July 10, 18«4. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



43 



stem invariably swell the best, and are the most handsome. 

 It should, however, be borne in mind, that it is very un- 

 desirable to treat such fruit as if the principal crop were to 

 be subordinate to them. Many cultivators of the Melon, 

 however, consider that an early fruit, or one in advance of 

 the rest, prevents others from setting freely, if at all ; or if 

 these do, they seldom attain the perfection they would were 

 there no fruit in advance of them. This opinion I must say 

 is also in accordance with my own experience, but I never 

 could resist the temptation to get fruit set as early as 

 possible ; and from plants in different stages in the same 

 frame, I have had fruit insipid in one case, and excellent in 

 the other. It is desirable, therefore, to have the fruit set as 

 nearly at the same time as possible, and though we have 

 provided for this, it may happen that the plants do not 

 show fruit so freely as we could wish, or if they do they do 

 not set. I have said before, and I now repeat it, that the 

 bottom heat should be brisk (80° to 85°), and a dry atmo- 

 sphere with a change of air daily must accompany the set- 

 ting. With these -conditions secured, the soil moist and firm, 

 the plants not far from the glass, and strong, short-jointed 

 wood, there is no difficulty in the matter. After the fruit is 

 set provide a piece of blue slate or tile, and on this stand 

 the fruit, which will prevent the side next the earth rotting, 

 and to a great extent its not ripening on that side. I have 

 tried glass, &c., for keeping the fruit from the damp soil, but 

 have found nothing equal to pieces of common roofing slate. 



Pruning. — Pruning the Melon after the fruit is set is 

 confined to stopping all growths as fast as they appear to 

 two leaves, so as to throw as much support as possible into 

 the fruit, which will swell rapidly, and in order to insure its 

 doing so, all the leaves should be retained, except such as 

 are yellow. After the fruit begins to net, a few of the small 

 shoots should be cut in closely so as to admit more light 

 and air to the fruit ; but do not remove the large leaves, 

 for on them depend the size and quality of the fruit. After 

 the fruit is set and swelling all pruning, therefore, should 

 be limited to thinning-out the useless wiry shoots that 

 spring from the principal shoots or laterals, and to keeping 

 those left above the fruit stopped at every second leaf, so 

 that neither the wiry shoots nor those above the fruit may 

 rob the principal leaves of their due share of light, air, and 

 nourishment. Some make a practice of cutting away most 

 of the laterals after the fruit is set, but retain a growing 

 point above the fruit, and it is stopped repeatedly at 

 every two or three eyes. This is a first-rate system if the 

 principal leaves can be preserved in a healthy state until 

 the fruit is ripe, and when no second crop is desired from 

 the plants ; but should the leaves be scorched or attacked 

 with red spider or thrips, the fruit does not attain that per- 

 fection it would were there leaves in a healthy state to 

 elaborate the food absorbed. 



When the fruit approaches maturity the greater part of 

 the laterals and leaves, with the spray-like shoots above 

 the fruit, should be removed, retaining, however, any healthy 

 large leaves that may be on the main shoots for a short dis- 

 tance each way above and below the fruit. These will be 

 sufficient to attract and elaborate the food necessary for the 

 maturation of the fruit, whilst the removal of the spray-like 

 shoots with their small leaves will admit more sun heat and 

 air, and materially improve the flavour, giving a richness 

 that renders sugar unnecessary. The fruit may now be 

 elevated on an inverted flower-pot, still keeping the slate 

 beneath it, for if it be placed on the pot without the slate, the 

 steam of the bed or moisture rises and keeps the under side 

 of the fruit wet, and may cause decay there. This raising 

 the fruit nearer the sun completes the ripening, and heightens 

 the aroma. 



Renewing Gkowth. — Should the plants appear disposed 

 to grow vigorously after the laterals are removed, and a 

 second crop be desired, choose four or five of those that are 

 near the stem of the plant. Give no water, however, except 

 enough to keep the plants alive, and in a rather healthy 

 state. Trim away all other laterals except those bearing fruit, 

 which will cause those left to take the extra sap, whilst the 

 small quantity now needed for the support of the fruit will 

 not deteriorate the quality in the least ; but should extra 

 support now be thrown into the fruit it not only injuriously 

 affects the flavour, but is a direct cause of cracking. The 

 fruit being ripe the old vines or principal shoots are cut 



back, the bed watered, and the shoots retained for a second 

 crop treated in the same manner as those for the first crop. 

 It is of little use attempting to obtain a second crop unless 

 the fruit is ripe in July, or sooner, so that a good plant can 

 be preserved, and the fruit can be set in August. 



Another Mode of Training. — The most simple and most 

 generally-adopted system of training Melons in dung-beds is 

 to stop the plants at the second rough leaf, and then allow 

 them to grow for a fortnight or so after planting-out, by 

 which time they will be well furnished with shoots. Pour 

 or five of the strongest shoots are then selected, and spread 

 out at equal distances, with their extremities pointing to- 

 wards the sides of the frame, care being taken not to cross 

 the shoots of one plant with those of its neighbour, one plant 

 being taken to the back, the other to the front of the bed. 

 Then cut clean out the spray shoots that cluster round the 

 stem, which should at all times be kept free both of these 

 and leaves, as they prevent the circulation of a due amount 

 of air, and cause weakness, canker, or gummy exudation at 

 that part of the plant, resulting in the death of the plants 

 before the fruit attains maturity. The shoots are encouraged 

 by taking away the small worthless shoots near the stem, 

 and are trained from 9 inches to a foot apart. When they 

 reach to within 6 inches of the sides of the frame their points 

 are pinched off at a leaf. This causes the production of 

 side shoots or laterals, and on these blooms appear nearly 

 simultaneously throughout the frame. The atmosphere is 

 kept dry, the flowers are duly impregnated, and by these 

 means, with a brisk bottom heat, the setting of the fruit 

 generally takes place. When that is effected a piece of slate 

 is placed under each fruit, the shoots are kept rather thin by 

 cutting out the weakest, and stopping the strongest, so as to 

 cause support to pass into the fruit, and a good root-action 

 kept up by the formation of new growths. The shoots 

 are repeatedly stopped and thinned after this, so that the 

 principal leaves may not be prevented from duly performing 

 their functions for want of light and air, nor robbed of sup- 

 port by a quantity of useless small shoots. This is all the 

 training given in many cases, and I can vouch for large and 

 fine-flavoured fruit being obtained in this way. — G. Abbey. 

 (To he continued.') 



MY OECHARD-HOUSE.— No. 5. 



" Eheu fugaces !" How swiftly fly the precious moments ! 

 Let us employ them well. It seems but yesterday that I 

 saw my Peach trees in bloom under a canopy of snow, so 

 thick and heavy overhead as to make it seem twilight in- 

 stead of a February morning. Conspicuous among them 

 was the Honey Peach, with its lovely rosy blossoms, so 

 unique that any one could recognise the variety at a glance. 

 And already we are' gathering the fruit ! Ever since the 

 beginning of the month we have had fine ripe Early York 

 Peaches, generally 8 inches round, and well coloured. This 

 is what the orchard-house does for us — it hastens the ripen- 

 ing, and secures us a certain crop ; it also enables us to 

 grow delicate varieties of Peaches and Nectarines, which 

 would never thrive out of doors. But to my mind, its great 

 value lies in the succession of ripe fruit which can be ob- 

 tained by a little skill. 



It is worse than useless to grow Peaches for a six-weeks 

 season. In favourable seasons many are wasted, and this 

 noble fruit degenerates in value from its very abundance, 

 while in cold and wet seasons there are not only very few, 

 but these do not last. Now, in the orchard-house there is 

 no need to dread these results. Unless, as it is facetiously 

 said, there are none produced at all, there is no reason why 

 we should not have a three-months Peach-season, not to 

 speak of Plums, Cherries, Apricots, &e. Three months con- 

 stitute a large portion of the whole year, and if we can 

 secure any particularly valuable fruit for this length of 

 time it is saying a great deal in its favour. Orchard-houses 

 do this — first, by ripening fruits early in themselves, and 

 by making them earlier still ; then by hastening midseason 

 varieties, so that the same kinds on the wall shall come in 

 directly afterwards; and lastly, by producing late fruits 

 such as the open wall cannot be expected to ripen at all. 

 This has been our regular practice, and from July to No- 

 vember it is easy for our numerous visitors to judge for 



