538 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  2,  1897. 
be  cut  back  to  about  an  inch  of  their  base,  and  the  worn-out  spurs  may  be 
shortened  or  removed  as  required.  Cut  out  dead  spurs  and  thin  those 
that  are  crowded,  always  reserving  sufficient  for  producing  a  crop.  The 
terminal  shoots  in  the  case  of  trees  extending  must  not  be  shortened,  but 
when  they  reach  the  extremity  of  the  trellis  they  will  need  shortening, 
always  to  a  wood  bud.  Young  trees  will  require  to  be  cut  back  as  may 
bo  necessary,  the  central  shoots  being  shortened  so  as  to  originate  others 
for  filling  the  space  regularly,  but  it  is  not  desirable  to  start  them  too 
closely  together,  as  that  may  cause  the  branches  to  press  against  each 
other,  and  this  commonly  results  in  gumming.  Fan-training  is  unques¬ 
tionably  the  best  for  the  Cherry,  as  it  admits  of  replacing  any  branch 
falling  a  prey  to  this  disease,  and  of  renewing  worn-out  limbs. 
Thoroughly  cleanse  the  house — the  woodwork  with  soapy  water  and  a 
brush,  the  glass  with  clear  water,  limewashing  the  walls,  using  freshly 
burned  lime  with  a  handful  of  flowers  of  sulphur  to  each  pailful  of 
whitewash.  Syringe  the  trees  with  hot  water,  130°  to  140  ,  to  subdue 
any  hybernating  pests,  and  if  infested  with  red  spider  dress  with  a 
solution  of  caustic  soda  and  pearlash  in  equal  ])arts,  using  2  ozs.  of  the 
mixture  to  a  gallon  of  water,  and  applying  by  means  of  a  clean,  half- worn, 
painter  s  sash  tool,  so  as  to  wet  every  part  evenly,  especially  the  cracks 
and  crevices  of  the  bark,  taking  care  not  to  injure  the  buds.  Remove  the 
loose  surface  soil  and  supply  fresh  loam,  with  a  fourth  of  well-rotted 
manure  intermixed,  sprinkling  on  the  surface  a  good  handful  per  square 
yard  of  some  approved  fertiliser,  scratching  in  very  lightly  with  a  fork. 
The  roof-lights  being  off  they  need  not  be  replaced  until  the  time  arrives 
for  starting  the  trees,  which  should  be  about  the  middle  of  this  month  to 
have  Cherries  ripe  early  in  May,  The  very  early  varieties  will  ripen 
sooner,  such  as  Belle  d’Orleans  and  Rivers’  Karly,  these  being  followed 
by  Governor  Wood  and  Black  Tartarian.  Cherries  must  not  be  brought 
forward  too  rapidly,  especially  when  forcing  them  for  the  first  time. 
Trees  under  fixed  roofs  should  be  well  supplied  with  water  to  keep  the 
soil  moist ;  but  fixed  roofs  are  great  mistakes  in  the  early  forcing  of 
Cherries,  unless  these  are  grown  iii  pots,  when  they  will  be  placed 
outdoors  after  the  Iruit  has  been  gathered  and  wood  suffieiently  developed. 
Trees  in  pots  are  readily  forced,  and  afford  excellent  fruit  at  the  end 
of  April  or  early  in  May,  when  fresh  ripe  fruit  is  not  over- plentiful. 
Cherries  are  then  always  appreciated  at  table. 
Vines. —A/arlicsi  in  Pots. — The  Vines  started  from  the  beginning  to 
the  middle  of  November  to  afford  ripe  Grapes  at  the  end  of  March  or  early 
in  April,  require  the  temperature  increased  to  60°  at  night  after  the  buds 
break,  gradually  increasing  it  so  as  to  have  60°  to  65°  at  night  when  they 
are  in  leaf,  65°  by  day  in  dull  severe  weather,  and  70°  to  75°  by  artificial 
means  when  mild.  Moderate  ventilation  should  be  given  under  favourable 
external  circumstances,  and  earlj’,  but  without  lowering  the  temperature, 
so  as  to  effect  a  change  of  air,  allowing  an  advance  of  10°  to  15°  from  sun 
heat,  and  closing  at  midday  or  soon  after.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  admit  a 
little  air  at  70'  under  any  circumstances,  thus  allowing  the  pent-up 
moisture  to  escape  and  entirely  displace  the  vitiated  atmosphere  by 
fresh,  but  with  a  rising  temperature,  keeping  80°  to  85°  from  sun  heat, 
and  closing  so  as  to  gain  5°  rather  than  to  lose  any  benefit  from  the  sun. 
In  sharp  weather  enough  air  will  gain  admittance  by  the  laps  of  the 
glass  without  admitting  any  through  the  ventilators ;  but  modern 
structures  are  so  improved  in  close  fitting  lights  and  large  panes  of  glass 
that  it  is  necessary  to  admit  air  when  the  sun  is  powerful  and  the  external 
air  keen,  and  the  object  to  secure  is  a  sweet  atmosphere  without  checking 
growth.  Tie  the  Vines  in  position  as  soon  as  growth  has  well  commenced, 
and  before  the  shoots  are  so  long  as  to  be  liable  to  damage  in  the  process. 
Add  fermenting  materials  to  the  bed  so  as  to  maintain  the  heat  about  the 
pots  at  70°  to  75°.  These  will  give  out  a  genial  moisture  and  a  little 
ammonia,  and  are  far  better  than  evaporation  troughs  kept  charged  with 
liquid  manure.  The  house  requires  sprinkling  with  water  two  or  three 
t  mes  a  day  in  bright  weather,  avoiding  a  very  moist  and  stagnant 
atmosphere.  Disbudding  should  not  be  practised  until  the  bunches 
show  in  the  joints  of  the  shoots,  the  extra  foliage  encouraging  the 
formation  of  roots,  and  if  the  superfluous  growths  are  gradually  removed, 
the  sap  will  be  diverted  into  and  strengthen  those  which  are  left. 
Houses  to  Obtain  Grapes  in  May. — The  Vines  to  supply  Grapes  in  May 
should  be  well  established  in  inside  borders,  and  have  ripened  the  growths 
early,  so  as  to  allow  of  their  being  pruned  and  given  a  few  weeks’  rest 
before  starting.  Black  Hamburgh.  Buckland  Sweetwater,  Foster’s 
Seedling,  and  the  fine  Muscat  Madresfield  Court  are  suitable.  If  ^Muscat 
of  Alexandria  be  required  early,  the  Vines  must  be  started  now  to  ripen 
the  Grapes  by  the  end  of  May  or  beginning  of  June.  The  outside 
borders,  if  any,  should  be  protected  from  frost  by  dry  leaves  with  a  little 
litter  over  them,  and  in  due  time  be  covered  with  two-thirds  of  leaves 
to  one  of  stable  litter,  mixed'  and  moistened  so  as  to  promote 
fermentation  and  give  a  mild,  lasting  warmth.  This  will  need  to  be 
added  to  from  time  to  time,  removing  some  of  the  spent  material  so 
as  to  maintain  warmth  through  the  winter,  or  it  does  more  harm 
than  good;  yet  Vines  with  the  roots  entirely  outside  — not  l>y  .any 
means  rare— must  have  warmth  when  early  forced.  The  inside  borders 
should  be  brought  in  a  moist,  not  saturated,  condition  by  applying 
tepid  water,  and  in  the  case  of  weakly  Vines  liquid  manure.  Start 
with  a  temperature  of  55°  at  night  and  65°  by  day,  unless  the  weather 
is  severe,  when  55°  will  suffice  until  the  buds  commence  swelling  ;  but 
young  Vines  will  require  the  higher  temperature  to  induce  them  to 
start  promptly.  If  a  bed  of  leaves  and  stable  litter  can  be  placed  on  the 
floor  of  the  house  and  turned  daily  the  moisture  and  warmth  will  contri¬ 
bute  to  a  good  break  and  save  fuel.  Maintain  a  rather  moist  atmosphere 
by  syringing  the  Vines  two  or  three  times  a  day.  The  rods  of  young 
Vines  should  be  depressed  to  a  horizontal  line,  or  below  it,  to  insure  the 
regular  breaking  of  the  buds. 
Succession  Houses.— The  Vines  to  afford  ripe  Grapes  in  June,  being 
started  at  the  new  year,  will  have  lieen  pruned  some  weeks  back  and 
kept  cool  and  dry,  but  if  this  has  been  delayed  it  must  be  attended  to  at 
once,  dressing  the  cuts  carefully  with  st}ptic,  patent  knotting  or  French 
polish ;  the  latter  stops  bleeding,  but  the  house  should  be  kept  cool  so  as 
to  cause  the  sap  to  recede  rather  than  flow  with  the  warmth.  Dress  the 
Vines  after  thoroughly  cleansing  the  house,  and  supply  a  top-dressing 
of  loam  with  some  enriching  material,  after  removing  the  loose  surface 
soil,  a  little  well-rotted  manure  and  sprinkling  of  approved  fertiliser  on 
the  top  giving  good  results. 
Midseason  Vines  from  which  the  leaves  have  fallen,  and  most,  if  not 
all,  the  Grapes  cut,  should  be  pruned.  Any  Grapes  still  hanging  may 
be  cut  and  placed  in  bottles  of  clear  rain  water  in  a  cool  dry  room,  where 
they  will  keep  much  belter  than  on  the  Vines,  especially  where  there  are 
plants  in  the  house,  and  air  cannot  be  freely  admitted  on  that  account.  It 
is  a  decided  advantage  to  prune  the  Vines  as  soon  as  the  leaves  have 
fallen,  as  it  secures  them  a  long  period  of  rest,  and  any  circulation  of  the 
s^p  is  concentrated  on  the  primary  buds,  so  that  they  start  promptly  at 
the  proper  time.  In  pruning  adhere  to  the  practice  that  has  proved 
satisfactory'.  Vines  in  good  condition  will  usually  give  sufficient]}'  large 
bunches  if  pruned  to  one,  or  at  most,  two  eyes,  and  bunches  of 
1  to  2  lbs.  weight  are  generally  more  in  demand  for  home  use,  and  even 
for  marketing,  than  larger,  as  it  is  essential  that  the  table  or  customer  be 
supplied  with  fresh  fruit.  If  larger  bunches  are  desired,  or  the  Vines 
from  weakness  do  not  afford  bunches  so  large  as  desired,  leave  more 
growth,  only  take  care  to  select  sound,  round,  well  developed  buds  on  firm 
well-ripened  wood.  Dress  the  Vines,  merely  removing  the  loose  bark  ; 
cleanse  the  house  thoroughly,  and  put  everything  into  proper  order,  so 
that  there  need  be  no  hurry  and  badly  performed  work  at  starting  time. 
Light  and  cleanliness  are  important)  factors  in  Grape  cultivation,  and 
far  too  often  overlooked,  hence  the  resultant  disasters. 
Late  Houses.  — livery  precaution  should  be  taken  against  damp.  The 
weather  has  been  very  unfavourable  to  the  keeping  of  thin-skinned 
Grapes,  and  still  continues  to  be  disastrous  to  such  as  have  to  be  kept  in 
houses  that  have  flat  and  leaky  roofs.  Thin-skinned  Grapes  are  much 
better  cut  and  bottled,  especially  where  there  are  plants  in  the  house,  as 
they  keep  well  in  any  spare  room  that  is  cool  and  dry,  it  only  being 
necessary  to  exclude  frost  and  look  the  Grapes  over  occasionally  for  the 
removal  of  decayed  berries. 
Jjate  Muscats  of  the  thin-skinned  varieties,  such  as  Muscat  of 
Alexandria  and  Canon  Hall,  require  a  drier  atmosphere  and  warmer 
temperature  than  other  kinds  of  Grapes,  the  temperature  needing  to  be 
kept  at  50°,  and  the  atmosphere  not  allowed  to  become  stagnant,  but  be 
freely  ventilated  whenever  the  weather  is  favourable.  When  the  weather 
is  dull  and  damp,  gentle  warmth  in  the  hot-water  pipes  will  be  necessary 
to  keep  the  atmosphere  moving  and  expel  the  damp,  taking  care  not  to 
allow  the  temperature  to  be  raised  by  n  itural  means  without  giving  air, 
otherwise  the  moisture  will  be  condensed  on  the  cooler  surfaces  of  the 
Gapes,  and  spotting  and  decay  speedily  ensue.  Remove  all  leaves  as  they 
become  ripe,  and  strip  the  Vines  of  any  as  yet  green  laterals,  but  allow 
the  main  leaves  to  fall  naturally.  All  the  thick-skinned  varieties  are 
best  allowed  to  remain  on  the  Vines  until  about  the  new  year,  as  they 
thereby  improve  in  quality.  Sufficient  fire  heat  to  maintain  a  tempera¬ 
ture  of  40°  to  45°  is  essential,  closing  the  house  in  damp  weather,  and 
secure  as  far  as  possible  a  dry,  cool  atmosphere,  and  equable  temperature. 
PLANT  HOUSFS. 
Chrysanthemums.  —  Whether  good  bushes  or  large  blooms  are 
required,  cuttings  should  be  inserted  where  they  can  be  obtained.  It  is 
better  to  wait  for  a  time  before  insertion,  rather  than  utilise  growths 
from  the  stem  or  poor  puny  cuttings.  Those  for  large  blooms  if 
inserted  singly  in  thumb  pots,  will  root  freely,  even  quickly,  when 
placed  under  hand  glasses  in  a  cool,  airy  house.  When  rooted  under 
cool  conditions  the  plants  can  be  grown  without  subjecting  them  to 
heat.  All  that  is  needed  is  to  protect  them  until  they  can  be  turned 
outside.  Where  large  bushes  are  needed  three  cuttings  may  be  inserted 
in  each  pot,  and  properly  grown  these  will  produce  an  enormous  supply 
of  flowers.  For  this  purpose  only  free-branching  and  free-flowering 
varieties  should  be  selected.  The  stools,  after  they  are  cut  down,  should 
be  kept  in  a  cool  airy  structure  until  the  cuttings  have  been  taken  ; 
nothing  is  gained  by  placing  them  in  heat.  The  plants  often  die,  and 
the  cuttings  produced  are  weak,  and  sometimes  fail  to  root. 
Hydrangeas. —Varieties  of  H.  hortensis  that  have  been  rooted  in 
small  pots,  have  prominent  flower  buds,  and  the  foliage  has  ripened 
naturally,  may  be  potted  from  time  to  time  as  opportunity  offers.  Pots 
5  inches  in  diameter  are  most  suitable,  and  the  plants  should  be  ])otted 
so  that  the  first  leaves  produced  are  close  to  the  rim  of  the  pots.  These 
plants  do  w'ell  if  placed  in  good  loam,  one-seventh  of  manure  and 
sand.  Old  Cucumber  and  Melon  soil  mixed  together  will  grow  them 
splendidly.  After  potting  the  plants  should  be  kept  in  a  cool,  airy 
house  for  a  time,  when  a  few  may  be  introduced  into  a  vinery  or  Peach 
house  that  is  just  started,  or  any  structure  with  a  similar  temperature. 
Plants  that  are  kept  for  stock  may  be  cut  close  back  and  rested  in  any 
cool  place,  and  then  started  into  growth  under  the  conditions  advised 
for  those  that  have  formed  flower  buds.  Plants  of  H.  paniculata 
grandiflora  that  were  potted  while  their  leaves  were  on  them  will 
have  Wrmed  some  roots.  The  shoots  may  be  pruned  close  back,  leaving 
one  or  two  of  the  eyes  of  the  last  year’s  wood.  These  plants  do  best  if 
plunged  in  cold  frames,  and  allowed  to  start  naturally  into  growth. 
Liliam  Harrisi. — All  plants  that  have  been  removed  from  ashes 
and  have  turned  green  should  be  placed  on  shelves  close  to  the 
