18 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  2,  1896 
The  smaller  shoots  and  around  the  fruit  buds  and  spurs  had  better  be 
dressed  with  the  petroleum  or  methylated  spirits  if  these  parts  are 
affected  with  the  blight. 
Destroying  Psd  Spider. — Trees  or  bushes  that  had  their  foliage 
infested  in  the  summer  with  red  spider  ought  to  have  the  stems  and 
branches  dressed  with  an  insecticide  ;  Gishurst  compound,  at  the  rate 
of  8  ozs.  to  the  gallon  of  water,  forming  an  effective  solution,  which 
may  be  thickened  to  the  consistency  of  paint  by  the  addition  of  soot 
and  clay.  This  adheres  to  the  wood,  and  marks  the  progression  of  the 
work.  Young  Apple  trees  in  the  form  of  bushes,  pyramids,  and  espaliers 
in  the  open,  and  cordons  against  walls,  are  all  liable  to  infestation  by  these 
small  insects.  They  collect  round  the  nodes  and  form  quite  coloured 
patches,  which  cannot  be  better  destroyed  than  at  the  present  time. 
Ths  soda  and  potash  solution  is  also  an  excellent  destroyer  of  this  pest. 
Pruning'  Outdoor  Vines. — In  many  cases  the  side  growths  may 
be  cut  in  to  one  or  two  buds,  avoiding  leaving  the  growths  on  spurs 
longer  than  this  at  each  winter  pruning.  Old  rods  that  are  not  fruitful, 
owing  to  the  presence  of  aged  spur  growths,  had  better  be  discarded  for 
younger  canes  originating  at  the  base,  either  training  these  to  take  the 
place  of  the  former,  or  for  covering  vacant  places  only,  shortening  them 
at  various  lengths  within  4  feet,  this  length  of  wood  being  invariably 
well  ripened.  If  the  wood  retained  is  not  crowded  the  Vines  will  be 
very  prolific,  and  the  system  of  cutting  out  fruiting  shoots  annually, 
training-in  young  new  wood  to  take  their  place,  might  with  advantage 
be  continued.  Some,  however,  will  adhere  to  the  spur-pruning  system, 
from  which  good  crops  can  also  be  had,  especially  when  the  rods  are 
periodically  renewed. 
FRUIT  FORCING 
Vines. — Earliest  Forced  in  Pots.  —  Exercise  great  care  in 
ventilating,  avoiding  chills,  such  as  those  resulting  from  cold  currents  of 
air,  admitting  it  chiefly  by  the  top  ventilators,  and  only  moderately  when 
the  air  is  cold  and  sharp.  As  the  foliage  is  developing  root  action  will 
be  excited,  and  should  be  encouraged  by  supplying  tepid  water  at  a 
temperature  not  less  than  the  mean  of  the  house  nor  much  exceeding  it. 
Disbud  and  tie  down  the  shoots  before  they  touch  the  glass.  Do  not  be 
in  too  great  a  hurry  in  stopping  or  restricting  to  a  certain  number  of 
joints,  but  as  Vines  in  pots  are  generally  restricted  to  limited  space, 
stopping  is  usually  effected  at  the  joint  beyond  the  show  of  fruit,  the 
point  of  the  growth  being  pinched  off  when  the  leaf  at  the  joint  is  about 
the  size  of  a  halfpenny  to  a  penny  piece.  The  laterals  as  they  show  are 
pinched  at  the  first  joint,  and  this  procedure  is  also  practised  on  the 
sub-laterals  as  made.  Thus  root  action  is  accelerated  and  maintained  by 
the  developing  foliage,  which  is  quite  as  necessary  for  absorbing  as  the 
leaves  for  elaborating  nutriment.  Maintain  a  night  temperature  of  65° 
until  the  flowers  open,  and  then  keep  the  house  at  70°  to  75°  by  artificial 
means,  with  a  rather  dryer  condition  of  the  atmosphere.  As  soon  as  the 
fruit  is  set,  supply  liquid  manure  copiously  whenever  water  is  required 
at  the  roots,  but  only  when  the  soil  is  becoming  moderately  dry, 
maintaining  a  moist  atmosphere  by  damping  the  paths  two  or  three 
times  a  day,  and  occasionally  with  liquid  manure,  keeping  the  evapora¬ 
tion  troughs  charged  with  the  same,  taking  care  not  to  use  the  liquid 
too  strong  or  the  ammonia  will  injure  the  foliage. 
Early  Forced  Planted-out  Vines. — As  the  growths  develop,  root 
action  proceeds,  and  should  be  encouraged  by  top  dressings  of  super¬ 
phosphate  and  blood  manure  in  about  equal  proportions  by  weight, 
adding  a  fourth  of  sulphate  of  potash  to  the  mixture,  and  supplying 
about  4  ozs.  of  the  combined  compound  to  the  square  yard,  watering  in 
moderately.  If  fermenting  materials  have  been  introduced  into  the 
house,  they  should  not  be  allowed  to  decline  in  warmth,  but  be  added  to 
from  time  to  time,  having  a  good  heap  of  leaves  and  stable  litter  in 
reserve,  from  which  the  supply  of  sweetened  material  may  be  drawn  as 
required,  the  outside,  if  one — a  great  mistake  in  early  forcing — must  be 
well  protected  from  frost.  Do  not  be  in  a  hurry  in  disbudding,  but  let 
the  growths  proceed  until  it  can  be  seen  which  give  the  most  promising 
show  for  fruit,  and  then  disbud  gradually.  Tie  down  the  shoots  before 
they  touch  the  glass.  If  weakly,  stop  them  at  three  or  four  joints 
beyond  the  bunch  ;  if  strong  they  may  be  pinched  at  one  joint  beyond 
the  fruit,  and  then  pinch  the  laterals  to  one  joint  as  regards  the  weak 
shoots,  and  leave  two  or  three  on  strong  growths  after  the  flush  of  sap 
has  been  concentrated  on  bunch,  extending  the  growth  so  as  to  seeure 
a  supply  of  well-developed  foliage  all  over  the  house.  Remove  surplus 
bunches  as  soon  as  choice  can  be  made  of  the  best,  reserving  the  most 
compact  and  avoiding  over-cropping.  Maintain  a  night  temperature  of 
(50°  to  65°,  70°  to  75°  by  day,  and  a  genial  condition  of  the  atmosphere 
by  damping  the  paths  and  walls  two  or  three  times  a  day. 
Houses  to  Afford  Pipe  Grapes  in  June. — The  Vines  for  this  pur¬ 
pose  must  be  started  at  once,  for  though  they  may  be  forced  so  as  to 
afford  fruit  in  May,  they  are  best  brought  forward  gently,  and  a  margin 
allowed  for  unfavourable  weather.  The  outside  border  must  be  well  pro¬ 
tected  from  inclement  weather,  as  the  roots  cannot  possibly  act  in  frozen 
ground.  If  fermenting  materials  are  used  they  must  be  kept  uniform  in 
temperature,  and  if  that  cannot  be  effected,  it  is  better  to  dispense  with 
them  altogether.  A  good  thickness,  say  6  inches  of  dry  leaves,  fern  or 
litter,  and  so  disposed  in  a  sloping  manner  as  to  throw  off  the  wet,  answers 
admirably.  Inside  borders  will  need  a  supply  of  water  at  a  temperature 
of  the  mean  of  the  house  to  bring  them  into  a  proper  state  of  moisture, 
being  careful  not  to  make  the  soil  too  wet,  as  that  hinders  root  action, 
and  may  be  the  precursor  of  that  sodden  and  sour  condition  which  inevit¬ 
ably  results  in  shanking  and  other  ills. 
Fermenting  material  introduced  into  the  house,  and  formed  into  a 
ridge-like  heap  on  the  floor,  turned  over  frequently,  adding  fresh  as 
necessary,  will  give  out  heat,  moisture,  and  ammonia,  highly  conducive 
to  a  good  break,  and  save  fuel.  The  temperature  should  be  maintained 
at,  50°  to  55°  by  artificial  means,  advancing  to  65°  from  sun  heat.  Damp 
the  house  and  Vines  two  or  three  times  a  day,  but  do  not  keep  them  con¬ 
stantly  dripping  with  water,  for  tba*  only  encourages  aerial  roots. 
Ventilate  on  all  favourable  occasions,  for  a  sweet  atmosphere  has  a 
decided  effect  for  good  on  the  Vines. 
Early  Houses  of  Muscats. — To  have  Muscat  of  Alexandria  ripe  in 
June  the  Vines  require  to  be  started  in  good  time,  but  there  is  little 
gained  by  commencing  so  early  that  the  growths  are  made  when  there 
is  little  prospect  of  sun.  The  beginning  of  December  is  quite  early 
enough  to  Btart  houses  of  this  variety  or  where  the  Vines  have  been 
started  before  at  the  new  year,  as  they  readily  respond  to  excitement,  the 
heat  ranging  from  55°  to  60°  artificially,  and  when  the  buds  break 
raising  it  to  60°  to  65°  at  night,  and  70°  to  75°  by  day.  Then  the  growths 
will  develop  properly,  forming  leaves  of  good  size  and  (with  due 
attention  to  ventilation)  substance.  The  roots  of  the  Vines  also  must  be 
entirely  inside,  and  under  such  conditions  Madresfield  Court  does  first- 
rate,  it  being  difficult  to  tell  which  is  the  better  Grape  for  marketing 
purposes,  both  bringing  good  prices  at  the  time  named.  Duke  of 
Buccleuch  also  commands  good  prices,  and  it  certainly  likes  Bimilar 
treatment — that  is  a  drier  atmosphere  than  most  Sweetwater  Grapes 
when  ripening,  otherwise  it  spots,  and  is  worthless.  The  other  two  will 
stand  far  more  moisture,  and  are  better  growers,  indeed,  the  “  Duke  ” 
requires  a  house  to  itself.  , 
Houses  from  which  the  Grapes  have  been  Cut. — Vines  should  be 
pruned,  as  a  rule,  shortly  after  the  leaves  fall  ;  but  this  is  often  delayed 
on  account  of  Grapes  hanging.  Thus  the  Vines  are  deprived  of  that 
complete  rest  which  pruning  and  keeping  them  cool  assures.  Healthy 
Vines  may  be  cut  to  one,  or  at  most,  two  buds ;  but  weakly  Vines,  aud 
those  with  long-jointed  wood  may  be  left  a  little  longer,  cutting  in  all 
cases  to  a  plump  bud.  This  will  cause  the  spurs  to  become  long  sooner 
than  by  close  pruning,  and  necessitate  a  renewal  of  them  on  the  rods, 
which  it  is  easy  to  effect  by  encouraging  a  growth  from  the  base  of  the 
spur  or  the  rod,  and  cutting  away  the  old  in  favour  of  the  new.  The 
extension  system  is  perhaps  the  best  under  such  circumstances,  having 
a  succession  of  rods  from  the  main  rod,  and  cutting  out  those  that  reach 
the  extremity  of  the  space  to  a  cane  nearer  the  base  and  well  situated 
for  displacing  that  cut  away. 
Thoroughly  cleanse  the  house,  removing  all  loose  bark,  but  avoid 
close  peeling  and  scraping  the  Vines,  as  is  often  done,  down  to  and  into 
the  new  bark  and  wood,  and  wash  them  with  tepid  softsoap  and  water, 
3  or  4  ozs.  to  a  gallon,  following  with  a  combined  fungicide  and  insecticide 
if  there  have  been  any  fungous  or  insect  pests.  Remove  the  surface  soil 
or  mulching  down  to  the  roots  without  injuring  them,  raising  any  that 
have  a  tendency  to  descend,  supplying  fresh  material,  good  turfy  loam 
being  the  most  suitable,  with  an  admixture  of  some  approved  fertiliser. 
The  house  should  be  kept  cool,  but  vineries  are  frequently  utilised  for 
plants,  and  the  temperature  kept  warm  on  their  account,  which  is 
prejudicial  to  the  Vines.  The  plants  are  not  always  clean,  and  the 
insects  pass  from  them  to  the  Vines,  hence  so  many  vineries  are  often 
infested  with  mealy  bug,  red  spider,  and  thrips.  The  temperature  ought 
not  to  exceed  45°  by  artificial  means,  and  plants  only  needing  protection 
from  frost  should  be  placed  in  vineries  when  the  Vines  are  at  rest,  and 
air  be  admitted  on  all  favourable  occasions,  so  as  to  keep  the  structures 
as  cool  as  possible. 
Late  Houses. — In  some  late  houses  the  leaves  are  not  all  down,  the 
Vines  in  such  cases  not  having  the  wood  over-ripened,  and  that  from 
being  started  too  late  and  the  main  of  the  roots  in  outside  borders.  The 
leaves  must  be  cleared  away  as  they  become  ripe,  and  this  should  be 
effected  without  brushing  the  Grapes  or  raising  dust  by  sweeping  up 
the  fallen  leaves.  Maintain  a  temperature  of  45°,  with  a  dry  atmosphere 
in  houses  in  which  Grapes  are  hanging.  Examine  every  bunch 
frequently,  and  remove  all  decayed  berries.  Ventilate  the  house  on  fine 
dry  mornings,  and  keep  it  closed  when  the  weather  is  damp,  but  there 
must  be  a  gentle  warmth  in  the  pipes  to  prevent  a  stagnant  atmosphere. 
There  is  great  difficulty  in  keeping  Grapes  this  year.  One  grower  has 
lost  a  whole  house  of  Lady  Downe’s  from  a  fungus  (Botrytis  cinerea), 
the  Grapes  rotting  and  becoming  quite  white  with  the  outgrowths  of 
the  parasite.  This  was  caused  by  damp,  plants  being  kept  in  the  house, 
which  so  acted  on  the  skin  of  the  Grapes  as  to  make  them  a  fitting  nidus 
for  the  fungal  germs. 
In  the  case  of  late  Grapes  ripened  comparatively  early,  and  those 
are  the  best  for  keeping,  the  Grapes  may  be  cut,  the  ends  of  the  stems 
being  inserted  in  bottles  of  rain  water  secured  in  an  inclining  position  so 
as  to  admit  of  the  fruit  hanging  clear  of  the  bot  lea.  Any  dry  room  will 
be  a  suitable  place,  where  an  equable  temperature  of  40°  to  45°  is  main¬ 
tained.  This  will  admit  of  the  Vines  being  pruned  and  the  house 
cleansed,  the  Vines  thus  having  a  few  weeks’  re°t,  und  with  that  they 
start  strongly  when  set  to  work,  as  they  should  ba  soon  after  the  middle 
of  February. 
Cucumbers. — Plants  for  the  early  supply  of  fruit  where  winter 
Cucumbers  are  not  grown  should  now  be  prepared,  sowing  the  seeds 
singly  in  3-inch  pots  half  filled  with  soil,  so  as  to  leave  space  for  top¬ 
dressing  as  required,  plunging  the  pots  in  a  brisk  bo  tom  heat  near  the 
glass.  Where  bottom  heat  is  not  at  command  the  pots  should  be  placed  on 
shelves,  covered  with  a  pane  of  glass,  and  directly  the  seed  leaves  appear 
remove  it.  The  temperature  should  range  from  65°  at  night  to  70°  to  75° 
by  day.  The  thing  is  to  secure  sturdy  plants  and  give  them  plenty 
of  light.  Where  convenience  for  r  dsing  the  plants  for  planting  in  frames 
does  not  exist  seed  should  bo  sown  in  pots  placed  in  a  hotbed,  but  we  do 
not  advise  that  to  be  done  until  the  end  of  January  or  beginning  of 
February, 
