288 FRUIT CULTURE UNDER GLASS. 



shade the fruit, so that the sun can lay on that mellow rich 

 colour which is peculiar to the peach, and without which 

 they look insipid. Syringe freely on fine afternoons later 

 crops that are swelling off, and pay great attention to the 

 state of the border where it is principally inside. Give 

 heavy waterings of manure-water when required, and mulch 

 with a light coating of finely disintegrated manure. Tie in 

 the wood in late houses. Thin the fruit by degrees. Keep 

 green-fly and red-spider from gaining a footing. Pinch any 

 shoots that make rampant growths in young trees, or they 

 will rob the weaker ones of sap, and destroy the balance of 

 growth which is so desirable. Trees that have been planted 

 two or three years in new borders are apt to grow undesirably 

 strong. A good way of counteracting this tendency is to 

 crop them rather heavily. 



Figs. These will be swelling their crop rapidly, and re- 

 quire to be well supplied with manure-water, especially if 

 they are old plants with their roots limited either to pots or 

 borders of comparatively small dimensions. Syringe freely 

 every fine afternoon, and frequently sprinkle the paths and 

 surface of the border through the day ; but gradually with- 

 hold moisture from the air as the fruit show signs of ripen- 

 ing, and increase the ventilation. When the second crop is 

 forming in early houses, thin them out in time. A fair crop 

 of large well-swelled fruit is worth twice the quantity of small 

 skinny produce. Attend to stopping and tying down shoots in 

 later houses, and avoid crowding in too much wood and foliage. 



Melons. Sow and plant out for succession crops both at 

 the beginning and end of the month. Attend carefully to 

 the tying and stopping of those planted in April, and im- 

 pregnate the blooms. The depth of soil for melons should 

 now be more than for early crops, as it is very undesirable to 

 be obliged to water often when the fruit is swelling. As 

 soon as the fruit begin to ripen give more air, and no more 

 water at the root. 



