July 9, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
711 
a more even crop this year. So far we have escaped 
any scalding, hut if proper attention is paid to the 
ventilation this can he reduced to a minimum ; 
generally speaking, there is not much danger until 
just before the fruit begins to colour ; hut if care is 
taken previously to obtain foliage of a good substance, 
much of the danger is averted. 
The succession vinery is now nearly ready for 
cutting from, and less watering and damping must be 
done ; care being taken that the house is not damp at 
closing-up time. As the fruit is cleared, keep the Vines 
thoroughly syringed morning and evening. Cucum¬ 
bers in pits will need going over at least twice a week 
to keep the bine stopped and arranged; above all 
things avoid over-crowding, rather prune all un¬ 
necessary growth away, that what is left may fully 
develop. The same remarks apply to 
Melons, only that more care is necessary and par¬ 
ticularly so as to the watering. All damp should as 
much as possible be kept from the centre of the 
mounds, or the plants are very apt to canker off; a 
little lime placed round the stems is considered a useful 
remedy and preventative. We have potted off the 
Melons sown last'weelc, returning them to the frames, 
where they do much better than if housed. Keep all 
ripe fruit cut from the Tomato plants, and feed liberally 
with manure water every time ; the Hackwood Park 
variety is doing by far the best with us this season. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Watering. —Much of our time is perforce spent in 
watering the different crops, but really, unless mulch¬ 
ings are given, the benefit derived is very doubtful ; 
of course all kinds of salads must receive daily atten¬ 
tion, or they will be worthless. We mulched and 
thoroughly soaked our early border of French Beans, 
and now the pods are swelling away nicely. There was 
a danger of our having a break in the supply, as those 
grown in the pits are nearly over ; however, now all is 
put right. Peas fill very badly, and the crop is 
anything but satisfactory, the heat being so intense. 
Yesterday, the thermometer in the open, facing the 
north, and guarded by a stake 1J ins. thick, registered 
102°, and on our heavy soil everything suffers terribly 
in such a season as the present ; the grass walks are as 
brown and as bare almost as a road. We have 
manured and dug a square ready for a new 
Strawberry Plantation, and then by planting 
good early layers we hope to obtain a crop of fruit 
the first season. Herbs, as they come into flower, 
must be cut and hung up in some airy shed to dry 
before being stored, or they are apt to go mouldy. 
Shallots are ready for lifting, and must be attended to ; 
we shall lay them out thinly on a hard surface, 
thoroughly exposed, so that they may be thoroughly 
ripened. Garlic must remain some time longer. The 
barometer is falling, and there is some likelihood of a 
fall, in which case all haste will be made in the 
planting out of green crops ; ground should also be 
prepared ready for the sowing of Parsley, which will 
afford winter and spring pickings. — Walter Child, 
Croome Court. 
-->I<-- 
Hardening ffoTEs from 
■{Scotland. 
Vegetable Notes.— Asparagus.— Where this 
is grown in quantity for forcing it is well to keep the 
stock thin, so that sun and air may get amongst the 
crowns to prepare them for early supplies—say during 
the latter end of October and onwards. But it need 
hardly be supposed that one can get fine heads half-an- 
inch and more in diameter from northern produce, 
unless the position is exceptionally favourable. We 
make a purchase from parts where A.sparagus is raised 
for forcing as a speciality, ripened early and well. 
This vegetable (so much valued as a delicious adjunct 
to the dinner table at any time) is a universal favourite 
when ready to succeed the autumn Cauliflowers and 
latest Peas, aud is a good contemporary with Sea Kale 
and French Beans. To keep up a supply front Novem¬ 
ber to the following July requires abundant means to 
meet a moderate demand, and where ground is limited 
in extent it is an economical practice to purchase the 
Toots for earliest supplies. To get plump strong crowns, 
liberal soakings with manure water and several dustings 
of salt may be allowed during the “dog-days” and 
onward to the middle of August. Heavy soil or light 
sandy ground exposed to full sun suggests the treat¬ 
ment which the plants require ; on the former less 
moisture and stimulant is necessary, but on such 
positions as the latter one can hardly be too liberal. 
We prefer the plants that are grown in rows, which 
can be lifted easily, and, if desirable, may be trenched 
for a succession plantation ; but a change of land is 
sometimes desirable. 
French Beans, &c.— The present time is very 
suitable to make a sowing of kidney Beans on a well- 
sheltered border exposed to full sun, and upon which 
a frame can be placed towards the end of August or 
earlier. Pits not required till winter may have sowings 
of these made in them, and the lights could be placed 
over them when required for protection or to hasten 
their fruiting. Such applies chiefly to untoward 
districts ; but it is also well to have such auxiliaries in 
the far south, where we have seen French Beans 
much injured during August by early frost. Where 
abundance of means are at command to apply artificial 
heat for forcing French Beans in quantity to succeed 
the outdoor supplies, the above suggestions are of 
little consequence: but economy in fuel and glass 
space is duly considered, and the precautions indicated 
are not out of place. 
Now is a favourite time in the north to make sowings 
of Lettuce, Turnips, Carrots, Cabbages, and Onions 
for drawing young. Brown Cos and Hick’s Hardy 
Lettuces are two of the best we have tried for autumn, 
winter and spring, while All the Year Round is very 
serviceable. There are some fine hardy kinds, however, 
for later sowings which cannot be easily dispensed 
with. Turnips for autumn use are well represented by 
Yeitch’s Red Globe and American Stone, and all the 
yellows are useful where such are admissible. Early 
French and Nantes are well-proven varieties of Carrots. 
Where grubs are invulnerable, these may be sown in 
small quantities on prepared soil every few weeks till 
the beginning of August. Onions, for pulling from 
late autumn till the ordinary spring kinds are of a 
serviceable size, none are more useful than Blood Red 
and the old Strasburg.— Caledonian. 
Scottish Horticultural Association. —The 
monthly meeting of the society was held on Tuesday, 
Mr. Hugh Fraser, Leith Walk Nurseries, in the chair. 
Mr. R. B. AVright, Bowhill Terrace, read a paper on 
“The Cultivation of the Tea Rose by Budding and 
Grafting.” The process, he stated, could be carried on 
all the year round. Treating of budding in the open 
ground, which could be carried out in July aud August, 
he said the very best stock was the seedling Briar, 
and the best soil a stiff loam. The stock should 
be planted a foot or two apart (the success of the 
operation depending on their being in good condition), 
and the buds should be placed as low as possible, and 
left to take care of themselves till they could be con¬ 
sidered safe for removal, which was about the same 
time as the seedling Briar. The stocks when removed 
could be protected from the winter by potting or placing 
in a position where they are protected from the frost, 
and sufficient place for the latter operation, a low- 
roofed house with a good command of heat being 
recommended. Treating of propagation by grafting in 
pots, the operation, he said, might begin in October 
and November, the same stock being used as for the 
budding operation. The grafts must he carefully 
selected from well-ripened wood, and the style of graft 
was the ordinary side graft, removing the top of the 
stock, and leaving just as much as would enable the 
operator to fix the graft to the stock as near the level 
of the soil as possible. They should then be placed in 
a propagating case till they get sufficiently strong to 
be placed on an open bench. The grafting might be 
continued till the young wood on the stock-plants 
became firm, and the buds plump and prominent. 
Discussion at some length followed. 
National Rose Society’s Edinburgh 
Show. —AVe understand that the number of entries 
already made for the Rose show, to be held in con¬ 
junction with the Royal Caledonian Horticultural 
Society’s summer show on AVednesday next, is already 
very large, so that with favourable weather in the 
interval, its success is assured, so far as flowers are 
concerned. The season as yet has been favourable for 
Roses in Scotland, and they are looking extremely 
well. 
The Amateurs’ Garden. 
Hoeing.— AVhere an unlimited supply of water is 
difficult to get or altogether unobtainable, mulching or 
hoeing are the best alternatives. AVeeds quickly run 
to seed during such dry weather as we have been having 
for w'eeks past, greatly to the disadvantage of all garden 
crops. Plants of a succulent nature, such as Pelar¬ 
goniums, Mesembryanthemums and others coming from 
the Cape enjoy sunny weather and flower abundantly, 
although one drawback is that growth is very limited, 
and the beds take much longer time to be covered, and 
as a necessary consequence, cuttings for next year’s 
supply will be difficult to obtain. Lobelias enjoy sun¬ 
shine immensely and are now a mass of bloom. In 
these cases mulching may be resorted to after hoeing 
the beds well to thoroughly loosen the surface ; this in 
itself will greatly reduce excessive evaporation and save 
the trouble of watering where that cannot conveniently 
be done. This applies to all other garden crops where 
watering is out of the question ; therefore keep the hoe 
at work amongst Peas, Beans, Cabbages, Cauliflower 
and all the Brassica tribe. AVhere watering must be 
resorted to let it be done without stint, or the labour 
is worse than wasted, because mere surface dribblings 
can never reach the roots, and only make the soil cool 
by excessive evaporation. This is undesirable, notwith¬ 
standing the great heat, and plants will suffer a check 
by this very means, by their roots being in a cold 
medium. AVatering also tends to cake the surface, 
which above all things is to be avoided amongst growing 
crops, and more especially in dry weather. Immedi¬ 
ately after the soil has become sufficiently dry to be 
workable without puddling, loosen it with the hoe, or 
with the hand-fork where the former is impracticable. 
A t ines. —The present is trying weather to A'ines out- 
of-doors, often causing attacks of mildew and the ruin 
of the crops. Under glass, however, A r ines are more 
controllable, and with due attention the abundant sun¬ 
shine may be utilised to great advantage. Three 
things, above all others, require constant attention at 
this season. Except in a few cases, amateurs’ A T ines 
are just at that stage when the result of careful 
attention becomes apparent in the quality and weight 
of the crop in autumn ; this applies to Amines that are 
brought forward by sun-heat alone, and are consequently 
late compared with those that have been forced into 
growth, in spring, by artificial heat. AVhether the 
borders are indoors or outside—the latter of which is 
most preferable for all main and late crops—abundant 
watering is imperative if the Vines are to be maintained 
in a healthy state, especially under heavy cropping. 
If the borders are well drained, either artificially or 
naturally, so as to guard against stagnant moisture at 
the roots, a deluging at least once a week will have a 
telling effect on the swelling of the fruit. The next 
consideration is to see that all secondary shoots are 
stopped beyond the first leaf, and all other superfluous 
wood removed so as to insure a maximum of light for 
that retained. Primary shoots will have been stopped 
ere this time, except where terminals have been allowed 
to grow unchecked to increase the vigour of the rods ; 
a multiplicity of shoots should in all cases be avoided 
where there is no room for their insertion with full 
exposure to light; on the contrary, this would be con¬ 
ducive to weakness rather than strength. The third 
essential is to ventilate early in the morning and close 
about three or four in the afternoon according to the 
heat and brightness of the sun. 
Kitchen Garden. —Late-sown vegetables will be 
now causing great uneasiness, as the seedlings become 
crowded in the beds with no prospect of getting them 
planted out. In order to prevent the entire loss of a 
crop, and the ruin of the seedlings by crowding and 
drawing, exceptional alternatives to the regular course 
of procedure must be adopted. Before disturbing the 
plants, water the beds heavily, so that all parts of the 
roots will be reached. After allowing the seedlings to 
benefit by the moisture, loosen up the roots with a 
fork, preserving them as entire as possible. Make 
shallow trenches with the hoe where they are intended 
to be planted, and, if necessary, water the trenches a 
short time before planting. This ensures the roots 
being in a moist medium, which would not otherwise 
be the case if planted in unprepared ground, owing to 
the falling in of the dry soil. The labour incurred is 
much greater, but it will be fully repaid in the end. 
