April as, 1868. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAHDENEB. 



315 



nicely hoed, and plain specimens removed, in case it shonld be 

 desirable to save a little for seed ; but except when the sort 

 is very fine indeed, it is hardly worth while to have the 

 rubbishy appearance of seed beds of Parsley, when seed for a 

 large establishment can be obtained for something like (>d. A 

 few weeks ago we removed the row of Parsley from the front 

 of the orchard house, as we wanted the place for setting two 

 rows of Strawberry pots where they would come in a few weeks 

 before plants in the open ground. 



Bemoved the lights from the first-pricked-out Celery, and it 

 is growing very freely and strongly with the help of a few largo 

 laurel branches laid across it, and these will be thinned gradu- 

 ally before being finally removed some time before the plants 

 are taken to the trenches. Pricked out more Celery and young 

 Cauliflowers, to be protected in the same way at lirst with 

 evergreen boughs, and sowed Celery for the last crops. Even 

 with early sowings we rarely have a run head. 



In sowing Scarlet Runners, Peas, &c., the other day, in order 

 to keep the seeds from depredators when below ground, to a 

 certain extent, we dusted them over with red lead. Provided 

 such large seeds are just damped previously, a little of the 

 powdered lead, as much as one could hold on the blade of a 

 knife, will colour a quart of such seeds snflioiently, and we 

 have not perceived that it affects their germination at all in- 

 juriously. 



Fotatocf under the protection of old sashes could not be 

 so freely exposed as we would have wished, on account of the 

 north winds, but as soon as the weather became a little milder, 

 we exposed them thoroughly all day, as such exposure causes 

 them to keep more stubby, and to swell their tubers faster 

 than when kept closer. Few of those in the borders are as yet 

 making their appearance, but some forward at the foot of walls 

 have been kept safe by just sprinkling a little dry litter over 

 them, and sticking a few evergreen twigs in front of them. 

 This work is quickly done, and the yield is always better if the 

 top of the Potato is never injured by frost. 



Cxicumbers in Frames. — These have competed well, as lately 

 stated, with those in a hot-water pit, bearing profusely; and from 

 the time the plants were turned out in the bed, made in the 

 rough-and-ready but safe mode lately adverted to, the frame 

 has given no trouble except air-giving and watering. The only 

 thing done was to lift the frame by placing a brick on the flat 

 beneath each corner, as some of the leaves were touching the 

 glass, and that might have injured them. The heat is still as 

 steady and genial as when the bed was made, and the plants 

 turned out. We would unhesitatingly recommend the plan 

 detailed some time ago, to all amateurs who wish to make the 

 most of theri little fermenting material, and to save all trouble 

 afterwards with earthing up their plants or bed. 



Sowed a few Cucumber seeds for succession, and others for 

 ridges and pickling, Vegetable Marrows, Tomatoes, &c., pre- 

 ferring to sow thus late to earlier, as the plants will do all the 

 better if they never receive much of a check before being 

 planted out. A small healthy plant will do better than a larger 

 one that has been stunted and starved. Avoiding checks is one 

 of the main elements of success. 



FRDIT GARDEN. 



What is said above about Cucumbers reminds us of some 

 inquiries as to Melons treated in the same way. As previously 

 stated, our frames are shallow, from 15 to 18 inches high at 

 back, and from 9 to 12 inches deep in front. For cither Cu- 

 cumbers or Melons, it follows that the soil can only be a couple 

 of inches higher than the bottom of the frame at back, and not 

 quite so high as the bottom of the frame in front. As already 

 stated, our soil is confined to a trench in the middle of the 

 frame lengthwise, a sprinkling of soil being merely placed back 

 and front to make it all alike in appearance. The frame for 

 the Melons has needed no lifting, as the footstalks of the large 

 leaves are not so long as those of Cucumbers. The soil in the 

 centre gives quite sufficient depth to ripen a heavy crop, and as 

 in the case of the Cucumbers, that soil will be kept moderately 

 warm, whilst the depth of the trench will prevent all danger of 

 burning at the roots. These plants are as yet as robust, free- 

 setting, and free-swelling as could be desired, and have needed 

 no attention but the routine of air-giving, watering, dig- 

 budding, stopping, and setting. Here, however, " Beginner" 

 tells us these little matters are just those that perplex him. 

 Another correspondent tells us he has tried for years, and has 

 plenty of insects, has plenty of labour, and numbers of small 

 straggUng shoots, and just a fruit worth looking at now and 

 then ; and " C." would have his cares lessened if helped to 



decide whether he shonld plant only one plant in a light G feet 

 by 4 feet, or more plants, as he manages fairly with one Cu- 

 cumber in a light. 



Beginning with the last, we would say that there need be no 

 great care taken by an accomplished Melon-grower, whether he 

 uses one plant or three plants to a light, but to all young 

 beginners we would rather recommend three plants to a light, 

 on the simple principle that in fruiting a Cucumber is very 

 different from a Melon, inasmuch as you may easily have on 

 the former fruit in all stages from blooming to being fit for 

 table, and all the successions growing as well as you can wish 

 them to do ; but on a Melon plant whenever ono or two Melons 

 begin to swell freely, it is vain to hope that the numbers in a 

 blooming state wiU ever advance much beyond it until the first 

 fruits ripen. When one plant, therefore, covers a large space, 

 it requires more skill and attention to have the requisite num- 

 ber of fruit set and beginning to swell at one and the same 

 time. Hence, knowing this, when we have allowed a plant to 

 occupy a large space, we have not unfrequently removed a pro- 

 mising fruit or two, because they were so much in advance ol 

 the rest, and would have prevented the rest making any pro- 

 gress. It is much easier to have two or four fruit started with 

 equal strength on a plant, than six or a dozen. Hence, for 

 the inexperienced, we recommend two or three plants to a hght 

 instead ol one. 



Like our second correspondent, we have not seldom had a 

 number of shoots and small leaves when we could not overtake 

 our work, or other causes prevented us treating the Melons in, 

 after all, the easiest mode, and that which does them least 

 injury. The mass of shoots is always present when the male 

 runners are stopped prematurely, or there is the necessity for 

 much pruning, which the Melon dislikes. Some time ago our 

 coadjutor, Mr. Abbey, stated that we were the first to unfold a 

 clear simple system of Melon culture, and which without any 

 egotism we mention here, that beginners may see that there 

 may be something in the simple plan recommended. The 

 system is based on the facts that the Melon dislikes much 

 lopping and cutting, that as many large healthy green leaves 

 as can be exposed fully to light do more to insure good Melons 

 than masses of smaller foliage, that the fruit sets best and 

 swells best when there is strength in the plant to carry on the 

 swelling before the fruit appears ; and, finally, because, though 

 with exceptions, still it is a general rule that Melons show fruit- 

 ful flowers most freely on what may be called their tertiary 

 shoots. Thus, supposing we call the stem that rises fronj 

 the seed the primary shoot, the laterals that would come from 

 the axils of the leaves would be the secondary shoots, and 

 those that come again from the secondary shoots would be the 

 tertiary or fruiting shoots. We will now meet the case of our 

 second correspondent by shortly attending to the wishes of 

 " Beginner." 



To be as simple as possible, we advise potting the young 

 Melon plants separately, say in 4 or 5-inch pots. As soon as 

 the young shoot has grown two or three joints above the seed 

 leaves nip out its point with the point of a knife. Merely for 

 simplicity, we will suppose that you are to plant out three plants 

 equidistant from each other, and that you are only to take 

 two leaders or secondary shoots from each plant. From yonr 

 topped plant then, as soon as you discover the best two little 

 shoots coming from the stem, nip out cleanly all embryo shoots 

 except these two ; and as they grow train one shoot to the 

 back and one to the front, and the more equal these shoots are 

 in strength the better. As these shoots grow you will find that 

 a third shoot will be coming from the axil of each leaf. Do 

 not permit one of these to grow, but nip them out clean with 

 the point of a knife, so as to make as little wound as possible, 

 and continue this process until these secondary shoots are dis- 

 budded of tertiaries for 20 inches or so in length. All this 

 time you have allowed the point of your leading secondary 

 shoot to go on unstopped ; but as soon as beyond the disbudded 

 part you can see from three to five joints, though close together, 

 then nip off the point of the shoot, and that will cause the 

 tertiary shoots to come strongly from the joints not disbudded, 

 and most of these will show fruit at the first joint, and then be 

 stopped at the joint above it. Sometimes the fruit will not 

 show until the second joint, and sometimes not then, and in 

 that ease stopping must be resorted to all the same to prevent 

 confusion ; but in most cases the fruit will show at the first 

 joint of the tertiary shoot ; and there need be no difficulty in 

 setting from two to four Melons on each plant according to size, 

 and which when they swell freely will soon occupy all the energies 

 of the plant. The setting and swelling are so much more, cer- 



