October  22,  19C3, 
JOURNAL  QF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
385 
Fruit  Forcing. 
CI'CrMBP.RS. — Tlie  autumn  fruiters  being  in  full  bearing, 
must  not  be  overcropped,  but  the  plants  will  bear  enormously 
if  well  supplied  with  nourishment.  Examine  the  iilants  at  least 
once  a  week  for  the  removal  of  bad  leaves  and  for  .stopping  and 
cutting  away  the  superfluous  growths.  Sweetened  horse-drop¬ 
pings,  sprinkled  on  the  beds  occasionally,  act  as  a  gentle  excitant 
to  the  roots,  supplying  nourishment  to  the  soil  and  ammonia  to 
the  atmo.sphere.  Spare  no  effort  to  keep  the  foliage  clean  and 
healthy,  and  do  not  permit  accumulations  of  dirt  on  the  glass. 
Allow  the  winter  fruiters  to  extend  well  up  the  trellis  before 
stopping  them  ;  train  the  shoots  right  and  left  at  about  one  foot 
distance  apart.  Earth  the  roots  as  they  protrude  from  the 
hillocks  or  ridges ;  supply  water  as  required,  not  less  in  tempera¬ 
ture  than  that  of  the  bed,  being  careful  not  to  overwater  or 
allow  the  plants  to  lack  needful  supplies  of  that  element  and 
liquid  manure,  or  surface  dressings  of  fertilisers  washed  in. 
Maintain  a  night  temperature  of  65deg  to  70deg  in  mild  weather, 
GOdeg  to  Godeg  when  the  nights  are  cold,  70deg  to  75deg  by  day, 
artificially  advancing  to  80deg,  85deg,  or  90deg  with  sun  heat. 
Admit  a  little  air  at  the  top  of  the  house  whenever  the  weather 
is  favourable,  but  avoid  cold  currents — indeed,  it  must  be  done 
without  lowering  the  temperature  or  drying  the  air  too  much  ; 
and  lose  no  opportunity  of  closing  early  in  the  afternoon  on  days 
when  a  little  ventilation  has  been  given  in  the  early  part  of  the 
day.  On  dull  davs  little  moisture  will  be  required. 
‘  PEACHES  AND  NECTARINES :  EARLY  FORCED  TREES. 
— Whether  the  varieties  comprise  Hale’s  Early,  Stirling  Castle, 
Royal  George,  Dymond,  Grosse  Mignonne,  Goshawk,  Bellegarde, 
and  similar  second  early  and  midsea.son  Peaches,  along  with 
Lord  Napier,  Stanwick  Elruge,  Elruge,  Improved  Downton,  Dry- 
den,  Darwin,  and  other  second  early  and  midseason  Nectarines, 
or  consist  of  Alexander,  Waterloo,  Duchess  of  Cornwall,  Amsden’s 
June,  and  other  very  early  Peaches,  with  Cardinal  and  Early 
Rivers  Nectarines,  the  trees  will  have  been  at  rest  for  some 
time,  and  having  been  pruned,  dressed,  and  everything  put  into 
proper  order,  but  little  beyond  keeping  cool  will  be  required  until 
starting  time. 
SFCCESSION  HOUSES. — The  trees  will  be  in  various  .stages 
of  maturing  the  foliage,  according  to  the  time  of  starting,  but 
this  must  not  be  hurried  by  removing  the  leaves  forcibly.  If 
ripening  tardily,  admit  air  freely  at  night,  keeping  the  hou.se 
rather  close  in  the  early  part  of  the  day  and  maintaining  a  dry 
atmosphere.  Seek  gradual  maturation,  when  the  leave.s  will 
part  freely  from  the  trees. — St.  Albans. 
Kitchen  Garden. 
POTATOES. — Circumstances  difficult  of  control  may  have 
prevented  the  lifting  of  the  Potato  crop  in  its- entirety,  but  every 
opportunity  should  be  taken  during  dry  periods  to  lift  the  tubers 
out  of  the  ground.  If  an  unfavourable  time  is  anticipated  for 
drying  them  it  will  be  best  at  this  late  period  to  spread  the 
tubers  out  under  cover,  taking  them  there  as  soon  as  picked  up. 
In  order  to  economise  .space,  select  the  best  tubers  out  at  once. 
A  further  .selection  will  divide  the  tubers  reserved  for  use  from 
those  suitable  for  .seed.  The  former,  immediately  they  are  dry 
enough,  may  be  stored  in  a  dry,  cool  place  where  they  are  safe 
from  frost  and  can  be  kept  covered  from  the  light.  Conveniences 
differ,  some  storing  them  in  heaps  on  the  floor,  while  others  will 
pack  them  in  barrels  or  .sacks.  Where  large  quantities  are  grown, 
and  the  tubers  can  be  fairly  well  dried,  they  may  be  ejamped 
outdoors,  covering  the  heap  with  a  good  layer  of  straw,  and  on 
this  a  liberal  thickness  of  soil. 
SEED  POTATOES  are  readily  dealt  with.  Place  them  in 
layers  in  .shallow  boxes,  which  may  be  stored  on  shelves  in  any 
structure,  cool,  but  safe  from  frost.  When  handling  the  tubers 
look  out  for  diseased  ones. 
BEET. — In  lifting  Beet  the  roots  must  be  carefully  handled, 
so  as  not  to  break  the  tap  roots  more  than  necessary.  The  leaves 
should  be  twisted  off  several  inches  from  the  crown.  Cutting 
them  will  cause  bleeding.  Lay  them  out  to  dry  for  a  day  or  two, 
and  then  store  them  in  a  cool  .shed  between  layers  of  dry  ashes. 
TURNIPS. — The  autumn-sown  crop  should  be  thinned  to  the 
extent  the  plants  require  for  forming  good  roots.  Roots  .still 
developing  may  remain  in  the  ground  for  winter  use,  to  be  pulled 
as  required,  but  those  fully  grown  may  with  advantage  be  lifted 
and  stored  under  .sti'aw  in  a  cool  .shed  where  they  are  handy  to 
obtain  in  bad  weather. 
CHICORY. — This  being  a  valuable  .salad  plant,  well-grown 
roots  may  be  lifted  as  required.  Cut  off  the  tops  just  above  the 
crown,  and  pack  them  in  pots  or  boxes,  with  soil  between,  and 
place  the  receptacles  in  a  cellar  where  absolute  darkne.ss  can  be 
ensured.  In  three  weeks  growth  will  commence,  and  thi.s  may 
be  used  for  .salading. 
C'ELERY  AND  CELERIAC. — The  last  earthings  may  be  given 
to  Celery  plants  constituting  the  late  .supply.  Bring  the  ridge 
of  soil  well  to  a  point,  so  as  to  throw  off  rain  readily.  A  portion 
of  the  crop  of  Celeriac  should  be  lifted  and  stored  in  .sand.  Re¬ 
move  the  leaves  except  the  central  ones. 
.  CARROT.S  AND  PARSNIPS. — Fully-grown  roots  of  Carrots 
may  be  lifted  and  stored.  The  leave.s  may  be  cut  off  close  to  the 
crowns.  Dry  ashes  will  preserve  the  roots  well.  For  the  sake 
of  having  roots  conveniently  at  hand  in  unsuitable  weather,  a 
portion  of  the  Parsnip  crop  may  be  lifted  and  stored  in  the  same 
manner  as  Carrots.  The  bulk  of  the  roots,  however,  are  best 
left  in  the  ground  until  wanted. 
OUTDOOR  TOMATOES.— Green  fruits  still  hanging  on  the 
plants  cannot  by  any  possibility  ripen,  so  they  ought  to  be 
gathered  and  made  into  jam  or  pickled.  Any  with  a  tinge  of 
colour  in  them,  cut  with  a  portion  of  stem,  will  colour  further  in 
a  warm  structure. 
CABBAGES. — Cabbage  plants  may  still  be  inserted,  e.specially 
any  that  can  bo  lifted  with  small  balls  of  soil  and  roots  from  the 
•seed  beds.  Dust  soot  or  lime  about  the  plants  which  are  growing, 
to  ward  off  the  slugs,  which  may  be  abundant  in  damp  weather. 
To  further  assist  them,  remove  yellow  leaves  and  keep  the  soil 
clear  of  weeds  by  hoeing.  The  latter  operation  is  only  practicable 
and  advisable  when  the  weather  has  dried  the  surface  soil.  When 
in  a  pasty  condition,  trampling  upon  the  ground  clo.ses  the  pores 
of  the  soil  and  excludes  air. — East  Kent. 
—  »  m%m  • - 
Trade  Notes. 
Henry  West,  Bristol. 
Mr.  H.  West,  late  head  gardener  at  Betti.sfield  Park,  Whit¬ 
church,  Salop,  has  gone  intO'  business  as  a  nursei-yman,  seedsman, 
and  florist,  on  his  own  account,  at  Cheltenham  Road  Nurseries, 
Stokes  Croft,  Bristol. 
Change  of  Address. 
We  are  informed  that  “Chase’s  Beetle  Poison,”  of  recent 
years  forwarded  by  Thomas  Chase,  of  151,  Broad  Street,  Bir¬ 
mingham,  having  upon  the  death  of  Mrs.  Chase,  sen.,  been  pur¬ 
chased  by  A.  Chase,  will  now  be  supplied  wholesale  from  3,  High 
View  Terrace,  West  Norwood,  London,  S.E. 
Vaporite. 
This  is  a  new  vapour  proce.ss  developed  by  Mr.  G.  F.  Strawson. 
Vaporite  gradually  evolves  a  noxious  vapour,  which  fills  the  inter¬ 
stices  of  soil,  from  which  the  insects  cannot  escape  and  are  con¬ 
sequently  destroyed.  This  (we  are  informed)  is  applicable  to  every 
kind  of  plant,  grown  nnder  all  conditioms,  whether  in  the  field, 
the  garden,  or  under  glass.  For  field  crops  generally  the  applica¬ 
tion  of  1501b  to  2001b  per  statute  acre  should  be  sown  broadca.st 
and  plouglied  in  and  allowed  to  remain  undi.stnrbed.  It  is  sold 
in  bags  by  StraAvsons,  City  Bank  Buildings,  71a,  Queen  Victoria 
Street,  London,  E.C. 
- - 
Meteorological  Observations  at  Chiswick. 
Taken  in  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens  at  Chis¬ 
wick,  height  above  sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
October. 
Direction  of 
Wind. 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Rain. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A..^. 
Lowest 
Temperature 
on  Grass. 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
Drv 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
•*s 
00 
rC 
bjo 
X 
U3 
Q) 
Sunday  ...11 
Monday  ...12 
Tuesday  ...13 
Wed’sday  14 
Thursday  15 
Friday  ...16 
Saturday  17 
S.S.E. 
s.s.w. 
s.w. 
s.w. 
w.s.w. 
s.w. 
W.N.W. 
dep. 
519 
58'2 
51-7 
55'9 
51-7 
490 
50-5 
deg. 
510 
570 
48-3 
53  0 
48-3 
45-0 
47-2 
deg. 
59  2 
62-9 
604 
59-2 
56-6 
56'5 
55-3 
deg. 
42  8 
51-3 
50  0 
48-0 
51-3 
43'5 
470 
Ins. 
0-98 
0-34 
0-32 
0-02 
deg. 
54  7 
55  0 
55-3 
54- 5 
55- 2 
53-8 
530 
deg. 
57  0 
56-2 
56-2 
56-2 
56  0 
55-9 
55-5 
deg. 
57  4 
57T 
57-0 
57'0 
66-8 
56-6 
56-4 
deg. 
38-0 
48'5 
42-5 
38  2 
49-5 
34-2 
39'8 
Means  ... 
1  52-7 
1 
50-0 
58-6 
47-7 
Total. 
1-66 
54-5 
56T 
56  9 
41  5 
The  weather  has  been  dull,  and  a  considerable  quantity  of  rain  has 
fallen  during  the  week. 
