January  21,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
61 
more  legitimate  courses,  and  to  sustain  the  full  capacity  of  the  principal 
leaves  ;  this  should  be  proceeded  with  so  long  as  the  trees  "remain 
growing,  the  leaders  given  one  bud  each  time,  but  the  laterals  are  stopped 
at  the  first  leaf,  where  all  growth  afterwards  is  removed. 
When  the  fruit  begins  ripening  a  little  air  is  left  on  at  night, 
gradually  increasing  it  until  we  have  the  full  amount  on  night  and  day  ; 
this  will  prove  beneficial  to  the  flavour  of  the  fruit.  It  must  always  be 
remembered  that  three  essentials  to  flavour  in  Peaches  are  sun,  light, 
and  air.  When  the  fruit  commences  to  colour  we  must  be  careful  to  get 
it  all  exposed  to  the  sun,  and  should  any  leaves  be  shading  it  they  must 
either  be  tied  hack  or  half  of  the  leaf  removed. 
The  ripening  of  the  wood  must  be  attended  to  thoroughly,  as  next 
year’s  crop  will  depend  entirely  on  it.  Always  water  the  borders  with 
water  the  same  temperature  as  the  house,  and  at  no  time  should  they  be 
allowed  to  get  dry,  or  a  dropping  of  the  buds  will  be  the  result.  For 
early  work  Alexander  and  Waterloo  will  give  satisfaction  for  Peaches, 
and  Lord  Napier  will  be  found  one  of  the  most  serviceable  of  Nectarines. 
— J  F.  Donoghue. 
The  Black  Currant. 
Now  that  we  have  such  a  chance  as  “  The  Young  Gardeners’ 
Domain  ”  affords,  I  think  it  will  be  a  source  of  improvement  if  we 
avail  ourselves  of  the  opportunity.  For  my  first  attempt  I  am  going  to 
write  a  little  about  Black  Currant  culture. 
This  useful  bush  fruit  seems  to  thrive  best  on  a  fairly  strong  soil, 
deeply  worked  and  well  drained,  with  a  good  quantity  of  potash  in  it. 
When  the  bushes  show  signs  of  weakness,  a  good  mulching  with  farm¬ 
yard  manure  early  in  spring  will  help  them  on.  If  we  wish  to  grow 
the  Black  Currant  on  a  very  strong  soil,  it  will  be  a  great  advantage  to 
burn  a  portion,  and  mix  a  little  sand  with  it ;  the  burning  will  afford 
potash.  It  is  not  worth  while  attempting  to  grow  Black  Currants  on 
light  sandy  soil  without  a  good  dressing  of  clay.  Cuttings  should  be 
taken  as  soon  as  the  leaves  fall.  One  form  of  cutting  is  to  take  a 
young  shoot,  cut  off  a  portion  of  the  top,  leaving  it  about  1  foot  long  ; 
rub  off  all  buds  except  three  at  the  top,  then  insert  the  cuttings  deeply 
in  worked  ground  in  rows  1  foot  apart,  and  6  inches  asunder  in  the  lines, 
leaving  about  4  inches  between  the  buds  and  the  ground.  In  spring  we 
shall  have  three  shoots  from  the  buds,  and  roots  where  the  buds  were 
taken  off  under  ground. 
Should  the  growth  not  be  as  robust  as  we  like,  a  sprinkling  of 
sulphate  of  ammonia  will  be  helpful  to  them.  In  autumn  these  three 
shoots  should  be  cut  back  to  an  outside  bud,  leaving  about  four  plump 
buds  on  each  stem.  The  following  spring  we  shall  have  six  long  shoots 
from  the  top  buds,  and  six  small  shoots  from  the  lower  buds  ;  in  the 
autumn  the  small  shoots  should  be  cut  back  to  about  half  an  inch  of 
the  stem,  and  the  long  shoots  to  about  four  buds.  Continue  cutting 
after  this  manner  until  the  tree  is  the  desired  size.  Pruning  and  trans¬ 
planting  should  be  done  in  autumn,  and  always  cut  close  to  a  bud. 
Sometimes  when  a  snag  is  left,  frost  and  rain  will  cause  the  first  bud 
to  die. 
A  second  form  of  cutting  is  to  take  a  young  shoot  1  foot  long  when 
the  top  is  cut  off,  leave  on  all  the  buds,  insert  in  deeply  worked  ground, 
leaving  about  6  inches  above  the  surface.  With  this  kind  we  shall  get 
strong  shoots  from  above  and  below  ground  as  well,  but  not  quite  so 
many  roots.  The  shoots  from  beneath  are  called  suckers.  Pruning, 
manuring,  and  all  else  are  the  same  as  the  other  form.  This  is  more 
productive,  but  most  gardenere  like  the  tree  form  best  ;  it  is  better  to 
keep  in  order,  and  the  fruit  does  not  get  so  dirty  with  rains  dashing  up 
the  soil. — Knedlington. 
[Penmanship  good  and  composition  fair,  the  chief  faults  being 
abbreviations  of  certain  wordB,  and  omitting  the  article  “  the.”  The 
lines  were  too  close  by  half,  but  written  prior  to  the  publication  of  our 
advice  last  week.] 
Winter  Tomatoes. 
What  vegetable  is  more  appreciated  than  the  Tomato  during  the 
winter  months  1  and  if  properly  treated  fruits  can  be  easily  obtained  all 
the  year  round.  The  system  of  growing  them  here,  and  one  that  seems 
to  suit  them  for  winter  fruiting,  is  to  sow  the  seed  at  the  end  of  March 
in  small  pans  filled  with  a  light  compost.  After  the  soil  has  been 
well  soaked  we  sow  thinly,  just  covering  the  seeds.  The  pans  are 
covered  with  a  piece  of  glass  and  placed  in  a  temperature  of  65°.  As 
soon  as  the  seedlings  appear  the  glass  is  removed  and  the  pans  placed 
on  a  Bhelf  close  to  the  roof  that  the  plants  may  obtain  the  full  light, 
otherwise  they  will  become  drawn  and  weak. 
As  soon  as  large  enough  they  are  potted  in  small  60’s  and  placed  back 
again  in  the  same  temperature.  They  require  a  little  shading  till  they 
become  well  rooted,  when  they  are  removed  to  the  frames  and  kept  close 
for  a  day  or  two,  then  gradually  admitting  more  air  .till  they  become 
hardened.  They  soon  require  repotting,  and  are  then  shifted  into  6-inch 
pots,  using  a  stronger  compost  of  two  parts  loam  with  one  part  spent 
Mushroom  droppings  and  a  little  leaf  soil.  At  this  period  they 
require  careful  watering  till  they  become  well  established,  as  owing  to 
the  large  shift  the  soil  is  liable  to  become  sodden,  which  soon  checks  the 
plants. 
By  the  beginning  of  June  they  are  ready  for  well  washed  10  and 
12-inch  pots  for  fruiting.  These  are  carefully  crocked,  as  the  drain¬ 
age  is  one  of  the  moBt  important  features.  A  good  layer  of  rough 
fibry  turf  is  placed  over  the  crocks,  and  good  strong  soil  is  used, 
consisting  of  three  parts  loam  to  one  of  spent  Mushroom  bed  refuse, 
with  a  little  leaf  soil  and  a  good  sprinkling  of  bonemeal.  It  is 
rammed  firmly,  filling  the  pots  two-thirds  full  to  allow  a  top-dressing  later. 
After  potting  they  are  placed  outside  at  the  foot  of  a  wall  facing 
south,  to  which  they  are  trained,  taking  them  up  on  the  single  stem 
system,  and  removing  all  side  shoots.  When  well  rooted  they  are  top- 
dressed  with  much  the  same  compost  as  used  for  potting,  only  having  a 
little  more  artificial  manure  added,  and  after  being  top-dressed  the  pots 
are  covered  with  half-rotten  manure  for  the  double  purpose  of  protecting 
from  the  hot  sun  and  retaining  moisture.  By  keeping  the  side  shoots 
removed  they  soon  have  fine  trusses  of  fruit  all  up  the  stems.  After 
the  fruits  have  begun  swelling  the  plants  are  fed  two  or  three  times  a 
week.  They  are  grown  in  this  way  till  September,  and  then  removed  to 
a  lean-to  house  facing  south,  where  they  are  tied  to  wires  1  foot  from 
the  glass. 
The  house  is  thrown  open  on  all  favourable  occasions,  and  kept  dry, 
maintaining  a  night  temperature  of  50°.  The  fruits  then  commence  to 
ripen,  and  we  have  always  a  good  supply  through  the  winter;  with 
November  a  night  temperature  of  55°  to  60°  is  kept.  The  variety  is 
Osberton  Scarlet,  which  seems  equally  well  adapted  for  winter  and 
summer. — A.  C.  W.,  Osberton  Gardens. 
FRUIT  FORCING. 
Cherry  House. — A  house  of  Cherry  trees  planted  out  or  in  pots  is 
found  here  and  there  throughout  the  country,  and  the  fruits  they  bear 
are  very  desirable  additions  to  the  dessert  at  the  end  of  April  and  through 
May  when  the  house  be  started  at  the  new  year.  The  utmost  care  must 
now  be  taken  to  have  the  trees  perfectly  free  from  aphides,  which  seem 
to  emerge  from  the  eggs  simultaneously  with  the  buds  casting  their 
scales,  and  they  at  once  fasten  on  the  growths.  This  they  must  be 
prevented  doing  by  fumigating  with  some  approved  Dreparation  of 
tobacco,  so  as  to  thoroughly  annihilate  the  pests,  for  it  is  essential  to  a 
good  set  that  the  blossom  be  perfectly  developed  ;  therefore  effect  the 
destruction  of  the  pests  before  the  flowers  unfold.  Syringe  the  trees 
occasionally  up  to  the  blossom  showing  the  loveliest  of  all  white,  but 
cease  then,  damping  the  paths  and  borders  instead,  and  ventilating 
freely.  Keep  the  house  at  40°  by  night,  45°  to  50°  by  day  by  artificial 
means,  ventilating  at  50°,  and  allowing  a  rise  of  10°  to  15°  from  sun  heat, 
with  full  ventilation,  closing  the  house  for  the  day  at  50°.  Take  care 
not  to  allow  the  border  to  become  dry  and  remain  in  that  state,  but 
water  as  necessary,  so  as  to  keep  the  soil  moist,  yet  not  supplying  it 
excessively  so  as  to  make  the  border  sodden,  and  attend  regularly  to  the 
needs  of  trees  in  pots. 
Cucumbers. — Young  plants  must  be  shifted  into  larger  pots  as  they 
require  more  root-room,  keeping  near  the  glass,  putting  a  stick  to  those 
required  for  trelliswork.  The  soil  should  consist  of  medium  textured 
fibrous  loam,  with  a  fifth  of  thoroughly  reduced  manure,  and  adding  a 
little  charcoal  to  keep  the  compost  open  and  sweet.  If  a  sprinkling  of 
air-slaked  lime  and  soot  in  equal  parts  be  admixed  with  the  soil  it  will 
be  advantageous.  Plants  for  frames  can  be  stopped  at  the  second  rough 
leaf.  The  bottom  heat  should  be  85°,  top  heat  70°  to  75°  by  artificial 
means,  falling  5°  at  night  and  advancing  10°  to  15°  from  sun  heat. 
Winter-fruiting  plants  will  need  top-dressings  occasionally:  to  keep 
them  fruitful,  and  any  tbat  exhibit  signs  of  exhaustion  will  be  the 
better  of  fresh  supplies  in  place  of  as  much  of  the  surface  soil  as  can 
be  removed  without  injury  to  the  roots,  using  turfy  loam,  with  a 
fourth  well-decayed  manure,  a  pint  of  soot,  and  a  quart  of  wood  ashes  to 
each  bushel.  Such  surface  dressing  provokes  the  emission  of  fresh 
roots,  and  when  these  are  plentiful  the  plants  can  be  invigorated  by 
top-dressings  of  fertilisers  washed-in  or  copious  supplies  of  liquid 
manure.  Keep  the  growths  tied  to  the  trellis,  cut  out  exhausted 
growths,  and  train-in  young  shoots  so  as  to  maintain  a  succession  of 
bearing  wood,  and  consequently  of  fruit.  Give  each  growth  space  for 
development,  all  the  foliage  full  exposure  to  light,  and  above  all  avoid 
overcropping. 
Figs. — Earliest  Forced  Trees  in  Pots. — The  trees  of  such  varieties 
as  Early  Violet,  St.  John’s,  Pingo  de  Mel,  and  Brown  Turkey,  started  in 
November  or  at  the  beginning  of  December  to  afford  ripe  fruit  at  the 
close  of  April  and  in  May,  are  forming  fresh  roots  abundantly,  therefore 
the  bottom  heat  should  be  kept  steady  at  70°  to  75°,  bringing  the 
fermenting  material  up  to  the  rims  of  the  pots,  and  instead  of  letting 
them  extend  over  the  rims  into  the  fermenting  material,  place  pieces  of 
turf  about  2  inches  thick  round  the  rims  of  the  pots,  and  extending  over 
or  down  the  sides,  which  will  keep  the  roots  near  and  induce  a  sturdy 
growth,  and  the  roots  can  be  fed  in  the  turf.  To  encourage  active 
feeders  from  the  collar  fill  the  hollows  formed  by  the  turves  with  sweet 
lumpy  manure  or  rough  pieces  of  turf,  and  sprinkle  these  occasionally 
with  a  little  approved  fertiliser. 
Keep  a  good  but  not  excessive  moisture  in  the  atmosphere  by 
syringing  twice  a  day  and  damping  as  required  in  dry  weather,  taking 
advantage  of  every  gleam  of  sunshine  for  raising  the  temperature  to 
80°  or  85°  ;  but  admit  a  little  air  at  70°,  increasing  it  with  the  tempera¬ 
ture,  closing  at  75°,  and  so  as  to  raise  the  heat  to  80°,  85°,  or  even  00°. 
Let  there  be  no  lack  of  water  at  the  roo's,  and  with  the  drainage  good 
