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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  6,  1898. 
before  the  kneeling  process  begins,  and  paper  collars,  changed  about 
every  other  week,  become  the  rage.  Large  quantities  of  liquid  manure 
are  poured  into  the  trenches  until  about  a  week  or  two  before  the  show, 
when  the  favoured  plants  are  stripped  down,  chosen,  and  most  carefully 
watched.  When  judged  each  head  of  Celery  is  cut,  to  find  the  best  core, 
and  judged  accordingly.— CHAS.  A.  Lewthwaite,  Kendal. 
NOTES  ON  PINES. 
Pine  Apples  are  still  grown  in  some  places,  and  the  fruits  are  much 
fresher  in  appearance  and,  we  consider,  superior  in  quality  to  imported 
fruit,  hence  a  few  notes  may  be  appropriate. 
The  Pine  Apple,  like  every  other  fruit,  is  most  valuable  when  fruit  is 
scarce  and  dear,  hence  plants  showing  fruit  have  most  interest,  and  should 
be  afforded  the  best  positions  in  the  fruiting  department.  Maintain  a 
temperature  of  70°  at  night,  75°  by  day,  advancing  by  sun  heat  to  85°  or 
90°,  closing  at  85°,  and  sprinkling  the  plants  on  fine  afternoons.  Damp 
the  paths  when  the  surfaces  become  dry,  but  avoid  too  much  atmospheric 
moisture,  otherwise  the  crowns  may  be  unduly  enlarged.  Keep  the  bottom 
heat  steady  at  85°  to  90°.  Examine  the  plants  once  a  week  for  watering, 
and  if  any  require  a  supply  afford  it  copiously  at  about  the  same  tempera¬ 
ture  as  the  bed,  always  using  clear  liquid  manure.  Care,  however,  must 
be  taken  not  to  overwater  the  fruiters,  as  that  has  a  tendency  to  cause 
the  fruit  when  cut  to  black  at  the  centre. 
The  best  varieties  to  fruit  early  are  Queens  and  Enville,  but  there  is 
not  always  a  certainty  of  their  starting  into  fruit  when  desired  unless 
they  are  given  a  period  of  comparative  rest  after  making  good  growth. 
Plants  intended  to  show  fruit  early  in  the  year  should  be  kept  in  a 
temperature  of  about  65°  in  the  daytime  by  artificial  means,  60°  at  night, 
ventilating  at  70°,  closing  at  this  degree  of  heat,  and  allowing  the  bottom 
heat  to  fall  to  that  figure  of  the  plunging  thermometer.  Water  the  plants 
only  when  necessary,  but  do  not  allow  them  to  become  so  dry  as  to  cause 
the  foliage  to  become  limp.  This  treatment  causes  the  plants  to  thicken 
at  their  base  in  full  exposure  and  close  proximity  to  the  glass  without 
touching,  and  concentrate  the  forces  on  the  formation  of  the  embryonic 
fruits,  so  that  after  a  couple  of  months  or  so  they  can  be  started  with  a 
certainty  of  the  majority  throwing  up  fruit,  which  will  ripen  iu  May  and 
.Tune  of  next  year,  if  the  plants  are  started  in  December  or  by  the  new 
year. 
All  young  plants  should  now  be  arranged  so  as  to  obtain  the  fullest 
benefit  of  light  and  air.  As  the  sun  diminishes  in  power  a  corresponding 
diminution  of  temperature  must  take  place  at  night,  until  it  reaches  the 
winter  standard  of  55°  to  60°  at  night  and  65°  in  the  daytime.  Ventilate 
freely  whenever  the  external  conditions  are  favourable,  paying  particular 
attention  to  watering.  Examine  the  plants  about  once  a  week,  and 
whenever  one  needs  water  give  it  copiously,  at  about  the  same  temperature 
as  the  bed,  always  using  liquid  manure,  quite  clear  ;  and  to  plants  having 
a  tendency  of  run  to  leaf  add  a  pinch  of  salt  to  each  3  gallons  of  water, 
just  as  much  as  the  thumb  and  two  forefingers  hold.  It  stiffens  the  plants 
wonderfully,  but  of  course  the  plants  must  have  plenty  of  room  but  be 
near  the  glass. — Grower. 
THE  YOUNG  GARDENERS’  DOMAIN. 
SCHUBERTIA  GRANDIFLORA. 
Amongst  the  most  useful  stove  climbers  is  Schubertia  grandiflora. 
It  flowers  freely  in  clusters  of  five  and  six  from  the  base  of  the  leaves 
on  the  current  season's  growth,  and  continues  from  April  till  the  end  of 
August.  It  is  similar  in  habit  and  flower  to  the  Stephanotis,  but  the 
blooms  are  larger,  have  longer  stems,  and  are  not  so  easily  bruised  ; 
they  stand  a  long  time  when  cut,  and  are  very  useful  for  wreath  and 
bouquet  making. 
It  is  of  easy  culture,  requiring  a  compost  of  light  loam  with  a  little 
leaf  soil  and  decayed  manure,  also  good  drainage.  It  may  be  either 
planted  out,  or  grown  in  a  large  pot  and  trained  to  the  trellis  on  the 
back  wall  or  roof.  Abundance  of  space  must  be  afforded,  as  the  growths 
will  easily  reach  from  15  to  20  feet  during  the  summer.  Cuttings  may  be 
propagated  from  firm  side  shoots  with  a  little  bottom  heat. 
As  with  Stephanotis,  mealy  bug  seems  very  partial  to  it,  and  it  requires 
careful  brushing  with  an  insecticide,  as  the  leaves  are  easily  broken. 
hite  fly  is  also  troublesome,  but  can  be  kept  down  with  the  svrinete 
—A.  C.  W.  J  6  ' 
Winter  Cucumbers. 
In  many  gardens  Cucumbers  are  in  demand  daily  throughout  the 
year,  and  easy  as  the  culture  of  this  plant  is  during  the  summer  months, 
it  is  the  reverse  in  the  winter.  A  few  notes  on  its  culture  may,  therefore^ 
be  of  use.  The  house  for  the  production  of  winter  Cucumbers  should 
be  well  heated  and  tightly  glazed,  bottom  heat  being  provided,  and,  if 
possible,  it  should  a  lean-to  facing  due  south.  For  bearing  in  winter  the 
plants  can  either  be  raised  from  seeds  sown  early  in  August,  or  by  means 
of  cuttings  propagated  later  in  the  month.  In  the  latter  case,  it  may  be 
noted,  the  plants  come  into  bearing  earlier,  but  at  the  same  time  they  are 
more  quickly  spent  than  seedlings. 
The  seed  should  be  sown  singly  in  3-inch  pots,  using  an  open  compost. 
1  he  pots  are  placed  in  a  house  where  the  temperature  ranges  about  70°  by 
night,  and  as  soon  as  germination  has  taken  place  they  should  be  stood 
quite  close  the  glass  to  prevent  the  plants  being  drawn.  In  the  case  of 
cuttings,,  propagate  in  the  ordinary  way,  selecting  strong  shoots  ;  plunge 
the  pots  in  bottom  heat,  place  a  hand-glass  over  them,  and  keep  close  for 
a  few  days  to  prevent  flagging.  When  the  pots  in  either  case  are  full  of 
roots  place  in  5-inch  pots,  and  so  grow  the  plants  that  they  have  a  sturdy 
habit.  These  plants  being  ready,  planting  should  be  done.  The  beds  for 
their  reception  ought  to  be  10  or  12  inches  deep,  above  the  drainage, 
the  compost  consisting  of  good  loam,  a  little  manure,  with  fine  old  mortar 
rubble  added,  the  latter  tending  to  keep  the  compost  open,  an  important 
item  in  the  growth  of  winter  Cucumbers.  Do  not  fill  the  whole  space, 
but  leave  room  for  future  top-dressings. 
In  planting,  allow  a  distance  of  about  2  feet  6  inches  between  the 
plants,  overcrowding  being  thus  guarded  against.  Grow  them  well, 
admitting  air  on  favourable  occasions,  as  if  grown  too  quickly  or  without 
air,  instead  of  stout  foliage  and  short-jointed  wood,  we  have  weakly  things, 
that  cannot  battle  with  the  dark  winter  months.  When  the  growths 
have  reached  half-way  up  the  wires,  pinch  to  induce  an  even  break.  The 
laterals  as  they  grow  must  also  be  regularly  stopped,  and  so  trained  that 
overcrowding  shall  not  take  place.  Endeavour  to  keep  down  spider  by 
judiciously  using  the  syringe,  but  not  so  much  as  to  make  the  leaves 
flabbv.  By  the  middle  of  October  the  plants  may  be  allowed  to  fruit, 
avoiding  overcropping.  A  good  show  may  look  nice,  but  it  is  detrimental 
to  the  plant  at  this  season. 
The  greatest  difficulty  will  be  found  during  the  dull  dark  November 
and  December  days,  and  especial  care  must  then  be  taken  both  with  the 
syringe  and  in  watering,  as  if  practised  unnecessarily  failure  is  quickly 
evident.  At  that  period  the  night  temperature  should  range  from  65°  to 
70°,  the  plants  not  being  unduly  excited  by  this.  It  may  be  mentioned, 
before  coming  into  bearing,  a  top-dressing  of  good  material  is  very  bene¬ 
ficial  to  the  plants,  and  when  bearing  occasional  waterings  of  weak  liquid 
manure  aid  the  plants  to  carry  their  crops.  On  the  turn  of  the  season 
more  moisture  may  be  afforded  the  roots,  the  syringe  more  freely  applied, 
a  good  top-dressing  afforded  the  beds,  and  the  Cucumbers  should  grow 
freely  and  produce  fruit  for  a  considerable  time.  In  sharp  weather  cover 
the  roof  glass  at  night  with  some  protecting  material,  as  the  leaves  being 
quite  dose  to  the  glass  are  easily  disfigured. — Semper. 
WORK.foh.the  WEEK.. 
FRUIT  FORCING. 
Melons. — The  end  of  the  Melon  season,  as  regards  those  grown  in 
frames  or  pits  heated  by  fermenting  materials,  is  at  hand,  though  fairly 
good  fruit  may  be  had  up  to  November,  especially  of  varieties  that  will 
keep  some  time.  Any  fruits  approaching  ripeness  should  be  cut  with  a 
good  portion  of  stem  and  placed  in  a  house  with  a  gentle  warmth,  where 
they  will  ripen,  and  be  a  welcome  addition  to  the  dessert. 
From  houses  a  supply  of  fruit  will  be  kept  up  some  time  longer,  the 
latest  fruits  only  swelling  now.  Sufficient  moisture  will  be  secured  to 
this  crop  by  damping  in  the  morning  and  again  early  in  the  afternoon, 
affording  water  to  the  roots  moderately — a  supply  once  a  week  will  be 
sufficient  in  most  cases.  All  superfluous  shoots  should  be  cut  out  and 
laterals  kept  closely  pinched,  so  as  to  afford  the  principal  foliage  the 
benefit  of  the  autumn  sun.  Plants  with  fruit  approaching  ripeness  should 
be  kept  dry,  and  a  brisk  heat  maintained  with  free  ventilation,  the 
temperature  being  kept  at  65°  at  night,  70°  to  75°  by  day,  rising  to  85° 
or  90°  with  sun,  admitting  air  at  the  top  of  the  house  on  all  favourable 
occasions.  The  evaporation  troughs  should  still  be  charged  with  liquid 
manure,  continuing  until  the  fruit  gives  indications  of  ripening. 
Peaches  and  Nectarines. — Early  House. — The  trees  are  at  rest,  and 
very  bright  and  promising  in  wood  and  buds.  The  latter  are  not  too 
large,  an  indication  that  they  have  not  been  over-developed,  but  are 
perfect,  and  will  retain  their  hold  upon  the  trees.  Through  the  roof- 
lights  having  been  removed  some  time  the  borders  have  been  thoroughly 
moistened,  but  in  certain  districts  rain  has  not  fallen,  and  watering  had 
to  be  resorted  to.  The  exposure  invigorates  the  trees,  and  that,  with 
thorough  soil  moisture  and  not  over-development  of  the  buds,  is  the  best 
safeguard  against  the  buds  falling.  The  trees  must  be  pruned,  dressed 
with  an  insecticide,  and  the  whole  house  thoroughly  cleansed,  the  wood¬ 
work  with  carbolic  or  petroleum  soap  and  water,  the  glass  with  clear 
water,  and  the  walls  with  limewash.  The  trees  can  also  be  tied  to  the 
trellis,  everything  forwarded,  so  that  a  start  may  be  made  at  the  proper 
time.  Let  the  lights  remain  off  until  the  time  of  closing  the  house.  If 
the  lights  are  fixed  the  inside  border  must  not  lack  moisture,  and  air 
should  be  given  to  the  fullest  possible  extent,  insuring  thereby  as  complete 
rest  as  possible  under  the  circumstances. 
Second  Early  House. — The  trees  started  early  in  the  year  have  shed  the 
foliage.  Those  that  have  made  strong  wood,  which  takes  time  to  mature, 
more  than  the  moderately  vigorous,  must  not  be  exposed  until  the  growths 
and  foliage  are  well  matured.  It  is  an  excellent  plan  to  remove  the  roof- 
lights,  as  it  invigorates  the  trees,  insures  perfect  rest,  and  the  rains  and 
frosts  do  much  to  cleanse  them  from  insects,  especially  brown  scale, 
besides  soaking  the  borders.  When  the  foliage  is  all  down  the  necessary 
pruning,  dressing  the  trees  with  an  insecticide,  and  cleaning  the  house 
should  be  proceeded  with,  removing  the  surface  soil  down  to  the  roots, 
and  adding  fresh  material,  but  not  covering  the  roots  deeper  than  2  or 
3  inches.  In  the  case  of  fixed  roof-lights  watering  may  be  necessary. 
