928 
THE GARDENING WORLD , 
November 19, 1904. 
to cxt-eiriM cioniditioniSL Royal Sovereign. still holds the field 
a® the best all-round early-forcing Strawberry. 
Peaches. —Dryness at the root- is one of the chief causes 
of bud dropping in spring, therefore examine all borders, giving 
those that show signs of getting on the dry side a thorough 
watering that will reach the drainage'. Now that all foliage 
is off, the necessary pruning may be given in succession houses, 
the trees cleansed of any insects, and retied after the glass, 
woodwork, etc., have been washed down, the walls liinewashed, 
and the border put in 'order, as advised for early forced trees. 
Where circumstances compel the gardener to place plants in 
these structures see that full ventilation is afforded during the 
day, if necessary to close the lights at. night. The earliest 
house when first closed should also have fresh,.air daily ad¬ 
mitted to sweeten the atmosphere, and on bright days the 
temperature should not exceed 70 deg., and when closing at 
2 p.m. lightly syringe the tresis, and allow the thermometer 
to fall to 50 deg., 8 deg. or 10 deg. less doing no harm on cold 
frosty nights'. It is high night 'temperatures! that, bring on 
failure with early-forced fruits, as much a® any one. thing. 
Late Grapes. - In most large establishments there is a 
proper Grape room, heated with a 2 in. or 3 in. hot water pipe. 
Where such exist, and the structure containing the Grapes is 
required for budding Pelargoniums, etc., the bunches may be 
cut and bottled, nipping out anything in the shape of a decayed 
berry, and choose a dry, bright day for conveying the bunches 
to the Grape room as they are cut, pulling away all foliage, 
and see that the wood reaches the water when put into the 
bottle. A temperature varying from 40 deg. to 50 deg. will 
be a suitable one, keeping the room dark and sparsely ven¬ 
tilated. The bunches need to be looked over once or twice a 
week, whether bottled or on the Vine, and in the latter case 
all falling leaves should be gathered up daily, and an eye kept 
to the ventilation, that rain does not fall on. the bunches. 
Satisfy yourself that the border is moist! enough to maintain 
the hemes in a plump, condition until the bunches are out, 
and if waiter is necessary, take advantage' of a bright day and 
put it on early in the morning. James Mayne. 
Bicton, Devonshire. 
The Stove and Greenhouse. 
Violets. —The open weather wei have experienced since the 
plants were lifted and transplanted into their winter quarters 
has been, most favourable to. the formation of new healthy 
roots and an abundance of early flowers. These should be 
gathered immediately they expand, in, order that, they do not 
weaken the plant at this time. Runners also will -have, made 
headway, and these must be assiduously .cut. off close up toi 
the parent plant for the same reason. Up to the time of 
writing the lights have seldom been left on., except at night; 
consequently the plants are robust, therefore better fitted 
for passing through a severe winter than were the growth 
drawn and sappy. In, my opinion, this is the chief factor to 
success in Violet, culture under glass. Assuming that the cul¬ 
tivator hais such plaints, and that they have already produced 
quantities of blossoms', it would he well to apply a,n occasional 
mild stimulant such as farmyard liquid manure or weak guano- 
water. It .should not be given too' frequently, and if the plants 
show signs of growingtooio rampant and becoming drawn in, 
the leaf-stalk the manurial waterings should cease for a 
time. 
Healthy plant® well furnished with roots will be much 
benefited by judicious feeding now, whilst weakly ones wonld 
be further weakened by it, aisi the soil would become sour. A 
close watch, must 'be kept for red 'spider, and should the pest 
put in, an, appearance use proper measures betimes to stamp 
it out. 
Primulas. — These will now he coming into blossom, and the 
best possible structure in which to show their real beauty is 
a. light .span-roofed house having a- temperature of about, 50 
deg. toi 55 deg. Thei plants should stand upon a. cool, moist 
bottom, but the atmospheric conditions should now be drier 
than was advisable when in full growth. Apply water to those 
requiring it in the forenoon, when air can be put on to dispel 
superfluous moisture, as this is fatal to the delicate blossoms 
if retained about them,. Continue to feed with a, mild stimu¬ 
lant, until nearly in full bloom. Liquid sheep-manure with a 
little soot diluted with it is the best. 
Richardia africana. —A hatch of the strongest of these in¬ 
dispensable! plants may bei .introduced into a genial warmth 
for providing early ispatheis, and subsequent relays brought in 
at regular intervals to. maintain the supply according to the 
date they are wanted to flower. It is well known that this 
Lily is ai gross feeder, and assuming that the plants potted up 
in. August or September have filled their pots with roots, feed¬ 
ing should commence at once. I prefer to grow the plants 
a® single crowns in, 32-sized pot®, a® then liberal feeding can 
be resorted' to without producing monstrous spath.es, medium- 
sized ones being far more useful for all decorative purposes. 
Cold Pits and Frames. —These will by now have been re¬ 
lieved of many occupants that require warmer quarters for 
the winter, and any plants that are tio remain in them should 
now be looked over and re-arranged that, they may be readily 
attended to, and present a tidy appearance. It is good prac¬ 
tice to pack clean treei-lea-ve® tightly round the pots of many 
subjects that are hardy, as this prevents the pot® bursting 
through thei action of frost upon them, and a> slight covering 
of thei glass with mats during spells of severe weather then 
suffices. It! should 'be noted that plants in cold frame® do 
net require much water at 'the roots during winter; it is much 
better to keep them somewhat on the dry side. Attend closely 
to the removal of all damped leafage, and afford air liberally 
on. all favourable occasions. 
Deep cold pits are moist useful to the gardener at all times, 
but especially so in winter. The plants and trees that can 
be wintered in them are varied and numerous. They are 
invaluable for plunging the stock of hardy tree® and plants in 
that are required for forcing during the winter, as they can 
be more conveniently got at for introducing into heat than 
when, placed out of doom These must, not, however, be 
coddled, but allowed to have some frosts, merely placing on 
the lights or shutters to ward off heavy cold rains and snow. 
K. M. 
Impatiens Oliveri. 
For -some time past a, distinct and beautiful new species of 
Balsam, has been flowering under the above name in the green¬ 
house' at Kew. The flowers are about, 2 in. across', of a soft 
liLae-pink, and produced singly from the axils of the leaves. 
The latter are oblanceolate, sharply serrate, deep shining green 
with white ribs, and produced in whorls of seven to twelve 
from the nodes of thei stout stems. The plant is of vigorous 
growth, attaining a height of 2|- ft. to 3 ft., and flowering kite 
in the autumn should be of. considerable service to those who 
require to havei some variety amongst their flowering plants 
in the greenhouse or conservatory at this season of the year. 
It, has been raised from seeds sent home from Uganda,, and is 
evidently of easy cultivation-, and certain 'to flower freely. In 
this latter respect it- should find more cultivators than the 
rare I. Hookeri, which has always proved a, difficult and uncer¬ 
tain, specie® to flower. It, indeed, requires peculiar treatment 
to bloom it freely. This difficulty apparently does not apply 
to I. Oliveri. 
American Apples on the AY at.— London is likely to be flooded 
with American Apples this year, for the exceptionally favour¬ 
able conditions in Kent have prevailed also on the other side of 
the Atlantic, and the American crop is expected to exceed 
70,000,000 barrels. The export movement is already under way, 
and hardly a liner leaves New York without a huge consign¬ 
ment. The quality also is exceptionally good, and the great 
abundance insures low prices. At present Apples are bringing 
1.50 dols. to 2 dols. a barrel. Export Apples going to London, 
Liverpool, Glasgow, and Hamburg average 1.75 dols. to 3-50 dols. 
per barrel, against 2 dols. to 4 dols. last year. 
