200 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
to prevent an appearance of poverty in bloom. 
..Standard Roses, in pots, help greatly : they 
stand among large plants, and their heads may 
be seen above the lower ones in front of them. 
In this particular they are invaluable ; some 
blooming in June ; others in July, August, 
and September. In short, you must look 
about you to keep a conservatory in good order, 
and prevent it becoming scanty of flowers. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Melons and Cucumbers. — Those under 
glass frames, and on dung beds, require atten- 
tion to the heat ; and if the temperature has 
been much reduced, means must be taken to 
increase it. If the heat be from dung, the 
removal of that which has declined in tempe- 
rature, and replacing it with hot, is necessary. 
With a common hot-bed, this must be done by 
portions ; for instance, take away all that 
projects beyond the frame in front, and even 
undermine it a little, and then, in placing as 
much hot dung, press it together rather close, 
and put plenty of it ; then serve it the same 
at the back. In the heat of the day, air may 
be given in considerable quantity ; and cover- 
ing the glass with transparent cloth or canvass, 
or old matting, Avhile the sun is hottest, will 
be advantageous. Many persons use trans- 
parent cloth for cucumber growing, instead 
of glass,; but the cheapness of glass renders 
any substitute of small value ; and any sub- 
stitute now Avould be dearer than glass in the 
long run, and not much cheaper even at first. 
The management of these matters under glass 
continues the same as already directed. The 
melon cannot have too much heat, and the more 
heat the higher the flavour ; but it must have 
air with it. Melons should be grown in pure 
loam, and the little water required should 
always be kept in the frame, that it may be 
the same temperature as the internal atmo- 
sphere. It has been doubted whether, if 
there be .strong heat, it be not necessary to tilt 
the light a little at the back, instead of shut- 
ting up close at night. There can, however, 
be no doubt, that it would be well to lower 
the temperature at night ; the fruit would be 
greatly improved by it ; but there would be 
mischief if the change were more than five to 
ten degrees. Under the ordinary manage- 
ment, the changes are curious enough. They 
are uncovered by daylight, or ought to be : they 
have a chill, therefore, to begin with ; as the 
sun comes out, they are gradually warmed. 
They then have air given, and are shaded, — 
this, if not done carefully, gives them another 
cooler ; in the evening, they are closed and 
covered up warm ; and if the bed be what is 
called in good order, they are heated more than 
ever in the dark, when they ought not to be 
excited. In a general way, and the gardener 
may accomplish it how lie pleases, the tempe- 
rature should be lower in the dark than in the 
light. Melons should not be grown in rich 
soil, for it runs them into size without flavour ; 
and although this may do lor market, it is not 
good for use. The melon is a sadly mawkish 
fruit when not in perfection. It is not too 
late for those who have plenty of dung to begin 
melons now ; sowing the seed and placing it 
in even the newly-made bed, while air is 
let out to sweeten it, will forward them, and 
they will be up about the time that the bed is 
in order to put the mould in. Throw in lialf- 
a-barrowful of clean undunged loam, like a 
cone, in the centre of the bed, and spreading a 
little all over the dung. As soon as the seed- 
lings have four leaves, they may be planted 
three in the centre of the frame, first forming 
a sort of basin in the cone of earth, the bottom 
of which should be six inches deep of mould. 
If this be not carefully done, you are apt to 
work the loam out, so that it is too shallow, 
and the plants do not thrive ; in time the 
whole frame must be six inches covered, and 
then it will be level with the plants. As soon 
as you can get hold of the centre or main 
shoot — or, as it has four rough leaves — pinch 
it out to force side growth ; and then, as it 
throws them out, regulate their growth so as 
to cover the bed : it may happen that only 
two side shoots come out ; in that case, as 
soon as they are three joints long, pinch out 
the end of them, and they will throw out 
lateral shoots enough : when a shoot is getting 
towards the side or end of the box, take the 
tops off, and continue to manage them as pre- 
viously directed. They should be constantly 
watched, and only have water when they 
almost flag for want of it. High flavour can 
never be attained in large fruit. We do not 
mean that a large sort of melon cannot be 
good ; but that large growth is incompatible 
with high flavour ; that is io say, that, if a 
melon can be grown to two pound weight by 
excitement and high feeding, but would, under 
plainer treatment, not weigh more than one, 
the one pound melon would be much higher 
and better flavoured than the two pound one. 
This we have seen exemplified in Duncan's 
Green-flesh, which were grown from the same 
sowing : one literally half-starved ; the other 
well-fed : the one, three-light box, gave rich, 
high-flavoured, but small fruit ; the other, 
large, handsome, but much weaker flavoured. 
The one did to show for prizes where they 
were cut ; the other did to show where they 
were not cut. 
Cucumbers to pickle. — Sow, on or about 
the 20th of the month, a few seeds in the 
open air, and then heat them the same as you 
I would in a bed, except that you plant three in 
a patch, when they are large enough, in beds 
