March  12,  1 89<(. 
257 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE 
GARDENER. 
atmosphere,  and  water  are  often  unjustly  blamed  for  their  failure  ;  but, 
provided  a  clean  stock  be  secured  and  careful  treatment  accorded,  they 
are  as  easy  to  grow  as  most  things,  and  yet  with  careless  or  indifferent 
treatment  there  is  no  class  of  plants  that  will  sooner  go  irredeemably 
wrong. 
Careless  watering  and  faulty  ventilation  are  the  worst  enemies  of 
the  “  Malmaison  ”  Carnation,  for  those  conditions  more  than  anything 
else  encourage  soft,  flabby  growth  in  the  plants.  This  makes  them  an 
open  prey  to  the  disease.  Lean-to  houses  or  pits  should  be  avoided 
where  possible  for  their  culture,  as  encouraging  a  too  murky  and  slow 
circulation  of  air.  Span-roofed  houses  and  span  pits,  with  the  plants 
raised  to  the  level  of  or  above  the  bottom  ventilation,  and  standing  on  a 
bed  of  ashes,  form  an  excellent  place  for  growing  them.  In  no  case 
would  I  recommend  syringing,  a  practice  I  know  that  finds  favour  with 
some  people  ;  but  so  far  as  my  experience  has  gone,  one  to  be  con¬ 
demned  without  qualification. 
Having  at  one  time  had  some  difficulty  in  obtaining  good  turfy  loam 
sufficiently  free  from  the  wireworm  to  pot  Carnations  in  with  safety, 
recourse  was  had  to  charring  or  burning  the  turves  some  time  previous 
to  potting.  I  have  always  found  this  the  most  effectual  way  of  getting 
rid  of  this  troublesome  pest,  and  strongly  recommend  it  to  anyone  who 
may  have  experienced  any  difficulty  with  it.  Sufficient  odds  and  ends 
of  wood  and  prunings  can  be  easily  got  together  and  a  fire  kindled, 
when  a  few  loads  of  turf  can  soon  be  made  sufficiently  hoc  to  destroy  all 
life  without  burning  away  the  fibre.  If  some  of  the  turves  are  allowed 
to  remain  on  the  fire  until  they  are  completely  burned  and  assume  the 
colour  of  brick  dust,  and  this,  when  cool,  mixed  with  the  other  parts  of 
toe  soil,  it  will  be  found  better  than  using  so  much  sand,  and  the  plants, 
whether  potted  or  layered  in  it,  take  to  it  most  readily. — N.  F.  Barnes, 
Eaton  Hall  Gardens. 
OPEN  AIR  TOMATOES. 
Whenever  we  are  favoured  with  a  good  average  summer,  those  who 
take  ordinary  pains  in  the  cultivation  of  Tomatoes  in  the  open  are  well 
rewarded.  If  growers  go  to  work  on  the  right  lines  a  complete  failure 
will  not  occur,  though  there  is  no  disguising  the  fact  that  open  air 
culture  of  the  sun-loving  Tomato  in  our  uncertain  climate  must  always 
partake  somewhat  of  a  lottery.  Much,  however,  depends  on  the  selection 
of  varieties  that  shall  be  grown,  and  after  having  tried  all  the  pre¬ 
sumably  best  open  air  Tomatoes,  I  have  a  strong  word  of  approval 
to  record  for  Early  Ruby.  This  variety  is  of  dwarf  habit,  the  lower 
clusters  of  fruit  proving  much  the  heaviest,  these  sometimes  touching 
the  ground.  If  the  larger  malformed  flowers  are  early  pinched  off 
the  rest  will  be  strengthened  and  be  fallowed  by  handsome,  medium¬ 
sized  fruits,  which,  when  ripe,  are  of  a  bright  red  colour  and  of  excellent 
quality.  Laxton’s  Open  Air  and  Sutton’s  Earliest  of  All  are  also 
heavy  cropping,  early  ripening  varieties.  Conference  succeeds 
well  in  the  open,  but  the  fruits  are  too  small  for  most  growers.  For 
cultivation  against  sunny  walls,  fences,  and  temporary  screens,  I  would 
again  recommend  Ruby,  with  Sutton’s  Al,  Ham  Green  Favourite,  Duke 
of  York,  Webb’s  Sensation,  and  Dedham  Favourite.  I  have  had  Golden 
Sunrise,  Blenheim  Orange,  and  Golden  Nugget  all  in  good  condition 
against  sunny  walls,  and  one  or  more  of  these  may  well  be  grown  where 
variety  is  thought  desirable. 
One  frequent  cause  of  comparative  failure  with  open  air  Tomatoes  is 
that  of  raising  the  plants  too  early,  and  drawing  them  up  tall  and 
weakly.  Instead  of  raising  them  early  in  March  it  is  a  better 
plan  to  defer  sowing  the  seed  till  early  in  April  in  the  case  of 
those  with  only  frames  and  greenhouses  at  command,  a  fortnight  or  even 
three  weeks  later  answering  well  when  the  plants  can  be  raised  in  heat. 
In  a  rather  extensive  trial  I  conducted  list  season,  the  best  results 
attended  late  raising,  the  plants  not  having  received  a  severe  check  to 
their  growth  before  they  were  planted  early  in  June.  What  are  wanted 
are  healthy,  young,  but  not  root-bound  plants,  5  inches  high,  or  there¬ 
abouts,  in  4-inch  pots.  These,  given  fair  treatment,  soon  take  to  their 
fresh  quarters,  and  are  then  sufficiently  well  established  to  develop 
strong  flowers  and  set  their  first  cluster  of  fruit.  It  follows  the  earlier 
fruits  are  set  the  better  the  chance  they  have  of  ripening.  In  1893 
sjedlings  came  up  in  the  open  ground  gave  a  crop  of  fruit,  the  for- 
wardest  ripening  well,  but  in  1895  fewer  instances  of  this  occurred. 
As  already  hinted,  there  is  a  variety  of  positions  that  may  be  turned 
to  good  account  in  the  open  air  culture  of  Tomatoes,  these  including 
spaces  between  fruit  trees  against  sunny  walls,  front  walls  of  green¬ 
houses  and  forcing  houses,  fences,  outbuildings,  shutters  and  old  doors 
converted  into  screens,  sunny  wall  borders,  and  open  quarters  generally 
— the  last  rather  than  not  make  the  attempt  at  all.  No  particular 
mixture  or  compost  is  needed  for  them.  Only  give  as  much  good 
soil  and  of  the  same  description  as  will  grow  Potatoes  satisfactorily, 
and  it  will  not  be  the  ground  that  is  at  fault  if  failure  occurs.  It  is  a 
mistake,  though,  to  starve  Tomatoes  at  the  roots.  The  notion  that 
poorness  and  dryness  at  the  roots  favour  the  production  of  heavy  crops 
of  fruit  will  not  bear  the  test  of  experience.  Change  the  soil  at  the  foot 
of  dry  walls  and  fences  for  fresh  moderately  rich  loam,  or  even  ordinary 
garden  soil. 
Plants  kept  confined  to  a  single  stem  give  the  best  results,  and 
against  walls,  fences,  and  screens  they  may  be  put  out  during  the  first 
FIG.  40.— DENDROBIUM  WARDIANUM.J 
week  in  June,  or  somewhat  earlier  in  warmer  localities,  at  a  distance  of 
1  foot  apart.  When  plants  are  scarce  dispose  them  3  feet  apart,  and 
lay  in  the  leader  and  two  side  growths,  training  these  1  foot  apart.  In 
the  open  borders  plants  may  be  either  dotted  among  early  Potatoes  ( r 
the  latter  may  be  arranged  in  rows  3  feet  apart,  running  from  east  to 
west.  Midway  between  these  plant  Tomatoes  15  inches  or  rather  less 
apart.  The  latter  is  the  plan  I  now  adopt  on  a  large  scale,  and  instead 
of  a  stout  stake  to  each  plant  we  now  use  4  feet  bamboos,  connecting 
these  with  a  wire  strained  to  stout  uprights.  Unless  these  wires  are  used 
bamboos  will  not  answer,  and  stout  “  Dahlia  ”  stakes  must  be  used 
instead. 
What  few  other  cultural  details  are  necessary  must  be  closely  carried 
out.  There  should  be  no  delay  in  training  the  plants  or  leading  growths 
as  the  case  may  be,  and  the  side  shoots,  which  are  persistently  formed 
by  either  single,  double,  or  triple  stemmed  plants,  ought  to  be  kept 
closely  pinched  or  rubbed  out.  The  plants  may  be  either  trained 
uprightly  or  obliquely,  the  latter  method  answeiiog  well  where  head 
room  is  somewhat  limited.  Mulch  early  with  short  manure.  Water 
occasionally  till  the  plants  are  well  established,  and  when  cropping 
heavily  keep  them  well  supplied  with  liquid  manure.  Stripping  off  all 
