JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
y ~ 
234 
[ March 22, 1883. 
Culture.—The stubble is ploughed up as early as possible in the 
autumn, cut across with the plough in January, well dragged or 
scarified and harrowed, finally throwing it in ridges, and manure is 
laid between if possible a month previous to planting. It is kept 
perfectly clean by hoeing, and the plants are well banked up.— Thos. 
Sillence, The Gardens, Nonsuch Park, Cheam. 
1. February 20th. Old Ashleaf, Veitch’s Improved Ashleaf, 
Walnut-leaved Kidney, Fortyfold Early, and Beauty of Hebron. 
Soil.—Light sandy loam. 2. Early in March. Schoolmaster, Snow¬ 
flake, Walker’s Early Regent, and Co vent Garden Perfection. 
3. March 20th. The old York Regent, Scotch Champion, Magnum 
Bonum, and Paterson’s Yictoria. Manures and Application. — 
Well-decayed good stable manure. Early varieties are planted 
2 feet apart in the rows, second varieties 3 feet, late varieties 4 feet. 
General Culture.—All well earthed as soon as clear from weeds at 
4 to 6 inches out of the ground. William Kemp, Albury Park 
Gardens, Guildford. 
1. First week in March for all of them. Yeitch’s Improved Ash¬ 
leaf, Rivers’ Royal Ashleaf, and *Early Rose. Soil.—Sandy and 
rather light, but very much inclined to cake hard during the summer 
months. 2. We do not grow second early varieties, as the early and 
late varieties here answer all the purposes required. 3. ^Scotch 
Champion, *Suttons’ Magnum Bonum, and Paterson’s Yictoria. 
Manures and Application.—Well-decayed stable manure is employed, 
mixed with equal portions of soil from the ga;dea refuse heap. 
General Culture.—We spread the compost over the ground, and then 
well dig it and dibble in the Potatoes in rows 3 feet apart.—E. J. 
Bayman, Holmbury, Dorking. 
1. From end of January till middle of March. *Yeitch’s Improved 
Ashleaf, *Fox’s Seedling, Giant King, and Royal Ashleaf. Soil.— 
Light sandy loam. 2. March and early in April. *Rintoul’s Early 
Don, Dajmahoy, *Grampian, and *Magnum Bonum, the last in some 
seasons is good to use when being dug. 3. April and early in May. 
*MagnumBonum, *Yictoria,*Dunbar Regent,and Champion. Manures 
and Application.-Short stable manure mixed with old hotbed materials. 
Sometimes the sets dibbled in after the ground is dressed and dug. 
I find the best results after dressing the sets as they are planted, lay¬ 
ing on the manure and digging the ground as we plant. General 
Culture.—I should prefer to have all the planting done by the middle 
of April, but we are obliged to wait till the green vegetables are 
removed. I have always had Late Rose of very good quality here, 
and a first-rate cropper, but this season it is quile uneatable, and 
most of the other Americans are the same. I have grown the old 
Fortyfold for several years, but during the last few seasons the crop 
has decreased, otherwise it is one of the best midseason Potatoes. 
Magnum Bonum is here of extra fine quality, and certainly one of 
the best Potatoes for market or table, and we have scarcely had a 
diseased tuber.— John Burnett, The Deepdene Gardens, Dorking. 
YOUNG- GARDENERS. 
I have read with great interest the articles on gardening and 
gardeners. As a young gardener, having spent over seven years 
in bothies at various places, I never met young men generally as 
described by “ G. H.” on page 134. Head gardeners, as is stated 
on page 172, would not tolerate unsteady men ; and, further, I 
venture to say that as a rule young gardeners compare favourably 
with any other class of men. In reference to “ G. H.’s ” sugges¬ 
tion on libraries, I do not think that it is in any way the want of 
books that keeps young men from reading. Books and papers 
upon gardening are so numerous and cheap that with the outlay 
of a. few coppers weekly information can be had on every useful 
topic ; yet libraries in gardens would be a great boon to many. 
There are more failures by the want of perseverance than of 
ability, and no one knows what he can do until he tries. I would 
urge every young gardener to study the writings 'of their superiors, 
and consider who is to supply the succeeding generation with the 
privileges we now enjoy. Young men should endeavour by every 
possible means to make themselves competent to take the places 
of those who by their diligence and perseverance gained their 
distinction. Those amongst us who think more of seeking night 
than gaining knowledge had better leave the ranks, as they will 
do no good for themselves nor to the calling with which they are 
connected.—J. S. 
PRESERVING MELONS. 
Lately, to pass the time, I had occasion to read Burnaby’s 
“Ride to Khiva,” and could not help wondering how the Khivans 
manage to keep Melons fresh and well flavoured all through their 
almost arctic winter. At the end of January he found them plen¬ 
tiful in the bazaars, and pronounced them to be better flavoured 
than any he ever tasted in England. Whether this was owing to 
his having tasted nothing in the fruit way for some time, or "was 
really owing to their excellence, may be a question, for those 
brought home were by no means first-class. But is it not possible 
that the kind might be possessed of valuable keeping qualities 
that might enable us to have Melons all the year round without 
the aid of excessive firing or the electric light ? Captain Burnaby 
asserts that they are preserved by the dryness of the air. This 
may be doubted. At all events there need be no great difficulty 
in producing air dry enough and also cool enough. The man 
who shall invent a method or raise a variety that shall enable us 
to keep Melons like some of our Grapes from September till 
spring will confer a boon on us, whereas growing them in 
winter by hot water and the electric light will be no boon. 
The one system is excessively costly, the other should be inex¬ 
pensive. Is there any reason why this should not be realised ? 
So far as flavour and fruitfulness is concerned improvements are 
hardly possible. But let raisers now devote their energies to 
produce a Melon that may be kept to serve with Lady Downe’s 
Grape in March, and the horticultural world will be indebted to 
him indeed. Even supposing only the first step be taken along 
the road we have indicated, the goal may one day be reached.— 
Invalid. 
PTMLEPNGS. 
Mr. Shirley Hibberd will give a lecture on Amaryllises 
at the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society on Tuesday 
next at 3 p.m. 
- A Dorchester correspondent, “ Crux,” asks if any of 
our readers will kindly say if they find cocoa-nut fibre refuse a 
harbour for woodlice. They are a perfect pest in his garden, and 
he would not like to introduce the stuff if they are at all/partial 
to it. 
- The dates of the Newcastle-on-Tyne Flower Shows 
for the present year are fixed as follows :—Spring Show, May 2nd 
and 3rd ; Summer Show, July 25th, 26th, and 27th. 
- A correspondent thus alludes to Cardiff Castle 
Cucumber : “ For handsomeness, fertility, and hardiness allow 
me to recommend this variety. I grew it last year for the first 
time, and to those who have not yet made its acquaintance I 
would say, Do so.” 
- It has been decided to open a subscription for a memorial 
to the late Mr. John Sadler, and that this should chiefly take 
the form of a fund applicable to the maintenance of Mr. Sadler’s 
widow and family of seven children, who, in consequence of his 
sadly premature decease (at the age of 45) are left altogether in¬ 
adequately provided for. Dr. William Craig, F.R.S.E., Lecturer 
on Materia Medica, Edinburgh School of Medicine (address, 
7, Lothian Road, Edinburgh), is appointed Treasurer, and em¬ 
powered to receive subscriptions. 
- In Messrs. Garraway’s Durdham Down Nurseries, 
Bristol, we recently noticed a very useful strain of Cinerarias. 
They were remarkably dwarf, and produced heads of large 
well-formed flowers of a variety of colours. Such a strain of 
Cinerarias are well adapted for conservatory decoration, and 
for market purposes must prove valuable. Double Cinerarias 
are also well represented, and seedlings, which though inferior to 
Mr. Thomas Lloyd and other named varieties in the house with 
them, are still very serviceable. In another house a good batch 
of Begonia Roezlii was noteworthy. This will in time become 
equally as popular as the old and perpetual-flowering Begonia 
nitida, which it resembles, with the important exception of pro¬ 
ducing large trusses of bright scarlet flowers, instead of the pale 
rose-coloured blooms which we are most accustomed to. 
- A correspondent writes — “ With reference to Dr. 
Paterson’s note on material for potting Orchids in, has 
that gentleman never tried the roots of strong-growing Ferns 
