114 
JOrnXAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  9,  1899. 
THE  YOUNG  GARDENERS’  DOMAIN. 
Gold  Penmen. 
We  have  once  more  to  undertake  the  pleasant  task  of  announcing  the 
successful  writers  in  the  Young  Gardeners’  Domain.  They  are  two — 
namely,  Mr.  T.  Payne,  late  of  The  Gardens,  Luton  Hoo  Park,  Luton,  and 
Mr.  S.  Smith,  The  Gardens,  Kuxley  Lodge.  Esher,  both  of  whom  by 
persistent  effort  secured  the  requisite  number  of  marks.  The  subjects 
with  which  they  have  from  time  to  time  dealt  have  been  broadly  diver¬ 
sified,  and  have  evidenced  not  only  creditable  literary  aptitude,  but  also 
thorough  practical  acquaintance  with  the  various  cultural  details.  We 
offer  them  our  congratulations,  and  can  affirm  that  they  were  not  easy 
winners,  for  at  least  two  others  ran  them  very  closely,  and  will  with 
perseverance  be  likely  to  score  before  many  more  months  have  passed. 
Cucumbers. 
To  obtain  Cucumbers  ready  for  use  about  the  middle  of  April  sow 
the  seeds  singly,  without  delay,  in  clean,  well-drained  thumb  pots,  filled 
with  a  compost  consisting  of  equal  parts  of  good  loam,  leaf  soil,  and  sand, 
taking  care  not  to  cover  too  deeply.  Give  a  good  watering,  but  after¬ 
wards  be  sparing  with  it  until  the  seedlings  appear  above  the  surface. 
Place  the  pots  in  a  house,  under  hand-lights,  affording  a  temperature  of 
65°  to  70°  by  night,  70°  to  75°  by  day,  and  when  the  plants  are  an  inch 
in  height  remove  them  to  a  shelf  near  the  glass  w'ith  the  same  temperature 
as  before.  After  the  plants  have  made  their  first  rough  leaf,  and  have  a 
fair  amount  of  roots,  pot  as  deeply  as  possible  in  5^-inch  clean,  well-drained 
pots,  in  a  compost  of  two-tliirds  fairly  rough  loam,  and  the  remainder 
sweet  horse  droppings,  with  a  little  sand.  Apply  water  if  necessary, 
and  placing  a  neat  stake  to  each,  keep  as  close  to  the  glass  as  possible, 
as  this  does  much  to  insure  sturdy,  short-jointed  growth  ;  shade  for  a  few 
days  if  the  weather  is  bright. 
While  the  plants  are  growing  the  house,  if  empty,  can  be  got  in 
readiness  to  receive  them.  Thoroughly  wash  the  glass  and  woodwork, 
removing  old  soil,  if  any,  lim‘’wash  the  walls,  and  well  clean  the  drainage. 
When  this  has  been  completed,  turves  which  were  cut  last  autumn  should 
be  placed  on  the  drainage,  grass  side  down,  to  prevent  any  fine  soil 
getting  amongst  it.  The  compost  which  the  plants  are  to  fruit  in  should 
consist  of  two  parts  of  loam  cat  up  roughl}-,  and  the  remainder  sweet 
horse  droppings,  fine  peat,  and  old  lime  rubble,  with  a  slight  sprinkling  of 
bonemeal,  thoroughly  incorporated,  and  it  must  be  placed  in  the  house  to 
become  warmed,  making  it  into  hillocks,  or  a  ridge  the  lengthway  of  the 
house,  allowing  room  for  future  top-dressings.  When  the  plants  have  a 
fair  amount  of  roots,  place  them  about  4  feet  apart,  but  not  too  deeply, 
merely  covering  the  top  of  the  ball,  end  put  a  stake  to  each  for  support 
until  they  have  reached  the  trellis.  Afford  a  temperature  of  65°  to  70°  at 
night,  70°  to  75°  by'  day,  wiih  a  rise  of  10°  from  sun  heat  ;  the  bottom 
heat  should  be  kept  at  90°.  After  being  planted  it  will  be  necessary  to 
lightly  shade  for  a  few  days  from  the  sun. 
Syringe  the  plants  on  bright  days,  mornings  when  the  temperature 
reaches  75°,  also  at  midday,  and  close  the  house,  but  in  dull  weather 
damping  the  paths  and  walls  will  be  sufficient.  Great  care  should  be  taken 
in  ventilating.  Do  not  admit  anv  air  until  the  house  stands  at  80°, 
avoiding  cold  draughts,  as  they  are  liable  to  stop  the  growth  of  the  plants. 
Attend  to  the  tying  and  stopping  of  the  laterals  regularly,  removing  male 
blooms  with  deformed  and  surplus  fruit  as  they  appear,  leaving  sufficient 
to  keep  up  a  supply.  Red  spiiler  is  rather  troublesome,  but  frequent 
syrir.gings  will  keep  it  in  check.  Fumigate  about  every  fortnight  for 
green  and  black  ily,  XL  All  vaporiser  being  a  good  thing  to  destroy  them, 
but  on  no  account  overdo  it.  Keep  the  evaporating  troughs  charged 
with  weak  liquid  cow'  manure.  Attend  to  the  watering,  never  letting 
the  plants  become  dry.  As  the  roots  appear  above  the  surface  top-dress 
with  compost  as  stated  for  planting,  not  adding  more  than  an  inch  at  a 
time.— r.  R. 
A  Pupil  of  an  Old  Boy. 
Most  readers  of  the  Journal  will  remember  the  interesting  series  of 
articles  contributed  by  “An  Old  Boy”  during  1896.  The  excellent 
advice  then  given  cannot  have  failed  to  benefit  any  young  man  who  took 
the  trouble  to  follow  it  out.  I  propose  to  speak  of  tw’o  or  three  of  the 
suggestions  made  by  him,  and  which,  having  adopted,  I  find  of  great 
advantage. 
One  of  these— the  keeping  of  a  diary-^is  very  useful.  I  jot  down  all 
the  daily'  operations  that  come  under  my  notice,  and  any  other  items  that 
I  wish  to  remember.  These,  together  with  the  register  of  the  barometer, 
maximum  and  miniiiiutn  temperature,  amount  of  rain,  and  general 
observations  on  the  weather,  form  an  inieresting  chronicle  for  reference 
on  the  corresponding  date  of  the  following  year.  Its  use  will  at  once  be 
apparent,  as  one  can  then  see  whether  he  is  forw  ard  or  backward  in  his 
work,  judging  by  the  previous  year. 
Another  subject  the  writer  wibhed  young  gardeners  to  take  up  was 
drawing.  lie  did  not  say  what  (if  any)  particular  branch,  but  I  think  a 
general  knowledge  ot  the  art  is  w  hat  is  required.  Being  fond  of  drawing 
myself,  much  was  not  needed  to  urge  its  desirability.  Freehand,  model, 
light  and  shade,  and  design  are  my  favourites  ;  geometrical  drawing  and 
the  like  I  find  r.aiher  *•  dry,”  though  perhaps  it  is  the  most  useful. 
Then  “An  Old  Boy”  recommended  us  to  study  botany — surely’  a 
large  order  ;  but  Ido  not  think  he  meant  us  all  to  bo  Lindleys  and 
Hookers  ;  that  would  take  a  lifetime,  and  more  ability  than  many  of  us 
possess.  What  I  think  ho  meant  was,  that  we  should  acquire  such  a 
knowledge  of  plant  life  as  would  help  us  in  our  work,  of  course  extending 
the  knowledge  as  much  further  ns  possible.  I  will  just  outline  my  modus 
operandi,  as  it  may  possibly  be  of  slight  assistance  to  some  who,  like 
myself,  are  unable  to  attend  a  botany  class,  for  the  simple  reason  that 
there  is  not  one  held  within  reasonable  distance.  First.  I  wrote  to  the 
Journal,  asking  what  book  to  get  on  the  subject.  The  reply  was^ 
Sir  J.  D.  Hooker’s  Elementary  Botany,  Science  Primer,  price  Is.,  pub¬ 
lished  by  Macmillan  &  Co.,  London,  Next  I  bought  a  7s.  6d.  micri.  scope, 
perhaps  not  the  best  adapted  for  the  purpose,  but  still  it  has  done  good 
service  in  revealing  the  marvellously  interesting  inner  life  of  vege¬ 
tation.  Then  I  read  the  book  carefully  through,  but  found  it  impossible 
to  retain  a  lithe  of  the  vast  amount  of  information  contained  in  that  small 
volume.  So  procuring  an  ordinary  exercise  book,  I  began  at  the  first 
page  of  the  primer,  and  read  it  again,  using  the  microscope  as  directed, 
and  writing  down  all  important  points  and  scientific  terms.  By  tWs 
means  some  of  the  elements  of  elementary  botany  are  fixed  in  my  brain. 
This  may  seem  a  crude  system  to  many  who  have  had  the  advant  ge  of  a 
teacher,  but  they  must  remember  that  I  had  no  friend  whose  aid  I  could 
seek  in  the  matter;  true,  I  might  have  inquired  of  “our  Journal,”  but 
somehow  I  cid  not  think  of  it.  We  should  judge  by  results,  and  I  am 
sure  that  anyone,  failing  a  proper  teacher,  who  adopts  this  system,  and 
works  at  it.  will  not  begrudge  ihe  time  spent.  Some  worthy  men  that  I 
know  would  say  that  the  above  subjects  are  not  necessary  to  make  a  good 
gardener,  but  that  does  not  prove  that  the  “good”  gardener  would  not 
ba  a  “better”  if  he  were  acquainted  with  them. 
I  wonder  what  they  would  say  to  a  young  man  studying  “  physio¬ 
graphy  1  ”  “  Waste  or  time,”  they  would  exclaim  ;  and  mo  it  might  seem 
at  first  thought  ;  but  think  again.  Does  not  the  science  of  physiography 
deal  with  the  all-important  elements  with  which  a  gardener  has  to  con¬ 
tend —  viz,,  the  soil,  the  rain,  and  the  weather  ?  Is  it  possible  for  a  man 
to  know  too  much  about  what  is  so  closely  associated  with  his  work  ? 
Then,  again,  our  friend  says  that  he  has  got  on  all  right  without  knowing 
how  the  soil  is  formed,  and  what  causes  the  rain  and  the  changes  of  the 
weather.  Perhaps  so  ;  but  would  he  not  be  a  better  man  for  the  know¬ 
ledge  1  Would  not  the  pleasure  of  life  be  deepened  and  intensified  if  he 
were  able  to  trace  this  or  that  to  its  origin  ?  And  then  “  knowledge  is 
power,”  as  everyone  will  be  prepared  to  admit. 
I  have  a  splendid  book  on  this  subject  by  T.  H.  Huxle)',  F.R.S., 
published  by  Macmillan  &  Co.  I  propose  giving,  with  the  Editor’s  approval, 
a  few  extracts  that  would,  I  think,  interest  and  benefit  readers  of  the 
“Domain.”  It  touches  on  several  of  the  sciences,  geology,  botany, 
chemistry,  and  astronomy  ;  but  not  so  deeply  as  to  be  incomprehensible  to 
a  fairly  intelligent  reader.  “  Physiography  ;  an  Introduction  to  tho  Study 
of  Nature  ”  is  the  title  of  tho  book.  The  tact  that  it  is  a  study  of  Nature 
should  recommend  it  to  all  gardeners,  and  supply  the  excuse  (if  any  be 
required)  for  its  mention  iu  these  columns.  “An  Old  Boy”  did  not 
allude  to  this  subject  in  his  articles  ;  but  I  feel  sure  he  will  readily  grant 
what  I  have  claimed  for  it.— Erica. 
WORK-FoicrHEWEEK.. 
a 
FRUIT  FORCING. 
Cherry  House. — The  trees  are  now  rapidly  unfolding  their  buds,  and 
will  soon  have  a  beautiful  appearance.  It  is  advisable  to  fumigate  the 
house  before  the  Bowers  expand,  so  as  to  make  sure  that  tho  trees  are 
free  from  aphides.  The  temperature  should  be  maintained  at  40°  to  45° 
at  night,  and  about  50°  in  the  daytime  regularl}',  a  genial  atmosphere 
being  secured  by  damping  the  paths  and  borders  occasionally.  The  house 
can  hardly  be  too  freely  ventilated,  subject  to  the  temperature  being 
maintained.  If  fresh  trees  are  to  be  introduced  they  must  be  planted 
without  delay,  shading  when  the  sun  is  powerful,  and  lightly  sprinkling 
frequently  to  promote  speedy  re-establishment,  surrounding  surfaces  also 
being  well  moistened. 
Cucumbers. — Plants  raised  from  seeds  sown  at  the  new  year,  and 
transferred  from  the  small  pots  to  the  ridges  or  hillocks  in  the  Cucumber 
house  now  or  before,  need  not  be  stopped  until  they  have  reached  two- 
t'lirds  across  the  tndlis.  If  the  plants  cannot  yet  be  turned  out  into  the 
fruiting  quarters  they  may  be  shifted  into  larger  pots,  it  not  being  a  good 
plan  to  allow  them  to  become  cramped  at  the  roots,  and  they  must  be 
transferred  to  the  Iruiting  bed  before  these  are  much  matted  in  the  pots. 
Winter  F/-«i  ers  — The  plants  will  be  much  benefited  by  top-dressings 
of  fresh  lumpy  loam  and  sprinkling  on  a  little  fertiliser.  Admit 
sufficient  air  in  the  early  jiart  of  the  day  to  insure  a  change  of  atmo¬ 
sphere.  ^laintain  a  night  temperature  ot  65°,  allowing  5°  more  when  the 
external  air  is  mild,  and  5°  less  in  the  morning  when  the  weather  is 
severe  ;  70°  to  75°  by  day'  artificially,  and  keep  through  the  day  at  80°  to 
85°  or  90"  from  sun  heat,  always  securing  a  good  heat  from  an  early  part 
of  the  day,  and  if  by  early  closing  the  temperature  rise  to  95°  or  even 
100  ' it  will  benefit  the  plants.  As  the  light  and  sun  heat  increase  a  greater 
supply  of  atmospheric  moisture  is  needed,  damping  in  the  morning  and 
early  afternoon.  Liquid  manure  once  or  twice  a  week  w  ill  be  required  by 
plants  coming  into  bearing  ;  but  avoid  excessive  soil  moisture  and  stimu¬ 
lants.  Thin  the  fruits  well,  remove  superfluous  growths,  bad  leaves, 
tendrils,  and  staminate  blossoms,  stopping  the  shoots  one  joint  beyond 
the  fruit,  and  in  no  case  crowding  or  overcropping. 
