August  28,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
197 
Cucumbers:  General  Crops. 
Shorter  days  necessitate  closing  the  house  earlier,  also 
syringing  sooner,  so  as  to  have  the  foliage  dry  before  dark.  Fire 
heat  will  be  necessary  in  cold  weather  to  maintain  a  temperature 
of  70deg  to  75deg  by  day  and  60deg  to  65deg  at  night.  Keep  the 
growths  fairly  thin,  removing  old  growths  SO'  as  to  make  room 
for  young  ones,  and  so  provide  a  succession  of  bearing  parts. 
Stop  the  shoots  one  joint  beyond  the  fruit  unless  growth  is 
wanted,  then  allow  more  extension,  but  avoid  crowding. 
Encourage  root  action  by  a  steady  bottom  heat  of  80deg,  surface 
dressing  with  lumpy  loam  and  sweetened  horse  droppings,  and 
afford  liquid  manure  in  a  tepid  state  whenever  water  is  required. 
Do  not  allow  the  fruit  to  hang  after  it  becomes  fit  for  use,  and 
avoid  overcropping. 
Autumn  Fruiters. — Afford  every  encouragement  to  these 
plants,  stopping  so  as  to  insure  an  even  spread  of  bear¬ 
ing  growths.  Kemove  the  first  fruits  if  the  plants  are  weakly, 
and  in  any  case  the  male  blossoms  and  tendrils.  No  shading  will 
now  be  necessary.  Avoid  syringing  in  the  morning,  and  only  use 
the  syringe  on  fine  afternoons,  then  early  and  lightly,  keeping 
the  house  damped  as  occasion  requires.  Admit  air  in  moderation. 
Aim  to  encourage  sturdy  growth  by  early  and  judicious  ventila¬ 
tion  whilst  opportunity  offers,  but  without  gentle  fire  heat  this 
is  hardly  practicable  at  this  season. 
Winter  Fruiters. — Seeds  having  been  sown  at  the  beginning 
of  August  the  plants  will  soon  be  ready  for  to  plant  out.  The 
house  must  be  a  light  one,  and  have  means  of  securing  a  tempera¬ 
ture  of  70deg  to  75deg  in  all  weather,  also  of  maintaining  a 
bottom  heat  of  80deg  to>  90deg.  The  first  consideration  is  to 
thoroughly  cleanse  the  house.  Plants  from  seeds  sown  early  in 
August  will  fruit  in  late  autumn,  but  they  must  not  be  cropped 
much,  better  not  at  all,  if  they  are  to  give  a  plentiful  supply  of 
fruit  from  Christmas  to  spring. 
Cucumbers  for  Christmas  and  Onwards. — For  producing 
these  in  the  crispest  and  most  acceptable  form  for  table  use, 
there  is  nothing  like  young  plants.  Seeds  sown  on  September  1 
will  do  this  in  light,  well-heated,  and  properly  managed 
structures.  Too  much  strength  cannot  be  got  into  the  seedlings 
by  keeping  them  near  the  glass.  Everybody  has  his  particular 
favourite  variety.  I  find  a  carefully  selected  form  of  Rollisson’s 
Telegraph,  Rochford,  and  Cardiff  Castle,  most  satisfactory  in 
crop,  solidity,  colour,  and  quality  of  fruit.  The  seeds  are  best 
sown  singly  in  large  60-sized  pots,  a  little  more  than  half-filled 
with  soil  and  covered  half  an  inch  deep.  Keep  the  plants  near 
the  glass,  earth  them  as  they  grow,  and  transfer  to  48’s,  when 
they  need  a  shift,  placing  a  stick  to  each,  to  which  secure  the 
growth  as  it  advances.  Rub  off  the  laterals  as  they  show,  train¬ 
ing  with  a  single  shoot ;  they  will  be  fit  to  plant  during  the  first 
fortnight  of  October. 
Plants  in  Pits  and  Frames. — The  growths  of  these  will  need 
to  be  trained  thinly  as  a.  safeguard  against  damp.  Watering  must 
be  done  early  and  judiciously,  as  damp  and  cold  soon  injuriously 
affect  the  foliage  and  fruit  at  this  season.  A  light  sprinkling 
may  be  given  at  closing  time  on  bright  afternoons,  but  water 
will  not  be  much  needed  after  this,  or  very  little  of  it,  the  plants 
obtaining  sufficient  moisture  through  the  decay  of  the  fermenting 
material  of  the  beds.  The  beds  must  be< lined  with  stable  litter, 
and  a  little  air  given  at  the  back  to  allow  of  any  steam  escaping, 
the  temperature  being  kept  at  about  6odeg  at  night.  There  will 
generally  be  some  warmth  from  the  sun  in  the  daytime,  and  by 
employing  a  covering  of  mats  over  the  lights  on  cold  nights, 
with  proper  attention  to  the  tending  and  care  in  management, 
Cucumbers  will  be  obtained  from  these  structures  for  many 
weeks  to  come. — G.  A. 
Peaches:  Pot  Trees  for  Forcing. 
No  method  succeeds  better  than  a  few  select  varieties  estab¬ 
lished  in  pots,  such  as  Alexander  and  Waterloo,  Early  Louise, 
Hales’  Early,  and  Stirling  Castle  Peaches,  with  Cardinal  and 
Rivers’  Early  Nectarines.  These  afford  a  supply  of  fruit  during 
a  period  of  four  to  six  weeks,  and  if  only  a  few  dishes,  are  welcome 
in  April  and  May.  The  trees  should  now  have  the  wood  ripe,  and 
the  buds  plumped. 
If  they  are  in  small  pots  and  a  shift  is  considered  necessary, 
repotting  must  be  attended  to  at  once,  whilst  the  leaves  are 
on  the  trees,  being  content  with  removing  the  loose  soil  and 
drainage,  shortening  any  long  bare  roots,  and  only  giving  such 
pots  as  will  admit  of  about  an  inch  of  fresh  soil  being  rammed 
tightly  round  the  balls.  With  judicious  watering,  the  trees 
soon  recover  the  potting,  especially  if  sprinkled  occasionally, 
and  shaded  from  powerful  sun  for  a  few  hours  each  day  for  a 
short  time;  but  this  is  only  necessary  in  very  bright  weather, 
and  when  the  roots  have  been  much  interfered  with.  The  trees 
should  be  continued  under  glass  until  the  leaves  are  all  down, 
when,  placed  on  and  plunged  in  ashes  outdoors,  they  will  not 
take  any  harm,  but  profit  by  the  cleansing  and  refreshing 
autumnal  rains,  and  be  in  condition  for  housing  in  December, 
so  as  to  swell  their  buds  gradually  and  be  .in  flower  by  the  iiew 
year  or  soon  after.  ■ 
Planting  for  Early  Forcing. — If  new  houses  have  to  be  filled 
and  fruit  is  wanted  next  season  at  an  early  period,  plant  the 
trees  in  late  summer  or  early  autumn,  as  soon  as  the  growth 
is  perfected,  the  foliage  and  wood  being  mature.  rl he  most 
suitable  trees  are  those  which  have  been  for  two  or  three 
seasons  trained  under  glass  or  to  south  walls,  and  carefully 
lifted  the  previous  autumn  to  ensure  a  fibrous  root  formation, 
and  stout,  short-jointed,  well-ripened  wood.  Even  now,  if 
there  be  any  tendency  to  a  late  growth,  or  any  doubt  as  to  the 
maturity  of  the  wood,  the  soil  should  be  taken  out  as  deeply  as 
the  roots,  one-third  the  distance  from  the  stem  that  the 
branches  extend  on  the  trellis  or  wall,  and  the  trench  so  made 
ought  to  remain  open  a  fortnight  or  three  weeks,  when  it  may 
be  filled  in  again,  care  being  taken  that  the  trees  have  sufficient 
water  whilst  the  trench  is  open. 
All  that  is  necessai'y,  however,  is  to  prevent  severe  flagging. 
This  would  effectually  check  the  growth  and  ensure  ripening, 
Astilbe  Chinensis  Davidi.  (Height  from  3  to  4  feet.) 
whilst  it  will  materially  assist  lifting  with  a  ball  or  mass  of 
fibrous  roots.  This,  and  the  formation  of  new  fibres  after 
planting,  are  essential  to  a  good  set  and  satisfactory  stoning 
cf  the  fruit.  Plant  the  trees  for  early  forcing  by  the  end  of 
September,  and  commence  lifting  early  forced  trees  as  soon 
as  the  foliage  gives  indications  of  falling.  Work  of  this  kind 
should  be  performed  very  promptly.  _ 
New  borders  must  have  efficient  drainage,  the  bottom  of  the 
border  being  concreted  if  the  soil  underneath  be  unfavourable, 
or  better  laid  with  bricks  on  flat  and  run  with  cement,  the 
border  being  enclosed  in  walls,  so  as  to  confine  the  loots. 
Drains  must  be  provided  with  proper  fall  and  outlet,  nibble 
being  placed  over  them  a  foot  thick,  the  roughest  at  the  bottom 
and  finest  at  the  top,  and  if  covered  with  a  layer  2in  or  3m 
thick  of  old  mortar  rubbish,  the  drainage  may  be  considered 
i  sound  for  an  indefinite  period;  indeed,  the  roots  seldom  pass 
the  calcareous  layer,  becoming  fibrous  and  matted  therein,  and 
the  trees  can  be  lifted  and  root-pruned  as  required  without 
interference  with  the  drainage.  A  border  one-third  the  width 
of  the  trellis  will  be  sufficient  in  the  first  instance,  and  -4m 
depth  of  soil  is  ample.  The  compost  should  be  made  firm,  as 
Peaches  and  Nectarines  are  healthy  and  fruitful  in  proportion 
to  the  compactness  of  the  soil.  This  has  special  application  o 
soils  inclined  to  be  light  and  porous. — A.  B. 
