January 2, 1904. 
The gardening world. 
3 
depth of winter. The small fruiting kinds are best adapted for 
winter, and both the yellow and red varieties should be grown. 
As a, useful, free fruiting red variety for winter" use, 1 know 
of none to equal Sutton’s Winter Beauty, this being a free 
setter and the quality excellent. Golden Nugget isi excellent 
as a yellow fruiting kind. 
Beetroot also' constitutes one of the chief items, and, of 
course, is 1 very easily obtained; but it is most essential to 
cultivate a, good dark blood-red variety, and small or medium¬ 
sized roots should always be selected. 
Radishes, when quite young, should be included, and a mild 
hot-bed during the dull days of winter is absolutely necessary 
to procure' young tender roots: There are at the present time 
a large number of estimable varieties admirably adapted for 
forcing, that little trouble will be incurred in obtaining these. 
Both the long Olive and Turnip-shaped roots should be grown. 
These can always be sown, where early Potatos are planted, 
either in pits heated with hot water, or on hot-beds made up 
with fermenting material. 
There are, of course, many other kinds suited for salads, 
but those mentioned form some of the most important. 
E. Beckett. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. 
The Stove and Greenhouse. 
Zonal Pelargoniums. —The present time is opportune for 
inserting half-ripened shoots taken from old stock plants now 
gone out of blossom. To ensure having strong many-brauched 
plants for flowering next autumn and winter, a long season of 
unchecked growth is necessary, and that must in due season 
be inured to full air and sun by growing in cold frames diming 
summer when the: plants are well established, in order toi 
mature them. The cuttings must not be soft or sappy, or the 
chances are they will decay before: roots are emitted; on the 
other hand, they must not be stunted or hard. I do not advise 
a, structure highly charged with humidity for striking the 
cuttings; a, shelf or stage near the glass in a greenhouse that 
is kept at about 45 deg. to 55 deg. will answer, or a heated 
pit will do equally as well. Thumb pots should be used, and 
one cutting inserted in the: centre of each, as then, when, re¬ 
potting becomes necessary, no disturbance of the roots takes 
place to cause a check. The soil should consist of two parts 
leaf soil and one each of loam and decayed manure,, passing 
the whole through a ^-in. sieve and adding plenty of sharp 
sand. 
Camellias. —Although these plants resent much forcing, 
yet a somewhat higher temperature may now be given, to at 
least some of them to hasten the opening of the flowers. If 
disbudding has not been, done and the buds are not too far 
advanced their number should be reduced, thus ensuring finer 
individual blossoms, and there will be less strain upon, the 
plants. In all cases retain the central and largest bud, re¬ 
moving one or trvo of the surrounding ones', of course taking 
care not to injure the growth-buds in, the vicinity; these can 
easily be recognised by their long tapering form, whereas 
the flower-buds are plump- and nearly round. Copious sup> 
plies of water must be given, or tire buds will drop, and an 
occasional application of farmyard liquid manure, or a sprink- 
,ling of some fertiliser, will prove highly beneficial at this time. 
Glivias.— These plants usually commence flowering in. Fel> 
ruary or March, and, having regard to their utility for cut¬ 
ting or for the embellishment of the conservatory or the dwell¬ 
ing as plants, they may now be given somewhat warmer and 
more, genial quarters than hitherto, to hasten the flower-spikes'. 
By introducing a, few plants into an early vinery or Peach- 
house at this time the spikes of blossom will not only be 
induced to throw up, but they will come away stronger and 
have longer flower-stems, thus showing off to better advantage 
than when flowered in a cool house: If a, number of plants 
are grown, then it would be well to introduce a. few at in¬ 
tervals of about a fortnight to maintain the supply of flowers. 
Abundance of water will be required both a,t the root and about 
thei plants', but a, too free use of the syringe overhead is liable 
to cause decay of the flowers. 
Propagating. —Arrangements should be made for providing 
a suitable, pit or house in which propagation may be carried 
on in the near future. A properly appointed house is not to 
be found, except in the best regulated gardens, and oftentimes 
recourse ha,s to’ be bad to an, early Cucumber bouse or other 
make-shift structure. A bed of tree-leaves and fresh stable 
manure provides the best possible propagating bed, and if it 
can, be placed in a low pit or house, almost anything in the: 
way of seeds or cuttings may be raised in it. For striking 
most kinds, of temperate and greenhouse cuttings, liandlights 
answer well if stood upon the front, stages and some cocoa, fibre 
placed therein for plunging the pots into 1 , but, for stove plants 
a commencement, should not bei made until a proper house can. 
be set apart for the purpose of propagation. K. M. 
Fruit Under Glass. 
Figs, —Maintain a bottom beat, of 7U deg. by renovating the 
fermenting material placed around pot trees. If it is likely to 
fall much below that figure, keep the top temperature at night 
from 55 deg. to 60 deg., advancing to 65 deg. or 70 deg. with sun 
heat, admitting a small amount of ventilation when it reaches 
70 deg., closing soon after 1 2 p.m., and if the thermometer 
registers 75 deg. to 80 deg. for an. hour or two after, no harm 
will accrue. Syringe the wood and surroundings about 9 ,a.m., 
and damp the walls, etc., between that, time and closing for the 
day. As a succession, permanent planted-out trees may* now be 
started, affording a night temperature of 50 deg., a few degrees 
higher or lower, according to> the weather. Syringe the trees 
morning and early afternoons with tepid water, and make 
sure the borders are in a. moist state by repeated waterings at 
a temperature of 75 deg. to 80 deg., the soil soon cooling it 
down at so early a season as this. In. later houses, complete 
the necessary pruning or thinning out of the ill-ripened shoots 
and training of same. Thoroughly cleansing the glass and wood¬ 
work and Lime-washing the walls will all tend to sweeten the 
structures against closing time. Wash every particle of wood 
with ,a thin mixture of dissolved soft soap 1 and flowers of 
sulphur, which is death to that horrid pest red spider, so de¬ 
structive to Fig foliage: Then remove inert soil and replace 
with good loam, adding a little finely-broken lime rubble v. 
old plaster, a small amount of soot or wood ashes, the two latter 
being excellent fertilisers for all fruit trees. Throw these late 
houses open during mild weather, merely keping severe frosts 
from the trees, which we appear likely to get at the time of 
writing. 
Early Vines. —Any canes that were bent down or placed hori¬ 
zontally to cause the back buds to break more even with those 
at the apex, and are on the move, get them in position before 
much growth has been made, as being SO' crisp the shoots are 
easily broken off. Disbud pot Vines as soon as. it can be seen 
which laterals have the best bunches, and all superfluous shoots 
not required to cover the trellis, avoiding any approach at 
crowding of the shoots. Pinch out the point, of the shoot the 
first leaf beyond the bunch, unless much space requires to be 
covered, when it may be extended to the second leaf. The 
bottom heat for these may be the same as advocated for the 
Fig, while the temperature of the house may read 60 deg. to 
65 deg. during the night, advancing 5 deg. to 10 deg. higher in 
the day, and if with sun all the better. 
Cut-backs intended to be grown on another year for next 
season’s supply of early pot Grapes should now be pruned back 
to a, couple of eyes, and the wounds covered with nothing or 
Thomson’s Styptic, previously advocated, and after an interval 
of a, week or ten days turn the stools out, of the pot, pricking 
away carefully part of the old soil with a pointed stick, avoiding 
damaging the roots in any way, and then repotting into 11-in. 
or 12-in. pots, which must, be clean and well drained, with thin 
pieces of turf over the drainage to, prevent the latter getting 
clogged. As a, compost, use three parts strong fibrous loam, 
the other part made of old mortar rubbish and horse droppings 
