THE MELOKET.] 



PEACTICE OF HOETICULTFEE. [the cucumber. 



ages, having been aa element in Eomau gar- 

 dening in the days of Claudius. The roots of 

 fruit trees, even of the hardiest description, 

 become paralysed whenever they descend too 

 deep into the soil ; and this paralysis is one of 

 the evils of deep planting." Although pine- 

 apples have been usually potted, it is found 

 that they succeed better unpotted, if planted 

 freely in soil, and exposed to a proper 

 ar)iount oflottom-heat. In the Theory of Hor- 

 ticulture, we are told that a Mr. Martin 

 Call, one of the emperor's gardeners at St. 

 Petersburg, was the first to assert this ; and 

 others have since proved it. In 1830, a pine- 

 apple obtained by this treatment, weighing 

 9 lbs. 4oz., was sent to the King of England 

 by Mr. Edwards, of Eheola ; and, in modern 

 practice, all great pine-growers adopt this plan 

 when circumstances permit them to do so. 

 The following summary, by Mr. Lindley, in 

 reference to the culture of this fruit, will serve 

 to complete our notice of it: — "One of 

 the best methods, without entering into any 

 lengthened detail of operations, seems to be 

 that which has been recommended by Mr. 

 Sweet; which is, to pot the young plants in a 

 mixture of one-third loam, and two-thirds of 

 half-deca*yed leaves ; in which they root very 

 freely. They may then be plunged in frames, 

 or a stove ; but not in too much bottom-heat, 

 as that will injure their roots, as is often done 

 by those who expect to force them on by 

 bottom-heat ; and who, by that means, kill 

 their plants, or injure them so much that they 

 never perfectly recover. They do not con- 

 sider that giving plants a strong bottom is 

 working against nature ; for, in their native 

 climate, it is the sun that warms the ground 

 in which they grow ; and this heat should not 

 be exceeded here." 



THE MELONRY. 



The melon has long been cultivated in 

 Britain ; but its original country is not tho- 

 roughly ascertained, neither is the period of 

 its introduction into this island. The plant is 

 a tender annual, demanding considerable 

 attention and skill to bring to perfection, 

 although it repays the labour of the horticul- 

 turist, by showing a large, and, to most 

 persons, by being an agreeable fruit. The 

 water-melon ia seldom reared in this country 

 972 ' 



save as a curiosity ; but the following species 

 may be taken as a list somewhat select : — 

 The Beachwood; Trentham high-bred, green- 

 fleshed ; Cuthill's Early Cantalousse, remark- 

 able for its earliness and hardiness ; Broom- 

 ham-hall ; Green-fleshed Egyptian ; Cassabar ; 

 Sweet Melon of Ispahan ; and Green Valencia. 

 The melon succeeds best in a strong rich soil, 

 in a prepared compost, formed of two-thirds 

 of rotted turf, and one-third of old cow-dung. 

 This should be prepared some months before 

 being used in the melon-bed. The average 

 heat required for the successful growth of 

 melons is about 70° Fahrenheit. In the com- 

 mon hot-bed, this is maintained by protecting 

 it during the night, and by applying linings 

 from time to time. In pits or houses heated 

 by the circulation of hot water, this is easily 

 efiected at any season ; and such pits are said 

 to supersede the hot-bed frame altogether. 



THE CUCUMBER. 



This, like the melon, is a tender annual, 

 which, in order to bring it to perfection, 

 requires the assistance of artificial heat. It 

 also requires great care and attention, although 

 it is somewhat hardier than the melon, and in 

 summer requires less heat. In every other 

 respect, however, it is managed precisely in 

 the same way as the other. The leading 

 varieties are — the Victory of Bath, Tilly's 

 Captivation, Cuthill's Black Spine, Hunter's 

 Prolific, Lord Kenyon's Favourite, Sir Colin 

 Campbell, Canrobert, Snow's Prize, Allen's 

 Victory of Suffolk, Duncan's Victory, and 

 several others ; but, like the melon, they 

 run into endless varieties if grown in the 

 same structure. The prickly sorts of cucum- 

 bers are, in the summer months of the year, 

 frequently raised under hand-glasses. To do 

 this, a cavity is made in a border in front of a 

 wall or rather warm place, and is filled with 

 hot dung. This is covered with earth, and 

 two or three plants are put into it, and shel- 

 tered with a hand-glass. They are, from time 

 to time, watered and dressed ; and by this 

 means a sufilcient supply of small cucumbers, 

 or gherkins, is obtained for pickling. In the 

 southern counties of England, pickling cu- 

 cumbers are easily raised without any arti- 

 ficial heat, being sown in drills in the open 

 ground. 



