Jnly 3, 1874. ] 



JODBNAIi OP HOBTIOOIiTDBE AND OOTTAGB GABDENEB. 



open to unestion. True, we have varietiea annually certificated, 

 described as tlie finest yet tasted, and tliose soon pass away, 

 giving place to others; but the broad fact is the first honours 

 at exhibitions continue to be taken by older sorts, or shght 

 removes from these, under the designation of hybrids or 

 seedlings. 



The best Melons are those which are not ribbed, but are 

 perfect in evenness, whether the form is round or oval. Ex- 

 amples in the spherical form are Scarlet Gem, Malvern Hall, and 

 Bead's Soarlet-fleth, in the Scarlet-fleshed class; Golden Gem, 

 Beechwood Improved, Bromhsm Hall, slightly ribbed ; and 

 varieties of the Victory of Bath race, as Gilbert's and Koyal 

 Horticultural Trize. Of elliptical forms the best are Moreton 

 Hallin Scarlet-floshed, and the Persian, Treutham Hybrid, and 

 Gilbert's and Meredith's Cashmere. Melons which have no 

 ribs, or but slight ones, and have thick short footstalks, and hard 

 shell-like skins or rinds, are subject in ripening to part from 

 and crack round the junction of the footstalk with the fruit 

 if the soil or atmosphere is at all moist, and which do not 

 give oft a powerful aroma, are invariably the highest in flavour. 

 Fruits with these characteristics are mostly solid, not hollow 

 in the centre ; the seeds disposed in the central flesh, and few, 

 not occupying more than one-third the fruit, the remaining 

 two-thirds being eatable flesh, with a skin of about an eighth 

 of an inch thick. Very few Melons unless netted at the end 

 of the fruit next the footstalk are good in flavour, and as a 

 rule the more netted and hard the exterior the more con- 

 centrated are the juices and the flavour high. High colour is 

 no criterion of flavour ; and powerful aroma is equally un- 

 certain as indicating high flavour. Deep-ribbed Melons, the 

 skin spotted or dappled green, yellow, and white, as some are 

 very prettily, roughly netted, warted, or carbuncled, and with 

 powerful aroma, are usually hard-fleshed and hollow — not melt- 

 ing, juiey, and rich-flavoured, but very poor in flavour, and 

 having thick rinds or skins. 



Judged by qualities externally observable, characteristic of a 

 high-flavoured Melon, we should have — Rotundity, perfect 

 freedom from ribs, 6 ; netting, if finely netted all over or at 

 the stem end, 3; colour, 1; size, 1; and aroma, 1; or twelve 

 points. New kinds to be scrutinised by the foregoing standard, 

 and compared for flavour with some standard kind of known 

 high flavour. The staging of " seedlings " and " hybrids," 

 which latter are properly cross-breds, along with older kinds, 

 causes the cutting of all to glean the simple fact whether the 

 new are superior to the old in flavour. 



These remarks are offered as suggestions, and I should he 

 glad to hear the views of others. I would fix the lowest weight 

 at 2 lbs., it would not rise above -1 lbs., if the fruit were up in 

 all the other points. The weight might be ascertained by the 

 circumference. A Melon 1 lb. in weight is 1 foot in girth ; 

 IJ lb., 1 foot 2 inches; 2 lbs., 1 foot 4 inches ; 3 lbs., 1 foot 

 6 inches ; and i lbs., 1 foot 8 inches. The weight of elliptical- 

 shaped Melons may be ascertained by taking the circumference 

 round the middle and that lengthwise of the fruit, adding 

 both together and taking the mean ; for instance, a Melon of 

 oval form 1 foot 10 inches round lengthwise, and 1 foot G inches 

 round the middle, will have a mean circumference of 1 foot 

 8 inches, and weigh 4 lbs. 



To return to Bead's Soarlet-fleshed. I had a two-light 

 frame, and a plant was put out under the centre of each ligbt. 

 It progressed famously, setting its fruit freely, and so many 

 setting numbers were cut off, six fruit being left on each plant. 

 I had an idea from its free-setting that it was a small kind, 

 like Scai-let Gem, Wills's Oalton Park, and some others of this 

 type, and only regret the fruit were not reduced to three, or 

 at most four, on a plant. They ripened the second and third 

 week in June. The heaviest weighed 3 lbs., and the others 

 downwards to 1 lb. The plants have been cut-back, and will 

 apparently soon be in bearing again. I have no experience of 

 it in pits or houses heated by hot water. The fruits were 

 quite round, beautifully and closely netted all over, and to the 

 touch hard as a cricket-ball. It cracked, or rather the foot- 

 stalk showed signs of parting from the fruit when ripening. 

 The aroma was not remarkable. I thought it faint, but no 

 cracked fruits occurred, all being cut off as soon as ripe, which 

 they are when cracking or parting from the footstalk, and 

 Melons are best kept in fruit-rooms to ripen if full flavour be 

 wanted. The flesh is thick, fully two-third-f that of the dia- 

 meter ; the seeds not numerous, and very few sound in the 

 one tested ; the rind very thin, a mere hard thin shell ; flesh 

 scarlet, firm, but melting, rich, and most excellent. It is the 

 best in flavour of any scarlet-fleshed Melon I have tasted, 



whilst in appearance It is the handsomest, not being in the 

 least ribbed. — G. Abbey. 



NOVELTIES IN THE KOYAL GARDENS, KEW. 



Is the stove are two new Eranthemums from the South Sea 

 Islands, introduced by the Royal Gardens. They have coloured 

 foliage, and are likely to be cultivated on that account; they 

 are not yet named. No. 1 is of erect habit, with broadly ovate 

 leaves about 9 inches long and of a uniform colour, similar to 

 that of a Copper Beech or Hazel. It is distinct in habit from 

 all other plants with dark foliage. No. 2 has a freely-branch- 

 ing habit; the leaves are lanceolate, with bright yellow reticu- 

 lation, sometimes with scarcely a trace of green. It is very 

 distinct, and is likely to be valuable. Plants newly propagated 

 do not always show the golden character. It was exhibited by 

 Messrs. Veitch a short time ago in fine condition. Besides 

 these, another new variety was imported at the same time, 

 but which was already introduced. It is on the Continent, 

 and at least two London nurserymen have a good stock. It 

 is a handsome plant when in its best condition, has ample 

 foliage variously variegated with creamy white. All the above 

 are of free growth and easy propagation. They require an 

 intermediate house or stove ; the treatment for other members 

 of the genus will suit them well. The first two, if not already, 

 will soon be obtainable from the leading nurserymen. Here 

 also Ataccia cristata is in flower. The long, sterile, drooping 

 pedicels, which are the most attractive feature, with the queer 

 flowers and leafy involucre, compose a most grotesque inflores- 

 cence. A close ally is in fruit, the new Tacca artocarpifolia, 

 from Madagascar. It is, perhaps, more curious and orna- 

 mental than the preceding. It has divided leaves more than 

 2i feet across, and sends up a scape over 5 feet in height ; the 

 sterile pedicels are about 1 foot long, and still remain, though 

 in withered condition. 



The most beautiful flowers newly open among the Orchids 

 are Disa grandiflora, a healthy plant ; Trichbpilia Galeottiana, 

 two varieties, concolor and picta, in the same pot — the latter 

 has the lip slightly spotted with pale red ; Aerides Lobbi, and 

 the curious Cirrhiea saccata. Dendrobium Pierardi is very 

 beautiful, so also is a variety of Lselia purpurata, white, with 

 the exception of the lip. Oucidium luridum has a fine spike 

 of bloom 7 feet long. 



At the Eockwork is an interesting and beautiful hybrid 

 Saxifraga, S. autumnalis x S. mutata. It is best described as 

 being intermediate between the parents. It has a branching 

 habit, and is easily cultivated. There is also a splendid 

 Orchis, the name of which has not yet been given. It is 

 2^ feet in height, and has a dense spike of purple flowers. It 

 grows freely planted in peat, and is very ornamental. 



In the Herbaceous Ground, Aphyllanthes monspeliensis is 

 nicely in flower. Centaurea (Bhapoutieum) pulehra is orna- 

 mental from its neat foliage and numerous pink-flowered 

 capitula. Antirrhinum numidicum has been described among 

 the " novelties of the present season," and from two sources 

 it proves to be Linaria triphylla. Campanula Medium var. 

 calycauthema, from its petaloid calyx, presents a more con- 

 spicuous mass of colour than the species. Carex pendnla is 

 very ornamental ; it has long drooping epikelets, and is worth 

 planting for effect in suitable places. Peucedanum officinale 

 (iu the Economic Ground) is one of the most ornamental of 

 the fine-foliaged Umbelliferse. It produces a round mass of 

 finely-divided foliage, which is more evenly disposed, and is 

 not so stiff-looking as the Ferulas ; the height of this speci- 

 men is about 3 J feet. The yellow fo3tid jaioe was formerly 

 used against hysterics. Athamanta Matthioli is a good plant 

 of similar character, but smaller dimensions ; it is now con- 

 spicuous from its numerous umbels of white flowers. The 

 double varieties of Papaver orientale, of which there are many 

 colours, are very ornamental, and are useful for sowing in 

 rough corners, where they often make a display without trouble. 



In the old Victoria house, where the Victoria regia has this 

 year been planted. Batatas paniculata is commencing to 

 flower freely. If I mistake not, the writer of an article in a 

 continental paper recommended its being planted out of doors 

 on a wall. Euryale ferox is in flower; as an aquatic it must 

 rank next the Victoria for nobility of appearance. It is grown 

 for the sake of its seeds iu Chiua, which, after being baked, 

 are eaten. The deliciously flagrant and beautiful flowers of 

 Nelum'oium speciosum, the " Sacred Bean," are being pro- 

 duced freely. " The seeds and stem, which contain much 

 starch, are used as food in India and China " (Museum Guide). 



