iSyi.] 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



293 



mosphere. Top-dress those in pots now 

 swelling their second crop, and water 

 freely with guano-water, and syringe the 

 trees vigorously to keep down red-spider. 

 Melons. — Plant out a quantity for 

 August supply. Give them a good 

 depth of soil ; a heavy loam with a 

 very little old cow-manure mixed with 

 it is best, especially after this season. 

 Make the bed of soil firm, but not too 

 smooth on the surface, or it will become 

 caked, and not easily penetrated with 

 water when it is applied. If planted 

 to be trained to the roof of the pit or 

 house, see former directions as to the 

 mode of training and stopping. If 

 planted in an ordinary hot-bed frame, 

 plant two plants in the centre of each 

 light, and train three shoots from each 

 plant at regular distances over the 

 surface. Stop them when they reach 

 within 8 or 9 inches of the side of 

 the frame, and the lateral growths will 

 show fruit. Stop the latei-als one joint 

 beyond the fruit, and avoid overcrowd- 

 ing with wood and foliage. Sprinkle 

 advancing crops on fine afternoons at 

 shutting - up time, except where the 

 fruit are setting. Keep those that are 

 ripening dry, and give plenty of air, so 

 as to get the fruit as high-flavoured as 

 possible. Sow at the beginning and 

 end of the months for successional and 

 late crops. 



Cucumbers. — Now is a good time 

 to plant out a quantity of plants for 

 late summer and autumn supply. In 

 England they do well enough in frames 

 after bedding-plants are turned out, 

 but in Scotland it is necessary to have 

 them where there is a command of arti- 

 ficial heat, or mildew will ruin them. 

 For further directions see former Cal- 

 enders. 



Strawberries in Pots.— These will 

 now be nearly over, and any that are 

 now to ripen may be removed to cold 

 pits and frames, where they can stand 

 on a cool bottom, otherwite red-spider 

 will not be easily kept in check. As 

 soon as runners can be had, lay the 

 necessary stock for another year's forc- 

 ing. They can either be laid in small 

 pots or in soil laid between the rows of 

 the parent plants. The finest runners 

 are got either from early-forced plants 

 or from runners pricked off in rows the 

 previous autumn. At one time we 

 pricked out a quantity every August 

 for this purpose, and found these threw 

 out the strongest and most healthy 

 runners for laying the following June, 

 For early forcing, make a point of hav- 

 ing them shifted into their fruiting- 

 pots the first week of July, and avoid 

 large pots — 5-inch pots are large enough 

 for the early crops. 



— --s-s^s^^^^^e.^ — 



AYe regret that, owing to press of matter, several communications are unavoid- 

 ably postponed. 



All business communications should be addressed to the Publishers, and com- 

 munications for insertion in the ' Gardener ' to David Thomson, Drumlanrig 

 Gardens, Thornhill, Drumfriesshii'e. It will farther oblige if all matter intended 

 for publication, and questions to be replied to, be forwarded by the middle of the 

 month, and written on one side of the paper only. It is also requested that 

 writers forward their name and address, not for publication, unless they wish it, 

 but for the sake of that mutual confidence which should exist between the Editor 

 and those who address him. We decline noticing any communication which is 

 not accompanied with name and address of writer. 



Errata. — In the 'Gardener' for May, page 232, bottom line, for "valdensia" 

 read "valdensis." Page 236, second hne from top, for "Sillardsia" read "Till- 

 andsia." In the last clause of article on Strawberry Forcing, page 220, for "and 

 water" read "and then water," 



Henry Mason, — 1, Sedum rhodiola ; 2, Diptolaxis tenuifolia variegata ; 3, 

 Fritillaria nigra; 4, Pulmonaria officinalis; 5, Spirtea filipendula ; 6, Yiburnun 

 prunifolia, AVe cannot always, and should not be asked to, name plants of which 

 leaves only are sent to us, as in the case of the second and fifth of the above. 



