THE FLORAL WOULD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 251 



water with weak manure-water. Melons, after they are about half 

 grown, should be elevated above the foliage. It is particularly 

 necessary to keep the plants properly supplied with water at this 

 stage ; for, if they get dry at the roots, the fruit will split in all 

 directions as soon as the plants are supplied with water. 



HORTICULTURAL NOTES. 



?HE principal events of July have been the exhibitions of 

 Roses, of which, notwithstanding the unfavourable 

 character of the season, all were more or less successful. 

 The Roses were not at any of the exhibitions equal in 

 quality to the best of those staged during the last two 

 or three years, but they were on the whole of fair average quality, 

 and the only surprise felt by the majority of visitors was that they 

 were so good. The exhibition held at the Crystal Palace at the end 

 of June was very successful, and a second, or supplementary show, 

 is announced for Saturday, the 5th inst., when prizes for table deco- 

 rations, as well as for roses, will be offered. 



The principal rose shows were held at South Kensington, Here- 

 ford, Birmingham, and Manchester. The exhibition at the last- 

 mentioned town was of an experimental character, it being the first 

 ever held there, and the results were so satisfactory that we may 

 now look upon a rose show at Manchester as one of its established 

 institutions. In point of quality the best blooms were those staged 

 at the Royal Horticultural Society's exhibition and at Birmingham, 

 and as the other exhibitions did not differ materially, a detailed 

 notice of these shows wiU be quite sufficient to indicate the varieties 

 which are held in the highest esteem by exhibitors. The competition 

 in the great class for seventy-two single blooms at Kensington was 

 not very severe, and it was apparent from the number of faulty 

 blooms staged that it was a most difficult matter for the exhibitors to 

 put in an appearance at all in that class. The prizes offered for 

 forty-eight triple blooms were very warmly contested, and the blooms 

 were of much better quality. The first prize was taken by Messrs. 

 Paul and Son, of Cheshunt, who presented grand examples of 

 Madame Laurent, Madame Victor Verdier, Madame Caillat, Francois 

 Louvat, Triomphe de Rennes, Marie Baumann, Camille Bernardin, 

 Antoine Ducher, La Reine, Madlle. Therese Levet, Dr. Andry, Duke 

 of Edinburgh, Elie Morel, La France, Alfred Colomb, Centifolia 

 Rosea, Madame Clemence Joigneaux, Souvenir d'Elise, Maurice 

 Bernardin, Baroness Rothschild, Charles Rouillard, and Madlle. 

 Marie Rady. Mr. Turner, of Slough, who occupied the second 

 place, staged fine blooms of Madame Crapelet, Climbing Devoniensis, 

 Maurice Benardin, Baroness Rothschild, Duke of Edinburgh, Horace 

 Vernet, Madlle. Marie Rady, Charles Rouillard, Madame Clemence 

 Joigneaux, Madame Fidion, Miss Ingram, Francoise Lacharme, Miss 

 Poole, Camille Bernardin, Alfred Colomb, and Abel Grand. 



Mr. Turner was first for twenty-four varieties, one truss of each, 



