An^Bt 20, 1868. 1 



JOURNAL OF HOBTIOUIiTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



127 



bloom are desired, the plants ought to be well cared for in 

 potting, never allowing them to become pot-bound, and the 

 greatest possible encouraRement should be given to them in 

 May and June, by watering, and supplying them with liquid 

 manure once a-week, also during any dry periods that may 

 occur afterwards until the flowering is past. — G. Abeev. 



MELON-GROWING IN GROUND VINERIES. 



Foit several years I grew Melons in pots in a partially heated 

 orchard house. The fruit was small but of first-rate flavour. 

 The leaves, however, were so infested with red spider that in 

 order to do justice to the proper occupants of the hou^e, I felt 

 it necessary to find the Melons some other home. With this 

 view I purchased 28 feet of ground vineries, -12 inches broad, 

 and as I wished to have something out of them during the 

 spring months, I proceeded as follows : — Last -June a Straw- 

 berry bed was marked out, 20 feet by 42 inches, and in the 

 centre of this two rows of Strawberries were planted. They 

 had just fruited in the orchard house, and were turned out of 

 their pots. At the end of February in the present year they 

 were covered with 21 feet of the vineries, which remained on 

 till the 18th of May, ventilation being given when necessary 

 by a few bricks being put under the frames. In the meantime 

 the remaining length of 7 feet, blocked up temporarily at the 

 ends, was used for Mustard and Cress, &c. The Strawberries 

 were a capital crop, the first fruit being gathered on the 25th 

 ci May. 



As soon as the Strawberries were uncovered, the entire 

 28 feet-length was laid on a border fronting the orchard house. 

 A piece of frigi domo of the exact length of the glass, and broad 

 enough to cover it to the ground (after being sewn at the two 

 ends to prevent fraying), was used to cover the glass every 

 night. Four bricks, one at either side of each end, kept the 

 covering quite steady. The heat thus accumulated from the 

 18th to the 27th of May appeared sufScieni to warrant the 

 planting of the Melons, one to each light. They were small 

 plants, stopped at about the fourth leaf. Two were planted in 

 the earth of the garden, and two in Sea-kale pots half sunk in 

 the ground. I need not detail the cultivation, as there was 

 nothing peculiar in it. The first Melon was cut on the Sth of 

 August, and hung up in the orchard house till the 12th. It 

 weighed 5 lbs. 2 ozs., the sort being Windsor Prize. In quality 

 it would be called good, but lacking the rich saccharine juice 

 of those grown in pots in the orchard house in former years, 

 though the foliage of the latter was meagre and yellow with 

 spider, while the leaves under the ground vinery are beauti- 

 fully green. Had there been less moisture under the vineries 

 the flavour would probably have been better, but it would have 

 been unwise to sacrifice the well-doing of the future crop in 

 order to perfect one specimen. I am aware that this is an 

 unusually favourable year for attempting to grow Melons with- 

 out bottom heat, but I give you the result of my experiment, 

 nevertheless. — G. S. 



PALMS. 

 In your last number there is an interesting article from 

 " The Gardener," signed " H. K.," on Palms. In his se- 

 cond paragraph " H. K." says, " But now-a-days our enter- 

 prising nurserymen are bringing Palms within the reach of 

 everybody." Who and where are the said nurserymen? I 

 have been for years on the look-out for Palms for room-decora- 

 tion, and some of your correspondents may remember my 

 letters on the subject, pointing out how far behind our neigh- 

 bours we are in the use of plants for house adornment. Now 

 it appears Palms are to be had at a reasonable price here in 

 England, I do hope we may learn where. I cannot afford three 

 gtiineas a-plaut. X want three for a guinea. — Patelin. 



tay. Enfant d'Ameugny, Ernest Uoncenne, and President Wil- 

 lermoz, but have not been able to distinguish any special merit 

 in them. As I have said elsewhere, Mr. Keynes speaks well of 

 Elio Morel, Louis BuUiat, Madame Cirodde, Madame Roths- 

 child, Merveille d'Anjou, and Pieiuo du Midi. I have only seen 

 Madame Rothschild ; it is very beautiful if full enough. Miss 

 Ingram I have not seen this year, so can neither add to nor 

 diminish what I said of it last year. Mrs. .lohn Eerners will 

 be a good useful Rose ; and, as far as I could judge, DuchesBO 

 d'Aoste is worth keeping. 



I fear this will be considered meagre, but I do not wish to go 

 beyond personal knowledge ; tastes diiler, and circumstances 

 lead people to form various opinions. — D., Deal. 



NEW ROSES OP 1867. 

 An answer, in part, at least, to " Eosaeian," will be found 

 in another column. I have had but very few opportunities of 

 seeing new Roses this year, having only been at one Rose Show 

 — the Crystal Palace, a press of business matters having kept 

 me at home. From personal knowledge I can say I think La 

 France a beautiful Rose, and quite distinct ; Mademoiselle 

 Marie Larpin, a beautiful Bourbon ; and Reino de Portugal, a 

 rich-coloured Tea. I grow besides Lisette de Beranger, a Rose 

 in the style of Madame Gustave Bonnet, &c., Curd de Oharen- 



GOLD AND BRONZE PELARGONIUMS. 

 Being present at the special Show of Pelargoniums at 

 South Kensington a few weeks ago, my attention was turned 

 more particularly to what are called the Gold and Bronze 

 varieties, and I asked myself. What properties should these 

 possess to make them a really useful class of plants ? While 

 some contend most strongly and properly for a flat circular 

 leaf with a clear and well-defined zone, &c., I find that some 

 varieties, which may in these respects be almost all that can 

 be desired, are, nevertheless, apt to become bleached miserable- 

 looking objects when exposed to too much sunhght. On the 

 other hand there are some, of which Beauty of Oulton may be 

 taken as a type, which, under ordinary circumstances, are far 

 too green to have any just claim to be called Gold and Bronze, 

 and are of no greater value as bedding plants than ordinary 

 Zonal Pelargoniums. For kinds really useful for bedding we 

 must look to what is called the light Gold and Bronze sec- 

 tion, and of this I think, we may place some confidence in 

 Luna, which has stood the test of several seasons, and may, I 

 think, be regarded as an established favourite. 



As to which of the more recent varieties are the best as bed- 

 ders it is difficult to decide, though Kentish Hero is spoken ol 

 as being the best at Chiswiek. Of those at present in com- 

 merce. Countess of Kellie occupies the front rank, being the 

 brightest and most distinct of the whole lot exhibited, and it 

 possesses another good quality, constancy of character. 1 

 maintain that Gold and Bronze varieties should retain their 

 colours under ordinary circumstances for at least eight months 

 out of the twelve, and this, unfortunately, few of them do. I 

 forbear to say anything of varieties at present not in commerce. 



The following are what I consider the principal points : — 



First and most important, constancy of character in colour. 



Secondly, flat leaves with clear zones and large centres ; for 

 the larger the centre of the leaf is, the more effective willthe 

 plant be for bedding purposes. 



In the event of another show of the same kind being held, 

 I would suggest that at least two or three months beforehand 

 rules should be drawn up and published, in order to guide the 

 judges in their decisions, and that exhibitors may know what 

 the different standards of merit are by which their specimens 

 will be judged, for at the last show it was quite obvious that 

 the different sections had in some instances been judged from 

 different standards of merit. — W. B. G. 



PORTULACA THELLUSONI. 



This is a plant which I expect to hear has done good service 

 during the present season. It is a well-known old favourite, 

 but in some cases and seasons is shy-flowering. There are 

 purposes, however, for which I think it may always be employed 

 to advantage, as even in dull or wet seasons it would most 

 hkely succeed well. In window boxes in the sun, vases, baskets, 

 and dry sunny spots at the base of trees or buildings where 

 but few subjects will grow, except Sedums and other dry rock 

 plants, the Portulaca will succeed remarkably well, and I know 

 of no plant that can vie with it in the variety and brilliancy of 

 its colours. 



A dry sandy soil would seem to suit this Portulaca best, but 

 it is occasionally found doing well in one of an opposite cha- 

 racter. If a good bed of it is visited during the early part 

 of the day, when the flowers are fully expanded, nothing can 

 have a richer appearance. In the latter part of the day its 

 flowers close, but even in that condition it looks weU. As a 

 vase plant it deserves to be more generally grown. 



A small packet of seed will furnish a number of plants, and 

 ', these transplant well. The seeds ought to be sown in a slight 



