November 22, 1864. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



418 



third joint. If so, we stop it -when the flower is sufficiently 

 expanded for impregnation, twenty-four hours after which 

 we take out the point of the shoot one joint above the fruit. 

 In consequence of this stopping the sap, instead of finding 

 its way into the growing point, will be directed into the leaf, 

 at the axil of which is the fruit, and it will hasten swelling, 

 or speedily cause the protrusion of another shoot, just as the 

 fruit is set or not. If the fruit swell well, and we have two 

 on a plant, every shoot is kept stopped close to one joint, 

 and some of the weakest laterals are removed, encouraging 

 any shoot, however, that may come above or from the same 

 point with the fruit; for we want to draw the sap from the 

 other parts of the plant towards the fruit, its size being 

 dependant on the sap elaborated in the leaves above and 

 by it. 



The fruit being set every encouragement is given to insure 

 its swelling by keeping the foliage healthy and stopping the 

 laterals, which should be kept thinned out so as to prevent 

 the principal leaves being unduly crowded, and deprived of 

 light and air. After the fruit is set the new growths should 

 not be allowed to make much way, for every inch of new 

 growth diminishes the size and deteriorates the quality of 

 the fruit ; at the same time it is important to keep up a 

 healthy root-action, and this can only be done by promoting 

 growth to a certain extent. The young shoots must, there- 

 fore, be stopped by taking out the points, never allowing 

 more than two joints above the last stopping after the fruit 

 is set. The plants, to do them justice, should be gone over 

 at least once a-week, stopping new growths, thinning out 

 those which are weak and ill placed, and regulating those 

 left so that every part may receive its due share of light and 

 air. It is all-important to tie up such shoots as require it 

 before they become twisted by hanging down or grow out of 

 place, for no amount of tying afterwards will compensate 

 for a broken twisted stem. It is a very common but a very 

 bad practice to allow Melons to completely cover the trellis 

 before any pruning is thought of, and then it is given with 

 great severity, and the consequences to the plant are bad. 

 I say it is the worst of systems to allow a Melon, after 

 setting its fruit, uo grow, without stopping and thinning the 

 shoots at intervals of not more than a week, until the shoots 

 become entangled and the leaves are struggling to gain a 

 due share of light. It is usual in this state of things to thin 

 out the shoots, shortening those left to a few joints from 

 whence they proceed, doing the same work then that ought 

 to have been done ten days or a fortnight previously. Dire- 

 ful are the consequences. The balance between the roots 

 and the leaves is gone. The roots take up the food from 

 the earth, but the leaves left are imperfectly formed through 

 the lack of light, air, and room to expand, and are unable to 

 assimilate the food absorbed, or do so in an imperfect manner. 

 In a few days a gummy exudation takes place from the cut 

 parts, and they very often split open ; besides, all along the 

 stem a jelly-like exudation takes place, especially if the at- 

 mosphere is at all moist, and the consequence of this again 

 is a diseased state of the plant. It was expected, no doubt, 

 that the removal would cause a greater amount of nutri- 

 ment to be thrown into the fruit. Never was a more mis- 

 taken notion. The leaves are the true source of the increase 

 of the size of the fruit, and this depends on the assimilation 

 of the food absorbed, and not on that actually taken u]3 by 

 the roots ; for, no matter what may be the amount of food 

 collected by the spongioles, unless there be a corresponding 

 amount of the organs necessary for its assimilation, the 

 fruit will not swell the more but remain at a standstill. 

 The leaves formed in a crowded state of the plant are im- 

 perfect through the absence of light and air, and being 

 suddenly exposed to increased light are incapable of bear- 

 ing the change, they therefore become yellow-spotted, 

 and unable to perform their ordinary functions and elabo- 

 rate the greater amount of food impelled into them in con- 

 sequence of the removal of the young growths in so whole- 

 sale a manner. In brief, the foliage assumes a sickly hue, 

 falls a prey to red spider, new growths are put forth tardily 

 and are weak, the fruit does not swell, but its rind is rendered 

 hard as flint, and the plant is all over wounds and sores. In 

 a short time there is a reaction, growth recommences, and 

 the fruit is expected to swell. Perhaps it has begun to net ; 

 it would ripen if the growths were kept down, but it is 

 small and it may yet swell. Swell, it does, but its rind is 



incapable of expanding, and it bursts through the pressure 

 from within. 



All stopping and thinning of the shoots after the fruit is 

 set should be confined to stopping the young shoots as they 

 present themselves to one, or at most two leaves, and re- 

 moving such shoots as have a tendency to deprive the prin- 

 cipal leaves of then- due share of light and air ; but this 

 must be done proportionately with the increased growth in 

 another part. 



After the fruit becomes fully netted all over, all growths 

 whatever should be stopped to one joint, and the shoots 

 gradually reduced in number in order to admit more light 

 to the leaves and to bring the plant into a state of maturity, 

 which is necessary to obtain full-flavoured fruit. Second 

 crops from plants in houses are not worth trying for ; there- 

 fore, a matured state of the plant is desirable by the time 

 the fruit is nearly ripe. 



If the first laterals or side-shoots do not show fruit, or if 

 they do and it fail to set, these shoots, being stopped two 

 joints above the embryo fruit, will push sub-laterals, most of 

 which will show fruit ; but before this every other lateral or 

 side shoot must be removed, and this gives increased room 

 for the development of the new parts. We may then reason- 

 ably calculate on the appearance of three or more embryo 

 fruits from each lateral, and the sub-laterals should be 

 stopped at one joint above the fruit. Duly impregnated it 

 is hardly possible but that more fruit by half will be set than 

 are really required. After the fruit begin to swell, two of 

 the most promising on each plant are retained, and a num- 

 ber of the sub-laterals may be removed and new growths 

 stopped, taking off more sub-laterals, providing always new 

 growths are made to keep up the balance between'the roots 

 and leaves. It is best, however, when the growths are few 

 and the parts already formed which have to be removed 

 distant, for such a state shows that the plant has all its vital 

 forces concentrated on the perfection of its fruit. 



Should neither the laterals nor sub-laterals show fruit, 

 which rarely happens under fair management, the old laterals 

 may be cut clean out provided there be young shoots formed 

 near the stem to take their place, when they are to be treated 

 in the same manner as their predecessors. If there is not a 

 sufficiency of young shoots to take the place of the barren 

 laterals, a shoot may be trained from the base of the prin- 

 cipal shoot, and the old shoot ultimately cut away to make 

 way for the young one. Such will fruit most freely, but the 

 fruit produced will not be equal to that furnished by a more 

 vigorous plant. 



"When the fruit begins to swell it will need supporting, 

 which I prefer doing by fastening a string of bast to the 

 trellis and bringing it under the neck of the fruit so as to 

 afford support and room for swelling, fastening the other 

 end to the trellis. This will be sufficient until the fruit 

 approaches maturity, when a strip of matting may be strung 

 round the fruit, fas t ening it so that the latter cannot by any 

 possibility fall on the ground, should it be allowed to remain 

 on the plant until dead ripe, when it would throw itself Off 

 like a Peach. I consider the fruit is best cut a day or two 

 after it commences to give forth its perfume, cutting it with 

 a part of the foot-stalk at it a c i. ed. Such will keep much longer 

 than fruit allowed to remain on the plant until dead ripe, and 

 I fancy they are a trifle higher-flavoured, though not so highly 

 perfumed. There are many methods of supporting the fruit 

 of Melons, but none are equal to the ordinary tying process. 



(To he continued.') 



POETEALTS OF PLANTS, FLO WEES, AND 

 FETJITS. 



Benanthera Lowii (Mr. Low's Renanthera)-.— -Nat. ord., 

 Orchidacess. Linn., Gynandria Diandria. Native of Bor- 

 neo. This gigantic Orchid has the unique peculiarity of pro- 

 ducing "two entirely distinct forms of flower on the same 

 spik«." The lowest pah- of flowers in each spike are uniformly 

 tawny yellow, dotted with crimson; the remainder are pale 

 green, blotched with reddish brown. — (Botanical Magazine, 

 t. 5475.) 



Masdevallia civilis (Tufted Masdevallia). — Nat. ord., 

 Orchidacea3. Linn., Gynandria Monandria. Native of Peru. 



