JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
July 20, 1882. ] 
55 
Madame Victor Verdier, Thomas Mills, Etienne Levet, Comtesse Riza 
du Parc, a good bloom of this capricious beaut}' ; Mons. E. Y. Teas, 
Comtesse de Nadaillac, very lovely; Duke of Teck, Souvenir de Paul 
Neyron, Ferdinand de Lesseps. He also won the first prize for twelve 
Teas, amongst which Marie Van Houtte, Madame Hippolyte Jamain, 
Caroline Kuster, Alba Rosea, Niphetos, Souvenir d’un Ami, Sou¬ 
venir de Paul Neyron, Catherine Mermet, and Madame Willermoz 
were very fine. Mr. Grant was first with eighteen trebles, and Mr. 
Barrington first with twelve of one sort with a good stand of La 
Prance, and Mr. Grant first with six Teas of one sort with Souvenir 
d’un Ami. Mr. A. Pettigrew was first for the Marquis of Bute’s prize 
for the best box of York-and-Lancaster. These were the principal 
stands, and as space is limited I must not give the names of other 
winning flowers. The arrangements of the Show were excellent, and 
much praise is due to Mr. Pettigrew and Mr. Taylor, who, aided by 
a good working Committee, have managed to establish a flourishing 
Society, which as years go on will, I doubt not, be one of the largest 
of our provincial exhibitions.—D., Deal. 
MELON SETTING—THE EFFECTS OF BOTTOM 
HEAT. 
The training, the soil, the variety, the treatment, generally have 
much to do with a good set of Melons or the reverse. When 
allowed to grow wildly instead of having the growths properly 
trained, regulated, stopped in order to concentrate growth, Melons 
often fail to set. When soil is too poor, too light, or too rich, the 
crop fails. Even when properly trained and properly fed a 
poor crop follows if the variety grown is a shy setter ; while 
bad treatment generally, causing weakly health, will spoil 
everything, no matter how orthodox the training, how good 
the soil, or prolific the variety. 
Independent of all these causes of failure there is another 
which may never have been suspected—we mean too high a 
temperature in the soil. That steady bottom heat is of much 
advantage nobody will deny, but when that is overdone the 
result is growth so wanting in strength as to be incapable of 
carrying a crop. Iam not prepared to state what is a proper 
figure for bottom heat, but my experience is that 70° is better 
than 90°, for the latter, while it insures a rapid and even a 
vigorous growth, is against a free set. With the bottom heat 
at 70° the crop is larger. I am free to confess, however, that 
with the higher temperature superior fruit, more especially in 
flavour, is obtained. 
In ray case the heat cannot always be regulated, for three 
compartments are heated from one boiler. When the heat can 
be regulated care should be taken not to have a too high 
bottom heat till a full crop is set. In the case of dung beds 
they should be built as narrow as possible, and even have holes 
through them should the bottom heat exceed 80°. When the 
fruit is set linings can be applied to keep the heat from declin¬ 
ing, or even to raise it, especially in case of crops ripening 
late in the season.— Single-h anded. 
CARNATIONS FOR TOWNS. 
In the immediate neighbourhood of towns cultivators of out¬ 
door flowers often experience considerable difficulty in obtain¬ 
ing their favourites in satisfactory condition, and many have 
to lament grievous failures in their attempts to add to the 
number of plants that can be grown in such situations. How 
many have endeavoured to acclimatise that popular favourite 
the Rose within the smoke radius of London, and how few can 
record even a moderate share of success ! For the autumn 
we have the Chrysanthemum it is true, and that is a host in 
itself ; but for the summer months the urban gardens are ren¬ 
dered bright usually by a few of the stereotyped bedding plants, 
amongst which scarlet Zonal Pelargoniums are frequently too 
prominent. 
Perhaps there is no class of really hardy plants so well adapted 
to take the place of the Rose in city gardens as the Carnations 
and Picotees, which flower at the same period, and with little care 
give far more satisfaction. Mr. E. S. Dodwell’s success with these 
plants, even from a florist’s point of view, is well known, and yet 
the flowers which secured him such high honours were all grown 
under what might be considered very unfavourable circumstances 
—in a densely populated district, and in unpleasant proximity to a 
railway where hundreds of trains passed daily. It would, how¬ 
ever, be difficult to find a better example of the excellent results 
that can be obtained in the culture of Carnations as hardy border 
plants in tswns than that afforded by the collection in Messrs. 
J. Yeitch & Sons’ nursery at Chelsea, which is now in superb 
condition, and will doubtless yet improve for a week or more. 
Several thousands of plants, which had been grown in pots during 
winter, were placed out in beds in early spring, and with ordinary 
careful attention to watering and other little requirements a display 
of flowers has been obtained that could not be excelled ; in fact, 
one of the first points which strike a visitor is the astonishing 
floriferousness of the plants generally, and in some varieties par¬ 
ticularly. Buds and flowers in all stages are most abundant, 
several of the more vigorous sorts having over five dozen on each 
plant. Neat and not too conspicuous stakes are employed, and as 
a result some of the beds present an even mass of flowers, the 
beauty of which either individually or collectively cannot be over¬ 
estimated. To further improve and prolong their attractions a 
light awning is placed over each bed at a convenient height, so 
that visitors can freely inspect the beds and yet injury from heavy 
rains or too powerful sun is obviated. 
A large number of the best varieties in cultivation are repre¬ 
sented, including several novelties, but it will be only necessary 
to point out a few of the best, preference being given to those 
which, from their vigorous habit, effective colours, and floriferous¬ 
ness, appear to be the best suited for general culture, though 
some of these would possibly be passed by rigid adherents to the 
florist’s standard. The Carnations are the first deserving of notice ; 
and it may be here observed that, beautiful and delicately coloured 
as the Picotees undoubtedly are, they cannot rank with their 
rivals in brilliance and effectiveness. The self Carnations in par¬ 
ticular are extremely showy, especially in large beds, and the 
freedom with which they bloom is no mean recommendation 
Fig. 12.—OJontoglossum Alexanlrce var. (See page 59.) 
where flowers are largely in demand. Of the several fine varieties 
represented at Chelsea one that is likely to attract very general 
attention is W. P. Milner, a most promising novelty, with pure 
white blooms of good size, full and even, and produced in astonish¬ 
ing numbers—four, five, or even six dozens of blooms and buds by 
each plant. Such a variety would possess inestimable value to a 
gardener, yielding a rich supply of handsome white blooms, which 
are always in request. Yirgo and The Bride are two other fine 
white-flowered varieties of great beauty, but not so remarkable as 
the preceding. Sulphur King, King of the Yellows, and Stanstead 
Yellow are three of the best yellow seifs, the first-named being 
dwarf and free. A new variety named Florence is, however, 
worthy of notice in this section ; the blooms are bright yellow 
with an orange tinge, they are very large and full, and are 
produced in great numbers. Amongst the rose seifs Mrs. Teigner, 
with large handsome richly coloured blooms, was especially 
notable ; Gertrude Teigner, though of paler colour, is also a 
pleasing variety, the blooms being of good size and freely pro¬ 
duced ; Lothair, also pale rose, with the preceding forms an 
excellent trio. Purple seifs are very handsome, the two finest 
being Auctioneer and Royal Purple ; the former having blooms of 
medium size, of a rich purple tint, and produced in great numbers ; 
the latter being similar in habit, but the flowers of a rather 
