June 10, 1675. ] 



JOUENA,L OF ttORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE QAEDENEK. 



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by Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, for a ooUeotion of fruits ; 

 by Messrs. Carter & Co., High Holborn, for vegetables ; Messrs. 

 W. & J. Brown, Stamford, prizes for vegetables ; Mr. Pearson 

 of Chilwell for hia bedding Geraniums, and Messrs. Paul and 

 Son, Chesbunt, for twenty-four cut Koses. The Marquis and 

 Jtarcbioness of Exeter, the Dulte of Grafton, Sir John C. D. 

 Hay, Bart., M.P., and the Mayor of Stamford also contribute 

 liberally to the prize fund. 



now TO PROLONG THE SEASON OF CUTTING 

 MELONS FEOM THE SAME PLANTING. 



When the Melon is grown in houses and trained to wires 

 like Vines, planting thickly and treating them as follows will 

 be found to have several advantages. Fewer fruit are pro- 

 duced on a plant, but the fruit will be better in all respects. 

 We grow them in a span-roofed house 25 feet long by 13 feet 

 wide, with a passage down the centre and a bed on either side, 

 3 feet 6 inches wide, about 14 inches deep, with a 8-inch flow 

 and return pipe for bottom heat, and six 4-inch pipes for top 

 heat. Although this amount of pipe gives plenty of heat, we 

 nse for the earliest planting a quantity of nice sweet hotbed 

 material, previously prepared, put in the bottom of the bed, 

 which raises the plants nearer to the glass and also affords 

 nourishment to them. This is put in about ten days before 

 planting in the form of a small ridge along the front to plant 

 in, and sufficient to cover lightly the remainder of the bed. 



When the plants are ready plant them not wider than 

 1) inches apart. Put a stake to each plant as the work pro- 

 ceeds, to support them to the first wire. When every other 

 plant has got half-way up the house, or half the distance it is 

 intended to train them, let this lot be stopped, which will be 

 the means of inducing them to throw out fruit -producing 

 laterals. The fruit on these should be impregnated as they 

 appear. Setting is a very easy matter when Melons are grown 

 in light airy houses : we find them to set at all times of the 

 day, and we continue to syringe them when in bloom if the 

 sun is bright. From the bottom wire to where we stop this 

 lot is about 1 feet, and we generally talce three fruit from each 

 plant. The laterals are all taken off the other set of plants up 

 as far as the others extend, but not stopping them until they 

 get to the second wire from the top, being careful not to injure 

 any of the leaves on the main stem. We find that we can cut 

 fruit sooner this way, can get a more regular crop all o\er the 

 house, and, we sometimes think, better fruit. 



We have at present (10th of April) fruit as large as hens' 

 eggs on those that are stopped half up the roof ; while on 

 those left to go to the top unstopped none of the fruit is set, 

 and will not be for several days. Melons are always associated 

 with heavy loam. Here we cannot have such without going 

 twelve miles for it, so that it is very little we cau get. The 

 natural soil is light and sandy, but by adding large quantities 

 of deer and cow manure we find it grows Melons well. 



In choosing a male bloom let it be as large as possible and 

 well expanded, when, it all other things are right, it will have 

 a large amount of pollen, and be better in every way than a 

 small one. 



In cutting out the laterals let it be done with a sharp knife, 

 so as not to injure the main stem in any way, as it is apt to 

 canker when bruised.— A. H. T. (in Tin- Gardiiirr). 



THE KOYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 A CooNciL meeting was held on the 7th inst.. Lord Bury in 

 the chair, and, much to his and his colleagues' surprise, the 

 four vacancies caused by the resignation some time since of 

 Sir A. Slade, Messrs. Chetwynd, Chambers, and Lindsay the 

 Secretary, were filled by the election of Lord Lawrence, Mr. 

 Grote, Admiral Hornby, and Dr. Hogg. It was believed that 

 the four elected would serve, but we think Dr. Hogg will de- 

 cline so doing. It is in contemplation, as evidence of approval 

 on the part of the trade and amateur exhibitors, to give one of 

 the most splendid shows ever seen in London. 



How can Mr. Liggins make such an assertion as that in page 

 439, of the 3rd inst. ? He states that " If ruin is the unfortunate 

 fate awaiting us, the entire fault lies with the gentlemen who 

 have left the present Council a legacy of debt beyond the 

 power of any body of men to cope with," Jfcu. Mr. Liggins was 

 one of those who " turned out " the old Council, which num- 

 bered among its members some of the most experienced and 



successful men in London, who, with full experience of the 

 Society's affairs, worked at its bu.iness as if it had been their 

 own ; and when they found it impossible to make the Society 

 pay its way, negotiated with the Commissioners for an arrange- 

 ment by which the Society would have been freed from rent, 

 debenture debt, and have what was estimated to amount to 

 £1000 in addition^that is, be some X5400 a-year better off 

 than it now is. Mr. Liggins and his friends by strong asser- 

 tions persuaded some horticulturists that the old Council had 

 exaggerated the Society's difficulties, and that a new Council 

 would set all to rights. We have seen the deplorable results, 

 but I am happy to say that at last people lay the blame on the 

 right shoulders. — Geoiiue F. Wilson, Ileatherhanh. 



INTERNATIONAL HORTICULTURAL 

 EXHIBITION AT COLOGNE. 



The following is an extract from a letter dated May 20th, 

 received by the Koyal Horticultural Society from the Committee 

 managing the above Exhibition, inquiring " whether England 

 might not, in the same manner as other foreign States, send 

 to our Exhibition a complete collection of the produce of, and 

 objects relating to, horticulture, to be exhibited separately, so 

 as to give a correct picture of the advanced state of English 

 gardening. France, as we are informed by the French Com- 

 missioner, Vicomte de Fontenay, will thus participate on a 

 very large scale, so also Belgium and Holland, and we sincerely 

 hope that England will follow the example set by these nations. 

 We have, however, full confidence in our London Committee 

 that it will do all in its power to procure a good English show." 



The Eoyal Horticultural Society wish this communication 

 to be generally known. 



The Executive Committee have sent us the following letter, 

 dated Cologne, May 31st: — 



" Work is progressing steadily on the Exhibition grounds. The 

 great flower and fruit iiall is almost completed, and the hall for 

 machinery will be ready in a short time. The foundations for 

 the glass houses, eight of which have been already announced, 

 are nearly finished. The ground has been prepared, and beds 

 cut out for the Koses, flowers, and plants in general in the Ex- 

 hibition ground adjoining the Flora. Some of the ground has 

 been already planted, and we are happy to state that the plants 

 are flourishing. The grass seed has been furnished by the well- 

 known London firm of James Carter & Co. 



" The Prussian Minister of Agriculture has placed at our dis- 

 posal two gold and four silver medals of State. The Govern- 

 ments of Anhalt, r.iden, and Saxon Weimar co-operate with 

 us, and will be dul> represented at the Exhibition by commis- 

 sioners who have already been appointed. The Danish Govern- 

 ment has also displayed warm interest in our undertaking, and 

 there is every prospect of a large contribution from Denmark. 



"The Government railways have agreed to a reduction of 

 oO per cent, on the ordinary rates of freight, as have also almost 

 all rail and steam navigation companies. Much interest has 

 been taken in the exhibition of fossil plants ; contributions 

 have been offered from all sides — from Government, private 

 and public associations, and from mine-owners. Dr. Andrae, 

 Professor in Bonn, is at the head of this department. Architec- 

 ture and decorations will be represented by the most celebrated 

 home and foreign firms. The announcements of machinery 

 are very numerous, and the Exhibition will open to professional 

 men as well as to amateurs many new inventions. We, in con- 

 junction with the Minister of Agriculture, are about to select 

 a jury for the prize distribution, and we hope soon to be able to 

 prove to those interested that a sound choice has been made. 



" The illustrated guide, together with catalogues, 50,000 copies 

 of which will be published in due course, are in the hands of 

 the Cologne firm of Rudolf Mosse. Fob. Bellstedt's firm in 

 Bremen have undertaken all contracts for buildings. 



"Belgium and France have arranged to exhibit each col- 

 lectively, and the reports received from them are extremely 

 favourable. We expect soon to be able to send a detailed report 

 of the preparations made in Paris by the French Commis- 

 sioners." 



POROUS GARDEN POTS. 

 I ALWAYS find my flowers grow bettor when the pots are 

 kept clean washed. In many oases I have been asked by per- 

 sons to tell them the reason why their plants never seemed 

 to thrive. On examination, finding the pots dirty both inside 

 and out, I have recommended them to wash the pots, andtha 

 result is generally satisfactory. When po'.ting plants my 

 custom is to wash well the inside of the pots with a scrubbing- 



