In Syringing plants, it is well to take care that the ground does not become too wet; otherwise the plant may suffer at its root. In the house, plants should rarely be syringed except when the weather is bright, so that they may soon dry off. The plant should not go into the night with wet foliage. Out of doors in hot weather, it is best to syringe toward nightfall. The foliage will ordinarily not suffer in such cases. With plants in the house, it is necessary to keep the leaves dry most of the time in order that fungi may not breed. This is true of carnations, which are very liable to attacks of the rust.
Plants are sometimes syringed or sprayed to protect them from frost. [See Frost.]
Terraces may be desirable for two reasons: to hold a very steep slope; to afford an architectural base for a building.
A slope is better than a terrace
It is rarely necessary to make a distinct Terrace in the lawn. Even if the lawn is very steep, it may be better to make a gradual slope than to cut the place in two with a Terrace. A Terrace makes a place look smaller. It is always difficult to make and to keep in repair. The surface is not readily cut with a lawn mower. Unless the sod is very dense, the upper corner tends to wash off with the rains and the foot tends to fill in. Nature does not have straight banks unless they are rock. The illustration in the margin shows how it is possible to treat a sloping lawn. In the distance is a distinct, sharp-angled Terrace; but in the foreground this Terrace has been carried out into the lawn, so that the slope is an agreeable one.
If it is necessary to Terrace a yard in order to hold it, the Terrace would better be at one side rather than in the middle. In that case, one is able to secure a good breadth of lawn. If the Terrace is at the outer side next the street, a perpendicular, mason-work, retaining wall may be constructed. If it is on the inner side of the lawn, it may be placed close to the building and be made to appear as a part of the architecture: it may be made the base of the building. If this is done, there should be a balustrade around the edge of the Terrace to give it architectural feeling. The descent from the Terrace to the lawn may be made by means of steps, so as to add to the architectural aspect of the place. Terraces are most in place about buildings which have many strong horizontal lines; they do not lend themselves so well to buildings in the Gothic style. The general tendency is to make too many Terraces. The cases are relatively few in which they may not be dispensed with.
Thinning of fruit has four general uses: to cause the remaining fruit to grow larger; to increase the chances of annual crops; to save the vitality of the tree; to enable one to combat insects and diseases by destroying the injured fruit.
The Thinning of fruit is nearly always done soon after the fruit is thoroughly set. It is then possible to determine which of the fruits are likely to persist. Peaches are usually Thinned when they are the size of one’s thumb. If Thinned before this time, they are so small that it is difficult to pick them off; and it is not so easy to see the work of the curculio and thereby to select the injured fruits. Similar remarks will apply to other fruits. The general tendency is, even with those who Thin their fruits, not to Thin enough. It is usually safer to take off what would seem to be too many than not to take off enough. The remaining specimens are better. Varieties which tend to overbear profit very greatly by Thinning. This is notably the case with many Japanese plums, which, if not Thinned, are very inferior.
Thinning may also be accomplished by pruning. If one knows where the fruit buds are, cutting them off will have the effect of removing the fruit. In the case of tender fruits, like peaches, however, it may not be advisable to Thin very heavily by means of pruning, since the fruit may be still further Thinned by the remaining days of winter, by late spring frost, or by the leaf-curl or other disease. However, the proper pruning of a peach tree in winter is, in part, a Thinning of the fruit. The peach is borne on the wood of the previous season’s growth. The best fruits are to be expected on the strongest and heaviest growth. It is the practice of peach-growers to remove all the weak and immature wood from the inside of the tree. This has the effect of Thinning out the inferior fruit and allowing the energy of the tree to be expended on the remainder. Apples are rarely Thinned; but in many cases, Thinning can be done with profit. On all home grounds, fruits should be Thinned whenever the trees are very full. In general, the best time to thin the fruit, as already said, is when the fruits have become large enough to be seen and handled. The discarded fruits should be burned if they contain insects or fungi.