September  25,  1902.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTA  IE  GARDENER. 
299 
(/// 
13  WOKK/ofiTHEWEEK,.  wl 
mm 
Fruit  Forcing. 
LATE  PEACH  TREES.— When  the  fruit  is  gathered  the  trees 
will  need  to  have  the  shoots  thinned  where  too  crowded,  and  those 
which  have  borne  fruit  and  are  not  required  for  extension  can 
be  cut  out  to  a  suocessiona!  shoot  at  the  base;  this,  with  free 
ventilation,  will  assist  in  ripening  the.  growths,  which  is  of 
primary  importance  as  regards  next  year’s  bearing.  In  cold 
localities,  and  the  wood  strong,  it  may  be  necessary  to  employ 
gentle  fire  heat  in  dull  weather.  Avoid  a  dry  condition  of  the 
border.  The  trees  must  not  lack  water  at  the  roots,  and  yet 
drier  condition  of  the  soil  is  advisable  whilst  the  fruit  is  ripening, 
but  anything  like  dryness  to  the  extent  of  distress  to  the  foliage 
interferes  with  the  formation  and  maturation  of  the  buds,  and 
may  seriously  prejudice  their  retention  on  the  trees,  which 
simply  cast  them  because-  imperfect,  or  impaired  a  vitality  from 
various  causes.  Some  of  the  late-  Peaches,  as,  for  instance,  Wal- 
burton  Admirable,  Golden  Eagle,  and  Comet,  will  require 
gentle  fire  heat  in  cold  localities  to  ripen  them  thoroughly.  An 
occasional  syringing  will  be  necessary  for  trees  from  which  the 
fruit  has  been  gathered. 
UNSATISFACTORY  TREES.— Where  the  trees  cast  their 
buds,  do  not  set  the  fruit- well,  or  fail  to  stone  and  finish  their  crops 
satisfactori lv,  something  is  amiss  either  in  the  management  or  with 
the  roots.  Either  the-  roots  are  too  deep  or  the  soil  is  too  rich 
and  loose,  unsuitable-  material,  or  imperfectly  drained.  Trees  in 
an  unsatisfactory  condition  should  be  partially  or  wholly  lifted 
as  soon  as  the  wood  is  mature.  If  this  be  done  whilst  the  trees 
are  in  leaf,  the  house  should  be  shaded  before  commencing  opera¬ 
tions,  and  the  old  border  made  evenly  moist.  In  removing  the 
soil  commence  at  the  point  most  distant,  and  work  towards  the 
trees,  and  when  it  has  been  cleared  away  the  exposed  roots 
should  be  drawn  aside,  damped,  and  covered  with  mats  whilst 
the  drainage  is  being  attended  to.  This  should  consist  of  12in 
thickness  of  rubble,  largest  at  the  bottom  and  smallest  at  the 
top,  and  if  a  covering  be  placed  on  of  old  mortar  rubbish,  freed 
from  all  sorts  of  wood,  it  will  make  all  secure  and  be  a  source  of 
calcareous  matter.  A  drain  below  the  rubble  must  be  provided 
to  carry  off  all  water,  and  it  must  have  proper  fall  and  outlet. 
Strong  loam  is  most  suitable.  If  inclined  to  be  light,  add  a 
fourth  of  clay  marl,  as  fine  as  practicable  ;  if  very  strong  add  a 
fourth  of  road  scraping,  and  in  any  case  a-  tenth  of  old  mortar 
rubbish,  taking  care  to-  remove  laths  and  other  pieces  of  wood. 
A  cartload  of  wood  ashes  may  be  added  to  every  ten  cartloads  of 
the  compost,  with  about,  2cwt  of  crushed  bones,  and  a  similar 
amount  basic  cinder  phosphate,  the  whole  well  incorporated 
and  put  in  the  border  firmly,  and  the  roots,  after  having  any 
fibreless  portions  shortened  with  a  knife,  must  be  spread  out 
evenly  over  the  bed,  placing  them  in  layers,  and  all  within  the 
top  foot-depth  of  the  border,  the  topmost  roots  not-  being  covered 
deeper  than  2in  or  3in.  The  border  need  not  be  more  than 
24in  deep,  and  in  no  case  wider  than  the  width  or  height  of  the 
trellis.  A  good  watering  will  be  needed  to  settle-  the  soil  about 
the  roots.  The  shading  must  remain  on  if  the  weather  be  bright, 
and  afford  ventilation  by  the-  top  lights  ouly,  syringing  the  foliage 
lightly  in  the  morning  and  afternoon  until  it  is  seen  that  the 
roots  are  working  in  the  fresh  compost,  when  the  shading  may 
be  removed  and  the  house  opened.  Trees  so  treated  rarely  cast 
their  buds,  the  flowers-  or  fruit  set  well — indeed,  the  operation  of 
lifting  is  the  only  method  of  successfully  treating  trees  in  an 
unsatisfactory  condition  from  root  causes. 
LATE  MUSCAT  GRAPES.- — Where  these  are  not  thoroughly 
ripe  a  rather  warm  atmosphere  by  day  with  a  free  circulation  of 
air,  and  enough  at  night  to  prevent  the  deposition  of  moisture 
on  the  berries,  will  be  needed  some  time  longer,  indeed,  it  should 
becontinued  until  the  Grapes  arefinislied,  when  a  gradual  reduction 
of  temperature  must  take  place,  about  50deg  by  artificial  means 
being  necessary  for  Muscats  after  they  are  matured.  Moisture 
must  be  kept  down  by  the  bracing  atmosphere,  a  pent  up  air  with 
a  sudden  increase  of  temperature  from  sun  being  sure  to  induce 
moisture  to  condense  on  the  berries,  which  will  cause  them  to  spot, 
and  then  the  Grapes  will  speedily  decay.  A  little  clean,  dry 
straw  or  matter  spread  on  the  inside  border  is  useful  in  prevent¬ 
ing  moisture  rising.  The  Grapes  in  these  will  now  have  finished, 
but  it  is  well  to  make  sure  that  such  is  the  case-  quite  up  to  the 
shank  of  the  berries,  before  ceasing  the  needful  aid  from  fire  heat. 
All  late  thick-skinned  Grapes  require  a  long  time  to  mature 
after  being  apparently  ripe,  consequently  a  temperature  of  55deg 
should  be  allowed,  with  a  rise  of  5deg  to  lOdeg  by  day,  and  a 
circulation  of  air  until  the  foliage  is  giving  indications  of  falling, 
when  a  temperature  of  oOdeg  will  be.  sufficient.  The  inside  border 
must  not  be  allowed  to  become  too  dry.  If  necessary,  water  in 
the  early  part  of  a  fine  day,  and  cover  with  a  dry  mulch  as  a 
safeguard  against  damp,  and  a  repetition  of  the  watering.  Out¬ 
side  borders  will  be  quite  damp  enough  from  the  recent  rains,  and 
should  be  covered  with  lights  preferably,  or  some  other  means 
employed  to  throw  off  heavy  soaking  rains.  Where  the-  Grapes 
are  not  finished  they  must  be  treated  similarly  to  late  Hamburghs 
in  order  to  mature. 
LATE  HAMBURGHS. — These  finish  and  colour  when  it  is 
almost  hopeless  to  do  anything  more  with  the  thick-skinned 
varieties,  but  they  are  best  finished  as  soon  after  this  as  possible. 
When  not  ripe  they  should  have  a  temperature-  of  60deg  to  65deg 
at  night,  and  70deg  to  75deg  in  the  daytime,  with  a  circulation  of 
air  constantly,  not  allowing  the  border  to  become  dry,  but  giving 
a  good  watering  if  they  are  only  partially  advanced  in  colouring, 
and  mulch  with  short  dry  material.  Only  restrict  the  laterals  to 
prevent  overcrowding,  but  after  the  Grapes  are  finished  avoid 
further  extension,  yet  not  reducing  the  foliage  too  much,  as  this 
assists  Hamburghs  to  keep  their  colour. 
The  Kitchen  Garden. 
LETTUCE. — Lettuce  plants,  intended  to  be  planted  out, 
should  now  be  in  their  permanent  quarters,  so  that  they  may 
become  well  established  before  winter.  Lettuce  will  succeed 
very  well  in  all  but  the  dampest  positions  and  heaviest  soil. 
Well  drained  soil  suits  it  best  for  the  winter  season.  It  is  found 
desirable  to  plant  in  sheltered  places  under  walls,  these  positions 
affording  some  natural  protection.  Birds  are  found  to  be  trouble¬ 
some  by  pecking  at  the  leaves,  which,  of  course,  prevents  growth. 
In  this  case,  cover  the  plants  with  netting  or  stretch  black  cotton 
over  them.  Frequently  hoe  among  the  plants,  and  dust  lime  or 
soot  between  to  keep  down  snails. 
SPINACH. — The-  winter  Spinach  should  have  the  soil  between 
the  rows  kept  clean,  and  any  densely  crowded  patches  of  plants 
should  be  thinned.  At  this  season  the  plants  do  not  require 
to  be  thinned  too  far  apart.  Remove  weeds,  and  lightly  hoe  the 
spaces  between  the  row’s. 
CELERY. — A  few  more  rows  should  be  earthed  finally,  defer¬ 
ring  the  operation  with  the  latest  rows  for  a  few  w’eeks,  so  as  to 
give  them  time  to-  complete  their  growth.  A  convenient  method 
of  earthing  consists,  first,  in  lightly  drawing  the  leafstalks 
together,  so  as  to  well  enclose  the  centres  or  hearts  of  the-  plants, 
securing  them  in  position  with  raffia  grass  ties ;  then  break  up 
the  soil  on  each  side  of  the  rows,  making  it  fine  and  crumbly. 
Arrange  the  soil  in  a  line  on  each  side  of  the  rows,  and  work  it 
round  the  plants  with  the  hands.  At  the  same  time,  form  a  good 
base  on  which  to  place  more  soil.  None  should  be  worked  round 
the  plants  higher  than  the  centres,  except  at  the  final  earthing. 
Earthing  can  only  be  satisfactorily  done  when  the  weather  is 
dry,  as  well  as*  the  plants.  Soil  that  is  more  than  ordinarily 
retentive,  wet,  and  heavy,  may  not  he  suitable  for  earthing. 
The  introduction  of  some  light  material,  such  as  coal  ashes,  may 
be  admitted  for  placing  directly  round  the  plants. 
POTATOES. — The  lifting  of  the  Potato  crop  continues  to  be 
a  most  important  operation.  Dry  weather  must  be  chosen,  if 
possible,  digging  up  no’  more  tubers  in  one  day  than  can  be 
sorted,  dried,  and  stored.  Select  clean,  sound,  medium  sized 
tubers  to  save  for  seed.  Store  these  singly  in  shallow  boxes, 
which  may  be  stood  on  a  shelf  in  a  cool  structure.  The  large 
tubers  for  use,  after  being  thoroughly  dried,  may  be  placed  in 
bags,  boxes,  or  in  a  heap  in  the-  store  room,  covering  them  over 
entirely  with  straw  to  exclude  light.  Where  the  crop  is  more 
than  usually  productive,  a  portion  should  be  clamped  in  the  open, 
covering  with  straw  and  soil. 
TOMATOES. — The  fruit  secured  on  the  outdoor  plants  will,  in 
many  cases,  fail  to  fully  ripen  ;  hence  some  glass  lights  ought  to  bo 
placed  in  front  of  the  plants  to-  give  them  extra  warmth  and 
forward  the  colouring.  When  the  fruits  do  commence  to  colour 
they  may  be  cut  and  finished  under  glass  or  in  a  warm  kitchen. 
The  small,  green  fruits  may  be  utilised  in  pickling. 
ONIONS. — The  crop  of  summer  Onions,  if  not  harvested, 
should  now  be  pulled  up  and  dried  in  the  sun  and  air.  If  wet, 
transfer  them  under  cover,  but  do  not  store  them  until  thoroughly 
dry.  A  little  thinning  of  the  seedling  plants  may  be  given  the 
rows  of  winter  Onions;  also  remove  weeds  and  lightly  stir  the 
soil. 
CABBAGE. — Augment,  the  number  of  plants,  if  necessary, 
which  have  been  placed  out  for  the  spring  supply.  Strong  and 
useful  plants  can  be  secured  from  the  seed  beds.  Lift  with  a 
fork  or  trowel,  and  plant-  without  loss  of  roots,  a  foot  apart  in 
rows  2ft  asunder.  Plants  pricked  out-  have  grown  strongly,  and 
these  ought  also  to  be  lifted,  with  ample  soil  adhering,  planting 
with  a  spade.  Afford  these  more  space  between  the  plants  m  the 
rows.  Stir  the  soil  with  the  hoe  as  soon  as  the  Cabbages  are 
established,  and  continue  to  maintain  an  open,  clean  surface, 
which  will  promote  steady  growth. — East  Kent. 
