30 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Apiiil 13, 1858. 
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berry, debilitates the whole system of the plant, and helps, with 
other evils, to produce shanking, shrivelling, rusty, and bad 
coloured fruit. (See a former article on the shrivelling up of 
Pc&ch blossom.) 
3. Covering Vine Borders. —Lately the whole subject was 
discussed, and an attempt was made to show, that the nearer 
the roots were to the surface the greater the need, not only of 
protection but of such an amount of heat thrown into the 
border, by covering, as would make the roots in advance of 
the branches, where forcing much was resorted to. This cover¬ 
in'? should remain just as long as it will tend to keep the border 
warmer than the sun would make it without its help, when it 
should be removed. Even if there is not depth enough m the 
covering to throw heat into the soil, yet if put on early in 
autumn, and cold rains and snows do not get through it, it 
may be perfectly successful in preventing heat, stored up m 
summer, escaping from the border. Those who have never 
tried such a border, with a thermometer, would be surprised 
to find how comfortable it might be kept all the winter by a 
thinnish covering of straw, if so put on that the wet could not 
get easily through it, and put on so early that the ground had 
not parted previously with its summer temperature. 
4. Digging Vine Borders—If the roots are deep, this will do 
no harm, if the spade does not reach them. It the roots are 
near the surface, and thoroughly under command, the spade 
would be perfect ruination. A scratch with the point of a 
fork, an inch or so in depth, is all such a bordei should get. 
If there are no roots within a foot or eighteen inches of the 
surface, a forking to that depth would cio good, as letting the 
air in among them. In such a case, a little covering, to ex¬ 
clude frost, is all that you require, as you could hardly expect 
to throw heat downwards to such a depth by any amount of fer¬ 
menting material. When well drained I have known such 4 mcs 
do weR both early and late. When you wish to have roots, as 
well as tops, under control, I would advise one of two tilings 
with such Vines. Either remove the surface soil, so as to 
bring sun and roots nearer each other; or take up the roots in 
autumn, as soon as the fruit was cut, and place them within 
six or nine inches of the surface. 
5. Watering ivith Guano-ivater — Generally in spring the 
ground is rather too wet to need more watering ; but if pro¬ 
tected from autumn rains, and sheltered from wet during the 
winter, and it is not already extra stuffed with organic matter, 
few things would be more telling than a good watering with 
manure water, at a temperature of about 80 , after the Vines 
are growing. As the strength of the manure, unless the roots 
are very near the surface, will not reach the roots at once, 
two ounces of guano for three gallons of water would not be 
too much. If the roots are within six inches, or less, of the 
surface, half of that quantity of guano will be amply sufficient. 
The state of the border must, therefore, be your guide. 
6. Combining Vinery with Greenhouse Blants. —If you 
commence to force in the beginning of March, you will be able 
to do little good with Pelargoniums, Calceolarias, Cinerarias, 
&c., after that time; the increased heat will elongate, or draw 
them too much, and render them liable to hosts of green fly. 
You may, however, have a nice show in winter of Camellias, 
Epacris, and such Heaths a3 Hyemalis, and Willmoredna, 
along with early Cinerarias, Chinese Primulas, and Dutch 
bulbs of all sorts. The flowering of these would be nearly 
over before the extra heat was applied, and that extra heat, 
and a little shade from the Vine leaves, would just be the thing 
for encouraging growth in the Camellias, and Epacris, after 
the latter were pruned ; and both could be set out of doors in 
July and August. 
7. Vinery with Bedding Blants. —With only one structure, 
the same evils will result ; if you commence forcing on the 1st 
of March, the Verbenas, Calceolarias, Pelargoniums, &c., will 
be rendered so weak that they will suffer greatly when trans¬ 
ferred to the beds. One of two courses with respect to them, 
I should advise. Either defer forcing for three weeks or a 
month, and then the Vine will be swelling naturally, and the 
hardier plants, such as Calceolarias and Verbenas, being taken 
out first, when the heat is raised above 45° at night, could be 
protected a little with a few branches, or a sheet of calico, or a 
mat at the foot of a fence, removing it in fine days ; or, if you 
resolve to commence on the 1st of March, and still have a 
number of plants for your flower garden, construct some¬ 
thing in the shape of a cold pit for yourself, into which the 
Calceolarias and Verbenas might be removed first; leaving the 
scarlet Geraniums, &c., the longest in the house. An earth pit, 
say five feet wide, eighteen inches high at back, and nine 
inches in front, would be a very simple matter. Rut if turf, 
or slabs, could be obtained, it would be better still. If earth, 
or turf, a slight rail might be fastened to small posts on each 
side. Various modes of protection, such as straw mats, 
hurdles, and Russian mats may be resorted to. Rut I prefer 
the following, which I have used for some years. It the pit is 
about five feet, or nearly so in width, strong unbleached 
calico, to reach across from side to side? may be procured for 
about fivepcnce or sixpence per yard run. On each side of 
that calico, and about three feet apart, I have a tape loop^to 
go over a nail fixed in the rail on each side ot the pit. l or 
every eight or ten yards in length, I have two poles, say seven 
feet in length, and to these the two ends of the calico are 
securely fixed; leaving about a foot of the poles at each end 
unoccupied by the calico. The calico is rolled on one pole. 
The other pole is fixed across one end of the pit. Walking 
onwards, with one end of the other pole resting on the.rail at 
the back, and that turning round as well as the end of the pole 
in your hand, you leave the calico behind you. Then strain it 
tight, and fasten this pole as w r ell as the one at the other end. 
Go along and place the calico loops on each side over the rails, 
and you have a roof, that will let in a great deal of light, and 
send off heavy rains. To prevent bagging in the middle, 
place such sticks as would do for Hollyhocks, or Dahlias, 
across the pit from side to side, before you use the calico, and 
that will keep it straight. I generally plant out under such 
protection, and raise the plants in May for the places in which 
they are to bloom. If that planting is done early, as in the 
beginning of March, more covering in the shape of mats, or 
straw, will be required in very severe weather. After the end 
of March, it is seldom that more will be required than the 
calico. What I like the calico for, is the great saving of labour 
it secures. Provided the plants are well watered at the roots 
when turned out, and dry soil to prevent the cooling effects of 
evaporation put on the surface, I have seldom needed to give 
either water or to remove the calico for two or three weeks. 
Enough of light is admitted to cause the plant to grow freely; 
enough of air gets through to prevent them from being drawn, 
and they are alike secured from a burning sun, and a parching, 
drying-up east wind. When you wish to water, or give a full 
exposure in a mild, dull day, so as thoroughly to harden off, 
you can unloop and roll the calico up, quicker than I can write 
a couple of lines. The same calico, if taken care of, will last 
many years. Where the most is to be made of a greenhouse 
vinery, as respects Grapes and bedding plants, I know of no 
such suitable, economical adjuncts as such turf pits, supplied 
with such a calico covering ; a large flower garden may thus 
be supplied with bedding plants from but a small greenhouse 
vinery. 
8. Cucumbers in a Vinery. —Wherever there is an open 
space, and the leaves can be placed at a foot or fifteen inches 
from the glass, these will answer well; but they should not 
be introduced until the average night temperature ranges 
from 60° to 65°. Eor very long kinds, the temperature should 
be from 65° to 70°. The varieties Kenyon and Sion House 
will do admirably at an average of from 60° to 65° at night, 
with a rise of from 10° to 15° in a sunny day. In such a 
sized box, as that described, I would prefer two to three plants. 
Rut, supposing I wished to get what early fruit I could from 
a plant, without caring much what became of it afterwards, I 
would, by cross boards, divide such a box into three divisions ; 
place the strongest plant in the centre, take some fruit from 
it, then pull it out, reserve the soil and the dividing boards, 
and fill up with fresh soil, which would encourage the two 
side plants; and if these were afterwards surface dressed and 
well watered with manure water, it is no paradox to say that, 
other circumstances being suitable, the Cucumbers from such 
a box would soon weigh down the earth in which the plants 
are grown.—R. Fish.] 
HEATING OF GREENHOUSES. 
“ Being about erecting two houses for greenhouse plants, I 
should like to know the most economical way ot heating 
them. They are simply for Geraniums, and similar plants, 
