568 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AXD  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
nccoinber  17,  19i  3. 
Fruit  Forcing. 
VISES:  HOrSH  TO  AFFORD  RIPE  GRAPES  IX  MAY.— 
Tiie  structure  for  this  purpose  should  be  started  without  delay. 
A  bed  of  leaves  and  litter  in  a  state  of  fermentation  placed  on  the 
floor  of  the  house,  turning  a  portion  of  it  daily  so  as  to  supply 
ammonia  to  the  atmosphere  saves  fuel,  and  conduces  to  good 
break  by  constantly  giving  it  moisture  and  warmth.  Outside 
()ordors  .should  have  the  needful  protection  from  cold  rains,  snow, 
and  frost ;  a  few  inches  thickness  of  dry  leaves  and  a  little  litter 
over  them  answer  where  the  Vines  are  planted  inside,  but  where 
(he  border  is  all  outside  a  covering  of  warm  litter  is  preferable, 
two-thirds  of  leaves  and  one-third  of  stable  litter  affording  a  less 
violent  heat  than  manure  alone,  also  more  lasting,  adding  fresh 
material  as  necessary.  The  inside  border  must  be  made 
thoroughly  moist  by  applrung  water,  or,  in  the  case  of  weakly 
\'ine.s,  liquid  manure,  not  too  strong  and  never  less  in  tempera- 
tui’e  than  the  mean  of  the  house.  Avoid,  however,  making  the 
soil  very  wet,  for  that  hinders  root  formation  and  tends  to  a  soft 
growth,  often  resulting  in  shanking.  Start  with  a  night  tempera¬ 
ture  of  oOdeg  in  severe  weather,  55deg  in  mild  weather,  and  Godeg 
by  day,  except  when  the  weather  is  cold,  when  oodeg  will  be 
more  suitable.  This  slow  work  is  better  than  a  high  forcing  heat, 
which  induces  a  weak  growth,  and  we  do  not  advise  these 
temperatures  to  be  exceeded  until  the  growth  commences. 
Depre.ss  young  caries  to  the  horizontal  line,  or  lower,  to  ensure 
the  regular  breaking  of  the  buds.  Maintain  a  moist  atmosphere 
by  syringing  occa.sionally,  but  avoid  excessive  moisture  and  keep¬ 
ing  the  roots  dripping  wet,  which  excites  the  production  of 
aerial  roots  from  the  rods. 
LATE  HOUSES. — Vines  that  have  the  foliage  all  off  will 
only  require,  fire  heat  to  exclude  fro.st,  but  there  must  not  be 
anything  like  a  moist,  stagnant  atmosphere,  or  the  Grapes  will 
speedily  damp  and  decay.  Leaky  roofs  are  a  chief  cau.se  of 
Grapes  keeping  badly,  and  wide  laps  are  not  much  better,  as  the 
wind  drives  the  water  from  them  all  over  the^  upper  side  of  the 
berries,  causing  them  to  spot  and  rot.  Grapes  cannot  be  kept 
under  such  circumstances,  and  the  sooner  they  are  cut  and 
bottled  the  better.  A  temperature  of  TOdeg  to  oOdeg  suffices 
for  the  thick  skinned  Grapes.  Muscat.s  require  a  mean  tem¬ 
perature  of  50  deg.  The  air  must  be  kept  in  motion  by  a  gentle 
warmth  in  the  pipes,  and  ventilation  given  whenever  there  is  a 
chance  of  securing  a  change  of  air  without  danger  of  letting  in 
more  moisture  than  expelled. — St.  Albans. 
Kitchen  Garden. 
BLAXCHIX'G  EN^DIVE. — A  few  roots  may  be  blanched  at  a 
time.  To  carry  out  the  prcce.ss  outdoors,  tie  the  points  cf  the 
outer  leaves  together,  thus  enclosing  the  heart.  and 
cover  with  inverted  pots,  stopping  the  drainage  hole 
with  a  piece  of  clay,  or  laying  a  slate  over.  If 
fmsty  weather  is  anticipated,  a  number  of  roots  should  be 
lifted,  with  plenty  of  soil  adhering,  and  placed  in  a  frame. 
Cover  the  plants  to  blanch,  and  also  darken  the  frame  with 
mats  to  assist  the  blanching  and  exclude  frost.  A  dark  room  or 
cellar  will  also  serve  for  blanching  at  this  .season. 
LETl'UCES  IN  FRAMES. — Attention  must  be  given  to 
affording  free  ventilation  to  plants  in  frames,  and  picking  off 
all  dead  leaves.  Dryne.ss  of  the  foliage  is  essential,  for  much 
moisture  collecting  at  the  base  cf  the  leaves  will  soon  cause-  the 
hearts  to  rot. 
ONIONS. — The  stock  of  Onions  in  store  ought  occasionally  to 
be  looked  over,  as  some  bulbs  are  liable  to  decay.  So  long  as 
Onions  can  be  kept  safe  from  frost  they  cannot  be  kept  too  cool. 
If  thoroughly  dry  and  firm  a  slight  frost  will  not  harm  them. 
Damp  air  is  an  enemy,  as  it  causes  them  to  grow.  An  excellent 
method  of  keeping  Onions  is  to  string  them  in  ropes. 
POTATOES  FOR  POT  CULTURE. — Aledium  sized  sets  of 
early  varieties,  such  as  Ringleader.  Sharpe’s  Victor,  or  Royal 
Ashleaf,  may  be  selected  and  stood  in  shallow  boxes.  Scatter 
some  light  leaf  soil  between,  and  place  the  boxes  on  a  light  shelf 
in  a  warm  pit  or  greenhouse.  Occasionally  sprinkle  with  water 
to  induce  sprouting.  When  growths  show',  thin  all  out  but  the 
principal  and  .strongest.  As  roots  will  also  push  into  the  soil, 
it  is  desirable  before  they  become  too  much  matted  together  to 
pot  the  tubers,  placing  one  in  the  centre  of  a  10-inch  pot  which 
has  been  moderatelv  drained  and  half  filled  with  a  mixture  of 
leaf  soil,  loam,  and  rotted  manure.  Keep  the  pots  in  Avarmth 
at  fir.st,  and  give  but  little  water.  Top  dress  when  the  growths 
are  high  enough,  and  to  ensure  a  stocky  growth  choose  a  very 
light  pcsiticn  with  le.^^  heat,  but  plenty  of  air  on  faA'Ourablo 
occa.sions. 
FORCT.VG  Sl'LMvALE. — A  batch  of  Seakale  roots  rvliich  have 
been  prepared  for  forcing  should  now  be  introduced  into  a  warm 
structure.  A  good  mushroom  house  or  warm  cellar  is,  of  course, 
the  best  place.  A  space  should  be  enclosed  for  holding  soil  of  a 
depth  sufficient  to  bury  the  roots  to  the  crowns.  If  a  bed  of  soil 
is  not  convenient,  employ  deep  boxes  or  pots.  Light  is  easily 
excluded  from  these  by  inverting  other  pots  or  boxes  over.  A 
temperature  cf  55deg  will-' suffice.  Hard  forcing  is  not  pro¬ 
ductive  of  good  results,  the  growth  being  weak  and  stringy. 
Keep  the  soil  moist.  Fre.sh  batches  may  be  i)itroduced  Aveekly 
or  fortnightly,  according  to  the  demand. 
RHUBARB. — Place  an  additional  lot  of  roots  in  the  forcing 
house  or  Avarm  structure,  these  being  intended  to  foIloAv  the 
earliest  supply.  Rhubarb  Avill  do  avcII  either  in.  a  light  or  a 
dark  place,  providing  the  roots  are  kept  moist  by  the  natural 
humidity  of  the  atmosphere,  or  surrounded  A-;ith  .soil,  whicli 
should  be  AAatered  occasionally.  Usually  the  best  results  folloAv  a 
certain  amount  of  blanching:  therefore,  if  a  dark  structure  is  not 
available,  cover  the  crowns  Avith  boxes  or  tubs. 
FORCTX'G  ASPARAGUS. — This  A’cgetable  is  best  forced  on  a 
Avell  prepared  hotbed,  employing  roots  three  or  four  years  old. 
The  hotbed  should  be  a  mixture  of  leaves  and  manure,  and  built 
in  the  open,  so  that  a  frame  may  be  placed  on  the  top.  and  linings 
cf  manure  added  on  the  sides  to  keep  up  the  temperature  as  neces- 
saiy.’  eWer  the  manure  Avith  seA-eral  inches  of  soil,  and  on  this 
place  the  roots  thickly  together.  Fill  in  betAveen  and  over  them 
Avith  light  compost,  con.sisting  of  loam,  mushroom  bed  manure, 
and  leaf  soil,  covering  them  to  the  depth  of  four  inches.  Give  a 
good  AA'ateriug  Avith  tepid  Avater.  Admit  air  Avhen  necessary  to 
regulate  the  temperature,  Avhich  may  range  betAveen  GOdeg  and 
rOdeg.  In  cold  and  fro.sty  Aveather  cover  the  gla-ss  Avith  mats. — 
E.4ST  Kent. 
■ - - 
leather  Notes. 
In  the  North. 
The  first  half  of  December  has  brought  samples  of  all  sorts  of 
Aveathei’ — rain,  sr.OAv,  frost  and  thaAV  folloAving  each  other  in  short  and 
uncertain  succession.  Some  of  the  days,  frem  fog  and  cloud,  have 
been  A-ery  short ;  the  nights  dark  and  unpleasant.  During  the  fort¬ 
night  frost  of  from  2deg.  to  lEdeg.  has  been  registered,  mainly  in  the 
former  Aveek.  A  period  of  dull  and  drizzly  Aveather  has  again  set  in 
from  the  10th  to  the  14th. — B.  D.,  S.  Perthshire. 
Meteorological  Observations  at  Chiswick. 
Taken  in  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens  at  Chis- 
Avick,  height  above  sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
Direction  of 
Wind. 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Rain. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
Lowest 
Temperature 
on  Grass* 
Decenrbei-. 
At  9  A.M.  !  Day. 
Night 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
1—  ro 
p-  et- 
Highest. 
Lowest. 
i 
deg.  I  deg.  deg. 
dfg. 
Ins. 
dfg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Fundav  ...  6 
W.N.W. 
31-8  31-5  :  42  4 
27  5 
— 
39  2 
44  1 
48  6 
27  5 
Monday  ...  7 
S.E. 
41-9  ^  38-9  45-3 
30  3 
0-13 
39-3 
43  7 
483 
21-3 
Tuesday...  8 
S.W. 
43-7  1  41  4  :  48  C 
36-0 
0-15 
39  9 
43  6 
48-1 
25-8 
Wed’sday  9 
S.S.E. 
47-7  -  47-1  ;  52-6 
42-9 
018 
41  4 
43  9 
47  9 
35-5 
Thursday  10 
S.S  E. 
47  4  44  9  All 
41  3 
0-37 
42-4 
44  2 
47-8 
31-8 
Friday  ...11 
W.S.W. 
41-5  1  40-1  i  47-8 
38-9 
0  10 
42-2 
44  5 
47-6 
29.0 
Saturday  12 
E.S.E. 
40-7  1  39  9  :  47-3 
1  1 
36-5 
0  28 
41  6 
44  4 
47-5 
25  8 
!  1 
Total. 
Means  ... 
42-1  I  40  5  47-9 
1  1 
36  2 
1-21 
40  9 
44-1 
48  0 
28T  , 
The  Aveatlier  has  been  dull,  and  at  times  very  dark,  with  rain  on 
six  days,  bringing  the  total  rainfall  for  the  year  to  date  to  36'45  in. 
The  Potato- Boom. 
Professor  W.  J.  Malden,  in  the  ‘-Spalding  Free  Press,”  giA-es 
vouchers  of  sales  at  the  rate  of  Elbi  and  101b.  of  Eldorados  at  £40  pel- 
lb.  He  anticipated  that  at  Smithfield  ShoAV  no  Eldorados  Avould  be 
sold  under  £50  per  lb.,  or  at  the  rate  of  £17  per  Potato.  The  actual 
sales  tripled  his  forecast.  The  Professor  points  cut  th.at  at  £3  per 
lb.,  or  £300  per  cAvt.,  the  result  Avill  be,  after  tAvo  years,  in  spite  of 
Avhat  seems  such  an  alarming  primary  outlay,  the  Potatoes  Avill  not 
have  cost  4d.  per  lb.  The  calculation  Avorks  out  thus: — As  11b.  of 
Potatoes  easily  produces  ICOlb.,  the  produce  of  11b.  at  £3  per  lb.  is 
Avorth  £300.  To  carry  it  a  year  forAvai-d,  the  lOOlbs.  Avill  produce  at 
least  100-fold,  or  10,C001bs.,  or  nearly  4i  tons;  the  outlay  to  produce 
these  during  the  tAvo  years  Avill  not  amcuut  to  £1C0,  so  that  fo-r  £150 
the  4^-  tons  are  raised. 
