318 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  14,  1898. 
things  agreeable  near  the  surface,  and  if  any  roots  forsake  good  living 
for  a  cold  berth  and  slow  death,  let  them  do  so. 
We  may  easily  err  in  putting  off  watering  too  long,  and  also 
in  being  in  too  great  a  hurry  to  apply  moisture  to  the  roots. 
Occasionally,  what  may  appear  a  somewhat  light  soil  may  hold  water 
like  a  sponge,  and  unless  very  carefully  treated  becomes  sour  and 
injurious  to  the  roots.  When  Vine  leaves  present  a  sickly  appearance* 
the  probable  cause  is  an  excess  of  water  at  the  roots.  I  would  rather 
see  them  a  bluish  green  colour,  owing  to  dryness  of  the  border, 
than  yellow  from  stagnation,  the  former  recovering  quickly  when  the 
remedy  is  applied,  but  not  so  the  over-watered  Vines.  It  is  far  from 
my  wish  to  frighten  the  inexperienced.  On  the  contrary,  I  am  writing 
with  a  view  to  inducing  them  to  act  and  think  for  themselves,  adopting 
common  sense,  not  rule  of  the  thumb,  practices. 
The  poorer  the  borders  the  greater  the  need  for  watering  often.  At 
the  same  time  I  do  not  believe  in  constantly  drenching  the  soil  with 
water,  which  may  or  may  not  be  lower  in  temperature  than  the  border, 
if  it  can  be  avoided.  Timely  top-dressings  with  rich  compost,  followed 
by  a  mulching  of  strawy  manure,  will  save  the  hose  or  watering-pot 
considerably,  and  both  ought  to  be  applied  annually.  Not  a  few 
inside  borders  have  to  serve  as  floors  of  houses,  and  I  have  seen 
scores  of  them  as  hard  and  apparently  as  dry  as  a  road.  The  firmness 
of  border  is  not  so  very  objectionable,  always  provided  the  soil  can 
be  kept  moist.  Eoot  fibres  innumerable  are  formed  in  firm,  moist,  and 
not  too  poor  ground,  the  loose  rich  root-run  favouring  the  production 
of  long  fibreless  roots.  It  is  not  yet  too  late  to  take  a  neglected 
inside  border  in  hand.  If  roots  are  to  be  found  remove  the  dry,  hard 
surface  soil  down  to  these,  leaving  the  ground  loose  and  level  on  the 
surface  to  facilitate  the  next  operation  of  well  moistening  the  whole  of 
the  rofforved  ix)rtion  of  the  border.  The  following  day  apply  a  top¬ 
dressing  of  loam,  manure,  burnt  earlh,  ashes,  fine  mortar  rubbish,  and 
a  sprinkling  of  bonemeal.  If  only  a  few  half-dead  roots  are  found 
not  far  away  from  the  stems,  prune  them  and  relay  in  fresh  compost. 
Mulch  with  strawy  manure  or  peat  moss  litter  not  too  fresh  from  the 
stable.  Keep  the  old  and  new  soil  uniformly  moist,  and  the  chances 
are  roots  will  soon  be  attracted  to  the  surface.  Pure  fresh  leaf  soil 
and  also  the  residue  from  a  slow  garden  fire  are  likewise  root-inducing, 
and  may  be  used  for  mulching  or  top-dressing  with  advantage. 
We  may  reasonably  assume  that  few  borders  are  in  the  plight 
just  indicated,  but  there  are  many  which  are  mismanaged,  if  in  a 
lesser  degree.  Some  cultivators  are  decidedly  averse  to  the  use  of  a 
fork  on  a  border.  What  if  a  few  surface  roots  are  broken  occasion¬ 
ally  ?  The  good  done  by  loosening  a  hard  surfa^’e  occasionally  more 
than  compensates  for  any  little  temporary  damage  done  to  the  roots, 
and  as  a  matter  of  fact  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  thoroughly  moisten 
a  somewhat  dry  border  unless  the  surface  is  loosened  prior  to  the 
application.  Then  obviously  manures  are  wasted  on  hard  surfaces, 
the  greater  portion  of  each  dressing  being  washed  away. 
This  brings  me  to  another  portion  of  my  subject  —  viz.,  the 
application  of  manure  to  fruit  borders  under  glass  generally,  much  of 
the  foregfing  applying  to  Peach,  Fig,  Cherry,  and  other  borders  with 
the  same  force  as  it  does  to  those  occupied  Iby  Vine  roots.  Surface 
dressings  of  slowly  dissolving  chemical  manures  are  doubtless  of 
service,  and  I  have  good  reason  to  speak  highly  of  some  of  the  special 
Vine  manures  that  have  long  been  in  commerce,  but  for  real  effective¬ 
ness  commend  me  to  liquid  manure  in  a  weak  state — little  and  often  is 
my  motto.  The  roots  are  incapable  of  appropriating  large 
quantities  of  anything  other  than  nearly  clear  water,  and  may 
easily  be  injured  by  an  overdose  of  manure.  Large  numbers 
of  fruit  borders  are  too  rich  already,  this  remark  applying  with  the 
greatest  force  to  the  Vine  borders  on  which  so  much  labour  and 
expense  have  been  expended,  and  if  these  are  watered  and  manured  to 
excess  they  soon  become  distasteful  to  the  roots.  With  manuring  as 
with  watering  no  rules  can  be  laid  down  that  apply  to  all  borders  alike, 
and  much  must  be  left  to  the  judgment  of  individuals. 
Worn-out  old  borders  and  the  poorer  new  ones  are  naturally  the 
least  capable  of  supporting  Vines  or  trees  in  their  efforts  to  produce 
heavy  crops  of  fruit,  and  it  is  all  such  that  should  have  the  most 
assistance  in  the  form  of  liquid  manure,  additional  to  the  rich  top- 
dressings  already  recommended.  Instead  of  waiting  till  the  crops  are 
well  advanced  towards  maturity,  feeding  at  the  roots  should  commence 
in  the  case  of  poor  borders  from  the  first.  Liquid  manure  may  be 
safely  and  effectively  applied  in  a  moderately  strong  state  before  the 
roots  are  active,  and  weaker  nearly  every  time  the  borders  require 
moistening  afterwards. 
When  the  crops  are  about  fit  to  gather  harm  might  result  from 
an  application  of  liquid  manure  to  the  roots,  but  directly  they  are 
cleared  off,  or  while  the  foliage  continues  to  perform  its  natural 
functions,  liquid  manure  may  be  applied  with  advantage.  Thus  treated 
trees  and  Vines  have  their  strength  more  or  less  recuperated,  and  are 
likely  to  remain  highly  profitable  for  many  years  in  succession. — 
W. Iggulden. 
HINTS  ON  TOMATO  CULTURE. 
Tomatoes  are  readily  raised  from  seeds,  which  are  best  sown 
during  March  in  pots  or  pans  not  too  thickly.  IMost  cultivators 
perceive  the  necessity  of  securing  strong  seedlings,  and  therefore  do 
not  err  in  crowding  them  unduly.  They  require  to  develop  in  the 
seed  pots  until  rough  leaves  commence  to  appear.  It  is  then  time  to 
place  each  either  in  a  small  pot  or  four  round  the  edges  of  3-inch 
pots,  in  order  that  they  may  strengthen  and  form  roots  freely.  The 
stems  of  the  seedlings  should  be  sunk  low  in  the  soil.  The  next  move 
must  be  to  single  pots,  again  sinking  the  plants  as  low  as  possible. 
This  is  an  important  means  of  keeping  them  dwarf  and  sturdy  until 
potting  or  planting  finally.  The  last-sized  pot  before  the  latter 
operation  is  carried  out  should  be  5-inch,  this  being  most  convenient 
in  every  way. 
If  is  essential  that  the  plants  be  kept  on  dry  and  airy  shelves  in  a 
position  close  to  the  glass  in  a  greenhouse  or  frames,  as  attempts  to 
hurry  growth  in  heat,  moisture,  and  shade  will  produce  unsatisfactory 
plants.  Abundant  light  and  air  constitute  the  two  main  requirements, 
and  must  be  provided  and  continued  in  every  stage  of  growth.  As 
the  plants  advance  in  size  it  will  be  evident  that  strict  attention 
should  be  given  as  regards  water,  so  that  they  do  not  suffer ;  and  it 
may  be  necessary  to  examine  them  twice  or  thrice  daily  when  the 
soil  becomes  well  permeated  with  roots.  It  is  also  essential  to  carry 
out  the  potting  firmly,  thus  inducing  roots,  fibrous  in  character  and 
plentiful  in  quantity,  instead  of  being  coarse,  strong,  and  less 
numerous.  The  latter  induces  growth  of  a  strong  but  succulent 
nature,  the  former  promotes  equally  strong  but  sturdy  and  short- 
jointed  growth.  Flower  trusses  may  commence  to  form  before  the 
final  potting,  but  this  signifies  little,  even  if  fruit  forms. 
For  fruiting  in  pots  11  and  12-inch  size  pots  are  the  best. 
Place  a  few  crocks  over  the  drainage  holes  and  cover  with  pieces 
of  substantial  turf,  lightly  dusted  with  soot.  The  compost  should 
be  of  a  substantial  holding  nature  rather  than  rich  and  light.  Use 
turfy  loam  four  parts  to  one  part  decayed  manure.  Should  the  loam 
be  poor,  add  a  sprinkling  of  bonemeal  and  wood  ashes,  mixing  all 
well  together.  If  turfy  loam  is  not  procurable  employ  that  with  little 
or  no  fibre,  insuring  its  porosity  by  freely  intermixing  some  powdered 
brick.  Good  vegetable  soil  may  also  be  used  with  successful  results. 
In  potting  place  very  little  soil  in  the  pots  before  introducing  the 
plants,  which  ought  to  be  well  furnished  with  roots,  but  not  badly 
pot-bound ;  in  fact,  they  ought  to  be  in  such  a  condition  that  a  shift 
into  larger  pots  is  desirable  in  any  case.  Place  the  soil  around  in 
layers,  making  each  firm  with  a  potting  stick  before  adding  more. 
The  compost  as  well  as  the  ball  of  roots  ought  to  be  neither  wet 
nor  dry,  but  in  an  intermediate  state  of  moisture.  Should  the  soil  and 
the  roots  be  too  dry  it  will  be  a  difficult  matter  to  properly  moisten 
them  after  the  potting  is  completed  without  saturating  the  fresh 
compost  to  an  extent  which  may  cause  sourness  before  the  new  roots 
can  enter  it.  On  the  other  hand,  the  sufficiently  moist  ball  of  roots 
and  compost  being  favourable  to  quick  root  action,  this  is  soon 
evident.  Add  no  more  soil  than  will  just  cover  the  ball  half  an  inch. 
Firm  potting  at  this  last  shift  is  very  desirable.  A  large  amount  of 
material  can  be  compressed  in  a  small  space  when  rammed  down, 
and  as  this  method  of  potting  acts  well  with  Tomatoes,  favouring 
short-jointed  growth  and  fruitfulness,  it  must  not  be  omitted.  A 
very  important  reason  for  having  the  soil  in  a  moist  condition  is 
that  water  will  not  be  needed  for  a  short  time,  but  of  course  much 
depends  upon  position  and  weather.  The  soil  and  roots  must  not 
become  too  dry,  however,  before  applying  sufficient  to  moisten  the 
whole. 
As  soon  as  growth  commences,  the  shoots,  w^hich  quickly  spring 
from  the  axils  of  the  leaves,  ought  to  be  rubbed  out,  continuing  to  do 
so  as  they  appear  on  the  extended  growth.  Confine  each  plant  to  one 
