172 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
February 27, 1904. 
' I 
Fruit Under Glass. 
Early Figs, grown in pots, require bountiful supplies of weak 
manure water right up to the time the fruit begins to ripen, 
and, if space allows, a. surface dressing of fibrous loam and rotten 
manure may be given into which the roots will quickly enter. 
Pinch the strong shoots at the sixth leaf, and syringe the trees 
mornings and afternoon of each day, .and maintain a night 
temperature of 6U deg. to 65 deg., rising with sun-heat 
to 75 deg. or 80 deg., admitting ventilation at 70 deg.. Thin 
out or stop side growths, as they rob the fruit of much nourish¬ 
ment, and growth soon becomes crowded, and add more fer¬ 
menting material, principally leaves, if the bed lias sunk much. 
Dispense with fire-heat whenever possible in succession, houses; 
disbud, but do not be in too great a. hurry to tie down the shoots 
so long as they keep clear of the glass 1 . Late houses, where 
a second crop is expected, should soon be started, syringing 
mornings and again early afternoons, so as to husband what 
little sun-heat we are getting, 55 deg. at night sufficing for the 
present. See that the borders are in a. moist condition before 
starting. 
Pines.— Plants started early in the year will now he pushing 
up their fruits, and should be exam ined twice weekly as to the 
state of moisture at the root, and, while over-watering would 
prove disastrous, the plants must on no account be allowed to 
get dust diy, or the fruit will be small. Weak guano water or 
diluted drainings from the cow-yard will be found good stimu¬ 
lants for the Pine, and should be warmed to 80 deg. before 
using. A somewhat drier atmosphere should be: maintained as 
they come into flower, admitting a small amount of ventila¬ 
tion when the thermometer registers 80 deg. on bright, days, 
but guard against cold, cutting winds, closing about 2 pan., 
syringing between the pots, walls, etc., when the heat may 
advance to 90 deg. for an hour or so without any detriment to 
the plants. 
Successions.— Any plants requiring more root space should be 
seen to at once, 10-in. to 12-in. pots being usually large enough 
to fruit most, varieties in, though many growers prefer 14-in. 
for Smooth Cayenne® and Charlotte Rothschild, 'but good fruit 
can be grown in the first-named sizes, and are much more con¬ 
venient for the men to move about. Use clean, well-crocked 
pots and fibrous loam of the best quality, adding an 8-in. or 
9-in. potful of bone-meal and a. like quantity of soot to every’ 
barrowload of loam, warming the same to the temperature of 
the house. The plants ought, to be moderately moist at the 
root before repotting, which must, be done firmly with a. blunt 
potting stick ; therefore the soil should be tolerably dry before 
using. First remove the crocks and any Loose .soil on, the 
surface, and strip off one or two of the bottom leaves, and 
lower the plant a couple of inches when placing in the pot, when 
new roots will emanate from the stem where the leaves were 
taken away, allowing quite an inch of space for watering the 
plants. Plunge in a. hot-bed of 80 deg. to 85 deg. The tops 
of the leaves should almost touch the glass roof. Afford 
no water for a week, a. night temperature of 60 deg. to 65 deg. 
sufficing for these, plants', advancing to near 80 deg. with sun- 
heat. The smallest of last, autumn’s suckers standing in 4-in. 
or 5-in. pots should he shifted into 7-in. and 8-in. pots, to be 
again repotted in early autumn, and insert suckers at intervals 
in preference to large 1 batches once or twice a year, a. better 
succession of fruit being kept up with the' former method. 
Late Grapes.- —Houses containing such varieties as, Gros 
Colman, Lady Downes, Lady Hutt, Appley Towers, Black 
Alicante, and Mrs. Pince’s Black Muscat should be closed early 
next month, requiring, as they do a long season to- finish pro¬ 
perly. A night, temperature of 48 deg. or 50 deg. should be 
the reading for a few weeks, syringing the rods mornings and 
again early afternoons, husbanding what little, sun we are 
favoured with, so as to dispense with hre-heat unless frost 
threatens. Black Hamburghs required as late in the year as 
possible may be allowed to start away naturally; therefore 
keep the structure fully ventilated during the next few weeks. 
Grape-room.— The continuous wet weather has been against 
these, especially where a properly-constructed room is not at 
hand. Examine the bunches twice weekly for any decaying 
berries, and refil the bottles if the end of the lateral does not 
reach the water, or shrivelling will soon set in. Keep the room 
as dark as possible, though a small amount of air may be given 
during fine days. James Mayne. 
Breton, D evonsh ir e. 
Among the Orchids. 
Cleaning the Houses. —The brighter weather prevailing 
dui ing the, past few days reminds one that the season is surely 
if unseasonably advancing. At this season the plants in all 
the divisions may be benefited by affording all the available 
light, for there will bei little need of resorting to the use of the 
roof blinds' for the next three weeks. There can be no doubt 
that after the long period of practically sunless weather the 
plants in almost all the divisions of our Orchid house® will 
present more or less immature or unripeued pseudo-bulbs and 
growths, and a great deal may be donei in a season of this kind 
by utilising the light a;t this time, so that the plants may 
derive the utmost possible benefits the brighter facilities afford. 
This being the ease, the first attention necessary is to see that 
the roof glass is clean, so that there may be no obstruction to 
prevent the direct, rays of the sun reaching the plants. 
In the neighbourhood of London, and in smoky manufac¬ 
turing districts, I am aware from personal experience that 
it, is frequently necessary to wash down the roof glass during 
the dull winter months. Even in more favoured districts, such 
as I am in, at the present, time, it is remarkable where all the 
dirt can come from that becomes deposited on the roof glass 
during the winter. I am certain also' that where young seed¬ 
lings have to, be dealt with, the benefits of affording all the 
available light at, this season is most apparent, and no one will 
fail to observe! the great progress a, day or two affords where 
the houses have been properly cleansed. 'Some cultivators ad¬ 
vocate thoroughly cleansing their houses in autumn ; I prefer 
the spring. We thoroughly cleanse the woodwork inside and 
out, clear the laps, of the glass, of slimy matter with which they 
have been choked for some months', for it is remarkable how 
quickly this slimy moss accumulates,, which, if removed in the 
autumn when the winter is just setting in, opens tire laps to the 
gales and cold, forms an additional outlet for tire hot, air to 
escape, necessitating additional artificial heat to maintain the 
desired degree of temperature. It may be argued that the same 
applies to the cold winds, in spring. True, but, it must not be 
forgotten, that the sun is daily getting power, and that, a. few 
minutes’ sunshine quickly raises the temperature in a very 
different, manner to that in the late autumn. 
The'staging pots and stands used for setting up or arranging 
the plants should also be cleansed. Where coke is, used as a 
medium between the plant® and hot-water pipes for diffusing 
moisture, I find it, best to clear it once in two years • in the 
alternate year boiling water should he poured over the coke 
to kill any insect or vegetable life 1 that may’ have become 
established among it. By clearing off the coke, opportunity b 
given to repair any staging that may have become decayed 
We always place the. boards about 4 in. apart, or rather more 
This permits excess of moisture to drain away, and also attract: 
a, current of hot, air direct from the pipes, through the opening: 
between the boards, which, on coming in contact with the coke 
becomes moist, and so a humid instead of a, hot, dry atmosphere 
is afforded immediately in contact with the plants. I woulc 
always advocate a, raised stage' or lattice arranged a.t a, desirec 
height, above the lower one, on which the plants may bf 
arranged. 
The joints of the hot-water pipes and valves should also bt 
overlooked, and where a leaky joint or faulty valve has to bt 
