May 6, 1911 



HORTICULTURE 



665 



Fruits and Vegetables Under Glass 



CANKER OF MELONS 



Canker of melon stems is a most provoking trouble; 

 it not only means the loss of so many fruits but the 

 house has a very unfinished appearance. More than 

 often it is one of the most conspicuous plants that is 

 sure to go. If this happens after the fruit has set it is 

 no use planting another in its place, as there is not time 

 to finish it. The usual time the trouble commences is 

 as the fruits are setting, but there have been instances 

 of the plants going off before they were stopped. It is 

 surprising how this disease affects some places and not 

 others; some never look for it under any conditions, 

 while others are continually guarding against it. 

 Guarding must be the word if any place is subject to 

 it, for there is no better instance of prevention being 

 better than cure. When moving or potting up seedlings 

 they are generally inserted to the seed leaf, which is a 

 decided benefit to most things, but the melon has its 

 own peculiarities, and there seems to be no benefit in 

 so doing, and where canker is at all prevalent the re- 

 verse should be practiced. Allow the seedlings to get 

 drawn and put a small stake to them to prevent falling 

 over, and when potting or planting out only just cover 

 the balls. The trouble usually commences at or near 

 the seed leaf, and if this is some little distance from 

 the soil it is easier kept dry, thus preventing canker. 

 When the plant has grown about eighteen inches gradu- 

 ally remove the seed leaves and also the whorl leaves 

 growing with them. This allows the sun to shine on 

 the stem, which is the greatest preventive we have. 

 Leaves must be removed one at a time, allowing each 

 cut time to dry up before the next one is made. Do 

 not wet the collar or base of stem after the fruit has 

 started to set; a dry stem seldom cankers. If a wet 

 fungus rot — what canker really is — should be noticed 

 on any part of the stem (not necessarily to be the bot- 

 tom, as it will sometimes show itself at a bend or where 

 the stem has had a twist) newly slacked lime should be 

 rubbed well into the diseased part until it is dry and 

 the foliage tied back so that the sun can shine on it all 

 day. If taken in time this will save a plant long enough 

 to finish its fruit. 



MUSCAT VINES IN FLOWER 



The vines now have the season with them and there 

 should be no difficulty to get a set. Muscat of Alexan- 

 dria is one of our bad actors in this respect — in fact 

 it is her only fault. Give a minimum night temperature 

 of 70 degrees and keep a crack of air on all night. 

 Admit air freely through the day, using both top and 

 bottom ventilation if weather permits. With good 

 weather the house should stand between 85 and 90 de- 

 grees at noon when the flower trusses should be gone 

 over and fertilized, after which the floors of the house 

 can be thoroughly damped, no damping having been 

 done previously. Thinning Muscat of Alexandria is 

 usually more a case of cleaning off i-ubbish which has 

 refused to set, but if tliere i^; enough to make up tlie 

 bunch, we can say "It's an ill wind," etc., for there is 

 not much scissors work. 



PACKING PEACHES 



The farmer usually just fills up his peach basket and 

 that is the last of them. We have not got them to 

 handle this way at this date. We might say a peach 

 is a peach and every one counts. Care must be taken 

 when taking them off the tree. Give each one a gentle 

 twist. Have a box or a basket ready, lined with cotton 



wool, and a sheet of oil paper on top, to carry them 

 away with. Wooden boxes should be made specially, 

 deep enough to carry one layer of fruit — say 18 x 12 x 5. 

 These can be packed in trunks or other boxes. A larger 

 box causes more weight to bear on the fruit. Line the 

 bottom with cotton wool. Cut oil paper up' into squares 

 large enough to cover three-quarters of the peach. Place 

 the fruit in the center, wrap the paper around and also 

 a fair thickness of cotton and place in rows in the 

 boxes. This leaves the top of the fruit exposed. A 

 large piece of oil paper can be laid over the whole box 

 and enough cotton wool to fill in. Make the whole firm, 

 but not hard enough to bruise. This allows of the top 

 packing being taken off and the box placed in a cellar 

 or ice box until fruit is wanted, thus saving once hand- 

 ling. Select fruits which are under-ripe for shipping. 



ICE BOXES 



Now that the warmer weather is coining all eyes will 

 be turned to the ice box. All fruit grown under glass 

 will be greatly improved by being placed on the ice 

 for five or six hours before using. Melons, especially, 

 firm up and the flavor is improved. Avoid gathering 

 any fruit through the middle of the day, early morning 

 being the best time. Fruit which has been packed 

 should be given air and allowed time to firm up before 

 using. 



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Manettia bicolor 



Among the many good things at the national show 

 recently held in Boston I noticed a plant of the fine 

 old-fashioned climber Manettia bicolor. This very at- 

 tractive plant ought to be taken up by florists, as it is 

 easily trained to any desired shape, and a good specimen 

 will always be admired. Also if pinched severely, nice 

 little plants can be had in small pots, in bush form. 



Manettia bicolor belongs to a genus of herbaceous 

 climbers found in tropical America and sub-tropical 

 Australia, but it gi-ows well in this country in a night 

 temperature of 55 degrees, rising to 70 or 75 during the 

 day. Flowers are to be found on this plant at all times, 

 but I have seen it especially well flowered from Christ- 

 mas until late spring. The flowers are bright scarlet 

 at the lower portion, turning to yellow at the mouth of 

 the tube, hence the name bicolor. 



Propagation is effected by cuttings procured from a 

 portion of the stem cut into convenient lengths. The 

 cuttings will root in three weeks in an ordinary propa- 

 gating bed. Peat, loam and sharp sand in equal parts 

 is the best potting material, but where peat is not avail- 

 able, half-decayed leaves will prove a good substitute. 

 After the plants are potted into five-inch pots or over, 

 one-third of well decayed cow manure can be added to 

 the compost, and when the desired size of pot is 

 attained they ought to be fed twice a week with 

 manure water; also a little fertilizer may be applied 

 occasionally. 



West Medford, Mass. 



