iSqo. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



197 



iiK'lii's ill k'liuth anil u woittht of twoiity-tlvc 

 lK>unds. Tliis must not Ix* confovindcM with the 

 OiiMiba or Sinyrnii Melon, often erroneously 

 called Persian, the seeds of which were sent to 

 the Tnited States by Dr. GwHlell. 



Persia is a land of Melons, from which we have 

 had, as far as kiunvn to nie. lull four varieties of 

 OintalouiH', twti of wliieh aiv still prtwluced, and 

 no Watermelon. Travelers praise the Melons of 

 Persia, write atxiut them and invariably thritw 

 the seeils away. 



My own Cantalouix" tests have been made with 

 seeds fn»m France, the north and south of Italy, 

 TriiMili, Turkey, Turkistan, southern Russia. 

 Kussian tieorjria, Cappadoeia, Armenia, the Val- 

 ley of the Euphrates, Palestine and ,Iapan. 

 Many Melons that are excellent in France and 

 northern Ital.v will not grow in our climate on 

 account of the heat; those frtim the land south 

 of Naples do fairly well, but their quality for the 

 table is inferior. The toad-marked Melons of 

 northeastern Italy under reixjated tests have 

 always failed, and so have our netted varieties in 

 the c<)oler parts of that peninsula. Worms and 

 bugs appear to delight in the flavor of the deli- 

 cate foreign vines, and if the plants should in 

 part escape their ravages, their leaves droop 

 under the sun. and the fruit can hardly be consid- 

 ered worth cutting. 



Classification. Cantaloupes may be divided 

 into two classes: one that ripens to the best ad- 

 vantage in the house, and the other on the vine 

 and exposed to the sun. Xetted and grooved 

 Melons, as a rule, attain their finest flavor in the 

 house, and should be pulled as soon as the green 

 color at the bottom of the grooves has fairly 

 begun to lighten. If a netted Melon is pulled a 

 little too soon it wUl keep a long time but never 

 ripen, and some varieties when apparently well 

 matured will only go to decay it separated from 

 the vine. 



Cold nights, cold, damp ground and a mild 

 temperature, with very little or too much rain, 

 are all antagonistic to the growth and maturing 

 of our Cantaloupes. Cold ground, with in the 

 day a moderately warm sun, will cause a large 

 Melon to grow flat at the bottom and very con- 

 vex at the top; the flesh of the upper part will 

 also be much thicker and better flavored than 

 that of the bottom. 



Hybrid, Although the pollen of a Cucumber 

 flower is capable of ruining the flavor of a Can- 

 taloupe, it is very rare for a hybrid to be pro- 

 duced. I have seen such, between a Cucumber 

 and a Jenny Land Melon, which was a decided 

 curio8it.v. A noted Palestine Cucumber, known 

 as the Mukte's, is produced upon a vine that 

 very closely resembles in leaf and color that of a 

 Cantaloupe; stiU, the fruit is an old variety of 

 Cucumber and quite distinct from any of our 

 sorts. The long Banana Cantaloupe makes a 

 curious hybrid with the Jenny Lind, the product 

 being oval, yellow, almost tree from netting, 

 very fragrant and salmon-fleshed; it has a better 

 flavor than the former, but is quite inferior to 

 the latter. 



In Armenia there grows a C£intaloupe,propabl.v 

 of large size, to judge by the seeds, which is so 

 sensitive to the heat of the sun that the gardeners 

 are in the habit of covering the young Melons 

 with earth until they reach a certain size, when 

 they are uncovered; this variety will be tested 

 the coming season in several localities. The 

 seeds are very large and white, much larger than 

 any we have, and resemble somewhat a curious 

 yellow Cappadocia Melon introduced by me sev- 

 eral years ago and not now grown; it was long, 

 flat, smooth and salmon-red resemble fleshed, the 

 Banana Cantaloupe in pretty much all points ex- 

 cept shape. 



Winter Melons. Some years ago some winter 

 Cantaloupes were grown in this latitude, but the 

 measure of success did not encourage the grower 

 to continue the experiment; still, I see no reason 

 why other attempts should not be made. Ameri- 

 can visitors to Naples are willing to pay sixty 

 cents for a green Melon in winter, and speak of 

 it as wonderfully fine; in fact, it is the finest Nea- 

 politan variety, and ought to be grown in some 

 southern state, if possible, as a new industry. If 

 the Naples Melon will not succeed, the Malta 

 green one should be tried. These Melons are put 

 away in the fall before they begin to ripen, and 

 kept in a cool place. When one is to be ripened 

 it is hung up in the open air in a warm place, in 

 a net or a little bundle of straw, as bottles are 

 sometimes encased for packing. The Naples 

 seeds are very large, but of a form that ought to 

 grow; the dry soil varieties may do better in our 

 country. 



Girdling The Vine. 



(>V(mi paper rend by F. J. Kinrwi/ before the Boston 

 Famierit' Meeting.] 



Knowing that Dr. Fisher wa.s one of the 

 strongest objectors to trirdlint;, I siiKKCsted 

 that experiments be made by him, he to 

 furnish fruit from his own vineyard of his 

 own selection. Last year the arr.iugement 

 was made. He took one row fifteen to 

 twenty feet long. 



Dr. Fisher was asked to girdle one arm of each 

 vine leaving the other in natural condition. The 

 Committee of the Horticultural Society visited 

 fir. Fisher's vineyard the last week in August. 

 It was curious to lo<ik at the row; on the girdled 

 half the Grapes were in fit condition to pick for 

 market. The single Grapes were as large as the 

 Hamburgs in my cold grajwry. The others were 

 just beginning to turn; the Dr., on the 25th of 

 September, picked and send the first lotto Dr. 

 Goessmann; on the first day of October he select- 

 ed specimens from each vine, and sent them for 

 analysis. 



The two important elements in the Grape are 

 sugar and water. lu the girdled vines the por- 

 tion of water was 76 and a traction per c«nt. In 

 the ungirdled vines it is SI and a fraction per 

 cent, in the girdled there was 7 and a traction 

 per cent of sugar and in the ungirdled 6 and a 

 fraction of sugar. The girdled fruit thus sur- 

 p.issing in both respects. Dr. Fisher said to me: 

 "I was never more dissapointed in all my life, 

 although I had given it more attention than ever 

 before and I had become certain before the ana- 

 lysis that there was more sugar in the girdled 

 fruit; there was more sweetness in its taste." 



Now if this is a fact— if it does not injure the 

 fruit and it ripens from one to two weeks earlier 

 and increases its size from one-third to one-half, 

 it is certainly worth considering. In taking the 

 later varieties and ripening them a fortnight 

 earlier it gives us mote scope, and it is so easil.v 

 done, it is done in a moment, girdling the vines 

 below the lowest fruit bud. If there are a half 

 dozen bunches— one quarter of an inch below 

 the lowest fruit bud, girdling on July 1.5 perhaps. 

 Mr. Wheeler says an.v time after the fruit gets 

 to l)e the size of buckshot. He has done it for 

 ten years without any perceptable injury; still it 

 is a question whether in the end it will not 

 seriously affect the rtgor of the vines. 



On Maintaining Prices for Fruit. 



iFrom paper by Capt. E. HoUister, before the Alton 

 Southern Illinois Horticultural Society.) 



My first proposition is the absolute neces- 

 sity of producing a grade better ttan good 

 as generally understood, in fact it must be 

 the best. Fruit is or will be what we make 

 it. and this more than a slight difference in 

 soil. Make pets of your plants and trees, 

 with generous and seasonable care born of 

 a wish to succeed. Make your o^vn record 

 as a fruit grower, and determine that in all 

 respects it shall be above suspicion. Make 

 the quality paramount to the quantity, be 

 not ambitious to compete with or excel Mr. 

 Bragg, who plants many acres ; ambition 

 should be made of sterner stuff, but if 

 tempted in this direction beyond ability to 

 resist, then do not forget the wisdom so 

 dearly bought. 



Everybody may have his peculiar method, and 

 will be quick to take advantage of the seasons 

 and the constant climatic changts, and often 

 such will prove the making of the crop. Vigil- 

 ance in this profession carries the balance to the 

 right side of the account. It will not do to be 

 slothful in this business. Some wise man has 

 said *' there is a tide in the affairs of men." Hor- 

 ticulture is one of these affairs which must be 

 taken at the fiood. Ever.v effort in this direction 

 has brought such reward as to incite to more 

 prompt measures in all possible circumstances. 



Planting. Here I wish to say a few words 

 about planting Strawtxrrries. We cannot con- 

 trol the rains we would all like to have each 

 night after a day's planting. The soil is not 

 always ready, or the plants are not at hand, so 

 the delay, and the sun and the winds are carry- 

 ing the moisture away, and if set then, many 

 plants will not survive ; my remedy is to not 

 plant then, heel in your plants firmly, when par- 

 tially shaded, water sufliciently to keep the 

 plants growing, and as soon as the new white 

 roots are well formed, then on freshly prepared 



soil you may set with the assurance of a good 

 stand. 



When you have gone through the process of 

 planting and cultivating, and the rewarrl of your 

 labor L« seen in the l«)untiful crop, (hen comes 

 the problem of how to pack and where to send 

 to best maintain prices. If in the first instiincc, 

 it is absolutely necessary to produce the best 

 grade of fruit, much more so now to secure the 

 Itest results. 



Packing. It is a self evident fact that the fruit 

 and packing should be of the best character. 

 Your product comes in competition, not only 

 with your neighbors, but from many points 

 south and elsewhere, and as a matter of course, 

 the best finds the ready sale and best price. 



Some years since I had occasion to ask a fruit 

 grower, why his Peaches showed so much, and 

 good color'; They were packed in third bushel 

 boxes. He said in packing he was only following 

 nature; that he found the best and highest color- 

 ed fruit around on the outside of the tree. There 

 were no windfalls or trash inside, however, as in 

 another instance, which upon inspection, proved 

 to be so outrageously packed, the owner never 

 called for his money. Not one in a hundred can 

 bring fruit, such as berries, in a wagon without 

 springs, yet I have known one to do so many 

 times, and his fruit was in good shape, and reach- 

 ed market uniformly and in best condition. 



For the small fruits the sixteen quart case has 

 been most extensive!}' used with satisfaction, 

 the one fault common is the lack of tacks in 

 putting the quarts together, and so with the 

 usual rough handling in transportation, the 

 upper tier is apt to break down; an extra tack 

 or two will remedy this, and go far to help make 

 good sales. Of course your cases and quarts 

 will be new, bright and clean. Should you be so 

 fortunate as to have good local markets your 

 fruit should be fairly and evenly ripened, if for 

 a distant shipment. Strawberries colored in part 

 are firmer and will color in transit. My experi- 

 ence has made me set highest value on the 

 Duchess Pear packed in barrels. In planting 

 more I would not take them on the Quince stock 

 only so as to secure earlier bearing and to plant 

 alternately with standards. My reason is that in 

 a few years' growth, they Ijecome top heavy and 

 are frequently blown down and broken off at 

 the root. While the Pear stocks keep them firm 

 in their places and eventually carry more fruit. 



The Uarkets. The question now will lie where 

 to find such a market as will best maintain prices. 

 With this comes the problem of transportation 

 which must be taken into account. The indi- 

 vidual shipper is at the mercy of the railroads 

 and express companies who without fear, favor 

 or affection for a ten to twelve hour transit take 

 not less than twent.v cases out of one hundred of 

 berries, for their portion, whiie the commission 

 man takes ten more. You can then see what is 

 left for you to pay for packages, picking and 

 cultivation. The fruit grower has no subsidy to 

 relieve him, no protection from the extortionate 

 freight charges and often no relief for damage 

 while in their charge. Can the fruit growers of 

 Alton combine in their shipments to secure low- 

 est rates? California has long practiced such, 

 without which they could not live. Cobden 

 growers and others have operated on the plan 

 with satisfactory results. 



Inspect the Market. It wUl be well for the 

 shipper to occasionally follow his fruit, note its 

 condition on arrival. See what and how others 

 are sending. Such an object lesson will prove 

 well worth the time and expense. Another point 

 he will make by such a trip, to see the market 

 and style of customers at the different places. 

 Some will take one grade or class of fruit; 

 another a different, perhaps better grade. .Such 

 personal knowledge will be of great benefit and 

 is essential to success in this business. By know- 

 ing the character of your market, you can dis 

 criminate as to quality, not daring to send to 

 the one that would readily move in the other. 

 We always have two grades to ship, and one we 

 reject, which may in part at least find use in the 

 family. 



This personal observation at the end of the 

 route will go far to explain some of the reports 

 of the commission men ; occasionally 1 have 

 been made ashamed to see some of my .Apples, 

 knowing my instructions as to the packing had 

 been positive and to select close. 



The Commission Man, For your shipments 

 select good commission men in a few markets, 

 keep in constant communication with them, use 

 the wire freely, send them the best and in the 

 best shape. 



