348 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 19, 1876. 



" I do not know that I can give you any better ideas for the 

 arrangement of your leaves than by describing my parlours. 

 On entering the front room the first thing that strikes the eye 

 is a group composed of two crescent-shaped pieces running 

 into each other, formed of the deeply indented brown Oak 

 leaves, mingled with various coloured leaves and Ferns, and 

 dried Oats and Grasses fastened in here and there by a drop 

 of mucilage, the ends terminating with long Ferns or sprays 

 of Sumach. Between the front windows is a differently shaped 

 cluster with plenty of large Ferns forming the outline and 

 filled up with a diversity of leaves. In my rambles in autumn 

 I secured some long branches of the Briar-wood Vine bearing 

 full bunches of dark purple, almost black berries; these draped 

 in tangled masses thickly intermingled with the berries of 

 the Bitter-sweet Vine, and Star-oak burrs are trained along 

 the cords over a picture in the opposite end of the room, and 

 also over a favourite little chromo which hangs in a recess 

 above a stand of Tradeseantia, that most satisfactory plant 

 which grows so luxuriantly in spite of stove heat and illuminat- 

 ing gas. Around the cords of another picture is trained a 

 long spray of wild Clematis, with its feathery seed pods, look- 

 ing as if a breath would blow them away, while in reality they 

 make a permanent decoration. 



" Over a crimson bracket supporting one of Rogers' statues 

 is a large half wreath composed entirely of Ferns in variety, as 

 green and fresh as when in their native haunts, and on a dark 

 carved corner bracket stands a slender white vase of Ferns 

 and Sumach, while from the base of the bracket floats the 

 grey Florida Moss, so soft and filmy, interspersed with our 

 crimson northern berries. For the mantel I have a small vase 

 of Ferns with a delicate butterfly hovering on it, and a pair of 

 panel pictures. 'Ah ! but those are painted,' is the exclamation 

 of visitors. No, they are not painted, they are nature itself. 

 Not having the gift of painting, and determining not to be 

 outdone, I again drew upon leafy treasures. I procured two 

 thoroughly-dried boards of the desired size, and had them 

 painted black, sandstoned, and varnished. I then selected the 

 tiniest, brightest, and most perfeot leaves and Ferns, and ar- 

 ranged them in groups upon my panels, attaching them care- 

 fully with mucilage, then covered them with glass the exact 

 size of the boards ; the edges were bound together with narrow 

 strips of black paper, such as is used by bookbinders. 



" My crowning attraction is our window, the admiration of 

 all beholders. It opens into a small library with a glass roof, 

 which admits light sufficient to make it as lovely by day as by 

 night with a strong gaslight behind it. I procured from the 

 stationers a piece of oiled tracing muslin the exact size of the 

 individual panes, and filling the lower half of the window, 

 whioh consists of two large panes of plate glass, the muslin 

 giving the appearance of ground glass. In one pane I have a 

 border of Ferns, in the centre a bunch of Ferns with a few 

 coloured leaves and delioate sprays of Grass. In the other is 

 a large bouquet of exquisite leaves of every shade intermixed 

 with Ferns, Grasses, and Oats, surrounded by a half wreath of 

 Ferns and green leaves, terminating on each end half way 

 down the picture with a leaf of the long pointed walking Fern, 

 and the whole is a marvel of beauty. This window is not only 

 a picture to all but it is a memory and a token of friendship. I 

 have a dozen varieties of Ferns, and some of these are joyous 

 reminders of pleasant friends found among the mountains. 

 Some are a tribute of affection gathered by a friend, while 

 those curiously-spotted Maple leaves and other brilliant beauties 

 came from the granite hills of New Hampshire, and the re- 

 mainder from different portions of New Jersey." — E. 



MERITS OF MELONS. 



Caeeeul attention is required to produoe a good crop of 

 Melons, for unless the necessary requirements of the plants 

 are provided failure in some form is sure to be the result. 



My intention, however, is not to treat on the culture of the 

 Melon so much as to give the result of my experience re- 

 specting the merits of the varieties I have grown this season. 

 I have grown two crops consisting of varieties which I will 

 name. The first to ripen was Haddo House, green-flesh, a 

 variety whioh was placed first at the Dundee International 

 Show, and I was as pleased to hear of its taking the first prize 

 for Green-fleshed as " D., Deal," was to hear of Little Heath 

 gaining first honours for Scarlet-fleshed Melons. Haddo 

 House is a variety whioh was grown where I served my ap- 

 prenticeship, and with which my superior used always to carry 

 off the first prize against all competitors. Some fruits might 



have surpassed Haddo House in size, beauty, and colour, but 

 when the judges came to taste the sweets of each they in- 

 variably awarded it the first place, and since then I have 

 always grown it, and it was my first ripe this year amongst 

 seven other varieties ; and where three crops of Melons are 

 required in the season it is an excellent variety, being a free 

 setter, matures quickly, and has a good constitution. 



Next in order of ripening is Little Heath, scarlet-flesh, which 

 I consider a first-class variety of easy culture, the fruit having 

 a good flavour and the plant a strong constitution. I sent 

 my last three Melons of it in for dessert on October 9th. 

 Hero of Bath (Sutton's) is an excellent scarlet-fleshed Melon. 

 It is not of large size, but is first-class in flavour, handsomely 

 netted, and a free setter. Malvern Hall I find a very good 

 scarlet-fleshed Melon ; it is not large, but a very fine setter, 

 and the foliage is not so large as some of the varieties, which 

 makes it a suitable variety for frame-culture, where it succeeds 

 remarkably well, never showing any signs of cracking. 



I have grown A. F. Barron (Gilbert's) this season, and it 

 is certainly a very superior green-fleshed Melon, remarkably 

 thin in the skin and deep in the flesh, and of excellent flavour ; 

 but it has one drawback where three crops are required in 

 the season, on account of the length of time it takes to ripen, 

 being at least three weeks later than the other varieties I have 

 grown this season. Empress Eugenie is a good scarlet-fleshed 

 Melon, and grows to a large size, and is suitable for either 

 house or dung frame, being a free setter and hardy constitution. 

 Prince of Wales is a free-fruiting variety of noble appearance, 

 and attains a large size. Bloxholm Hall is also an excellent 

 Melon, beautifully netted, and of first-class flavour. I have 

 also a seedling scarlet-fleshed Melon which I have raised, 

 which is very much liked by all who have tasted it here ; it has 

 a robust constitution, and is very suitable for house-culture, 

 being a free setter, and attains a large size ; and another de- 

 sirable quality in its favour is that it will keep for six weeks 

 or more if cut a little before it is quite ripe and stored in some 

 cool place, but before using placing it in a heated house a day 

 or two, which improves the flavour. I have fruits now which 

 have been cut a month, and they look as if they would keep 

 much longer — a very desirable quality in a Melon, consider- 

 ing it is the only way we can prolong the season of Melons. 

 Good Cucumbers can be grown in winter, but good-flavoured 

 Melons cannot be grown during the absence of sun. 



The great point to secure in keeping Melons is a very cool 

 place. I remember an experiment that the gardener tried at 

 a plaoe where I had some good lessons in gardening. We 

 happened to have several Melons ripe, and the family was not 

 expected home for some weeks, and the gardener was anxious 

 to keep them if possible until they came, so we packed them 

 in boxes and placed them in the ice house ; but unfortunately 

 the ice melted at the sides and the boxes slipped down and 

 most of the Melons were smashed, but what remained were as 

 fresh as when they were cut, showing that it was possible to 

 keep them in that way. 



I often hear complaints of Melon plants cankering at the 

 collar, the result no doubt of careless watering. In order to 

 prevent that I always have the collar of each plant surrounded 

 with a mixture of lime and charcoal dust, a Bmall heap being 

 placed well up the stem of the plant, and anyone trying this 

 will not be troubled with canker at the collar. — J. Anderson, 

 Hill Grove. 



EARLY WRITERS ON ENGLISH GARDENING. 



No. 20. 

 KEV. 'WILLIAII MASON. 



The Rev. William Mason, Precentor and one of the Resi- 

 dentiaries of York Cathedral, Prebendary of Driffield, and 

 Rector of Aston; was author of "Elfrida," " Caraotaous," 

 " The English Garden," " Translation of Fresnoy's Art of 

 Painting," and several other celebrated poems, the Life of 

 Gray, &c. He was born in 1725, the son of a clergyman, vicar 

 of Holy Trinity, Hull. He was admitted of St. John's College, 

 Cambridge, where he proceeded B.A. 1745; and whence he 

 removed to Pembroke Hall, of which Society he was elected a 

 Fellow 1747, and took the degree of M.A. 1749. In 1754 he 

 entered into holy orders, and was patronised by the then Earl 

 of Holdernesse, who obtained for him the appointment of 

 chaplain to His Majesty George IH., and gave him the valuable 

 rectory of Aston. Mr. Mason was an acknowledged scholar, 

 and possessed high olaims to a considerable degree of poetical 

 reputation. The memorable " Heroic Epistle to Sir William 

 Chambers " has been often attributed to this gentleman ; and, 



