1040 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
December 19, 1903. 
their 1 sides not far distant from the hot-water pipes. Examine 
them once a week, and if becoming baked apply a little water 
and replace them; this will 'prevent them shrivelling and 
having what is known as dry-rot. Likewise Fuchsias, Bou- 
vardias, and similar plants that require rest in. winter must 
not become dustrdry, but. be treated as advised above. 
Potting Soils.—Plenty of these must be placed under cover 
in, readiness for use during bad weather. The potting season 
will soon be engaging attention, and it behoves the cultivator 
to be ready with soils not too wet. One of the principal soils 
used is loam ; this should be good and full of fibre, and have 
been in. stack several weeks. The top-spit of a pasture gen¬ 
erally provides suitable loam, and it should be dug 3 in. deep 
and stacked grass-side clown some weeks before using. Other 
ingredients that should be got ready are leaf-soil, decomposed 
manure (either from cows or horses), sand, wood a,she® and 
charcoal. All these ingredients will be required in large or 1 
small quantities when general potting commences. K. M. 
Fruit under Glass. 
Pot Vines.- - Those swelling their buds should have the night 
temperature incieased toi GO deg., with an advance of 5 deg. to 
10 deg. by day, accordingto external conditions, a few degrees 
less at night during severe weather doing no harm. When 
they come into leaf, 65 deg. at night, advancing to 70 deg. 
when they reach the flowering stage. As growth advances, the 
water supply must be increased, and do not disbud until the 
best bunches can, be noted, and lightly dew overhead once or 
twice daily with the- syringe. Should the heating material he 
declining, it should be renovated by forking up, the same and 
adding a little fresh, but- let it. be principally leaves', as a, 
violent heat does more barm than good. Stop the laterals at 
the second leaf beyond the fruit bunch, the sub-lateral opposite 
the bunch pinched at the first leaf, rubbing off those showing 
before the bunch. In applying water at the root, let, it, be 
slightly warmer than, the temperature of the house; this 
applies to overhead syringing as well. 
Pines —Fruits on the verge of ripening require great, care 
during these short days, and but little water a,t the root, or 
the fruits soon, go black in the centre, especially the Queen. 
Endeavour to maintain a, night, temperature of 70 deg., rising 
to 80 deg. with sun heat. Those to be started early in, the 
New Year should be kept as quiet as possible, 60 deg. at night 
being sufficient for the month. Suckers will take no, harm, 
with 5 deg. lower during severe weather, and as these will be 
near the glass roof, a covering of mats, or frigi-domi would 
lessen the fuel bills, as well as tend to keep the tops warmer. 
During the next month no water should be necessary, unless, 
very near the bbt-water pipes, and very little damping between 
tbe pots practised, syringing tlie walks and walls usually pro¬ 
viding enough moisture. Admit a small quantity of air 1 when¬ 
ever the thermometer registers 10 deg. more than that of the 
night temperature, closing again at 2 p.m. 
Cherries. — Where early forcing of this fruit is practised, 
the necessary pruning and cleansing of the' trees should now 
be undertaken, .so that a, start- may be made towards the end 
of the month. Very little knife-work should be required if 
the trees had proper attention, dining the past summer, but 
growths stopped to form spurs must be shortened back beyond 
this, and it, may be necessary to thin out a few spurs where at 
all crowded. Wash the trees with soapy water, having a, little 
flowers of sulphur in it, and planted-out, trees should liavei 
2 in,, or 3 in. of the surface soil removed and replaced with 
fibrous loam, lime rubble, etc., a,s advocated for the Peacli a 
few weeks back. Pot trees are suitable for early work, which 
must not be allowed to: get at all dry, starting with a, night 
temperature of 40 deg., and admitting air freely at 50 deg., 
syringing the tree® once or twice: daily, the weather guiding one 
in this to- a, great, extent. The one tiling necessary in, the 
forcing of this fruit, as with the Peach, is not to unduly excite 
the trees in their early stage, and attend well to free ventila¬ 
tion whenever the weather allows. 
Late Grapes.—Examine the bunches once or twice weekly 
for decaying berries, though in our case: we do not remember 
them keeping better than they have this autumn. Where 
convenience exists for bottling Grapes, they should be cut 
towards the end of the month, which allows for the house to 
be fully ventilated and the Vines given a. rest for a few weeks 
until starting time comes round again. Secure the laterals 
long enough, so that the ends can reach the water and the 
bunch] stand clear of the bottle, not trimming the other end 
too short. Soda-water or ginger-beer bottle® are the best for 
the purpose, a,s it can be quickly seen when more water is 
necessary, which it will be within the first week; after this 
the shoots do not appear to, absorb so much. It is the custom 
to put a, few pieces of charcoal into the water, hut it is 
immaterial, the bunches keeping just as well without it. Prune 
the Vines early in the new year, using Thomson’s styptic or 
painters’ netting a,s a preventive to bleeding. Examine the 
inside border, which should be the only one for late Grapes, 
affording a thorough soaking if on the dry side, and proceed 
with the washing and cleansing of the structure, also the Vines 
and other details mentioned in the issue for December 5th. 
Bieton, Devonshire. James Mayne. 
Concerning Chrysanthemums. 
In, announcing the results of the autumn exhibitions, the 
Editor suggested that it would be interesting to know whether 
the abnormal rainfall bad been favourable to, the varieties 
which, turned out so fine at the exhibitions. The problem here 
expounded is, an interesting and intricate one, inasmuch as the 
qualifying characteristics of the individual varieties are not 
manifestly apparent, and thlgphase admits of consideration and 
discussion from different points of view. 
To convey an adequate meaning cf that expression and to 
make myself distinctly understood, I should say take, for 
example, a few of the well-known and popular varieties, such 
as, Godfrey’s Masterpiece, Ho-op-er Pearson and others, varieties 
with a, vigorous and robust constitution which do, not naturally 
under any circumstances produce the largest and most massive 
blooms. Plants of tbeise varieties were, according: to the 
size of pots, carrying three and some four strong shoots as 
thick a,s a man’s finger, and densely clothed with foliage down 
to the: rim of the pot—foliage which measured 8 in. or 9 in. 
from the stem to the tip of the leaf, and yet when they 
flowered the: blooms were only of an ordinary size. Then, 
again, take the weaker constitution ed varieties, of which 
Calvat’s S-un would be a, fair example. The number of shoots 
on. this, variety, owing to itsi weaker constitution^ were re¬ 
stricted to three:, which were no thicker than an ordinary 
lead pencil, and the foliage comparatively thin and straggling 
compared to the two, former varieties ; yet,, when it flowered, 
the blooms were much larger than either of the former two. 
Then,, on, this intricate point wherein is the enthusiast to 
decided Is lie: to affirm that the abnormal rainfall was more 
favourable to the robust and vigorous growing varieties, one 
plant of which would probably be furnished with as much 
foliage a,s half a dozen of the weaker constitutioned sorts, yet 
the, blooms of tbe weaker ones were largest,? When intricate 
and problematic gardening becomes solut,ionised, wherein is 
the expert enthusiast to, fix his decision ? If the mere walking 
round the exhibition hall and jotting down the names of all the 
largest blooms in the stands is to be regarded as an indication 
cf the favourableness of the precarious climate, then, I should 
s,ay that such varieties as F. S. Vail is., Elsie Fulton, Duchess 
of Sutherland, Henry Stowe, Lady Roberts 1 , Loveliness, W. R. 
Church, and a good many more similar varieties were truly 
favoured last summer, as the, immense blooms of those sorts 
were really magnificent. Taking the whole circumstances into 
consideration,, I do not think the abnormal vagaries, of the 
climate affected the Chrysanthemums in the north last summer 
to any appreciable degree, as I regarded the magnificence and 
massiveness of many of the blooms an improvement and 
advance on previous years. J. C. Peebles. 
