Vine, the Oidiinn Tuckeri —threaten to destroy or over¬ 
run, at no distant period, our fields and our Vineyards. 
I am not aware that any mixtures have been devised 
better than soft soap, sulphur, and clay water; these, 
with the addition of a little lime, to show where the 
dressing has missed, are materials that will e.xtirpate 
most of the enemies of our fruit-trees. 
I have alluded to these proceedings merely as hints 
to the young gardener and the amateur ; all the above 
points are familiar enough to professionals. 
Where the borders are entirely inside the houses 
another practice must be had recourse to. Most good 
gardeners keep such borders tolerably dry from the 
moment the fruits ripen, and there can be no doubt as 
to the propriety of such practice. About a fortnight 
prior to what is termed the commencement of forcing, 
however, the inside borders, if dry, should have a 
thorough soaking with water, which may he applied at 
a temperature of 90°. This may seem high to some, 
but let it be considered, that by the time it reaches the 
volume of the roots it will not be more than 80°. 
Borders of this kind generally contain fissures when in 
a dry condition, and the best practice, as I think, is to 
water thoroughly with clean water first, and on the 
following day to follow with some good liquid-manure, j 
Sometimes it is necessary to apjjly more surface-soil; ! 
this, however, should be done with caution, and chopped j 
turf in a half-decayed state, is, perhaps, the best thing 
to dress with. The surface of inside borders is apt to 
become powdery, and to lose its organic matter; 1 
should advise that this be swept ofl' before watering, 
and, of course, before surface-dressing. 
R. EltRIKGTON. 
KEW GARDENS. 
{Continued from page 30.) 
Unfortunatfxy, I am as dull among Ferns as in 
florists’ flow’ers, and I shall never attempt to teach by 
hearsay, else I woidd rattle up such a story about this 
hardy Fern-house as would induce you to give up your 
Pelargoniums, aird all your goniums, and do little else 
in future but buy and collect Ferns, and grow them as 
they do at Kew; and yet I have seen Fern hay-ricl;s 
made, one cut of which would take more, in bulk, than | 
all tlie Ferns at Kew put together would make. Here, j 
again, a wide departure is made from the old pot; not | 
quite so deep, atid much wider in the mouth, seems ti' | 
answ'er better for Ferns, at least, for very many of them. ■ 
You never saw a cheaper way, or a better way of ; 
making shelves, or stages for Ferns, than they have here; i 
I and were it only for the pleasure of doing so much, for a j 
