22 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTTJEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ July 12, 18S4. 



think the same enclosure also contained a very good Deodar, 

 hut of this I am not certain. I may also mention that 

 although I am tolerahly well conversant with Mistletoe 

 growing on various trees in Kent, I have never noticed so 

 fine a specimen of this parasite as I observed on an old Apple 

 tree near the Araucaria above alluded to. 



I shall be glad to hear how the species I have referred to, 

 as well as others, succeed, and no doubt planters will be 

 interested to know in the autumn where the finest Welling- 

 tonia is to be seen. Though the particulars given by Mr. 

 Palmer as to the height of the best-known trees are interest- 

 ing, I should not wonder if changes in their relative heights 

 take place, and some outsider, not thought of, be found 

 at the head of the list. The subject is one well worthy of 

 attention, and at a future time I promise myself to go further 

 into details than I can with any degree of accuracy do now, 

 the middle of the growing season necessarily increasing the 

 altitude of trees considerably,' and it would be better for 

 those who report during this progressive period to mention 

 what their specimens were in the past winter. 



J. Bobson. 



CULTIVATION OP THE MELON. 



{Continued from page 475.) 



Soil. — Various descriptions of soil have been recommended 

 for growing the Melon, but none is better than a strong rich 

 loam with plenty of vegetable matter. The turf cut to form 

 loam for the Melon should be taken 4 inches thick from a 

 pasture which rests on a bed of clay ; and if it can be had 

 from the rich warped lands bordering rivers such is decidedly 

 to be preferred. These turves should be laid in a heap for 

 twelve months and turned over twice, and a bushel of soot 

 mixed with every cartload at each turning, to enrich the 

 compost and to make it obnoxious to wireworms and other 

 pests. The whole chopped up with a spade makes a compost 

 suitable for growing any kind of Melon ; but it often happens 

 that substitutes have to satisfy the cultivator. Eoad-scrapings 

 form no bad substitute, but they should be taken from a road 

 noted for being muddy; and the materials forming the road 

 must not be limestone, for Melons will not thrive in lime- 

 stone. The road-scrapings, mixed with an equal bulk of well 

 decomposed manure, and turned over occasionally for a year, 

 make a very good compost for the Melon. The next best 

 compost is ditch-cleanings turned over once or twice for a 

 year ; and if the cleanings are little besides clay mud mingled 

 with tree leaves, so much the better. With the ordinary 

 strong soil of gardens Melons may be grown very well; but 

 light composts of whatever kind are valueless for Melon 

 culture, yet they may be made to afford some fair fruit by 

 adding an equal quantity of eowdung, and turning them 

 over frequently so as to thoroughly incorporate the mass. 



The above are all improved by being exposed to the in- 

 fluence of the atmosphere for a year. The compost should 

 be made firm by treading or beating after being placed in 

 the frame, in order to force the roots to run slowly through 

 the soil, and give a stiff short-jointed growth. 



Planting Out. — The bed being covered with one of the 

 composts, and all being in proper order as to bottom heat, 

 sweetness of atmosphere, &c, select the pots that contain 

 the shortest-jointed plants — that is, those of which the 

 leaves are nearest to one another ; and any that have lateral 

 branches shooting from the neck of the plants are to be pre- 

 ferred to those that have none. Turning the pot upside 

 down, and gently tapping the edge against the edge of the 

 frame, the ball will come out entire. Plant this immediately 

 in the centre of the cone, in the hole, so that the cone, after 

 the plant is put in, may be 9 inches higher than the 3 inches 

 of soil with which the bed is covered. The top of the cone 

 or hillock should be rounded a little to hold water, and the 

 soil having been pressed rather firmly round the ball, give a 

 gentle watering to settle the earth about the roots, using 

 water of the same temperature as the frame. In this manner 

 plant the remainder of the lights. Two plants are sufficient 

 for one light after March, but earlier in the season three art' 

 requisite as they do not grow so vigorously; but if they 

 do, and there is any fear of the frame becoming too full, 

 it is easier to cut a plant away than to plant to fill up the 

 vacant space if a plant go off. Air will now be needed daily 

 in mild and sunny weather, the amount being regulated by 



a thermometer within the frame. Eor about a fortnight 

 after planting the temperature should be 70° at night, and 

 65° afterwards ; but when the fruit is ripening a temperature 

 of 75" much improves the flavour, especially if accompanied 

 by a corresponding dryness. Air should be admitted when 

 the thermometer is at 80° if there is a prospect of more sun, 

 and the frame should be closed with the thermometer in- 

 dicating 85°. 



Admitting Ate. — It is important to do this without 

 causing draughts of cold air, and in the early stages, when 

 the external air is cold and cutting, a thin mat or piece of 

 tiffany or hexagon netting placed over the openings will 

 admit sufficient fresh air, and yet prevent the deleterious 

 effects of cold. As the season advances air will be needed 

 in larger quantities, regulating the time of open in g and 

 shutting up by the thermometer. Begin in the morn in g 

 by opening the frame a little at the back, and then open 

 wider as the heat increases. I know of no better contriv- 

 ance for admitting air to frames than the notch system, in 

 which a wedge is usually made out of an inch 

 deal board, and cut with a sa.w to repre- 

 sent steps, the first of which is 1 inch wide and 

 li inch long, and cut slantingly, so that 

 the lights can be elevated half an inch 

 or an inch. The other notches are 

 l-£- inch wide and long, and are 

 generally four in number. The 

 accompanying engrav- 

 ing (fig- 1) will show 

 this useful contrivance, 

 which is decidedly pre- 

 ferable to sliding the 

 lights down, as this Fig. 1. 



causes a current of air 



at once by the escape of hot air at the back, and the ingress 

 of cold in front to supply its place. This is extremely 

 injurious to any plant, for by ventilation we seek to dis- 

 place foul air and supply its place with fresh ; but no 

 one would seek to enjoy fresh air by opening two doors 

 or windows from opposite points, and then sit down be- 

 tween the two in the fvdl current of air. If such draughts 

 are injurious to man they are equally so to vegetation. In 

 giving air to Melons it is well to give a little air as early in 

 the morning as safe, say a notch or half a notch as the case 

 may be, and to increase the width of the opening as the sun 

 increases in power during the forenoon, reducing the open- 

 ing again in the afternoon in proportion to the decline of 

 sun heat. 



Watering. — It is necessary that the plants be watered 

 moderately when planted, for the moistness of the heat 

 assists in keeping the soil moist — so much so, indeed, that 

 early in the season very little water is required. Waterings, 

 at first, must be given near the stems of the plants, but as 

 the roots extend and reach the sides of the hillock more 

 soil must be piled round it. 



Adding Soil. — It should be placed in the frame twenty- 

 four hours to get warmed before it is placed in contact with 

 the roots. This fresh soil must afterwards be watered in 

 place of that near the stem, for the Melon is at all times 

 extremely susceptible of moisture at its neck and main 

 branches. More soil must be added as the roots extend, so 

 that about three earthings will be necessary at intervals of 

 a fortnight, to cover the bed all over to a depth of 8 inches 

 for early Melons. This will leave the stems slightly elevated, 

 and so prevent water reaching the neck at the time of 

 watering. It is imperative to keep tha neck dry, or the 

 plants will almost to a certainty canker there, and the 

 result will be a loss of crop or immature badly flavoured fruit. 

 For the second crop of Melons it is only necessary to earth 

 the bed twice after planting, covering it to the extent of 

 10 inches ; and for later crops it is not necessary to wait 

 longer than a fortnight or three weeks before covering the 

 bed with 1 foot of soil. In all cases the soil should be made 

 fimi, for Melons enjoy a firm strong soil. Water should be 

 given once or twice a-week as the state of the soil may de- 

 termine, it being essential to have the soil moist but never 

 sodden, so that the plants may grow freely from the time 

 the fruit appears up to the time of its maturation. 



Fkiht Setting. — A moist condition of the soil being ne- 

 cessary to insure free growth, — light, air, and temperature 



