Encyclopaedia of Gardening 153 



when the pollen is ripe and loose the flower should be picked and 

 pressed into the centre of the fruit-bearer, which, thus impregnated, 

 will begin to swell. Half a dozen fruits may be fertilised on each 

 plant, and it may be done at intervals of 2 or 3 days. The shoots 

 bearing the fruits may be stopped 2 leaves beyond the bunch. 

 While the air should be kept fresh, it should not be saturated with 

 moisture like a Cucumber house. Frame culture : To grow Melons 

 successfully in a frame, a hotbed of manure and leaves should be 

 made up after turning the manure 2 or 3 times at intervals to 

 sweeten it; the heap should be well trodden, and a mound of soil 

 put in the centre. The plants will push side shoots as a result of 

 the stopping previously advised, and these can be trained over the 

 bed in different directions, so as to well cover it without crowding. 

 Side shoots may be removed bodily if they push in large numbers 

 and crowd the frame. A close covering, but not a thick pack, of 

 leaves is desirable. When roots show through the mound of soil 

 top dress with fresh warm compost. Give regular attention to 

 watering, never allowing the soil to get dust dry. Canker may 

 attack the stems of plants, whether in houses, pits, or frames, if 

 water lodges round the collar. Keep the soil close and concave 

 there. Sulphur and lime may be mixed and rubbed over the affected 

 part. Varieties : Imperial Green-flesh is very fine; it is a large, 

 solid, well-flavoured fruit. Hero of Lockinge (white flesh) is smaller, 

 but splendid in flavour, and the same remark applies to Read's 

 Scarlet-flesh. Superlative is a large red-flesh sort. Hero of 

 Lockinge is good for a frame, and so is Blenheim Orange. 



Mulberry (Morus nigra). An interesting old tree, the acid fruit 

 of which is found agreeable by many people. As is well known, the 

 leaves are used for feeding silkworms, and for this purpose the 

 species alba is liked. The Mulberry will thrive in any deep, fertile 

 soil, but does not care for dry, shallow ground. It may be planted 

 in autumn, and propagated by layers, or cuttings of young wood, 

 if increase is desired. It is rarely that the Mulberry is cultivated 

 as a fruit; it is generally planted to form a tree, and the fruit is 

 considered a pleasant side issue. But if cultivated for the fruit, it 

 should be restricted to a limited number of branches and spur 

 pruned. See Apples and Pears. 



Nut (Corylus Avellana). The cultivated nuts are much superior 

 to the wild forms, and are well worth growing in gardens where the 

 soil is suitable. They like a rich, friable loam, with limestone 

 below, and do not care for poor dry ground. The Filbert is the 

 most popular, and of this class Lambert's variety is one of the best. 

 Cobs differ slightly from Filberts, but like the same soil and treat- 

 ment. Nuts require a little study to get the best results, as they 

 produce two distinct forms of flower. One, the nut-bearer, is a small 

 pink blossom with a swelling at the base; the other, the male, is a 

 long yellow " catkin," and bears the pollen, which is ripe and loose 

 late in winter. The female flowers are borne on short side shoots, 

 and pruning should not be done until the pollen has spread, except 

 where the bushes are thick, in which case they should be thinned at 

 any convenient time in winter. The grower need not be afraid to 

 sacrifice a little fruit blossom at this thinning; bushes are never 



