December 20, 1864. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



495 



expose the principal shoot and lateral leaves to light and 

 air, in order that the food absorbed by the roots may be 

 duly elaborated in the leaves, and these being kept healthy 

 fine, full-flavoured fruit are the consequence. 



It is quite possible that the embryo fruit produced on the 

 laterals may not set or swell, or it may be that none is 

 shown. In this case the laterals should be stopped at the 

 third or fourth leaf, and this stopping will induce sub- 

 laterals on which we may confidently look for fruit at the 

 first, second, or third leaf. This being the case the sub- 

 laterals are stopped at the third leaf; the plant will then 

 appear as represented in fig. 20. The fruit being set and 

 swelling freely, it is necessary to thin the sub-laterals, 

 going over them twioe — first, a week or ten days after the 

 fruit begins to swell, removing two of those not producing 

 fruit, but not stopping any shoots whatever, only removing 

 two of the sub-laterals on the laterals from the upper part, 

 as shown by the cuts on the principal shoot, d, and this 

 from every part of the plant, unless such be producing fruit 

 as, e, on the lateral, /, and principal shoot, li, on the left, 

 when the two sub-laterals below that on which the fruit is 

 borne are stopped to one leaf each, thus \, and the shoots 

 from the sub-lateral are not stopped but left to grow for 

 some time. In case the fruit is borne on the nearest sub- 

 lateral, i, on the lateral, h, on the principal stem, I, the 

 sub-laterals and lateral are removed to the cross cut on 

 the lateral, Tc ; but those shoots springing from the bases 

 of the sub-laterals are not stopped at that time, nor until a 

 week afterwards. Erom a week to ten days after the useless 

 sub-laterals are cut away, the growths taking their rise 

 from the sub-laterals are stopped to two leaves, but if pro- 

 ducing fruit to four, above the fruit, and if those left over- 

 crowd the main leaves and stems, their number is reduced 

 by degrees, so that the plant may not be gorged with sap, 

 and gout result through an insufficiency of leaves to ela- 

 borate the food absorbed. After this the new growths 

 are kept closely stopped, and thinned to admit light and 

 air to the main leaves until the fruit is perfected, when 

 the plants may be pulled up, and others planted in fresh 

 soil if a second crop be desired ; for Melon plants in houses 

 after producing one crop are not worth keeping to afford a 

 second. 



In case the principal shoots do not set fruit on the 

 lateral, or sub-lateral shoots, the principal shoots may be 

 cut down to the two reserve shoots (which have been kept 

 pinched in) at the base of the plant, and situated to the 

 right and left respectively — viz., m n, infig. 20, and shoots 

 sufficient to cover the trellis may be obtained if the plant 

 is vigorous enough and they must be trained in lieu of 

 those cut away. Such shoots cannot fail to produce fruit 

 immediately, but it will be small, though well flavoured. 

 This method of training Melons is adapted for all low 

 trellises, and is the same as that recommended in the case 

 of training the Melon over the surface of beds without 

 trellises.' — G. Abbey. 



(To be continued.) 



BOILEES WITHOUT BBICKWOEK. 



I notice in the Number of your Journal published De- 

 cember 6th, that you say, in answer to "A Constant Sub- 

 scriber," on the subject of stove boilers — "We have reason 

 to know that the boiler named soon burns through, and that 

 all the so-called boilers without setting do the same. There 

 is little if any difference in them, and they all do their work 

 pretty well, subject to the drawback of the outer casing 

 speedily burning through." 



In reply I beg to state that by no means " all " the stove 

 boilers burn through, as I can mention four or five manu- 

 facturers in London besides myself, who make stove boilers 

 requiring no setting, and which do not burn through any 

 faster than the ordinary saddle or conical boilers set in 

 brickwork. These boilers are constructed with the fire in 

 the interior of a cylindrical water space (see accompanying 

 engraving), and no casing is used outside. 



I may mention that I have erected this class of boiler in 

 the Royal Horticultural Society's Gardens at Chiswick and 

 South Kensington, and in many other places, especially in 

 the neighbourhood of London, where I find they "give great 



satisfaction, as they are quickly and cheaply erected, and 

 can be as easily removed if required for alterations. 



I think you will see from the enclosed tracings that tie 

 boilers which I have described differ considerably from the 

 one to which you allude in your remarks. — Thos. S. Truss. 



[We quite assent to the above. Our observation applied 

 to furnaces with boilers placed above them, not to furnaces 

 the sides of which are formed by the boiler, for as long as 

 this is kept filled with water no excessive burning can occur.] 



WOEK FOE THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



No opportunity should be allowed to pass by, of getting- 

 the soil in a favourable state for the reception of the various 

 crops which must soon be committed to it, and as the basis 

 of success is allowed by all good practical gardeners to be a 

 thorough system of drainage, no time should be lost in at- 

 tending to this most material point. Whatever is done 

 should be done well. Never allow a drain to be laid down 

 that is likely to be deranged in its operation, as the good 

 that may otherwise be derived from it would be nullified 

 from the difficulty of ascertaining where the defects are. As 

 this kind of work may be done any time when it is dry over- 

 head, you will do well to look to it in time. Broccoli, these 

 will be advanced by the recent mild weather, look over and 

 select the most forward for protection in case of the return 

 of frosty weather. Continue to remove all dead and decaying 

 leaves. Cabbage, plants may still be planted or pricked out 

 from seed-beds, and those planted in October should have a 

 little soil drawn to them. Garlic and Shallots should be 

 planted. Peas, the early ones which are breaking the soil 

 may have a ridge of mould drawn over them, a covering of 

 sawdust, old tan, or clean sand, is very good for the purpose, 

 as it tends to keep the slugs in check. Set traps regularly 

 for mice. Provide a successional supply of Sea-kale and. 

 Asparagus, in whatever way forcing is practised. 



ERUIT GARDEN. 



Orchard trees of large size are much neglected about 

 many places as to pruning, the heads should be liberally 

 thinned, cutting out all branches which cross the others, anol 

 dead pieces, and leaving the shoots sufficiently far apart 

 that light and air may have free play among those left when 

 the foliage is on. In removing large branches care should 

 be used to make close clean cuts, and if the wood is coated 

 with strong, thick paint, this will help to prevent its de- 

 caying before the wound is healed over. Also, take ad- 

 vantage of leisure time to thoroughly examine the fruit 

 stores, and remove any that are found to be decaying. Of 

 course, the frost must be excluded from here, but on no 

 account use fire heat unless the temperature cannot other- 

 wise be kept above freezing. Admit a little air on fine days, 

 especially after keeping the room shut up for some time ; 

 but as the fruit will now give off but little moisture, very- 

 little air will suffice to keep the atmosphere dry, and no 

 more than maybe necessary to do this should be given. Any 

 of the more choice varieties of Pears that do not ripen 

 properly should be removed to a warm, dry room for a few 

 days, which will be found to greatly improve them. 



