38 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  14,  1897 
THE  YOUNG  GARDENERS’  DOMAIN. 
From  the  Fountain  Pen. 
I  WISH  to  convey  my  thanks  to  “  E.  K.”  for  his  kindness  and 
thoughtfulness  in  offering  the  beautiful  fountain  pen,  which  I  feel  proud 
to  have  won  and  received.  A  fellow  gardener  once  said,  when  talking 
of  a  class  he  was  attending,  that  he  could  not  rouse  his  enthusiasm  in 
the  lectures,  as  there  was  no  enticement  in  the  shape  of  prizes.  The 
“  Domain  ”  writers  cannot  tender  this  excuse,  for  we  have  now  some 
allurement  I  received  a  writing  book  this  Christmas,  and  now  I  have 
a  fountain  pen.  May  I  possess  along  with  these  the  needed  tact, 
accuracy,  and  wisdom  to  become  a  good  writer.  If,  “  E.  K.,”  I  cannot 
write  you  a  flowing  effusion  of  thanks,  know  that  I  feel  my  gratitude. 
My  thanks  also  tendered  to  the  Editor. — J.  H.  Dick. 
Vine  Pruning. 
It  is  not  without  some  trepidation  and  misgiving  that  I  enter  upon 
the  subject  I  have  chosen  for  this  article,  as  I  am  aware  that  it  refers  to 
very  important  work  in  garden  routine,  and  I  think  one  which,  as  a  rule, 
young  gardeners  are  not  credited  with  knowing  much  about.  However, 
as  our  kind  Editor  has  given  us  permission  to  try,  and  encouraged  us  in 
so  doing,  I  will  without  further  preface  endeavour  to  state  my  views  on 
Vine  pruning. 
In  the  first  place  let  me  say  that  a  sharp  “  Saynor  ”  is  a  sine  qua  non 
(I  hope  the  Editor  will  pardon  the  Latin),  because  a  clean  cut  heals 
much  quicker  than  a  rough  jagged  one,  and  has  a  tidier  and  more 
workmanlike  appearance. 
No  hard  and  fast  rule  can  be  laid  down  for  pruning  a  Vine,  as  the 
individual  condition  and  requirements  of  each  one  must  be  considered. 
For  instance,  early  forced  Vines  require  rather  different  treatment  from 
late  Vines,  which  start  naturally  in  the  spring.  The  former  do  not  make 
such  good  growth  as  the  latter  ;  the  consequence  is  that  plump  well- 
formed  buds  are  not  so  plentiful. 
The  best  bud  nearest  to  the  base  of  the  shoot  must  be  selected,  and 
the  shoot  pruned  back  to  it.  If  the  best  buds  are  cut  away  for  the  sake 
of  having  a  short  neat-looking  spur,  good  fruit-bearing  growths  cannot 
be  expected.  If  one  spur  die  the  one  below  should  be  left  rather 
longer  in  order  to  take  its  place.  The  same  remark  applies  in  the  case 
of  a  weakly  spur,  which  may  be  cut  out  the  following  year. 
When  there  is  room  between  the  Vines  it  is  a  good  plan  to  train  a 
shoot  from  the  base,  eventually  to  take  the  place  of  the  old  worn-out 
rod.  This  method  of  pruning  is  known  as  the  long  spur  system.  Its 
object  is  to  continually  encourage  young  wood  in  place  of  the  old.  By 
these  means  the  life  of  the  Vine  is  prolonged,  and  its  fruit-bearing 
capacity  is  increased.  Some  varieties,  as  Barbarossa,  Duke  of  Buccleuch, 
Golden  Hamburgh,  and  others  are  of  a  delicate  nature,  and  succeed  well 
on  the  above  system  of  pruning.  The  spurs  may  very  often  die  back,  so 
that  young  growth  is  necessary  to  the  life  of  the  Vine. 
It  is  not  difficult  to  find  good  buds  to  prune  to  on  Vines  allowed  to 
start  naturally,  as  these  produce  much  better  wood  than  early  forced 
ones.  If  when  the  Grapes  are  cut  the  shoots  were  partially  shortened  it 
would  be  found  to  plump  up  the  back  buds  considerably.  In  some 
establishments,  more  especially  in  market  nurseries,  the  Grapes  are  left 
hanging  on  the  Vines,  for  want  of  a  suitable  fruit  room  in  which  to 
store  them.  If  the  Vines  have  started  into  growth  before  the  fruit  is 
removed,  as  sometimes  happens,  they  are  then  simply  disbudded. 
Afterwards,  when  the  Grapes  are  cut,  the  disbudded  portion  is  pruned 
closely  back. — H.  H. 
[One  of  the  neatest,  most  carefully  and  accurately  written  first 
articles  we  have  yet  received,  while  what  may  be  termed  a  great  subject 
is  well  compressed  in  the  limited  space.  Can  "  H.  H.”  next  describe 
the  treatment  of  Vines  from  starting  to  flowering  (not  beyond),  describ¬ 
ing  temperatures  and  processes,  giving  reasons  for  the  different  items  in 
routine?  He  may  if  he  wish  occupy  a  little  more  space,  and  take  all 
necessary  time,  a3  in  the  present  instance,  of  doing  his  literary  exercise 
well.  Our  young  friends,  as  well  as  old  oneB,  should  know  that  the  true 
“  Barbarossa”  Grape  is  pale  red  or  grizzly,  and  that  so  far  as  we  know 
all  the  Vines  grown  under  that  name  in  this  country  are  Gros 
Guillaume.] 
Eucharis  amazonica. 
Among  the  many  useful  white  flowers  so  eagerly  sought  after  by 
ladies  I  think  there  are  few  to  excel  the  beautiful  Amazon  Lily,  and 
considering  the  plants  produce  abundance  of  bloom  (if  properly  cul¬ 
tivated)  in  the  depth  of  winter  they  are  the  more  valuable.  Whether 
the  flowers  are  used  as  buttonholes  or  in  bouquets  or  wreaths  they  look 
exceptionally  handsome.  Another  good  quality  they  possess  is,  they  last 
a  long  time  in  a  fresh  state  after  being  cut.  When  grown  to  embellish 
the  stove  or  other  warm  house  their  lovely  white,  wax-like  blooms, 
combined  with  beautiful  dark  green  foliage,  make  them  unsurpassable. 
The  Eucharis,  as  far  as  I  have  seen,  is  not  one  of  the  most  easy  of 
culture,  as  the  plants  require  a  great  amount  of  careful  attention, 
especially  as  regards  watering.  I  once  served  under  a  very  successful 
grower  of  Eucharises,  but  eventually  the  plants  seemed  to  lack 
their  usual  vigour,  and  some  died.  The  first  signs  were  the  leaves 
turning  yellow  and  sickly,  and  the  leafstalks  presenting  several  rust- 
coloured  spots.  On  examining  these  with  a  pocket  len  several  tiny 
insects  were  found  ;  the  bulbs,  too,  were  found  to  be  affected,  and  on 
some  of  them  being  cut  in  two  we  found  that  this  pest  had  eaten  the 
flowers  right  away.  What  was  to  be  done  to  get  rid  of  this  pest  ?  The 
bulbs  were  immersed  in  a  mixture  of  urine  and  soot  for  four  hours,  some 
being  left  a  whole  day,  when  they  were  taken  out  and  repotted  in  a 
compost  of  three  parts  good  fibrous  loam,  one  part  well  decayed  leaf 
mould,  and  a  sprinkling  of  coarse  sand,  all  well  baked  to  kill  any  insects 
or  eggs  that  might  be  therein.  The  pots  were  effectively  drained,  four 
to  six  bulbs  (according  to  size)  being  placed  in  16-size  pots,  and  the  soil 
made  firm.  They  were  then  placed  in  their  old  quarters,  where  there 
was  about  70°  bottom  heat  and  65°  general.  They  then  started,  and 
continued  growing  vigorously  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  Perhaps  some 
of  my  young  brother  gardeners  have  Been  similar  occurrences. — 
Aspirant. 
[Useful,  but  the  writing  much  too  close  for  proper  revision.] 
Early  Forcing — Peaches  and  Nectarines. 
On  account  of  the  close  relationship  of  the  two  fruits  named,  the 
Nectarine  being  but  a  smooth-skinned  Peach,  the  same  mode  of  treat¬ 
ment  is  applicable  to  both. 
The  houses  should  always  undergo  a  thorough  cleansing  before  the 
trees  are  started  into  growth,  the  trees  then  removed  from  the  trellis, 
pruned,  and  retrained.  It  is  also  advisable  to  syringe  them  well  with 
some  good  insecticide  to  make  sure  of  destroying  all  insects. 
We  next  direct  our  attention  to  the  borders,  point  them  over  lightly 
on  the  surface  with  a  fork  ;  we  next  sprinkle  them  with  lime  and  a 
quantity  of  wood  ashes,  then  a  top-dressiog  of  good  fibrous  loam,  about 
2  inches  in  thickness,  and  if  the  trees  are  in  a  weak  state  of  growth  add 
a  quantity  of  bonemeal,  and  make  the  borders  as  firm  as  possible  by 
trampling  them  over.  '  '  . 
After  the  borders  have  been  well  watered,  the  trees  may  be  started 
into  growth  in  a  temperature  of  about  40°  to  45°.  The  syringe  must  not 
be  used  too  freely  until  after  the  flowering  period,  so  as  not  to  encourage 
growth  in  advance  of  the  flowers.  If  the  fruit  buds  are  overcrowded,  it 
is  best  to  thin  out  all  weak  ones  before  they  are  opened,  so  as  to  leave 
room  for  the  stronger  to  open  freely. 
The  atmosphere  should  be  rather  drier  than  usual  during  the  flower¬ 
ing  season,  and  in  dull  weather  a  little  extra  fire  heat  should  be  given, 
with  a  free  circulation  of  air  through  the  houses.  To  insure  a  good 
set  of  fruit,  it  is  best  to  assist  the  distribution  of  the  pollen  by  drawing 
the  tip  of  a  rabbit’s  tail  over  the  flowers  lightly  when  they  are  fully 
expanded  and  the  pollen  ripe.  This  process  must  be  repeated  each  day 
when  the  atmosphere  inside  is  aB  dry  as  possible,  then  tap  each  branch 
lightly  with  the  hand.  The  paths  and  borders  inside  may  then  be 
damped  with  a  can,  and  do  not  syringe  the  trees  until  the  petals  begin 
to  drop,  showing  that  fructification  has  taken  place,  when  a  gentle 
dewing  of  the  trees  with  tepid  water  from  the  syringe  will  do  much  good 
by  assisting  the  embryo  fruit  to  swell  freely,  when  the  temperature  may 
be  raised  gradually  to  55°  or  60°  by  night  and  a  little  higher  during  the 
daytime. 
Disbudding  may  next  be  proceeded  with.  This  operation  is  best 
done  at  intervals  of  about  a  week  or  ten  days,  as  then  there  will  be  but 
little  danger  of  checking  the  growth  when  a  little  is  removed  each  time. 
In  the  first  place  rub  off  with  the  finger  or  thumb  all  “  breaet  shoots,” 
leaving  only  the  well-placed  side  shoots.  The  next  time  we  leave  two 
sprays  at  the  base  of  each  piece  of  bearing  wood  laid  in,  and  another  at 
the  extremity,  but  if  these  are  more  than  the  average  distance  an  inter¬ 
mediate  one  may  be  left.  At  the  final  disbudding  only  one  spray  is  left 
at  the  base  of  each  shoot,  and  it  should  if  possible  be  on  the  upper  side, 
as,  being  the  best  situated,  the  training  may  be  carried  out  properly, 
and  to  prevent  unsightly  bends  at  the  lower  ends  of  the  young  shootB, 
give  them  a  tie.  at  an  early  stage,  to  the  one  branch  from  which  they 
emanate — J.  F.  Donoghue. 
(To  be  continued.) 
R.H.S. Examination. — Horticultural  Practice. 
(i Continued  from  page  17.) 
Question  1. — “Describe  the  preparation  of  the  ground  for  the  Onion 
crop  ;  the  method  of  sowing  the  seed,  and  subsequent  treatment;  also 
the  most  suitable  soil.” 
The  ground  on  which  Onions  are  to  be  grown  should  be  trenched  in 
the  autumn,  leaving  the  surface  as  rough  as  possible.  Unless  the  subsoil 
be  of  a  suitable  nature,  it  should  not  be  brought  to  the  surface  or  mixed 
with  the  surface  soil,  but  should  be  broken  up  with  a  fork  in  the  bottom 
of  the  trench,  at  the  Bame  time  mixing  one  barrow  of  farmyard  manure 
and  a  bucket  of  quicklime  with  every  eight  square  yards  of  ground.  If 
the  subsoil  be  good  it  may  be  mixed  with  the  surface  soil,  together  with 
one  barrow  of  farmyard  manure,  and  7  lbs.  of  wood  ashes  to  every 
six  square  yards  of  ground.  If  wood  ashes  are  not  obtainable  use  2  lbs. 
of  kaiDit,  and  2  lbs.  of  basic  slag  phosphate  instead.  Early  in  March 
rake  the  surface  of  the  bed  level,  and  tread  the  land  very  firmly,  choosing 
a  dry  day  for  this  purpose.  After  treading  rake  the  surface  level, 
and  sow  the  seed  in  shallow  drills  1  foot  apart,  leaving  out  every  fifth 
row  to  form  a  path.  The  seed  should  be  sown  thinly,  so  that  when 
the  seedlings  grow  they  would  stand  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch 
apart.  Cover  the  seed  with  soil,  and  make  the  surface  of  the  bed  level 
and  firm. 
The  subsequent  treatment  consists  of  keepingthe  bed  free  from  weeds, 
hoeing  the  soil  to  prevent  it  cracking,  and  also  to  retard  the  evaporation 
of  water,  thinning  out  the  Onions  until  they  stand  about  6  inches 
apart,  and  feeding  the  plants  every  fortnight  during  May  and  June  with 
£  lb.  of  nitrate  of  soda  per  rod.  Time,  twenty-five  minutes. 
