1200 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



excess, and which in the ordinary open-ground conditions would have 

 been removed by bottom drainage. Plants growing in pots are under 

 distinctly artificial conditions, and there are many causes which lead to the 

 accumulation of these toxic acids. For instance, too deep planting, 

 or when roots are not sufficiently aerated, the use of over-hard-baked 

 pots or glazed receptacles, the compacting of the soil, and particularly the 

 absence of, or clogging of " drainage." 



The soil was copiously watered with water at the high temperature 

 of 125 - 130° Fahr. The water was applied until it ran out in abundance 

 from the hole at the bottom of the pot. After this washing, the plants 

 were placed in a warmer situation. 



After the plants have been treated to a hot-water bath it would be 

 well to replace the loss of food elements by slight applications of liquid 

 manure. It is reasonable to believe that if the hot water will dissolve 

 and wash out the poisonous acids it would also dissolve and carry off all 

 essential elements of plant food. Therefore, they must be supplied 

 artificially.— M. C. C. 



Water in Soils and Evaporation. By C. B. Ridgway (U.S.A. 

 E.rp. Stn. Wyoming, Bull. 52 ; 4/1902). — A mass of statistics recording 

 results of experiments regarding the evaporation of water from a soil 

 under varying conditions, the water-level being constant. The most 

 instructive portion of the report shows that when the water-level was kept 

 at 22 inches below the surface, stirring the surface once a week to a depth 

 of 2 inches retarded evaporation by 19 per cent., stirring to a depth of 

 4 inches by 23 per cent., and to a depth of 6 inches by 43 per cent. 



The method by which the results were obtained is illustrated. 



F. J. C. 



Water-Melons : (1) Growing- in the North, and (2) Classifica- 

 tion of. By F. Wm. Rane (U.S.A. Exp. Stn. Neiv Hampshire, Bull. 

 No. 86, figs. 1-14).— Part I. The culture of the Water-Melon (Citrullus 

 vulgaris) as practised in the Southern States, where thousands of acres 

 are grown annually, and the possibilities for its adaptation as a commercial 

 crop in the North are discussed. It is a native of Africa, and the idea 

 was sometime prevalent that it would only thrive successfully in the 

 warm sunny climate of the South, whence an early and continuous 

 supply has been obtained throughout the summer season. 



Occasionally in the North some good fruits were seen, but these were 

 considered uncommon and greatly the result of accident rather than 

 cultural skill. One grower was eventually found who had both grown 

 and disposed of the fruits in the open market for several years at 

 considerable profit, with a variety known as " Cole's Early." This 

 success led to an investigation of the matter, and a series of experiments, 

 with a test of all procurable varieties, was inaugurated as the result. 

 Fifty-one varieties were obtained from various sources, and the tests 

 carried out at above station, with the assistance and following the 

 methods of Mr. H. F. Hall, the successful grower. 



The plot selected for experimental purposes had a south-eastern 

 aspect, and consisted of old pasture land of a deep sandy loam. This 



