APRIL.
FIRST WEEK.
GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY.
The shifting and repotting of all specimen plants in these houses have been completed, I hope, before this time; but if not, the sooner they are done the better. Keep up a moist atmosphere, sprinkling the plants with tepid water twice or thrice a week; and pay attention to the destruction of insects the moment you can perceive them.
Camellias.—As the plants go out of bloom, it is advisable to syringe them freely, shutting up early with solar heat, and maintaining a kindly humidity during the time they are making their growth.
Fuchsias.—Supply them liberally with water when in full growth, and shade slightly during bright sunshine.
Heaths.—To be kept free from strong currents of dry air; rambling growth to be stopped.
Liliums.—Give them a liberal supply of water, and a top dressing of turfy peat, sand, and well-decomposed cowdung.
New Holland Plants.—Give such plants as young Boronias, Dillwynias, Dracophyllums, Eriostemons, Leschenaultias, Pimeleas, Polygalas, &c., a tolerably-close corner of the house; stop the young growth as it may require it; keep them clean, and repot them when necessary.
Pelargoniums.—Tie and stake the larger plants neatly, without loss of time, and shift the smaller ones into larger pots. The roots will feed greedily on oyster-shells, broken very fine at the bottom of the pot. Put in cuttings for flowering in September and October.
STOVE AND ORCHID-HOUSE.
Keep up a sweet, moist atmosphere with a regular circulation of air, using an abundance of water about the floors; and syringe frequently air plants and others suspended. Shut up a solar heat, if possible, of 80° towards three or four o’clock.
Achimenes.—Shift them, and also Gesneras, and pot others for succession.
Begonias.—When the flowers begin to decline, the plants may be reduced, and potted into smaller pots, and be kept close for some time afterwards. Put in cuttings of them, if not attended to before; and also cuttings of Eranthemums, Euphorbias, Gesneras, Justicias, Linums, &c.
Clerodendrons.—Give them plenty of room and encouragement to grow.
Orchids.—They should have a mild, but regularly moist, atmosphere for a few weeks until they begin to grow; no water to be applied until that period, and then with moderation.
FORCING-PIT.
Get in Balsams, Cockscombs, Globe Amaranthuses, and other such plants from the dung-frame, that will be useful for the summer and autumn decoration of the greenhouse and conservatory.
FORCING-HOUSE.
Cherries.—If all the petals have dropped, and the fruit is set, the temperature may be raised to 60° by day and 50° by night, and syringed in the evening three or four times during the week. A sharp look out should be kept for curled leaves, and the grubs that nestle in them destroyed.
Figs.—If the fruit is swelling off, supply the trees liberally with water; stop the young shoots at the fourth or fifth eye. Temperature, 65° by day and 55° by night.
Melons.—The supply of air and water must be regulated by the state of the weather and the temperature of the bed. The plants sometimes show one or two fruit at an early period of their growth, which should be picked off, as they would prevent the swelling off of others. The vines, or shoots, after being frequently stopped, and when they have nearly filled the frame, or other allotted space, several fruit should be impregnated at one time. Sow for successional crop.
Peaches and Nectarines.—Pinch off laterals, and tie in the shoots as they advance in growth. If green fly makes its appearance, fumigate the house; but if only a few shoots are infested, dip them in tobacco water. When the fruit in the early house are stoned, thin them to the number you wish to retain, and use a pair of scissors, which is better than pulling them off.
Pine Apples.—The plants should now be making rapid growth, and, therefore, will require a liberal supply of water. Fruiting plants may now be turned out of their pots into prepared beds, selecting those that are not very forward. The fruiting-house may range from 80° to 85° during day, and from 65° to 70° at night. The successions from 75° to 80° by day, and from 65° to 70° at night.
Strawberries.—When out of bloom, give them a liberal supply of water, syringe freely, and keep down insects by fumigation.
Vines.—If forcing were begun early in December, whether with Vines in pots or established vines, the colouring process will have now commenced. When such is the case, admit air freely on all favourable opportunities; but avoid draughts, or cutting winds, which frequently cause rust and other imperfections in the bunches. In the later houses, attend to thinning, tying, and stopping laterals. The last house to be closed early in the afternoon. As the buds, in most cases, will be considerably advanced, it is advisable to syringe frequently; to apply plenty of moisture to the floors and paths; and to postpone the application of fire-heat as long as possible.
SECOND WEEK.
GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY.
Some of the most hardy and woody plants may be removed from the greenhouse to a cold pit, where they can be protected from frost. It will make more room for the Cinerarias, Pelargoniums, and other such plants.
Azaleas.—Such as have done blooming to be repotted, and their fresh growth to be gently promoted in a higher temperature for a short time.
Camellias.—Continue to keep a moist atmosphere about the plants making wood, with a temperature of about 65° by day and 55° by night. Air to be given at all opportunities, to produce sturdy, short-jointed wood. The plants in flower to be shaded during bright sunshine.
Cinerarias.—Regular attention to be given to them, that they may not suffer by want of water.
Climbers.—Regulate them as they grow, more particularly those in pots which are intended to cover a wire trellis. Kennedyas, Thunbergias, Nierembergias, Tropæolums, and other such plants of a slender and tender habit, delight in a soil the greater proportion being composed of leaf mould.
Chrysanthemums.—Strike cuttings, and pot off rooted suckers.
Heaths.—Any requiring repotting, should receive that attention without delay, apportioning the size of the pot to the vigour of their growth; as the free-growing kinds will require more room than the less vigorous ones.
New Holland Plants.—As many of them are now either in flower, or approaching that state, they will, consequently, require a larger quantity of water,—more especially large specimens not shifted since last season. Continue to pinch off the tops of the leading shoots, to produce bushy plants.
Pelargoniums.—Attention to be given in tying up, watering, and fumigating, if the green fly appears.
STOVE AND ORCHID-HOUSE.
As the soft-wooded stove plants will now be making rapid growth, the free admission of light is necessary to prevent them from drawing; using shade only during scorching sunshine. When a plant is shifted, give less water to the roots; as the fresh soil, after the first watering will be moist enough for some time. Some of the free-growing kinds of Cattleyas, Calanthes, Phaiuses, Saccolabiums, Stanhopeas, and Zygopetalums, should be encouraged to make kindly growth by frequent syringings about their pots, blocks, or baskets.
FORCING-HOUSES.
Cherries.—The principal objects to be attended to are—abundance of air, with due precaution against cold draughts, a moist atmosphere, and the free application of the syringe. The temperature the same as last week. Particular attention in watering to be paid to the trees in pots,—as too much is as bad as, if not worse than, too little.
Figs.—Continue stopping the young shoots at the fourth or fifth eye. Keep the syringe in frequent use until the fruits begin to change for ripening. Plenty of water, and occasionally a little weak tepid liquid manure, to be given at the roots, more especially when they are confined in pots or tubs.
Melons.—As soon as a sufficient number of fruit blossoms for a crop are expanded, or are likely to expand within a day or two of each other, they should be impregnated. As prevention is better than cure, keep the plants in a healthy-growing state by frequent syringings in fine weather, and closing early; insects will but rarely, if ever, attack thriving plants.
Peaches and Nectarines.—As soon as the stoning of the fruit in the early house is completed, give them a good watering with clear, weak liquid manure; keep the shoots tied in regularly, and pinch off all laterals. If the fruits in the late house are set, partially thin them; as more dependence may now be placed on a crop than at an earlier period of the season.
Pine Apples.—Fruiting plants will be greatly benefited by strong solar heat, as, under its influence, evaporation will be rapid; therefore, water must be applied to both roots and leaves. Succession plants to be shaded during sudden bright sunshine or sunbursts; and be guided in the application of water by the active or inactive state of the roots.
Vines.—Thinning the fruit is an operation of primary importance. The first thinning to be performed when the berries are the size of Peas; the second when they begin to be crowded; and the third after the berries are stoned. A piece of strong wire, eight or ten inches long, crooked at one end, is useful to draw the bunches backward and forward, as the operator may require. The Vines in the late house to be tied up as soon as they begin to break. Syringe them every fine afternoon, and close the house early. Give air early in the morning, that the leaves may become gradually dry before the sun acts powerfully upon them.
THIRD WEEK.
GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY.
Keep the conservatory as cool by day as is consistent with the health of the plants. By such means they will remain longer in bloom, and will be more enjoyable for parties inspecting them.
Camellias.—Continue to encourage the growth of those that have done flowering by increasing the temperature, by frequent syringings, and by a liberal supply of water at the roots. If any have made their growth, and have formed their blossom-buds, they will require more light and less moisture for the future.
Cinerarias.—To continue them in a healthy blooming state it is necessary to attend to them carefully, that they may not droop for want of water, nor be saturated with it. When the sun is powerful, slight shading is necessary for a few hours in the middle of the day, to prevent the blooms from losing their brilliancy; and plenty of air to be given when the weather is mild.
Fuchsias.—Having been treated with plenty of heat and moisture, they will now be making rapid growth, and will be fit to shift into their blooming-pots, using a light, rich soil for the purpose.
New Holland Plants.—Top and syringe frequently all such plants as are growing freely. Stake and tie them as they may require.
Pelargoniums.—Continue to stake and tie the shoots that require it in due time. Some clear liquid manure (cowdung water, for instance) may be given to plants that are well established with roots and showing their trusses of bloom; and sufficient space to be given for each plant to develope its natural beauty. We would advise shading only when there is a fear of scorching from the usual sudden sunbursts of April weather. Ply the syringe every fine evening to refresh the plants, and to keep down insects, until the flowers expand, when syringing should be discontinued.
STOVE AND ORCHID-HOUSE.
The stove plants recently potted will now be making fresh growth. Allow no diminution of bottom heat, and keep up a warm, moist atmosphere. Give air when the thermometer indicates 90°. Continue to shift Gesneras, Clerodendrons, and other such free-growing plants, as they require it. The Brassias, Cattleyas, some of the Dendrobiums, Gongoras, Peristerias, Phaiuses, Sobralias, Zygopetalums, and other such Orchids, will now be growing freely, and will therefore require a considerable amount of atmospheric moisture. If the roof is covered with climbers, a little management in trimming them will obviate the necessity of outside shading, and will give an additional feature of interest to the house. The plants on blocks, or suspended in baskets, will require very frequent syringings to keep them in a healthy-growing state. Plants in bloom may be removed to the conservatory, or any other house with a drier atmosphere, to prolong their period of blooming.
FORCING-HOUSE.
Cherries.—When they begin to change they will require free exposure to light, and abundance of air, to bring out their colour; and, at the same time, a diminution in the supply of water. Carefully examine all curled leaves, and destroy the grubs they contain. If the trees are very luxuriant, and are making strong foreright shoots, stop them to within a few buds of the main branch.
Figs.—Give the trees in pots some clear liquid manure when they are swelling off. Stop the shoots at about six or eight inches, and thin out any useless shoots. Syringe and water freely.
Melons.—Keep the vines thin, and stop regularly. Shade only in very hot weather. Water sparingly overhead. Plant out succession crops.
Peaches and Nectarines.—When the fruit in the early house has gone through the critical process of stoning, the final thinning should take place; the borders—if inside, or out, or both—should be copiously supplied with water; using liquid manure whenever a weak habit, from poor soil or over-exhaustion, shows it to be necessary. Syringings to be given twice a-day—early in the morning and at shutting-up time. The night temperature to be no more than 50°; but during the day it may range to 85°, if accompanied with air in liberal quantities.
Pine Apples.—Lessen the moisture amongst the fruiting plants when they approach maturity. Shift and grow on the young stock in a moist atmosphere; admit air freely in fine weather; prepare beds, and turn out the plants, if preferred.
Strawberries.—They should be kept near the glass: temperature, 65° to 70° by day, and 55° to 60° by night; succession crops rather cooler. Reduce the water to those ripening. Support the stems, and thin the fruit where superior produce is wanted. Keep them clear of runners and decayed leaves, and give an abundance of air.
Vines.—Continue to thin the Grapes in the early houses: a few berries may require to be taken out of some of the bunches up to the time of their changing colour. Keep up a high temperature—about 75° by day and 60° by night: in later houses, where the bunches are in course of formation, it is a great object to bring them out well. In later houses, where the bunches are formed, or in bloom, let the heat be moderately increased, and admit an abundance of air at all favourable opportunities. Shift pot Vines often, and keep them near the light.
FOURTH WEEK.
GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY.
The plants that are introduced to the conservatory from the stove, forcing-pit, or any other such structures, merely for the blooming season, will require particular care to be taken in the application of water that they may not become sodden and diseased. Continue to stop, prune, or pinch back all rambling and luxuriant shoots in due time. Stir the surface of the bed in the conservatory, and apply fresh soil, to maintain the plants in good health.
Azaleas, Chinese.—Supply them liberally with water at their roots during their blooming season, and prevent damp and drip from injuring the bloom.
Calceolarias.—The herbaceous sorts that have been pushed along in a gentle heat will now be showing bloom, and will require to be grown in a cool, airy place, to prevent the flower-stems from being too much drawn. Keep down green fly. Shift on young stock, keeping the plants well down in the pots as they throw out fresh rootlets from the stem. Cuttings taken off now will root readily in a gentle bottom heat.
Camellias.—Apply shading the moment it is necessary, to protect the young leaves.
Fuchsias.—Grow them steadily on in a moist, warm temperature. Use the syringe freely. Stop any that have a tendency to be long-jointed, to produce uniform and bushy plants.
Heaths.—Admit air liberally to them, and such other hard-wooded plants that are now in bloom, or approaching that state.
Pelargoniums.—Shift on young plants. Any that are wanted for late blooming should now be stopped.
Rhododendrons, Hybrid Indian.—Treat as advised for Azaleas.
STOVE AND ORCHID-HOUSE.
Continue a kindly moistness amongst the Orchids, and slightly increase the temperature. Shade with tiffany, or close-meshed netting, in bright sunny weather; removing it early in the afternoon. Water liberally all that are making free growth. Repot any that may require it as soon as they have fairly commenced their growth. Continue to give liberal shifts to the free-growing young stock of stove plants, slightly shading for a few hours in hot weather, shutting up early in the afternoon, and producing a kindly humid atmosphere by damping the walls, floors, pots, &c.
Begonias.—Repot and propagate. This is one of the most useful tribe of plants that can be grown, both for the stove and the adornment of the conservatory.
Clerodendrons.—Encourage by a moist heat.
Climbers.—Keep them neatly tied up, and give them liberal supplies of water, if in pots.
Gardenias.—They delight in a close atmosphere; a pit with dung linings is most congenial to them.
Gesnera zebrina.—Pot bulbs for late flowering.
FORCING-HOUSES.
Cherries.—Thin out the fruit where in large clusters; admit plenty of air at favourable opportunities, and never allow the trees in tubs, or pots, to become dry.
Figs.—The same as last week.
Peaches and Nectarines.—Keep the leading shoots regularly tied in, and pinch out the points of some of the stronger ones.
Pine Apples.—It is advisable to keep all that are starting, or have already started, into fruit, at one end of the house, or pit, that more air may be admitted to them than to the others more advanced, to produce a more robust growth, and to avoid the necessity of using stakes to support the fruit. Air to be admitted freely to the succession plants at every favourable opportunity.
Strawberries (in pots).—Where fruit are colouring, keep a rather dry atmosphere, with a liberal supply of air, in order to secure flavour. When the plants are in bloom, keep them near the glass, and the atmosphere dry, with a good supply of fresh air; but avoid currents of frosty air. Introduce succession plants under glass according to the demand. Do not expose those from which fruit has been picked to the open air till well hardened off. Give them the protection of a cold pit for a time, as they are invaluable in open-air plantations.
Vines.—Where the fruit is on the change to colouring admit air on every favourable opportunity, not forgetting to give it in the morning before the sun shines on the house, to prevent the condensed vapour, which would affect them injuriously, from settling on the bunches. Attend to stopping the laterals, thinning the young shoots, tying in leaders, &c., in the later houses. Remove the top dressing from the outside border, to allow the increasing power of the sun to act beneficially upon it.
MAY.
FIRST WEEK.
GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY.
Attend in due time to all plants that require potting into larger pots; and pinch off the tops of all that are of a rambling or loose habit of growth, to make them compact and bushy.
Azaleas.—As soon as they are out of bloom, take them into heat to make their growth, syringing them frequently and supplying them occasionally with manure water, and shade for a short time in the middle of the day when the sun is powerful.
Calceolarias.—Give them weak liquid manure occasionally, and shade those in bloom.
Cinerarias.—When done flowering, cut the stems down, to favour the development of suckers, and remove them to a cold pit or frame.
Climbers.—Keep all neatly trained.
Heaths and New Holland Plants.—The late-flowering sorts, or such as have already flowered, and the young stock intended for another season, may be removed to cold pits or frames. Such plants as require it must be shifted, stopped, and shaded; particular attention being paid that they do not get dry at the root.
Pelargoniums.—Shade such as are in flower; and shift and stop such as are wanted to flower late.
STOVE AND ORCHID-HOUSE.
Keep up a kind humidity and a gradual increase of temperature in correspondence with the increase of solar light, and shut up early in the afternoon with sun heat. Continue to propagate the choice stove plants, and keep all free from insects.
Achimenes.—Pot off.
Begonias.—Continue to repot as they go out of bloom, pruning in any straggling shoots, and propagate as advised last week. Keep them close, and syringe frequently, when they will soon commence growing. Keep them some distance apart, to allow their fine foliage to expand. The following are good sorts:—Prestoniensis, Cinnabarina, Fuchsioides, Martiana, Zebrina, Barkeri, Rubra, and Argyrostigma.
Gloxinias.—Repot where necessary.
Succulents.—Opuntias, Melocacti, and Epiphyllum, to be excited into vigorous growth by intense light and abundance of heat and moisture.
FORCING-HOUSE.
Cherries.—Temperature 65° to 70° by day and 50° at night, and give plenty of air; but guard against wet and cold.
Figs.—Stop and thin the shoots. Keep a damp atmosphere, and use the syringe over the foliage, when the house, or pit, is shut up in the afternoon, to keep down red spider. When the fruit is ripening, the syringe must be dispensed with, and the atmosphere kept drier; but, as there is generally a succession of fruit on the trees, water must not be wholly withheld at the time of the first crop ripening, as it would endanger the succeeding one; but it may be given more sparingly.
Melons.—Stop and keep the shoots very thin. When the crop is safely set, give the soil a good soaking of clear, tepid manure water. Let swelling fruit be exposed as much as possible to the light.
Peaches.—Continue to stop all gross shoots, which will both increase the size of the fruit and the smaller shoots at the bottom of the tree. The syringe, when used frequently, is useful for the same purpose, and to keep down insects. Air and light to be admitted, to give flavour and colouring to the ripening fruit.
Pines.—The fruiting plants now swelling, and in pots, may be treated with a little clear liquid manure. Guano water, or soot water, or both combined, will produce a perceptible improvement in foliage and growth, with the caution that it be given in a warm, clear state, and not too strong. Ply the syringe freely on warm afternoons, and close up with a temperature of 85° or 90°; giving air again towards evening. When indications of ripening by changing colour appear, desist from the use of the syringe, and give them no further supplies at the root.
Strawberries.—When ripening their fruit they may be placed in a frame where a free admission of air can be given.
Vines.—Encourage the young stock intended for growing in pots next year, to make healthy, luxuriant growth, by giving them plenty of pot room and manure water, to set them in a light situation in some of the forcing-houses, and to pay early attention to the leaders as they advance in growth. Where Muscats are growing with Hamburghs and other such free-setting varieties, it is advisable to keep up a brisk day-temperature for the Muscats during their season of blooming, and until their berries are fairly set, with a reduction to a night-temperature of 65° or 68°, to suit the other varieties.
SECOND WEEK.
GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY.
A free ventilation is of importance, and by closing with a humid atmosphere early in the evening a vigorous growth will be promoted. Liberal shifts to be given to such plants as may now require them, before their roots become matted. Remove all plants intended for bedding out, and let them remain for a short time under the protection of a cold frame, or in beds hooped over, and covered at night with mats, or other such protecting materials. This gradually-hardening-off will better enable them to withstand unfavourable weather, if it should occur after they are planted out.
Azaleas.—All irregularities of growth should be corrected by pruning. We have lately seen the beneficial effects of close pruning on such plants; they had been cut in severely last season by removing strong, straggling branches of old wood, to give some a spherical and others a pyramidal form. When pruned, the ball was reduced, the plant fresh potted in a smaller-sized pot, and the peat soil rammed as hard as it was possible to make it; then watered, and introduced to heat. The plants treated in that manner are now covered with bloom, and in a high state of vigour.
Heaths.—Keep the tops pinched off, to form bushy plants.
New Holland Plants.—Some of them of weak growth, and which naturally make long, straggling shoots, are much improved by bending down the branches, and fixing them to a wire hoop, or string attached to the rim of the pot. By such means the nakedness of the plant at its base is hidden, and the check imposed on the ascent of the sap will induce an increased supply of shoots. Pick off the seed-pods as the plants go out of bloom. Cut back and arrange the shoots in the best manner, to produce compact growth.
Pelargoniums.—All that are showing bloom, unless of very gross habit, will receive benefit from a supply of a little weak manure water. For that purpose put cow, horse, or sheepdung into a tub, and to one peck add five gallons of rain or other soft water. When taking it for use draw it off clear, and give the plants a watering twice a week. Give air freely, shut up early, and syringe the plants overhead till the flowers expand, when syringing should be discontinued. As the petals are apt to drop very soon in hot weather, it is recommended to touch the centre of the flower with a camel-hair pencil, or small feather, dipped in gum water, which will stick the petals together and prolong the blooming. Such is the general practice at our metropolitan exhibitions.
STOVE AND ORCHID-HOUSE.
As the stove plants grow, allow them more space, especially such plants as are prized for the beauty of their foliage. Give frequent attention to stopping and training. Look to the climbers frequently, to regulate their growth and to prevent entanglement, and a world of trouble and confusion. Put in cuttings of such plants as Brugmansias, Clerodendrons, Eranthemums, Erythrinas, Poinsettias, and those winter-flowering plants Euphorbia jaquiniflora and the Gesnera bulbosa. Where there is only one house in which to grow Orchids, a compromise as to temperature must be made to suit the natives of the hot and moist valleys or shady woods of the East, and those which inhabit high and airy regions in the Western hemisphere. To accomplish this it is advisable to allow a free circulation of air during the early part of the day, with an abundance of atmospheric moisture, and to shut up early in the afternoon with a high degree of temperature.
Achimenes.—They delight in a moist heat, and a partially-shaded situation. More air to be given as they advance in growth. The shoots to be staked out neatly.
Gesneras to be treated similarly, with the addition of more light.
Gloxinias.—The same as Achimenes.
FORCING-HOUSES.
Cherries.—Give more air, and keep a drier atmosphere when the fruit is ripening. Give plenty of water to the trees swelling their fruit. Keep them free from insects, or the fruit will be of little value.
Figs.—Air freely, to give flavour to the fruit now ripening. Avoid wetting the fruit when it begins to soften.
Melons.—Keep up the heat of the beds by renewing or turning the linings. Slightly shade the plants when the sun is powerful, to keep the foliage in a healthy state, without which good fruit cannot be produced. When the frames are at liberty, Melons may be grown in them with a little assistance from dung heat at bottom.
Peaches.—Give a liberal supply of air, with less water, to trees, the fruit of which are ripening.
Pines.—Continue the previous instructions in the management of the plants in the different stages of growth.
Vines.—Thin and stop the shoots, and thin the berries in good time. Attend to the late crops, and set, by hand, the blossoms of Muscats, West’s St. Peter’s, and other shy setters. Be sure that inside borders are properly supplied with water, giving sufficient quantities to thoroughly moisten the whole mass of soil.
THIRD WEEK.
GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY.
Attend carefully to the stock of plants for summer and autumn decoration, and do not allow them to suffer for want of pot room and water.
Azaleas.—Continue to encourage all that have flowered by timely potting, syringings, and applications of weak liquid manure.
Camellias.—Introduce a gradual declension of artificial heat amongst all that have completed their growth. A curtailment in the supply of water, giving merely sufficient to keep them from flagging, will induce the production of blossom-buds.
Epacris.—Repot with a pretty large shift the early-flowering sorts that have freely commenced their growth. Use good fibrous heath soil, rejecting any of a spongy or greasy nature. Such plants, for some time after being newly shifted, require particular attention in watering, that the soil may not become soddened. Let the plants be placed in a cold pit, and be slightly shaded during bright sunshine. The stopping or pinching out the points of strong shoots must be regularly attended to during their growing season, to establish a uniformity of sturdy growth.
Heaths and New Holland Plants.—All that have flowered, and have made their season’s growth, may be removed to cold pits, or frames, to allow those that remain, and are promising to flower, more air, sun and light.
STOVE AND ORCHID-HOUSE.
Keep up a liberal supply of humidity, with ventilation, at favourable opportunities. The plants here should now be growing very freely, and should, therefore, receive frequent attention as to stopping, training, &c. Keep them properly accommodated with pot room, and allow them all the sunshine they will bear without scorching; also, allow them sufficient space for the development of their foliage. Plenty of moisture is now requisite to encourage a free growth in Orchids, to get their pseudo-bulbs firm, well nourished, and ripened in good time. Free ventilation in favourable weather and a slight shading in bright sunshine are also requisites for their healthy growth.
FORCING-HOUSES.
Cherries.—When the fruit is ripening, air to be given freely, even to the drawing the lights off completely in favourable weather. Fires may be discontinued altogether, unless the nights are very cold.
Figs.—Give them plenty of water in all their stages of growth; discontinue the use of the syringe during the ripening process. They frequently require attention in stopping all long young shoots.
Melons.—If there is a sufficient depth of soil for the plants, they will not require any large supplies of water after the fruit is swelling off; but it will be necessary to sprinkle the plants overhead, and to shut up early every fine afternoon with a good heat. Lay the fruit on a tile or piece of slate.
Peaches.—When the fruit is swelling off, or beginning to ripen, admit air freely in favourable weather, even to the drawing off the lights entirely, so as to admit a free circulation and the direct influence of the sun, by which flavour and colour are best attained. Continue to stop all very-luxuriant shoots, and thin out the young wood. Some persons lay in plenty of young wood to select from in winter pruning; but fruit-bearing wood, regularly disposed all over the tree, is best attained by the judicious and successive thinning of useless shoots during their growing season. Continue to tie in the shoots of the late houses.
Pineries.—When the repotting of the plants has recently taken place it will be necessary to shade for several hours, during bright sunshine, for a few days; but for the general stock shading should be dispensed with as much as possible—as short, stiff leaves and sturdy growth are best attained by judicious airings and humidity. Do not water much at the root immediately after repotting. Maintain a brisk bottom heat to the succession plants. Admit plenty of air during favourable weather.
Vineries.—As the fruit in the early houses become coloured, it is advisable to remove all superfluous or rambling shoots; but to retain and to preserve with the greatest care the principal leaves—as the good quality of the fruit and the healthy condition of the tree for the ensuing season will depend upon the number and healthy state of the principal leaves.
FOURTH WEEK.
GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY.
As most plants here are now in active growth, they will require a liberal supply of water. If the sun shines very brightly, a slight shading would be of benefit for a few hours on very hot days.
Azaleas, Chinese.—When done blooming, they succeed best in a close pit, kept moderately moist and slightly shaded in the middle of the day. If they are too large for a pit, they will do well in a vinery, or in any other large house where they can stand at a distance from the glass without shading.
Balsams and Cockscombs.—Promote their growth by shifting them into larger pots, in rich soil, with an abundance of light near the glass, and heat.
Camellias to be treated as advised for Azaleas.
Geraniums.—If any remain after the flower-garden masses are furnished, they should be potted and treated with every attention as to watering, &c. When they have made fresh roots, and begin to grow freely, to be stopped, to make bushy plants. Calceolarias, Fuchsias, Petunias, Verbenas, &c., treated in a similar manner, will be useful as a reserve to succeed the greenhouse plants that are now in bloom, and to fill up vacancies as they occur in the beds and borders.
Heaths and New Holland Plants.—Many being now in full growth will require an abundance of water, more especially in bright weather. Many fine specimens are frequently lost through imperfect watering; for if the ball is once allowed to get thoroughly dry, all endeavours to restore the plant to health and vigour are generally unsuccessful.
STOVE AND ORCHID-HOUSE.
Ornamental stove plants—such as Brugmansias, Centradenias, Clerodendrons, Eranthemums, Euphorbias, Geissomerias, Gesneras, Justicias, Poinsettias, &c., to be supplied with clear liquid manure, and to have their rambling shoots stopped. Many of the free-growing plants will require shifting occasionally. The great object should be to get rapid growth when light abounds, and thus to secure luxuriant foliage at the right season, when there will be more time for the wood to be properly matured for winter. The syringings to be given early in the afternoon, that the plants may get dry before night.
Achimenes.—When grown in large seed-pans they produce a fine effect.
FORCING-HOUSE.
Cherries.—Give more air, and keep a drier atmosphere when the fruit is ripening. Give plenty of water to the trees now swelling their fruit. Syringe frequently, and keep the foliage and fruit free from insects.
Chrysanthemums.—Pot off as soon as rooted. If not already struck, the cuttings should be put in at once.
Cucumbers.—Stop them, and water freely. All that are intended for ridges, if hardened off, should now be planted out. See that the ball of earth is well soaked with water before planting.
Figs.—Give them plenty of air during the day in fine weather, with abundance of water. Use the syringe freely, except when fruit is ripening.
Peaches.—Although a dry atmosphere is necessary to give flavour to the ripening fruit, it is not advisable to withhold water altogether from the roots while the trees are making their growth. Water the inside borders in the morning in clear weather, so that any vapour that arises may pass off during the day. The outside borders, if dry, should also be watered as far as the roots extend, and then mulched, to prevent evaporation during hot, dry weather. If the early-forced trees have naked branches, some of the earliest-made wood may be taken from the trees, and buds inserted from it in the barren parts. Buds inserted now may start into growth in July, and be stopped when about six inches long, to get the wood well ripened.
Pines.—A bottom heat from 80° to 85° must be kept up to the plants intended for fruiting in the autumn. It is advisable, where practicable, to allow the stools from which fruit has been cut to remain in the house for some time; to supply them liberally with water, and occasionally with liquid manure; to encourage the growth of the suckers.
Vines.—In the houses where Grapes are ripening, the temperature may be allowed to rise to 90°, with sun heat, and to decline to 60° at night. In the succession-houses thin the bunches, and do not be covetous to over-crop the Vines, as it is the cause of many bad effects. Stop laterals, and use the syringe freely in the afternoons.
JUNE.
FIRST WEEK.
GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY.
Azalea Indica.—Encourage free growth, as soon as possible after they have done blooming, by placing them in heat, supplying an abundance of water, and syringing freely.
Calceolarias.—Water carefully; cut down when out of bloom, and remove them to a cold frame.
Heaths and New Holland Plants.—The young stock will now succeed best in a pit, or frame, placing the lights to the north. The glass to be well washed, and the pots to be placed on tiles, or ashes, above the ground level.
Pelargoniums.—Give air freely, avoid cold draughts, and shade from scorching sun. Shift and stop the succession stock for late flowering.
Petunias.—Do not neglect to pot off from the store propagating pots some of those, as advised last week, as also Scarlet Geraniums, Verbenas, Heliotropes, &c., to afford a variety of sorts and colours for the conservatory.
STOVE AND ORCHID-HOUSE.
Let rambling shoots of ordinary stove plants have frequent stopping. The Aërides, Dendrobiums, Phalænopses, Saccolabiums, Sarcanthuses, Sobralias, Vandas, and others of the eastern genera of Orchids, will now require most liberal and frequent waterings and syringings. Gongoras, Peristerias, Stanhopeas, &c., when full of roots in baskets, require a thorough soaking. Now is a good time to pot Cymbidiums, Peristerias, &c., starting into growth. Aërides, Vandas, and plants of a similar habit, do best when shifted after they have done blooming.
Achimenes.—Continue to shift them, as also Begonias, Clerodendrons, Gesneras, &c., as requisite. Remove those in bloom to the greenhouse or conservatory.
Climbers.—Keep them thin and tied in, so as not to shade the rest of the plants to an injurious extent.
Succulents.—Shift Melocacti, &c., and keep them growing, and near the glass.
FORCING-HOUSES.
Cherries.—The trees in large pots or tubs, from which the crop has been lately gathered, should have abundance of air, and an occasional supply of liquid manure. Give them, also, a good washing overhead with the syringe, or engine, dashing it on with considerable force. They will also require to have their wood matured early.
Figs.—Continue the practice of stopping when the shoots are four or five eyes long. Give a liberal supply of water, and thin out the second crop where too thick.
Melons.—Keep the shoots thin, and remove all useless laterals. When the fruit is swelling, the soil should be kept in a properly moist state, and the foliage in a healthy condition. The bottom heat should not be allowed to sink below 75°.
Peaches.—Keep up a growing temperature with plenty of air and moisture, and frequently syringe the trees, to keep them clean and healthy. The ripening fruit will require plenty of air.
Pines.—Repot as they may require; for if they are allowed to remain in a pot-bound state at this season they are very apt to start prematurely into fruit. It is also particularly requisite that the balls are thoroughly moist at the time of repotting. To give strength to the growing stock, it is advisable to admit abundance of air in the morning part of the day; and in the afternoon, to encourage a high degree of heat with an abundance of atmospheric moisture. The plants growing in open beds to be supplied with a steady bottom heat of from 80° to 85°, and sufficient water to the roots.
Vines.—Proceed diligently with thinning the berries, as they swell rapidly at this season. The late houses in which the Vines are in bloom to be kept warmer and closer than they have been, until the fruit is set. Stop the shoots and laterals, and never allow a mass of useless wood to remain on them.
SECOND WEEK.
GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY.
The principal part of the greenhouse plants may now be removed to an out-of-door situation, open to the morning sun, and protected from high winds, and be placed on some hard bottom through which the worms cannot get into the pots. The specimen plants that remain should be turned round from time to time, that they may not get one-sided; and allow them to have plenty of room on all sides. Also, the young plants intended for specimens should have their flower-buds picked off, to encourage their growth.
Balsams.—Encourage them by frequent shifts, and keep them in bottom heat, and near the glass. The prematurely-formed flower-buds to be picked off, as the plants should attain a considerable size before they are allowed to bloom.
Calceolarias.—The most critical time is after the plants have flowered; if allowed to produce seed, they generally die off—Nature having completed her task. When the bloom begins to fall, cut the plants down, and repot into a larger size; place them in a cold frame facing the east, the lights on during the day, with air, and entirely off during the night, unless in rainy weather, as the night dews are highly beneficial. Treated thus the plants will soon produce new shoots, which must be taken off and pricked out into small pots in a very open soil, and placed in a very gentle bottom heat to strike. When rooted, to be shifted into pots of a larger size.
Cinerarias.—The plants that have bloomed through the season to be cut down, turned out of their pots, and to have at least half the old soil removed from their roots. Prepare a piece of ground, in a sheltered situation, with leaf mould or rotten dung and sand, in which the Cinerarias are to be planted, one inch below the level of the soil, in rows fifteen inches apart and one foot apart in the row. When planted, to be well watered.
Climbers.—The Passifloras, Mandevilla suaveolens, Tecoma jasminoides, and other such climbers in the conservatory, will now be growing very freely, and will therefore require frequent attention to keep them in order. The young shoots may be allowed to grow in a natural manner, merely preventing them from getting too much entangled, or growing into masses.
Fuchsias.—When in a healthy-growing state they require an abundance of water and frequent syringings. Train them in the desired form, and pinch back all weak and straggling shoots.
Heaths and New Holland Plants.—Examine them very carefully, and be sure that they are in a proper state as to moisture. The young plants which are not blooming will do best if placed in a pit where they can be exposed or not, as may appear necessary. To lay a proper foundation for a good specimen it is necessary to stop and to train the shoots into form.
Kalosanthes.—Train them neatly, increase the supply of water, and give them liquid manure occasionally.
STOVE AND ORCHID-HOUSE.
Continue to shift the young and growing stock of stove plants. To harden the wood of the early-grown plants, or autumn or winter flowering, it is advisable to remove them to some cooler place, such as the shelves of the greenhouse. The baskets, in which the Stanhopeas will now be blooming, should be carefully examined to see that the buds, as they protrude, may not be injured by contact with the side. Many stove plants and Orchids in flower, if taken to a late vinery, or such intermediate house, will thus be prepared, in a short time, for removal to the conservatory during the summer.
Climbers.—When the shrubby plants are large, the climbers hanging loosely give a sort of tropical character to the house; but, either hanging, or trained in wreaths or festoons, they require pruning and regulating, to prevent them becoming entangled, and, therefore, a confused mass of wood and foliage.
FORCING-HOUSES.
Cherries.—Give air night and day in fine weather.
Figs.—When the ripest of the fruit is gathered, give the trees a good syringing overhead, to cleanse and refresh the leaves, and to keep down insects.
Melons.—To be slightly shaded with a net, or a few pea-sticks, during bright sunshine in the middle of the day, to prevent the scorching of the leaves; for if such occurs, the fruit ripens prematurely, and is, in consequence, without flavour.
Peaches.—When the fruit is ripening, give as much air as possible during the day, and when the nights are mild and warm leave the lights open. When the fruit in the succession-house is stoned, give a good watering to the roots, and syringe the trees frequently, as previously advised.
Pines.—Apply an abundance of moisture to the pathways of the fruiting-house during bright weather. Give plenty of air, but allow at the same time the thermometer to range from 90° to 95°. Shut up when the rays of the sun are getting partially off the house, and ply the syringe freely about the leaves and stems of the plants, and the surface of the plunging material. Air to be given an hour or two afterwards for the night.
Vines.—Keep thinning the berries and stopping the laterals as they advance, which, with syringing and giving air, is the principal work to be done.
THIRD WEEK.
GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY.
The stock of plants out of doors to be carefully looked over in showery weather that they may not suffer from imperfect drainage. The more delicate sorts to be returned to the houses, or protected by some means during heavy rains.
Camellias.—When they are kept in-doors give an abundance of air night and day, with an occasional application of the syringe, keeping the paths and floors damp. When they have ceased growing, and have formed their flower-buds, discontinue to syringe the plants overhead, as it sometimes starts them into a fresh growth that will be the destruction of the flower-buds.
Chrysanthemums.—Plant them out eighteen or twenty inches apart in an open piece of ground. Some to be left to grow as standards on one stem, and others to be topped, to make them bushy.
Cinerarias.—In raising seedlings it is advisable to select each parent plant, distinguished for its dwarf habit and decided colour, and to place them by themselves in a pit or frame. The seed should be carefully gathered as it ripens. It should be sown in shallow pots, or pans, well drained with crocks; then some siftings, and over that some light soil, with some finer and more sandy on the surface, covering the seeds very lightly with the same; and slightly sprinkling, or watering, through a very fine rose, and the surface covered with a little moss, to prevent evaporation. In a few days the seedlings will be up; then remove the moss, and let them remain in the pots, or pans, until they are large enough to be handled with safety; then pot them in small pots, and keep close for a day or two.
Lilium lancifolium.—Give attention to them; as also to tree Carnations, Salvia splendens, Scarlet Geraniums, &c., for autumn and early winter flowering.
Oranges.—The same as advised for Camellias.
STOVE AND ORCHID-HOUSE.
Achimenes.—Repot, as also Begonias and Gesneras, for succession of late bloom.
Luculia gratissima.—Propagate by cuttings.
Some of the Orchids will now require to be topped up a little with fresh soil. The Barkeria spectabilis, Epidendrum Skinneri, the Lycastes, Odontoglossum grande, &c., will now enjoy the temperature of the conservatory.
FORCING-HOUSE.
Figs.—Continue to stop all shoots when five or six joints long. Never allow the trees in tubs, or pots, to want water; they now require daily attention.
Melons.—Shade them during bright sunshine for a few hours in the middle of the day. If the red spider appears, rub sulphur vivum, mixed with water, on slates or tiles, and place them in the pit, or frame, where the sun’s rays may fall upon them.
Peaches.—Admit plenty of air when the fruit is ripe, or nearly so. When the crop is gathered, give them a good washing with the syringe. Those changing for ripening, if the trees are young and vigorous, to have a general stopping of the strong shoots all over the higher parts of the tree. To keep down red spider, it is advisable to wash the walls, pipes, or flues, with sulphur vivum reduced to the consistency of paint; or to paint some slates, tiles, or common saucers, with the mixture, and to place them in different parts of the house, where the sun can shine upon them.
Pines.—If the pot plants in fruit are in a healthy condition, well furnished with roots, an occasional supply of clear manure water, in a warm state, may be given with advantage to them.
Strawberries.—As it is necessary, by early attention, to ensure a healthy, vigorous growth, therefore, as soon as the runners have emitted the least portion of root, take them off, and prick them out on a rich piece of ground, or on an old hotbed where Radishes or early Potatoes have been grown under hoops, where, when the weather is hot, they are more convenient to shade, and require less water.
Vines.—When the fruit is cut in the early houses, ripen the wood by exposing it night and day, except during heavy rains. Water to be gradually withheld as the growth of the plants declines, and somewhat in the proportion in which you would have vegetation stop, not all at once, but gradually. The Vines with fruit now stoning may be allowed to produce a few redundant shoots if there is sufficient room to lay them in without crowding, or overlapping the old wood, or shading the old leaves. The late Grapes to be finally thinned, their shoulders to be tied out, and every useless shoot to be removed. Keep the Vines in pots trained, and exposed to light, and apply weak liquid manure frequently.
FOURTH WEEK.
GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY.
Many of the finer kinds of hard-wooded plants—such as Boronias, Epacrises, &c.—will now be out of bloom, and will require cutting in rather closely, to form neat bushy plants. Some of the greenhouse plants will most probably require shifting, and should receive that attention now, or, at latest, by the middle of next month. Keep a sharp look out for insects of all kinds, and also for mildew; and give the plants, if the weather is dry, a sprinkling once or twice a-week from the syringe or garden engine.
New Holland Plants.—If any are retained in the house, let them be placed where they can have a sufficiency of light and fresh air, and at the same time in a place where the sun has no power on the pots; but if such cannot be avoided, place the pot containing the plant in another two sizes larger, and fill the intervening space with moss.
Pelargoniums.—When out of bloom, they should be placed in the open ground for a fortnight or three weeks to ripen the wood before they are cut down.
Scarlet Geraniums.—To prepare them for winter blooming it is advisable to place the pots during the summer on a hard bottom out of doors and in the full sun, and to pinch out the flower-stems as they appear. To be carefully attended with water.
STOVE AND ORCHID-HOUSE.
Keep up a kindly humidity by frequent syringings, and keeping the floors, paths, &c., damp. Many of the stove plants—viz., Clerodendrons, Erythrinas, Gardenias, Ixoras, Jasmines, Liliums, Pergularias, Stephanotises, &c.—may be removed to the conservatory, where the flowers will attain a deeper colour and retain it for a longer period than if they had remained in the stove.
Euphorbias.—Propagate jacquiniæflora and fulgens, and grow them on a successional system of culture for furnishing the conservatory and stove throughout the autumn, winter, and spring.
Gesnera zebrina.—Keep up a succession in various stages of growth, and place another batch of tubers in a pan.
FORCING-HOUSES.
Give particular attention to the preservation of the foliage in houses where the fruit has been gathered, keeping the atmosphere cool and moist; and give the trees an occasional washing with the engine, to keep down red spider and the leaves clean and healthy.
Cherries.—When the trees are planted in the house, and the fruit has been gathered, give all the air possible by throwing it entirely open. Give them a good washing occasionally with the garden engine. When the plants are in pots, it is advisable to place them on a hard bottom on the north side of a wall or fence.
Melons.—Bottom heat is necessary for their healthy growth; without it a check would be given that would be sure to produce a most injurious effect on the swelling fruit. Water to be given to the plants overhead occasionally.
Peaches.—Continue to maintain a moist, healthy atmosphere while the fruit is swelling. Give air sufficiently early in the morning, to prevent the sun scorching the foliage. Syringe and shut up early in the afternoon.
Pines.—Continue to provide proper bottom and surface heat, and give attention to airing, watering, syringing, and shifting in due time. By such means a large amount of healthy growth may now be secured for the fruit-swelling and succession plants. The plants swelling their fruit to be also favoured with a high temperature, a moist atmosphere, and plenty of water, and occasionally manure water at the root. If worm-casts appear in any of the pots, water with lime-water in a clear state.
Vines.—As the dry atmosphere necessary for the preservation of the ripe bunches is conducive to the increase of red spider, the sulphur must be immediately applied as advised last week. Discontinue the use of the syringe as soon as the succession crops begin to ripen. Check the growth of laterals by timely pinching. Give the final thinnings to the latest Grapes; and as they are frequently required for winter use, a good thinning should be given, as crowded bunches and berries will not keep late in the season.
JULY.
FIRST WEEK.
GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY.
The plants permanently planted out in the borders of the conservatory should have a thorough soaking of weak liquid manure. Give all the air possible at this season, both night and day, and keep the house as neat and clean as possible. If it contains many tender stove plants, shut it up for an hour while the sun is on it in the evening, so as to produce a more genial atmosphere for them.
Achimenes.—Encourage them, as also Clerodendrons, &c., to grow and to prolong their beauty in the conservatory by supplying them with liquid manure, taking particular care not to give it too strong, especially at first.
Cinerarias.—Sow seed immediately. Plants for early blooming should also be potted and started at once, choosing the strongest suckers for the purpose, and placing them in a cool, shady frame until they have made fresh growth.
Chrysanthemums.—Propagate some for blooming in small pots.
Heaths.—Pluck off the flowers and seed-pods as soon as they become unsightly, and prune straggling growth. The softwooded kinds—such as the ventricosa, &c.—do best in a sheltered situation in the open air, with means to protect them during heavy rains; while the woolly-leaved—such as Masonii, &c.—and hardwooded varieties delight in cold pits where the glass can be shaded or used for protection as necessary. Examine the plants which were not shifted in the spring, and, if necessary, pot them without delay; but if they require to be cut in, to make them bushy, it will be best to let them break afresh before they are repotted.
Leschenaultias.—If they have done blooming, and are pot-bound, to be repotted and placed in a shady place to make their growth.
STOVE AND ORCHID-HOUSE.
Give abundance of air to the stove plants at all favourable times, and abundance of moisture by all means. Examine young specimens that were potted early in the season, and shift at once such as require more pot room.
Ixoras.—Encourage the young plants by giving them plenty of air both night and day, to make short, sturdy growth; and discontinue stopping them for the season.
FORCING-HOUSES.
Cherries.—When the fruit has been gathered from the trees grown in tubs, or pots, it is advisable to place them in some open, airy quarter, to make their wood for next season’s bearing.
Figs.—Give liberal supplies of water to the trees now throwing up their second crop. A top dressing of old cowdung would now be useful. Pinch out the top buds, if the shoots are growing very long. It should be a practice to manage the trees during the summer that nothing more than a slight thinning out should be wanted at the winter pruning.
Melons.—Give attention to the crops now growing, in thinning out the shoots, stopping, &c.
Peaches and Nectarines.—When all the fruit is gathered, and the wood seems well ripened, it will be best to take the lights quite off, and place them under cover until wanted again. Plenty of air to be given to the trees that are swelling off their fruit. Also, stop in succession many of the strong shoots about the period the last swelling commences. Use the syringe freely over the leaves early in the morning and again in the evening.
Pines.—Give abundance of air to the fruiting and succession plants, and during dry, hot weather, saturate the paths and every open space with moisture, to prevent the leaves of the plants becoming brown. If such a practice be regularly adopted during hot, bright sunny weather, shading will seldom or never be necessary. Be at the same time particular in maintaining a mild, genial bottom heat.
Vines.—The houses containing ripe fruit will require to be kept dry and well ventilated; those swelling will still require attention to keep a regular steady temperature with regular supplies of air. Muscats very frequently require fires during the night and on wet, cold days.
SECOND WEEK.
GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY.
Achimenes.—They delight in a steady, moist heat; to be shaded in the middle of hot days, to prevent the sun from scorching the foliage; and never to be watered overhead.
Cacti.—Remove them to a dry, airy place as soon as they have finished their growth.
Cockscombs.—They can be grown with strong, short stems, and very large heads, if they are allowed to remain in small pots until the flowers are formed, then potted in large pots in a compost of one-half rich loam, one-fourth leaf mould, and one-fourth sand, and supplied with as much liquid manure and moist heat as possible.
Fuchsias.—As the plants progress in growth give them plenty of air and moisture, occasionally moistening the paths, walls, and stages with clear manure water, and syringe the plants both morning and evening overhead.
Globe Amaranthus.—To be potted into 48-sized pots, in which they will flower in a soil composed of peat, loam, and leaf mould, or rotten dung. They should be allowed to stand near the glass, and be subjected to a moist heat of not less than 75°.
Heaths.—If mildew appears, dust them with flowers of sulphur. When watering, give them a good soaking, so that every part of the ball is thoroughly wet, and then withhold further supply until it is again completely dry.
Japan Lilies.—As they are succulent in growth, keep them well and liberally supplied with water. The flower-stems to be properly sticked, so as to keep them in due bounds, and also to assist in presenting a large mass of flowers to the eye at once.
Pelargoniums.—If the plants have been exposed to the open air, as advised in a previous calendar, they will now be fit to cut down. After the plants are cut down, place them in a shady place until the most forward young shoots are one inch long; then shake them out, and repot into small pots, using sandy loam and peat only, and placing them in a close, cold frame until they begin to grow again; after which freely expose them to the weather until heavy rains in autumn, or the approach of frost, renders it necessary to house them for the winter.
STOVE AND ORCHID-HOUSE.
Cleanliness is indispensable amongst the Orchids, use a sponge to remove filth from the leaves. See that no plants are neglected in standing in corners or behind large plants; arrange and re-arrange frequently, as it tends both to promote the healthy growth of the plants and a pleasing variety in the house.
FORCING-HOUSES.
Cucumbers.—Although bright hot weather may prevail, it is advisable to keep up a brisk, regular bottom as well as top heat. Strike cuttings of choice sorts for winter bearing.
Melons.—The same as advised for Cucumbers, as they both delight in plenty of heat to keep them healthy and in regular bearing. Give them good soakings of weak manure water occasionally, and shut up early on all fine days, sprinkling the sides of the pits or frames, and the plants at times overhead. When watering the plants never allow any to fall on the main stem. If gum, or canker, appears, apply lime to the parts affected. Old plants cut back should be stimulated to grow freely.
Peaches.—Any tendency to premature decay in the leaves of those from which the fruit has been all gathered to be arrested by liberal waterings at the roots and by syringings.
Pines.—Keep up the temperature from 90° to 95° by day and from 70° to 75° by night, with plenty of moisture among the growing plants and swelling fruit. Shift the successions as the roots fill the pots.
Vines.—Uncover the house, or give all the air possible night and day as soon as the Grapes are gathered, unless the wood is not fully ripened, in that case the house should be closed in the afternoon at a good heat. Stop the laterals on the later Vines, thin and tie up the bunches, and maintain a steady, moist temperature, with plenty of air, but do not syringe the bunches.