372 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
April  28,  1904. 
S  WOKl^F0ff.THEWEEK.. ' 
r 
Fruit  Forcing. 
VINES  IN  FLOWER. — Afford  Muscats  a  free  circulation  of 
rather  dry  air^  and  a  temperature  of  SOdeg  to  85deg  or  90deg 
l)y  day  from  sun  heat,  TOdeg  to  75deg  artitlcially,  and  70deg  at 
night,  falling  to  65deg  or  even  GOdeg  on  cold  nights.  Raise 
the  points  of  the  bunches  to  the  light,  and  liberate  the  pollen 
at  midday  by  gently  tapping  the  stalks  of  the  bunches,  or  go 
over  the  bunches  carefully  with  a  large  sized  cameLhair  brush, 
and  afterwards  dust  them  with  another  charged  with  Alicante 
pollen  or  that  of  some  other  different  and  free-setting  variety. 
Hamburghs  and  similar  varieties  set  freely  in  a  lower  tempera¬ 
ture,  but  they  are  better  for  a  little  assistance  from  fire  heat, 
.say,  tiOdeg  to  6odeg  at  night,  70deg  to  75deg  by  day,  with  lOdeg 
to  IGdeg  advance  from  sun  heat. 
THINNING  BUNCHES  AND  BERRIES. —It  is  advisable 
to  make  a  selection  of  the  best  bunches,  and  leave  only  those 
required  for  the  crop  before  they  come  into  flower.  This  con¬ 
centrates  the  forces  on  those  retained,  and  by  proper  attention 
to  fertilising  the  flower,  a  good  set  and  fine  bunches  are  secured. 
Thinning  the  berries  should  commence  as  soon  as  they  are  set, 
especially  in  the  ca.se  of  free  .setting  varieties,  and  where  speci¬ 
mens  are  required  for  exhibition  it  should  be  attended  to  whilst 
they  ate  in  flower.  With  the  shy-setting  sorts  thinning  should 
be  deferred  until  the  properly  fertilised  berries  can  be  di.s- 
tinguished  by  their  taking  the  lead  in  .swelling.  Remove 
.surplus  bunches,  under  rather  than  overcropping  the  Vines, 
as  too  heav^y  cropping  is  fatal  to  colour  and  finish. 
FEEDING. — When  the  Vines  are  in  full  leaf,  and  the 
Grapes  swelling,  they  require  abundant  supplies  of  nourishment. 
Owing  to  the  large  extent  of  leaf  surface,  the  Vines  evaporate 
enormous  quantities  of  water  under  the  influence  of  sunlight, 
and  do  most  of  the  work  then  in  a.ssimilating  the  nutrient  ele¬ 
ments,  the  solid  matters  being  left  behind  in  the  Vines,  and 
with  the  carbonic,  acid  gas  derived  from  the  air  and  fixed  in 
the  Vines  as  carbon,  build  up  their  .structure  solidly  and  health¬ 
fully.  Stable,  cowhouse,  and  manure  heap  drainings  are 
excellent,  being  rich  in  available  potash,  and  if  a  pound  of 
mineral  superphosphate  be  added  to  30  gallons  it  is  an  advan¬ 
tage,  while  the  contained  ammonia  will  .soon  be  converted  into 
nitrates  and  appear  in  the  deep  green  colour  of  Vines,  leafage, 
and  Grapes.  The  liquid  must  not  be  applied  too  strong,  as  an 
overdose  injures,  if  not  destroys,  the  young  fibrous  roots. 
Shanking  also  often  follows  packing  the  .soil  with  organic  matter 
held  in  .suspension.  All  the  advertised  fertilisers  are  handy 
and  excellent.  It  is  be.st  to  give  the  borders  a  thorough  supply 
of  water,  then  apply  the  fertiliser,  and  water  in  moderately. 
A  light  mulch  of  short,  sweet,  lumpy  manure  will  be  of  advan¬ 
tage  in  keeping  the  border  uniformly  moist. 
CUCUMBERS.  —  Plants  in  hoirses  and  hot-water-heated  pits 
must  be  syringed  twice  a  day,  but  let  it  be  done  judiciously. 
The  dusting  of  the  pipes  with  a  little  flowers  of  sulplmr  usually 
suffices  to  keep  red  spider  and  white  fly  in  subjection,  and  also 
prevents  fungi  spores  from  germinating.  Plants  growing  in 
manure-heated  frames  will  not  need  syringing  so  often;  a 
sprinkling  at  closing  time  will  be  sufficient  on  bright  days,  and 
not  at  all  when  the  weather  is  dull.  Give  liberal,  but  not 
iinnece.ssary  waterings  of  liquid  manure  at  the  mean  tempera¬ 
ture  of  the  hou.se  to  plants  in  full  bearing.  Avoid  overcropping 
and  overcrowding  the  growths.  Attend  to  the  necessary  stop¬ 
ping,  thinning,  and  tying,  keeping  a  succe.s.sion  of  fruit  growth. 
No  more  fire  heat  should  be  used  than  is  absolutely  essential. 
iMake  another  planting,  if  nece.ssary,  so  as  to  maintain  a  supply 
of  fruit  exceeding,  rather  than  equal,  to  the  demand. 
iMELONS  :  EARLY  PLANTS. — Vhen  the  fruit  begins  ripen¬ 
ing,  les.sen  the  snpjily  of  water  at  the  roots,  but  not  so  as  to 
distress  the  plants,  for  if  the  foliage  has  been  kept  clean  and  the 
roots  are  in  good  condition,  a  second  crop  may  be  had.  With¬ 
hold  atmospheric  moisture,  or  rather  keep  water  from  the 
fruit,  and  provide  a  circulation  of  dry,  warm  air,  increasing 
the  temperature  to  70deg  to  7odeg,  advancing  to  SOdeg  and 
OOdeg  from  sun  heat.  Cut  the  fruits  before  they  are  very  ripe, 
keeping  them  in  an  even  temperature  for  two  or  three  days.  If 
any  fruits  show  a  tendency  to  crack,  cut  the  shoots  about  half 
way  through  with  a  knife  a  few  inches  below  the  fruit,  and 
diminish  the  supply  of  water  at  the  roots  and  in  the  atmo¬ 
sphere,  leaving  a  little  ventilation  constantly  to  prevent 
moisture  condensing  on  the  fruit. 
SUCCESSION  PLANTS.— Continue  fertilising  the  flowers 
when  fully  expanded,  the  atmosphere  being  kept  drier  and 
warmer,  and  ventilation  carefully  attended  to.  Stop  the  shoot.i 
at  the  time  of  fertilisation  one  or  two  joints  beyond  the  fruit. 
Earth  the  plants  with  some  rather  strong  and  rich  loam  after 
the  fruits  begin  swelling,  ramming  it  firmly,  to  secure  solid 
fruit,  and  place  a  little  fresh  lime  round  the  collar  to  prevent 
canker.  Plants  swelling  their  fruits  may  be  syringed  in  hot 
weather  about  3  p.m.,  damping  the  floor  several  times  a  day, 
and  in  the  evening  sprinkle  the  floor  with  weak  liquid  manure. 
Shade  only  to  prevent  flagging,  and  ventilate  freely  in  favour¬ 
able  weather.  Maintain  a  day  temperature  of  SOdeg  to  85deg, 
or  OOdeg  with  sun  heat,  closing  between  SOdeg  and  8odeg,  and 
if  an  advance  of  lOdeg  to  lodeg  be  made  after  closing  it  will 
assist  the  fruit  in  swelling,  and  le.ssen  the  supply  of  fire  heat  at 
night,  but  it  must  be  accompanied  by  atmospheric  moisture. 
If  thrips  appear,  fumigate  moderately  on  two  or  three  con¬ 
secutive  evenings,  taking  care  to  have  the  foliage  dry. 
Train  the  growths  out  in  pits  and  frames,  still  maintaining  a 
good  bottom  heat  by  linings,  and  employ  thick  night  coverings 
over  the  lights.  Sow  seeds  for  raising  plants  for  placing  in  pits 
and  frames  as  they  are  cleared  of  bedding  plants.  Add  more 
soil  to  the  hillocks  as  the  roots  push  through  the  sides  of  the 
mounds,  which  must  be  repeated  at  intervals  until  the  allotted 
space  is  filled.  Any  young  plants  that  are  likely  to  become  root- 
bound  should  be  shifted  into  pots  a  couple  of  sizes  larger,  to 
keep  them  in  steady  i^rogressive  growth  until  the  beds  or 
I'lillocks  are  repared  for  them. 
PEACHES  AND  NECTARINES:  EARLY  FORCED 
HOUSE. — On  early  varieties  the  ripening  fruit  and  foliage 
must  be  kept  dry,  but  the  trees  inu.st  not  suffer  for  water  at 
the  loots,  the  soil  not  being  allowed  to  become  very  dry.  As 
the  fruit  of  the  later  varieties  will  not  be  ripe  for  some  time, 
keep  the  atmosphere  moist  by  frequent  sprinkling  during  the 
day,  .syringing  in  the  morning  and  again  when  closing  the 
house.  The  night  temperature  will  be  perfectly  safe  at  GOdeg 
to  Godeg,  or  even  70deg  in  warm  weather. 
FRUIT  STONING. — During  stoning  the  trees  must  not  be 
hurried;  GOdeg  to  Godeg  at  night  is  ample,  and  70  to  75deg 
by  day,  avoiding  sudden  fluctuations.  A  little  air  admitted 
at  night  will  prevent  the  deposition  of  moi.stnre  upon  the 
foliage  to  any  serious  extent,  and  may  be  increased  when  the 
sun  acts  on  the  hou.se,  yet  without  lowering  the  temperature, 
which  should  always  advance  with  the  increa,sed  power  of  the 
sun,  and  a  corresponding  increa.se  of  ventilation.  Avoid  fumi¬ 
gation  as  tar  as  po.ssible,  as  it  dries  the  atmosphere,  and  not 
unfrequently  cripples  the  foliage.  Early  clo.sing  is  to  some 
extent  an  advantage,  but  it  must  not  be  continued  too  long.  It 
is  also  advisalde  to  allow  a  little  exti'a  latitude  to  the  growth, 
but  on  no  account  permit  foliage  to  be  developed  that  must 
afterwards  be  removed  in  quantity.  Keep  the  imside  border 
well  supplied  with  water,  but  not  to  the  extent  of  causing 
soddenne.ss  and  sourness,  and  feed  judiciously  with  potas.sic  and 
phosphatic  foods. — G.  A.,  St.  Albans,  Herts. 
The  Kitchen  Garden. 
VEGETABLE  iMARROWS.— If  not  already  sown,  these 
should  be  seen  to  now.  Unless  these  can  be  protected  by  glass 
there  is  no  advantage  in  planting-ont  before  the  la.st  week  in 
IMay.  Even  if  they  did  not  get  nipped  by  frost,  the  keen  winds 
generally  expei'ienced  during  May  are  sufficient  to  check  the 
plants,  oi‘  practically  to  ruin  them.  One  seed  may  be  planted 
in  a  3in  pot.  The  "plants  will  turn  out  of  these  much  more 
conveniently  than  when  grown  two  or  more  together,  to  l)0 
divided  at  the  time  of  planting,  which  is  often  done  to  save 
trouble. 
iMELONS  AND  CUCUMBERS.— These  should  receive  very 
careful  attention.  It  the  beds  have  lost  their  heat,  more  warm 
manure  shoidd  be  at  once  placed  round  the  sides  of  the  frames, 
treading  this  down  firmly.  Cucumbers  and  Melons  must  have 
al)undance  of  bottom  heat  for  some  weeks  to  come,  or  the 
plants  will  not  grow  freely.  The  frames  should  be  carefully 
ventilated,  and  closed  early  in  the  afternoon,  while  the  sun  :s 
still  shining  on  the  gla.ss.  But  before  doing  so,  damp  the  sid.'s 
and  every  available  inch  of  soil  with  tepid  water,  which  will 
cause  a  'vapour  to  rise  on  the  inside  of  the  glass  and  prevent 
scalding.  The  lights  must  also  be  covered  by  mats  three  or  four 
thick  to  husband  the  heat  .secured  by  early  closing. 
EARLY  POTATOES. — Early  Potatoes  should  be  “soiled” 
as  soon  as  possible,  to  secure  "them  from  fro.st.  It  is  a  good 
plan  to  draw  a  little  very  dry  soil  over  any  which  appear,  and 
which  are  not  sufficiently  advanced  for  earthing  up.  This 
should  be  done  early  in  the  day,  so  that  the  soil  will  become 
perfectly  dry  before"  night,  as  it  is  useless  covering  with  damp 
soil. 
