86 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
October 9, 1886. 
of tlie eye, and not higli up overhead, vhicli necessitates 
neck straining and twisting to get a glimpse of them. 
By placing them thus within easy view, their huge 
massive flowers are seen to advantage ; or if baskets he 
not at hand, a few may be suspended in pots, which 
would he equivalent. 
Taken as a whole, Mr. Owen’s Begonias make up a 
magnificent display, such, indeed, as is rarely, if ever, 
witnessed in the provinces ; and judging by the size 
attained, to which may be added form and substance of 
its blossoms individually, one would imagine that 
further improvement was impossible ; not so, however, 
with the closer observer and the enthusiastic florist, 
whose labours are marked with that amount of 
assiduity, which, after all, is the key-note of their 
success.-— J. 
-->£< 5 -- 
THE CULTURE OF FRUITS 
IN POTS. 
Where a large quantity of fruit is required from a 
limited quantity of glass, culture in pots, in my 
opinion, is the most simple and profitable way of 
obtaining it. Pot fruit is condemned by many as being 
flavourless ; and though the crop be sufficient to repay 
for the trouble of potting, watering, etc., the fruit is 
said to be small and unfit for a gentleman’s table. 
This, in my opinion, is an erroneous idea, as I have 
seen trees of Peaches and Nectarines carrying as many 
as fifteen dozen of splendid fruits—size, colour, and 
flavour being equal to those picked from trees planted 
out in houses specially devoted to their culture. As 
Peaches, Nectarines, Plums, and Pears will all succeed 
under the same treatment, I will confine my remarks 
especially to them, and, doubtless, what I have to say 
may be of use, at least, to some of your readers. 
The Houses. 
The construction and position of the houses is one of 
the most important things in all fruit growing, 
especially for pot-work. The houses must be in the 
sunniest position, and built of the lightest materials, 
as light is the chief object. Two houses are needed 
if anything like a succession is to be kept rvp ; one a 
cold house, the other with a flow and return pipe 
round, will be found to answer admirably. Span- 
roofed houses not too lofty, are the best, with door¬ 
ways large enough to allow the trees to be taken out 
and in as required. There must be ample ventilation, 
both top and bottom, and in the front. I 
prefer the lights to open individually, so as to admit 
of air being given where required. Lean-to houses 
answer almost as well, and also admit of the 
back wall being utilized for trees planted out if re¬ 
quired, as there will be sufficient light forthcoming 
from between the trees to insure good well-coloured 
fruit. 
Purchasing the Trees. 
This can be done at any nursery where a quantity 
of fruit trees is grown, and about the end of October 
is, perhaps, the best time to buy them. Pyramids or 
half-standards are the best, and the purchaser will find 
it more profitable in the long run to obtain a good start 
by giving a fair price for well-trained trees than to 
purchase small sickly ones at a low rate. 
! Preparing the Compost and Potting. 
The soil best adapted for trees is a good yellow 
fibrous loam from an old pasture.a third portion being old 
mortar-rubble that has been put through a f-in. sieve, 
and |-in. bones. If the loam is of a light character, 
so much rubble need not be placed, but I prefer placing 
this to dung, as the loam is more lasting. A shovelful 
or two of soot is also a good ingredient, and a good 
help to keep the foliage green. Do not break up the 
compost too fine, and if in a wet state it will be found 
better for working if a day or two’s sun and air is 
allowed upon it. 
Do not place the trees in too large pots, as nothing 
is gained by overpotting, and the trees, too, will be 
easier for shifting about. Trees fresh from the nursery 
will, when being potted, require to have the tops of all 
straight roots removed to induce them to send out 
young fibres, as these are the roots that sustain the 
tree. Do not use too much drainage, and let the 
roughest pieces of turf be placed next, as the finer 
portion of the compost is liable to block the drainage. 
Do not place the tree too deep, and leave plenty of 
room on the surface for water. The soil must be well 
worked among the roots, and made firm with the pot¬ 
ting stick. In potting old trees, the best time for the 
operation is about the middle of October, and the trees 
then should have all loose soil removed, and straight 
fibreless roots shortened back. Generally, the best 
fibrous roots are on the surface, and it is advisable to 
subject these to as little disturbance as possible. Two 
sizes larger is found to be an ample shift ; particular 
care must be taken to ram the new soil well down to 
the drainage, as when the trees advance again into 
growth, they quickly consume what little new soil is 
allotted to them. 
Trees in large pots or tubs continue fruitful for 
several years if top-dressed every season, and when this 
operation is done, a sharp grained hand-fork to work 
away all loose soil from the surface, will be found best 
to use. As much as possible, without injury to the 
roots through removal, a richer compost than that used 
for potting may be given and well rammed. Bone 
meal is a good lasting manure, and suits trees admirably. 
After all potting and top-dressing is completed, and the 
trees have had a good soaking with water, they can 
be placed in the coldest house for 
Wintering. 
This gives the gardener the'use of another house, viz., 
the w’armest of the two, and which is always handy, 
especially at this season of the year, for flowering Chry¬ 
santhemums or wintering bedding plants, etc. The 
trees may be placed as thickly as necessary and the 
ventilators thrown wide open, except on frosty nights 
or very bad weather, when it will be advisable to close 
the house. On wet or muggy weather an occasional 
w r etting with the sjwinge will be found beneficial, as it 
helps to keep the buds firm and plump. Care must 
be taken not to allow the soil to become too dry, to 
injure the roots ; and if frost sets in, it will be found 
necessary to cover the pots with litter, to protect them 
from being frozen. 
Starting into Growth. 
The time for starting greatly depends on the time 
the fruit is required, and the quantity and size of the 
trees at command, but if Peaches and Nectarines are 
required about the middle of June, the warmest house 
will require to be got ready by the beginning of 
February. The trees of the different kinds of fruit 
intended to be forced must be selected, taking care to 
use the earliest varieties. Where there are two or 
three trees of a variety, it will be advisable to leave 
one for the later house, as this makes more variety in 
each house and is more interesting to the cultivator. A 
temperature of 45° to 50° with a run up to 55° at mid¬ 
day, will be sufficient until the buds commence 
swelling, when a 5° rise may be made. Keep the trees 
and floors well moistened, and take particular care in 
■watering, never allowing the trees to become dry, or 
the buds will fall. In mild weather it is a good plan 
to keep a crack of air on both top and bottom 
ventilators. This, I think, is preferable to shutting off 
fire-heat, as it keeps the atmosphere more growing, and 
is also a help to strengthen the buds. When the 
blooms commence bursting, the temperatures may again 
be increased 5°, and this will be found sufficient until 
the blooms are set. 
Setting and Thinning the Fruit. 
While the trees are in bloom the ventilators must be 
kept well at work, admitting plenty of air on sunny 
days to allow the pollen to become dry for fertilizing; 
and again to be very careful of cold searching winds. 
A camel’s-hair pencil is about the best thing to use, 
and the trees should be gone over every day about 
noon until the fruit is set. Keep the house more dry 
while the trees are in bloom, and when blooms begin 
to fall and the shoots commence growing, then the 
syringe may go to work, particularly when the house 
is closed, when the temperature may be allowed to rise 
to 80° on bright days. When the fruit is about the 
size of nuts, thinning should be done where necessary. 
This operation is not advisable to be done all at once, 
but rather take off a few by degrees ; and again, it is 
a matter of discretion as to how many the cultivator 
may require his trees to carry. Where it is necessary 
to crop heavy, the healthiest and strongest trees must 
be made to do the chief of the work ; as a weak tree, if 
cropped at all heavy, is almost sure to fail. Trees that 
have made a good start may have liquid manure-water 
given them, care being taken not to give them too 
strong a dose at first, but gradually increase its strength 
as the trees increase in growth. Trees of the first year 
seldom do much and if small, it will be better to get 
a season’s growth in them before attempting to fruit 
them. 
After Treatment. 
When the growths have made five or six leaves, 
stopping should be done, and all future growths at a like 
number. A turf placed endways round the inside of 
the pot will be found a great help to watering, and 
where artificial manure is at hand, no fear of its being 
washed out of the pot at watering time need be enter¬ 
tained. The cold house will, of- course, liave been 
coming on naturally, and every encouragement should be 
given. Air may, of course, be given more freely than 
that advised for the earliest house, but still cold draughts 
must be avoided, or the leaves will shrivel, and the 
blooms fail to open perfectly. Fertilization must be seen 
to when the trees are in flower, and if green fly should 
at any time make its appearance, fumigation must be 
done without delay. In orchard houses, nature, in my 
opinion, should be imitated as much as possible, and 
on dull wet days a good syringing will do much good, 
as it keeps down insects, besides freshening up the 
trees. 
Trees that are carrying fruit and swelling freely may 
be well fed with manure water, and a handful of soot 
sprinkled on the surface of the pot and watered in 
occasionally is a good ingredient, and also keeps 
the pots free from worms. Any large trees that have 
failed to carry a crop may be gradually hardened off, and 
placed out of doors in a sunny position. When the fruits 
commence to colour, place the tree (or trees) nearest 
the light, and a crack of air on the nearest ventilator. 
This is what imparts flavour into the fruit, and the 
tree, if turned round occasionally, will help the fruit to 
colour beautifully. When nearing ripeness, a little more 
air should be admitted, and I prefer to pick the fruit a 
day or two before eating, as the practice of netting may 
be then dispensed with, if the trees are carefully gone over 
once a day. Pears should be gathered when they leave 
the stalk easily, and placed on an airy shelf before using; 
but great discretion must be used at what time to send 
them to table, as some varieties so quickly go past 
their best, and are afterwards useless. 
Ripening the Wood. 
As tlie fruit is gathered, place the trees out of doors 
in the full sun, to insure well-ripened wood for the next 
season. It will be advisable to allow trees of the first 
year to remain and make as much growth as possible, 
before placing them outside. I have found it better 
not to plunge the pots, as it helps the trees to make 
more roots, but a very sharp look-out must be kept for 
water. Pruning may be done at potting time, but if 
the shoots are kept stopped at the time advised, very 
little is required. One thing is always advisable, not to 
allow the trees to become too thick ; this can always be 
remedied by keeping the centre of the trees well 
thinned. I prefer a moderately thin tree, to a thick 
one that has been trained in this or that form, with 
growths all thickly grown together, allowing no light 
to reach the fruit, and no chance of the wood attaining 
that rich brown hue that always denotes ripeness. 
Manure-water may always be given in abundance to 
trees that are carrying fruit, and always bear in mind 
the advisability of keeping trees that are ripening fruit 
nearest the glass. Some varieties of fruit, especially 
Peaches, are naturally more mealy, or in some degree 
inferior to others ; but I will endeavour to give the 
names of a few varieties which, in my opinion, are most 
suitable for pot-work. Doubtless, some may know of 
other varieties equally as good, but I will only mention 
those which I have seen and know to do best. 
Select Varieties for Tot Culture. 
Pcaclies: "Waterloo, Hale’s Early, Rivers’ Early 
York, Royal George, Grosse Miguonne, Dagrnar, Yio- 
lette Hative, Bellegarde, Lord Palmerston, Princess of 
Wales, and Desse Tardive. Nectarines: Pine Apple, 
Rivers’ Orange, Lord Napier, Stanwick, Elruge, Yio- 
lette Hative, Newton, and Albert Victor. Pears: 
Williams’ Bon Chretien, Brockworth Park, Souvenir 
du Congres, Beurre Hardy, Louise Bonne of Jersey, 
Duchess d’Angouleme, Bergamotte d’EspereD, Du 
rondeau, Pitmaston Duchess, Marie Louise, and Beurre 
Diel. Plums: Early Favourite, Jefferson, Transparent 
Gage, Victoria, Purple Gage, Reine Claude de Bavay, 
Prince of "Wales, and Coe’s Golden Drop. — Wales. 
