February  11.  1-97. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
123 
dead  leaves  and  cut  away  any  dead  wood.  Those  attacked  by  any  insect 
pest  should  be  cleaned  and  afterwards  neatly  tied.  This  work  being 
completed  the  house  should  be  cleaned  before  the  succeeding  plants  are 
putin.-P.  W.  (To  he  continued.) 
Vines— Starting  to  Flowering. 
After  the  Vines  have  been  pruned  they  should  be  untied  and  taken 
down  from  the  wires  that  the  house  may  be  thoroughly  cleaned.  Soft- 
soap  and  hot  water  applied  with  a  scrubbing  bush  is  best  for  the 
woodwork,  and  clear  warm  water  only  for  the  glass.  It  is  a  good  plan 
to  peel  the  old  loose  bark  from  the  Vines  when  cleaning  them,  as  it 
harbours  many  insects.  In  doing  this  care  must  be  taken  not  to  injure 
the  under  bark.  A  solution  of  softsoap  and  hot  water  with  a  little 
petroleum  added  (a  wineelassful  to  2  gallons  of  water)  forms  a  good 
mixture  for  washing  the  Vine  rods.  Be  careful  to  clean  out  all  holes 
and  corners,  especially  around  the  spurs.  This  work  cannot  be  too 
thoroughly  performed,  as  if  it  is  not  well  done  much  trouble  and  labour 
will  be  caused  when  the  Vines  are  growing. 
As  soon  as  the  house  and  Vines  are  finished  attention  should  be 
directed  to  the  borders.  First  remove  the  surface  soil  about  2  inches 
deep,  to  get  rid  of  any  insects  that  may  have  fallen  from  the  rods  during 
the  cleaning  of  them.  If  plenty  of  roots  are  found  a  top-dressing  of 
good  loam  with  some  bone  dust  added  would  be  very  beneficial.  If  no 
surface  roots  are  visible,  simply  spread  a  little  artificial  manure  on  the 
border  and  dig  it  in  lightly  with  a  fork,  stirring  up  the  soil  to  the  depth 
of  3  or  4  inches.  To  protect  the  outside  border  from  frost  and  rains  it 
should  have  a  good  covering  of  long  stable  litter. 
Before  starting  a  bouse  examine  the  borders  to  ascertain  if  they  are 
dry,  and  if  such  is  found  to  be  the  case  give  them  a  good  watering.  In 
order  to  induce  the  Vines  to  break  evenly,  at  the  time  of  starting  they 
should  be  bent  in  a  semicircular  form,  and  tied  along  the  front  of  the 
house.  By  doing  this  part  of  the  sap  is  directed  to  the  back  buds 
instead  of  its  rushing  to  the  top  of  the  Vine,  which  would  happen  if 
they  were  tied  up  perpendicularly. 
The  treatment  of  forced  Vines  depends  a  great  deal  upon  the  time  of 
the  year  they  are  started.  Those  started  in  November  or  December 
would  require  longer  to  mature  their  crops  than  others  started  in  January 
and  February,  as  naturally  they  would  not  grow  so  quickly  during  the 
dull,  dark  days  of  winter. 
I  will  take  as  an  example  a  vinery  from  which  Grapes  are  to  be  cut 
by  the  end  of  April.  A  period  of  about  six  months  is  necessary  to 
produce  ripe  fruit  for  that  season.  A  start,  therefore,  should  be  made 
early  in  November.  Little  or  no  fire  heat  will  be  required  to  maintain 
a  night  temperature  of  48°,  which  is  sufficient  to  begin  with.  In  dull, 
cold  weather  keep  the  day  temperature  about  58°.  With  sun  heat  the 
thermometer  may  be  allowed  to  rise  to  659  before  giving  air.  To  produce 
a  moist  atmosphere  the  house  must  be  damped  down  and  the  Vines 
syringed  several  times  a  day,  according  to  the  state  of  the  weather. 
After  a  month  has  passed  increase  the  night  temperature  to  55°,  and 
allow  a  corresponding  rise  during  the  day.  In  a  month  or  five  weeks 
from  the  time  of  starting,  the  buds  will  show  signs  of  bursting.  When 
the  shoots  are  2  or  3  inches  long  the  Vines  should  be  tied  to  the 
wires,  but  leave  the  ends  loose  and  hanging  down  for  some  time  longer 
to  still  act  as  a  partial  check  to  the  rising  sap.  The  young  growths 
quickly  increase  in  size  and  strength  now  they  have  more  light  and 
room.  They  will  soon  need  tying  down  to  the  trellis  to  keep  them  in 
place  and  away  from  the  glass.  By  the  end  of  December  the  Vines 
should  have  made  good  progress,  and  a  temperature  of  60°  at  night, 
rising  to  75°  by  day,  will  not  be  too  hot  for  them.  The  syringe  requires 
careful  usage  at  this  stage,  as  the  young  shoots  are  very  tender  and  easily 
broken. 
It  is  seldom  that  much  disbudding  is  necessary  in  the  case  of  early 
forced  Vines.  The  shoots  bearing  the  best  bunches  must,  of  course,  be 
retained,  and  all  weak  and  superfluous  ones  removed.  When  three 
leaves  have  been  made  beyond  the  bunch  it  is  usual  to  pinch  the  shoot 
at  the  first  or  second  leaf,  but  this  and  stopping  of  laterals  will  depend 
upon  the  space  to  be  covered.  The  foliage  must  not  be  crowded,  or  it 
will  become  stunted  and  unable  to  properly  develop. 
Towards  the  end  of  January  or  the  beginning  of  February  the  Vines 
will  be  in  flower.  During  this  period  a  dry  buoyant  atmosphere  should 
be  maintained  with  a  night  temperature  of  67°,  rising  to  80°  by  day  with 
sun  heat.  It  will  considerably  help  the  setting  of  the  flowers  if  the 
Vines  are  shaken  every  day  in  order  to  distribute  the  pollen.  A  camel- 
hair  brush  is  generally  used  to  fertilise  the  flowers  of  some  varieties 
deficient  in  pollen. 
I  have  not  yet  made  mention  of  the  insect  and  other  pests  which 
often  attack  Vines  during  their  growth.  Those  most  generally  met  with 
are  the  red  spider,  mildew,  thrips,  and  mealy  bug.  The  first-mentioned 
is  often  produced  by  keeping  the  atmosphere  of  the  house  too  hot 
and  dry.  As  a  preventive  endeavour  to  produce  the  opposite  state  of 
affairs  by  well  syringing  and  damping,  especially  near  the  hot-water 
pipes.  As  a  remedy  dissolve  half  a  pound  of  softsoap  in  3  gallons 
of  water,  together  with  a  handful  of  sulphur,  and  well  syringe  the 
infested  parts  with  the  mixture.  This  treatment  is  also  effective 
for  destroying  thrips. 
Mildew  is  a  very  troublesome  pest,  and  if  allowed  to  spread  greatly 
disfigures  both  the  Vine  and  its  fruit.  Cold  draughts  and  low  tempera¬ 
tures  are  the  chief  factors  in  its  origin.  Sulphur  is  the  best  known 
remedy.  There  are  various  methods  of  applying  it.  Flowers  of  sulphur 
may  be  dusted  on  the  leaves  and  bunches,  or  made  into  a  paste  and 
Bmeared  on  the  pipes.  These,  however,  must  not  be  overheated,  or  the 
hot  sulphurous  fumes  resulting  would  cause  serious  damage  to  the  fruit 
and  foliage. 
Mealy  bug  is  difficult  to  eradicate  when  it  is  once  established  in  a 
vinery.  As  I  before  mentioned,  the  old  bark  should  be  peeled  off  and 
the  Vine  washed  with  a  so'ution  of  softsoap  and  hot  water,  adding  a 
little  petroleum.  Many  of  the  insects  may  be  caught  when  the  Vines 
are  moving,  if  we  are  on  the  alert,  with  a  brush  dipped  in  petroleum. 
— H.  H. 
[Setting  and  thinning  Grapes  next.  Can  any  of  our  probationers' 
send  sketches  of  properly  and  improperly  thinned  bunches  of  Grapes  ?  j 
SOLANDRA  GRANDIFLORA. 
To  convey  an  idea  to  “  A.  P.”  we  give  herewith  an  illustration  (fig.  29) 
of  this  plant,  which  is  rarely  met  with.  This  is  not,  however,  because 
it  is  not  beautiful,  but  rather  that  it  is  somewhat  shy  in  producing  its 
flowers.  Besides  the  flowers  being  strikingly  attractive  by  their 
Brugmansia-like  form  and  pale  yellow  colour,  the  foliage  is  also  agree¬ 
able,  and  the  plant  is  worthy  of  being  cultivated  by  amateurs  in  their 
stoves.  The  plant  is  propagated  from  cuttings,  which  should  be  grown 
in  loam  and  peat  in  a  brisk  heat  and  with  liberal  supplies  of  water  until 
it  has  attained  a  good  size.  Water  should  then  be  gradually;  withheld 
until  the  leaves  wither  and  drop  off  by  drought,  and  the  plant  will 
seldom  refuse  to  flower  profusely.  It  is  a  free-growing  plant  and  a 
native  of  Jamaica,  thus  requiring  heat  to  grow  it,  yet  a  distinct  season 
of  drought  and  rest  to  induce  the  production  of  its  beautiful  flowers. 
