January 10, 16G5. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDBNER. 



29 



or foui', presuming the fruit to be at the second joint; but if 

 it is at the third joint, the first and second sub-laterals 

 should be shortened to one eye each, and that above the 

 fruit to three joints. After this all the shoots fr-om what- 

 ever part they ai-ise should be cut out if they crowd the 

 principal leaves, or be stopped to one leaf as fast as they 

 present themselves, until the fruit is ripe. If the fruit does 

 not set on the laterals, the plant is to be treated in the 

 same manner as described in fig. 20, and fr-uit obtained, on 

 the sub-laterals as therein shown. 



I have now gone through the training of Melons with a 

 •minuteness wluch I hope will make the subject plain even 

 to the uninitiated, and I believe I am the first who has 

 offered illustrations of Melon training, and am the second to 

 give the training of the Melon reduced to a system. Oiu- 

 able and worthy coadjutor, Mr. Pish, was the first to treat 

 of the training of Melons on a system, aU others merely 

 offering vague recommendations to thin here, stop there, 

 and hence the Melon in the hands of most is Hable to 

 failure, either from the plants not setting their friiit, and its 

 cracking before ripe, and not uncommonly the plants will 

 die fr-om disease or other cause before a crop lipens. 



Mr. Fish's mode of training is so simple and yet so satis- 

 factory in its results, that I do not hesitate to repeat it 

 here, though it has appeared fr"om time to time in this 

 Journal. Mr. Fish thus describes his practice: — "As soon 

 as the Melon plant has made three or four leaves or so, you 

 nip out its point. This in a short time will cause a shoot to 

 come fr-om the axil of each leaf. These wiU be the secondary 

 shoots. As soon as we can see them we pick out all the in- 

 cipient shoots except tv/o (when two shoots are required), 

 using the point of a budding-knife or penknife for the pur- 

 pose. One of the secondary shoots as it grows is trained to 

 Ihe back and the other to the fr-ont, or, if it please the prac- 

 titioner better, a little advantage is gained by training both 

 shoots of that plant to the back, and both shoots of the 

 next plant to the fr-ont. As the shoot grows, every large 

 leaf formed at every joint is carefully kept, but every young 

 shoot forming at its axil is nipped out with the penknife 

 again, so that these secondary shoots shall be clear of side 

 or_tertiai-y shoots for from 15 to 18 inches from the main 

 primai-y stem of the plant. After that the secondai-y shoot 

 is allowed to grow without any side pinching ; and when it 

 reaches within 6 inches or so of the sides of the frame, back 

 and front, an inch or so is nipped off its point, at any rate 

 manage it so that when stopped there will be six or seven 

 joints at the ends of the secondary shoots, from which the 

 young tertiary shoots in the axils of the leaves have not 

 been extracted. After the points of the secondary shoots 

 are^ stopped, these tertiary shoots will grow with great 

 rapidity, and most of them will show fr-uit at the first joint, 

 and then being nipped at the joint above the fruit there will 

 generally be strength enough in the plant to set them swell- 

 ing kindly at once." If the secondary shoots do not show 

 fruit at their first or second joint stop, that they may throw 

 out fr-esh shoots, which is necessary with some shy kinds in 

 order to get them to show and set thefr fruit; "but in 

 general better crops and more regular ones are secured, 

 than by the plan of early stopping and getting the space 

 filled with shoots and twigs before a fruit can be induced 

 to set." 



" In pits when grown on trellises, or when so grown from 

 pots, we prefer taking the first primary shoot to the height 

 of the treUis, stopping there ; selecting the secondary shoots 

 and treating the same as above." 



Mr. Fish thus points out the merits of the system — " It is 

 of importance to get as many blossoms to open about the 

 same time as is desirable, so as to insure their simultaneous 

 setting." O. Aeeet. 



(To be continued.) 



lONOPSIS PAJSTICUXATA CULTUEE. 

 lONopsis paniculata degenerates with me. I bought a 

 specimen two years ago with two spikes of lovely bloom on 

 it. The next season two spikes were produced, but the 

 buds never properly opened. Last season one spike only 

 appeared, which refused to expand in like manner. The 

 flowers come to the very verge of opening, and then they 



wither. Does the plant require any peculiar conditionsjof 

 heat, moisture, shade ? Is it considered difficult to grow ? 



I have Gloriosa Plantii, Is Gloriosa superba so much 

 superior to it as to make it worth while to get this in ad- 

 dition to the former ? — 0bchidophih7S. 



[We have made the inquii'ies needed of Mr. WiUiams, of 

 the HoUoway Nui-series, and this is his reply : — " The reason 

 of lonopsis degenerating, I should say, is through flowering 

 this plant too freely before it was well established. The 

 plant, I suspect, shrivelled at the time of showing flower, which 

 is often the case with these small Orchids. The best remedy 

 is, not to let them flower until the plant is well established 

 upon the block by emitting plenty of good roots. This will 

 insure good bloom. lonopsis paniculata is a difficult plant 

 to establish. There are a few plants that have succeeded 

 well in this counti-y, but not many. It being such a free- 

 flowering plant causes it to shrivel, and when that happens 

 it will most Kkely die. 



The treatment we have found best is to place it on a block 

 of wood with a little live sphagnum moss, and a good supply 

 of moisture. In fact, when growing always keep it moist at 

 the roots, and not in too much heat at any time — 55° to 60* 

 in the winter, and 70° to SC during summer. Keep it 

 shaded for it does not like the sun. 



Gloriosa superba is superior to G. Plantii.] 



woee: foe the week. 



KITCHEN GAEDEN. 



Pkocbed with the routine of trenching, draining, and aU 

 ground alterations suggested in previous calendars. Old 

 gardens are often crowded with fruit trees. As light and 

 air are more required for the important products of the gar- 

 den than shade, take measures for removing all trees ob- 

 jectionable in this respect. Beans, if former directions have 

 been carried out in making sowings of Peas and Mazagan 

 Beans, a sowing of the Longpod Beans wiU be found to 

 produce an excellent succession. They should be sown 

 4 feet apart. A second sowing may also be made of the 

 double-blossomed Eai-ly Frame Peas. This variety of Pea 

 is of greater service and better in quality than many of the 

 newer kinds, it deserves a place in all gardens where choice 

 vegetables are esteemed, and to grow them to perfection 

 they should be allowed 5 feet between the rows. As severe 

 weather, though long delayed, may yet be near, a few hints 

 on the best means of preserving ice will be opportune. 

 When filling the ice-house, it is not requisite that the ice be 

 very thick, on the contrary, it is much better thin, if a suffi- 

 cient quantity can be obtained. Before commencing to fill 

 the old straw should be taken out, and fr-esh substituted for 

 it ; as the house is filled it should be placed round the walls 

 a foot thick ; as the ice is brought to the door it should be 

 well broken, and then thrown into the house, when it should 

 be beaten to powder, as on this depends its keeping well. 

 On every layer of about a foot thick pour some boiling water 

 which win cause the ice to congeal into one solid mass. It 

 is by inattention to this particular, that there" are so many 

 complaints of houses not keeping ice well. After the house 

 is completely filled, close the passage with straw ; of course 

 there will be a vacmty between the ice and the roof of the 

 house, this must also be filled with straw. 



rSUIT GARDEN. 



If any transplanting of fr-uit trees has yet to be done, it 

 should be seen to as soon as possible, as the weather is still 

 favourable for such work, also see to getting ground intended 

 to be planted with young trees prepared, and spare no pains 

 or expense to have this properly done. Make sure of thorough 

 drainage, and where all the subsoil is of one kind, this 

 should be removed, replacing it with some good fresh loam. 



FLOWER GAEDEN. 



Alterations should be proceeded with vigorously if they 

 are in hand, if they include the removal of trees especially. 

 Attend to the edgings of walks and beds, reset flints, and 

 repair Box-edgings, rake worm oasts from your lawns with 

 a daisy-rake ; where the grass is kiUed imder trees in the 

 pleasure ground, rake in strong manure, or apply manure 

 water, to prepare the soil for grass seeds to be sown late in 

 the season. Where any of the beds or borders require a 



