176 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  20,  1902. 
Fruit  Foreinj. 
VINES  FROM  EYES. — Buds  inserted  as  advised  have 
rooted,  and,  if  in  small  pots,  they  may  be  shifted  into  a  larger 
size  as  soon  as  the  roots  reach  the  sides,  standing  the  pots  on 
slate  or  tile  shelves  over  hot-water  pipes  in  preference  to  plunging 
them  in  bottom  heat.  If  the  eyes  were  inserted  in  pots  or  pans 
several  together,  they  may  be  placed  in  small  pots  singly,  plunged 
in  bottom  heat  to  insure  speedy  root  action,  and  when  the  roots 
reach  the  sides  transfer  them  to  6-inch  pots.  Syringe  well 
amongst  them,  and  stop  those  for  fruiting  next  year  at  the  first 
joint  of  the  laterals ;  but  those  intended  for  planting  out  this 
season,  whether  grown  in  pots  or  turves,  may  be  allow’ed  to  retain 
all  the  growth  made. 
EARLY  VINES  IN  POTS. — These  must  not  sustain  any  check 
through  dryness  or  lack  of  nourishment.  Top-dress  with  rich 
turfy  loam  and  decayed  manure  in  about  equal  parts,  placing 
rims  of  zinc  Sin  or  4in  deep  round  the  tops  of  the  pots,  or,  if  the 
pots  have  fermenting  material  extending  to  the  rim,  strips  of  turf 
should  be  laid  on  so  as  to  form  the  necessary  dish.  When  the 
roots  are  working  freely  in  the  top-dressing,  sprinkle  a  little 
approved  fertiliser  on  the  surface  occasionally.  Afford  liquid 
manure  a  few  degrees  warmer  than  the  temperature  of  the  house 
iwwhich  they  are  growing,  there  not  being  anything  like  plenty 
of  feeders  and  nourishment  to  secure  well-developed  berries.  In 
order  to  keep  the  sap  concentrated  on  the  berries  pinch  the 
laterals  below  the  bunch  closely,  allowing  more  liberty  to  those 
above  them.  Avoid,  however,  overcrowding  the  trellis  with 
foliage  that  cannot  have  full  exposure  to  light.  With  the  Grapes 
approaching  the  stoning  process,  careful  management  is  neces¬ 
sary.  Ventilate  early  in  the  day,  affording  a  little  air  at  70deg, 
increasing  it  with  the  heat  to  80deg,  and  if  the  temperature 
advance  to  85deg  or  90deg  all  the  better.  Avoid  cold  draughts, 
as  they  are  prolific  of  rust,  and  impair  the  assimilating  power  of 
the  foliage.  If  red  spider  appear,  employ  a  little  sulphur  on  the 
hot-water  pipes,  or  sponge  the  affected  leaves  with  a  solution  of 
softsoap,  2oz  to  a  gallon  of  water. 
VINES  STARTED  AT  THE  NEW  YEAR.— When  the  best 
shows  for  fruit  can  be  determined,  disbudding  may  commence  ; 
but  it  is  not  wise  to  be  in  too  great  a  hurry  about  this  work,  nor 
in  tying  the  shoots  to  the  trellis.  Tlie  object  of  disbudding  is  to 
give  the  shoots  left  full  exposure  to  light,  it  being  better  to  err 
on  the  side  of  not  crowding  the  foliage.  Stopping,  too,  should 
not  be  done  too  hurriedly.  Allow  at  least  two  joints,  and,  if 
possible,  three  or  four  joints,  beyond  the  bunch,  and  stop  all 
'laterals  below  the  fruit  at  the  first  joint,  or  they  may  be  rubbed 
off  except  from  the  two  lowermost  leaves.  The  laterals  from  these 
should  be  pinched  at  the  first  joint,  but  those  level  with  and 
above  the  fniit  may  be  allowed  to  extend  as  space  admits.  When 
in  flower  afford  a  night  temperature  of  65deg  to  70deg,  with  lOdeg 
to  15deg  rise  from  sun  heat,  closing  at  80deg.  Vine  flowers  set 
best  when  the  atmospheric  moisture  is  not  excessive.  An  over- 
moist  or,  on  the  other  hand,  a  dry  atmosphere,  must  be  equally 
avoided.  Muscats  require  a  higher  temperature  and  drier  atmo¬ 
sphere  than  some  varieties  when  setting,  artificial  impregnation 
being  occasionally  practised,  and  in  all  cases  is  advisable,  by 
^fertilising  every  bunch  with  Black  Hamburgh  pollen  or  other 
free-setting  variety. — St.  Albans. 
Trade  Catalogues  Recei?ed. 
Clibrans,  10  and  12,  Market  Street,  Manchester. — Farm  Seeds, 
Clibrans,  Oldfield  Nurseries,  Manchester. — Chrysanthemums. 
Dickson  &  Robinson,  Manchester. — Seeds, 
Henry  Eekford,  Seed  Grower,  Wein,  Shropshire. — Giant  Sioeet  Peas 
ami  other  Seeds. 
Friedrich  Adolph  Haage,  jun.,  Erfurt,  Germany. — Seeds, 
E.  H.  Krelage  &  Son,  Bloemhof,  Haarlem,  Holland. — Neto  and  Rare 
Plants. 
Nathaniel  Smith  &  Son,  Wholesale  Florists,  Adrian,  Mich.,  U.S.A.— 
C  hrysanthemums . 
'  Sutton  <fe  Sons,  Reading. — Sutton's  Farmers'  Year  Booh. 
iNote  to  Readers. — We  request  those  of  our  readers'^who  may 
experience  any  difficulty  in  obtaining  copies  of  this  Journal 
regularly  to  be  good  enough  to  acquaint  us  with  the  fact. 
♦jj  *  All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  b«  directed 
to  ‘-ThI  Editor,”  12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers,  Fleet  Street, 
London,  E.C.  It  requested  that  no  one  will  write  privately 
to  any  of  our  correspondents,  seeking  information  on  matters 
discussed  in  this  Journal,  as  doing  jso  subjects  them  to  unjustifiable 
trouble  and  expense. 
LAPAGERIAS  (Tulip). — In  suitable  bofidefs  iLapagdrias  wllj 
root  3fb  deep,  perhaps  more.  By  annual  top-dresaings  of  fibrous 
peat  and  loam  in  equal  parts,  well  opened  wnth  pounded  eharcoal 
and  coarse  sea  or  silver  sand,  the  fibrous  roots  will  be  en¬ 
couraged  to  the  surface.  As  you  may  have  observed,  the 
Lapageria  annually  sends  up  jmung  sucker  shoots  from  the  base 
or  collar. 
HORTICULTURAL  INSTRUCTORSHIP  (“  Botany  ”).— No 
doubt  you  have  the  necessary  qualifications  to  assume  the  duties 
of  instructor  in  horticulture  to  a  County  Council.  The  qualifica¬ 
tions  are,  firstly,  a  good,  all-round  knowledge  of  practical  garden¬ 
ing  and  the  scientific  principles  underlying  it ;  secondly,  a  ready 
tongue  a  very  necessarj'  quality.  These  two  heads  summarise 
nearly  all  the  necessary  points.  Undoubtedly  a  gardener  trained 
in  the  country,  who  has  secured  a  knowledge  of  botany  (the  more 
advanced  the  better),  the  elements  of  practical  agricultural 
chemistry,  and  of  entomology,  with  a  sound  knowledge  of  fruit 
and  vegetable  culture  in  particular,  is  as  perfectly  qualified  as  a 
man  who  may  have  had  a  Kew  or  Edinburgh  Botanic  Garden 
training.  Certainly  we  think  your  desire  natural,  and  the  best 
adtice  w’e  may  give  is  to  keep  your  eyes  and  ears  open  for  prospec- 
ti\  e  vacancies,  and  meanwhile  train  along  the  lines  you  know  to 
be  necessary  for  success  a,s  an  instructor.  Openings  are  not 
everj'day  occurrences,  and  only  smart  men  (usually  with  some 
influence  behind  them)  can  hope  to  obtain  appointments. 
PLANTING  AND  TRAINING  APPLE  AND  PEAR  TREES 
AS  DIAGONAL  CORDONS  (One  in  Doubt). — The  trees  should 
be  planted  obliquely— that  is,  at  the  incline  they  are  to  be 
trained — for  unless  maiden  trees,  or  even  with  them,  there  is 
danger  of  injuring  the  stems  when  they  are  planted  upright  and 
the  stems  brought  down.  In  the  case  of  maiden  trees  we  have 
done  this,  but  generally  it  is  better  to  plant  on  the  incline.  The 
trees  should  be  planted  2ft  apart,  and  the  distance  between 
G  and  H  will  therefore  be  6ft.  If  the  distance  between  the 
trees  at  the  ground  is  20in,  the  distance  from  G  to  H  will  be 
60in,  or  5ft.  B,  not  A,  should  be  the  main  stem,  it  being  easy, 
to  take  a  growth  from  the  base  to  form  the  branch  A,  and  by 
i  this  at  the  required  distances  successively  similar 
7?  .  proper  growths  will  be  originated  with  facility. 
It  IS  different  with  the  tree  G.  It  should  be  brought  down 
horizontally,  or  as  near  as  may  be  without  injury,  and  taken 
forward  4ft,  if  so  long,  and  then  its  point  taken  upward  and 
another  branch  at  2ft  from  the  stem  G,  on©  also  being  taken  up 
from  the  latter  point.  There  is  no  need  for  the  branch  D- 
indeed,  it  is-  superfluous,  though  often  introduced  in  sketches  as 
a  finish,  but  in  practice  is  best  omitted,  even  in  a  sketch  it  is 
an  upright  not  a  diagonal,  and  no  use  in  forming  one. 
SUPERPHOSPHATE  OF  LIME  FOR  LAND 
TO  BE  CROPPED  WITH  CABBAGE  (Clubb).-The  best  ti^ie 
to  apply  superphosphate  of  lime  for  Cabbages  is  at  seed  time  or 
nlanting  time.  As  your  land  is  light  and  not  calcareous,  it  would 
be  advisable  to  use  3cwt  of  superphosphate  mixed  with  2cwt  of 
bonenmal,  ner  acre,  3.^1b  per  rod,  and  at  singling  time  or,  if 
^t,  aftor  the  plants  have  got  hold  of  the  soil,  top-dress  with 
2cwt  nitrate  soda,  mixed  with  3cwt  of  salt,  both  ground  per 
acre,  or  3^1b  per  rod.  You  mention  your  land  being  liable  to 
cause  clubbing  in  Cauliflowers  and  other  Brassicas.  We  there¬ 
fore,  advise  a  dressing  of  gas  lime  fresh  from  gasworks  24  tons 
^r  acre,  351b  per  rod,  spreading  evenly  on  the  surface  and  leaving 
tor  a  month  before  ploughing  or  digging  in.  We  also  should 
use  bonemeal  instead  of  superphosphate,  preferably  steamed 
boimineal,  3owt,  and  2cwt  ground  coprolite,  mixed,  per  acre,  at 
seed  time  or  planting  out,  and  at  singling  out  time,  or  shortly 
after  planting,  top-dress  with  2civt  crushed  nitrate  of  soda  and 
3cwt  ground  rock  saU,  mixed,  per  acre.  Tlie  gas  lime  is  per¬ 
haps,  the  b^t  prevenHve  of  clubbing,  and  the  fertilisers  named 
are  excellent  for  the  Brassica  tribe,  particularly  on  light  land 
We,  however,  prefer  to  use  kainit  wuth  bonemeal  in  autumn 
and  m  equal  proportions.  Apply  5ewt  of  the  mixture  per  acre’ 
or  Jab  per  rod,  using  at  singling  or  setting  time  the  nitrate 
of  soda  and  gait  mixttlM. 
