May  23,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
443 
Coronp  mistakes  in  Frnit  Cnltnre. 
{Conclude  l  from  page  410.) 
Purchase  of  Trees. 
I  must  say  a  few  words  as  to  this.  Hundreds  of  large  buyers 
have  lamented  that  they  first  started  with  trees  purchased  at  auctions, 
which  may  or  may  not  be  true  to  name  ;  are  often  “dragged  up”  by 
inexperienced  men,  and  planted  by  the  same  class  of  labourers. 
I  cannot  too  strongly  advise  all  buyers  to  place  their  orders 
with  any  thoroughly  respectable  firm  who  grow  what  they  sell  ;  to 
be  ready  to  give  a  fair  price  for  their  trees ;  and  when  they  do 
not  themselves  know  the  best  varieties  for  their  soil  and  locality> 
to  place  themselves  in  the  hands  of  the  dealers.  There  are  numbers 
of  first-class  fruit  nurseries  up  and  down  the  country,  and  it 
matters  little  where  they  are  bought,  provided  the  trees  are 
clean,  healthy,  and  well  ripened.  Change  of  soil  is  an  exploded 
myth,  because,  if  the  trees  are  sound  and  well  rooted,  they  are 
bound  to  succeed.  Many  folks  decide  on  the  varieties  they  will 
purchase  from  specimen  fruits  which  they  see  at  exhibitions  and  on 
the  market  boards.  In  the  former  case  much  may  have  been  grown 
under  quite  exceptional  circumstances,  and  in  the  latter  case  sellers 
often  label  fruit  with  a  popular,  but  altogether  erroneous  name. 
Although  this  paper  is  mainly  intended  for  amateurs,  I  cannot 
omit  to  remark  that  one  of  the  most  serious  mistakes  on  the  part  of 
market  growers  in  the  past  has  been  the  planting  of  too  many  varieties, 
and  thus  a  steady  sale  of  any  one  variety  which  meets  with  approval 
•cannot  be  kept  up.  For  market  purposes  at  least  fifty  trees  of  a 
variety  should  be  planted,  and  300  is  better. 
Insects  and  Blights. 
The  errors  here  are  mostly  those  of  admission,  and  the  old  adage, 
“  Prevention  is  better  than  cure,”  is  very  apt  in  this  connection.  The 
best  plan  is  to  attack  insec's  on  their  first  appearance,  and  before  they 
have  got  a  hold  or  had  time  to  increase  and  multiply.  A  timely 
attention  to  an  aphis-infestei  twig  will  often  check  the  evil  at  its  first 
source,  and  prevent  its  spreading  to  other  6uhj  cts.  A  curled  leaf,  or 
a  twig  where  the  leaves  cluster  together  at  the  end,  bespeaks  the  pest’s 
presence,  and  the  saras  spot  should  be  inspected  every  alternate  day, 
and  the  tree  be  carefully  washed  until  the  aphis  has  been  entirely  got 
rid  of.  American  blight  is  another  case  in  point  ;  it  wants  attention  at 
once,  or  the  insects  fly  on  the  wind  and  establish  themselves  all  over 
the  place.  Another  important  point  is  alwavs  to  have  the  rubbish 
heap  outside  the  garden,  and  in  a  spot  where  it  can  be  kept  burning, 
with  hedge-clippings,  pruninss,  old  stalks,  &c.,  as  nothing  tends  to 
harbour  all  kinds  of  insect  life  more  than  collected  rubbish,  which 
when  burnt  becomes  a  valuable  manure.  All  stakes,  pea  stic<s,  &c., 
should  be  stored  well  away  from  fruit  trees,  and  a  supply  of  insecticides 
be  laid  in  before  the  season  arrives,  so  that  the  infested  trees  can  be 
tackled  at  once.  A  matter  often  delayed  until  too  late  is  that  of 
properly  labelling  fruit  trees  before  the  nursery  labels  are  obliterated  ; 
it  is  needful  also  to  see  that  the  wire  used  for  attaching  the  labels  is 
placed  on  a  stake,  or  on  the  wall,  and  not  on  the  tree  itself,  as  the 
branches  grow  so  rap'dly  that  the  wire  cuts  in,  and  the  mischief  is  not 
■detected  until  a  branch  is  literally  strangled,  the  form  of  the  tree 
spoiled,  and  not  infrequently  the  commencement  of  canker  set  up. 
In  fruit  culture,  either  under  glass  or  outside,  absolute  cleanliness 
and  abundance  of  light  and  air  are  requisites  that  should  never  be 
lost  sight  of.  Trees  that  are  “housy,”  or  full  of  spray  branches,  or 
houses  that  are  dull,  stuffy,  or  close,  cannot  produce  good  fruit.  For 
the  past  five  years  we  have  been  favoured  with  very  grand  summer 
weather  for  hardy  fruits,  and  several  old  discarded  varieties  have  thus 
been  recommended  in  the  Press  ;  but  I  feel  that  a  word  of  caution  is 
much  needed  here,  as,  should  a  wet  and  cold  cycle  appear,  such 
varieties  will  cause  great  disappointment,  whereas  if  growers  would 
but  select  those  varieties  that  succeed  in  unfavourable  years,  they 
might  be  confident  that  such  would  be  still  more  super-excellent  in  a 
really  good  year.  This  point  has  been  very  pronounced  during  the 
year  1900,  several  quite  third-rate  Pears  having  been  grand,  and  many 
Apples  that  fail  to  ripen  in  the  Midlauds  and  northern  counties  have 
come  up  to  exhibition  quality  ;  but  let  growers  beware  how  they  put 
their  eggs  in  such  baskets.  Still  we  all  should  be  very  grateful  for 
these  warm  sunny  jears,  as  they  not  only  help  the  crops  on  the  trees, 
but  they  lay  a  good  foundation  for  future  success  by  giving  us  firm, 
hard,  and  fully  ripened  wood,  which  an  ordinary  frost  will  not  injure. 
*  A  paper  read  before  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  on  Nov.  20th 
1900,  by  Mr.  Geo.  Bunyabd,  V.M.H. 
WOKK/0^™  WEEK.. ‘ 
Fruit  Forcing. 
Vines. — Early  Forced. — Where  the  Grapes  are  ripe,  fire  heat  will 
only  be  needed  to  keep  the  temperature  at  about  60°  at  night,  ventilating 
freely  by  day.  Black  Hambnrghs  will  need  Blight  shade,  whioh  will 
also  prevent  amber-coloured  Grapes  assuming  a  brownish  hue.  Damp 
the  house  occasionally,  not  allowing  moisture  to  be  condensed  on  the 
berries,  but  dissipate  it  by  early  ventilation.  A  moderate  extent  of 
lateral  growth  should  be  enoouraged,  as  it  tends  to  keep  the  roots  aotive, 
and  to  prevent  the  premature  ripening  of  the  foliage,  whioh  must  be 
kept  clean  and  healthy  as  long  as  possible.  If  the  principal  leaves  fall 
a  prey  to  red  spider,  and  there  are  laterals  to  utilise  the  sap,  it  is  likely 
that  the  axillary  buds  will  be  started  prematurely.  If  fermenting  or 
littery  protective  materials  have  been  applied  to  the  borders,  a  portion 
may  now  be  removed,  leaving  sufficient  for  a  mulch ;  and  if  the  roots 
are  active  in  the  lower  part  of  the  material,  a  little  fresh  may  be  placed 
on  the  surface,  to  protect  them  from  the  atmosphere  and  impart  a  neat 
appearance. 
Vines  Started  at  the  New  Tear. — The  Grapes  are  colouring,  and 
need  a  moderate  amount  of  air  moisture  until  the  ripening  approaches 
completion,  when  a  drier  atmosphere  will  be  advisable;  but  moisture 
must  not  be  entirely  withdrawn.  Free  ventilation  should  be  afforded ; 
a  circulation  of  warm  air  contributes  to  good  finish  and  quality. 
Thorough  moisture,  but  not  a  sodden  and  sour  condition  that  induces 
shanking  at  the  roots,  is  necessary,  and  a  mnlch  of  sweetened  short 
stable  manure,  or  of  cow  manure  if  the  soil  be  light,  will  generally 
secure  sufficient  moisture  until  the  Grapes  are  ripe.  A  night  tempe¬ 
rature  of  65°,  a  little  more  on  warm,  and  a  few  degrees  less  on  cold 
nights,  70°  to  75°  by  day,  80°  to  90°  with  sun  heat  and  full  ventilation, 
closing  at  80°  all  but  a  small  space  at  the  top  of  the  house,  will  be 
suitable  for  ripening. 
Late  Vines. — These  will  either  have  set  the  fruit  or  be  in  flower  in 
most  places,  commonly  the  latter.  Maintain  a  night  temperature 
of  70°.  Shaking  the  rods  twice  a  day  will  be  sufficient  in  most  cases 
to  distribute  the  pollen  effectively,  but  in  the  case  of  shy  setters  do 
not  fail  to  resort  to  artificial  impregnation,  going  over  the  bunches 
carefully  with  a  brush  to  remove  the  “  caps  ”  and  glutinous  matter 
adhering  to  the  stigmas,  afterwards  fertilising  them  by  means  of 
a  camel’s-hair  brush  charged  with  pollen  from  the  free-setting 
varieties,  such  as  Alicante,  Black  Hamburgh,  Gros  C  >lman,  and  Gros 
Guillaume  ;  though  the  latter  two  are  not  very  profuse  in  pollen¬ 
bearing,  yet  it  is  singularly  effective,  and  cross-fertilisation  is  well 
worth  performing,  as  it  not  only  insures  a  good  set,  the  pistillate 
organs,  of  oourse,  being  perfect,  but  enhances  the  size  of  the  berries. 
All  large-berried  varieties  that  are  good  setters  should  be  thinned  as 
soon  as  the  berries  are  set,  and  with  those  that  are  likely  to  have  very 
closely  set  berries  it  is  a  good  plan  to  thin  them  before  the  flowers 
expand,  as  a  practised  eye  can  tell  which  flower  buds  by  their  vigour 
are  likely  to  set,  and  the  removal  of  the  weaker  strengthens  them 
wonderfully.  Whilst  the  Vines  are  in  flower  do  not  pinch  the  laterals, 
but  when  the  bloom3  are  fairly  set  remove  the  laterals  at  once,  so  as 
to  prevent  overcrowding.  Late  varieties  require  a  night  temperature 
of  65°  when  in  flower,  and  75°  to  80°  by  day,  with  a  free  circulation  of 
air,  but  not  a  drying  current,  a  genial  atmosphere  being  maintained  by 
damping  the  floor  occasionally.  Up  to  and  after  flowering,  the  night 
temperature  should  be  kept  at  60°  to  65°,  70°  to  75°  by  day,  keeping  at 
80°  to  85°  or  90°  through  the  day  from  sun  heat,  with  moderate 
ventilation  in  bright  but  cold  weather,  and  abundant  air  when  mild. 
Remove  duplicate  bunches,  reserving  the  most  compact.  Recently 
started  houses  should  be  forwarded,  seeking  advancement  from  sun 
heat,  but  allow  a  free  amount  of  air,  especially  in  the  early  part  of  the 
day,  so  as  to  secure  sturdy  growths  and  thick  leathery  leaves. 
Planting  Growing  Vines. — Those  raised  from  eyes  in  February  or 
March,  and  grown  in  pots  or  turves,  may  now  be  planted  out.  8uch  as 
those  put  out  by  the  beginning  of  June  will  get  a  good  hold  of  the  soil 
this  season,  and  ripen  the  cane  sufficiently  for  cutting  down  to  the  first 
wire  of  the  trellis,  4r  even  three  buds  there,  and  thus  obtain  a  oouole 
of  bunches  on  each  Vine  the  following  season.  Press  the  soil  firmly 
about  the  ball  or  turf,  giving  a  moderate  watering,  mulching  with  an 
inch  of  short  manure,  and  shade  from  bright  sun  until  they  become 
established. 
Tlie  Kitchen  Garden. 
Thinning  Crops. — The  thinning  out  of  superfluous  plants  should  be 
commenced  as  soon  as  possible,  to  prevent  any  probable  injury  arising 
from  overcrowding.  Among  those  to  be  dealt  with  are  Onions,  Carrots, 
