as 



JOUKNAL OP HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENEK. 



[ January 10, W65. 



carefully rubbed with the finger, they returned that leaf to 

 the pan to be soaked some days, or a week longer. The 

 process interested and amused them very much, and they 

 had a good quantity of tolerable specimens thoroughly 

 cleared of all the fleshy pait, and were beginning to think 

 of leaving off, when Herbert and Hairy returned from theii- 

 morning studies and joined them. Herbert, who knew what 

 Mary was going to do that morning, had asked Mr. Sinclair 

 what was to be done to bleach the leaves, and had been told 

 ■what to procure at the chemist's in the village on his way 

 home, and how he was to manage the process. 



They now returned to the house, and went to the boys' 

 play-room, anxious to see the whole. Herbert procured a 

 hat-box, and tj'ing some of the skeleton leaves to strings 

 aci'oss the top, and placing some sulphiu-, which he set on 

 fire, in a cup at the bottom, he shut down the lid and left it 

 closed for the sulphur to bleach the leaves, which it would 

 do gradually. On some of them he tried another experi- 

 ment ; he had procui-ed a little diluted chloride of lime, and 

 also chloride of soda; these he poui-ed into sepai-ate shallow 

 vessels, and immersed some of the leaves in each for a few 

 minutes, and the party had the great pleasure of seeing the 

 skeletons gradually lose their diity appeai-ance and become 

 very white. — (Ckurcliman's Family Magazine.) 



Fig. 21. 



Fib'. 22. 



CULTIVATION OF THE MELON. 



(Co)i(iiiKe(I/i'om page 495.) 

 It sometimes happens that Melon plants ai-e required 

 with a stem a foot or more high, in order to bring their 

 bearing shoots to the Hght. In this case the plants are 

 prepai-ed by pinching out the leader at the second leaf, as 

 in Jig. 17, by which a shoot is obtained that is better cal- 

 culated to afford fruit fi-om the side-shoots than were the 

 plant allowed to grow up without 

 stopping, as shown in fig. 21, for judi- 

 cious stopping promotes fertility by 

 rendering parts active which would 

 otherwise remain donnant. 



The plant having been stopped, two 

 shoots win arise from the axils of the 

 leaves; the stronger should be retained 

 and trained to a small stick, the other 

 being cut clean out, and, as the shoot 

 grows, at every leaf a tiny knob will 

 show itself, which if left will elongate 

 into a shoot. When of sufficient size, 

 and that is when first seen, the knobs 

 or shoots should be taken out with a 

 pin or the point of a small knife, letting 

 the leaf remain, for if removed, as in 

 fig. 22, the sap will exude from the cut footstalk and several 

 ulcers may consequently be formed at the stem. The leaves 

 which have been left, having no shoots springing from theii- 

 axils, will die off gradually, and the sap they elaborate before 

 they do so will strengthen the steui of the 

 plant, and so m\ich the more vigour will 

 be thrown into the leading shoot. This 

 will be apparent in fig. 23, in which all 

 the side shoots are taken out of the axUs 

 of the leaves, but the leaves retained up 

 to 0. 



If no more than one shoot is requii-ed, 

 the leading shoot should not be stopped, 

 nor the embryo laterals taken from the 

 axils of the loaves any further up the prin- 

 cipal shoot than to the height of stem 

 required; but if more than one shoot is 

 needed to cover the trellis after that 

 height of stem has been attained, the 

 principal shoot should bo stopped to the 

 requisite number of leaves, from which 

 the same number of shoots will spring, 

 and these are to be trained up the trellis 

 at a foot apart, and not stopped until 

 within inches of the top of the trellis, 

 wlicn the shoot should have it.s jjoint 

 pinched out. This will cause laterals to be emitted, there 

 being some already at the base of the principal shoots which 



must not be stopped but tradned-in at their full length. 

 These laterals will show fruit at the first, second, or thu-d 

 leaf, and after the flowers have been duly impregnated the 

 laterals are stopped to throe joints if there is no fruit on 

 them, and if there is, to the joint above the frait, let it be 

 where it may ; but the plant should not be stopped until 

 after fertilisation has taken place. 



Fig. 33. 



rig 24. 



Prior to stopping, if the plant have one principal shoot,, 

 it will appeal- as shown in fig. 24, and when stopped the 

 laterals will appear, as shown in fig. 25, ii p p. After setting 

 or stopping, sub-laterals will appear from the bases of the 



Fig 20. 



leaves retained, some with fruit at their base, ^117. 25, q «/, 

 and others without, r r r. From a week to ton days after 

 the fruit has set and is swelling freely, tho sub-laterals will 

 bo of fiufliciont size to bo Klo]jpod, or, if not, tho right tinio 

 to stop thorn is when they have; grown to tho extent of thrco 

 leaves. Laterals not producing fruit may have the two 

 upper sub-laterals removed, they will then appear as shown 

 in s, and the one left bo slopped a week afterwards to two 

 or throe joints, i. Those laterals producing fruit should 

 have tho sub-laterals below the fruit stopped to one joint, 

 that by the fruit to three, and that above the fruit to threo 



