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272 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 5, 1883. 
cultivator will not succeed with them, as one hour’s 
neglect in the matter of supplying the large amount 
of water plants in pots require will undo the work of 
several weeks. I do not practise pot culture here, tut 
in my previous situation, where house room was more 
limited, all our Melons were grown in pots. The only 
house available was about 12 feet wide, low, span-roofed, 
and running from east to west. Along the south front 
a pit about 1 yard wide was formed, this enclosing 
pipes for bottom heat. A larger pit G feet wide, with¬ 
out bottom heat, was built on the opposite side, and 
for each portable staging was made, this being used 
during the autumn and winter for ordinary plant- 
growing. In the front pit a row of Melons in pots 
were disposed about 1 yard apart, the pots plunged in 
a mixture of leaves and manure, and the top growth 
trained up the roof and stopped about midway over 
the pathway between the two pits. On the opposite 
side or the front of the large pit next the path were 
more Melons in pots. These, as will be seen, were a 
considerable distance from the glass, and were trained 
obliquely and towards the glass on the south side, the 
upper part of the trellis being 2 feet above the termina¬ 
tion of the front row of plants. Cucumbers were grown 
at the back of the large pit and trained up a trellis 
attached to the north roof of the house, and at the 
ends of the house two rows of Tomatoes in boxes were 
grown. As a matter of course this crowding of crops 
involved much labour, and the Cucumbers especially 
were not easily reached : but in the end we felt well 
repaid for our trouble, as, in addition to maintaining 
a good supply, we secured first prizes for Cucumbers 
and Melons at local shows, and for Tomatoes at 
metropolitan meetings. I had previously found that 
Melons might be grown satisfactorily in an atmosphere 
suitable for Cucumbers or Pine Apples. Some of the 
best Melons I have yet seen were grown in pots on 
high back shelves in a Pine stove and trained up the 
roof. A strong heat, plenty of light rather than a 
fierce sun heat, and abundance of moisture at the roots, 
appears most necessary for Melons. 
For shelves 12-incli pots should be employed, but the 
pots should be the largest available when stood on 
strong benches or plunged in heating material. The 
compost we prefer consists of fibrous clayey loam, the 
turves being cut rather thick and stored in a heap for 
at least three months prior to use, and to every two 
bushels of this is added when roughly broken up a 
shovelful of lime. If poorer loam were necessarily 
employed we should add a little artificial manure 
according to the strength recommended by the vendor. 
A moderate amount of drainage only is necessary, over 
this being placed some of the roughest of the soil, and 
then more is added and firmly rammed down so as to 
bring the ball of the plant when in position to within 
4 inches of the top of the pot. Fine soil is placed in 
immediate contact with the roots, while the remaining 
space is filled with rougher soil, which is made as firm 
as possible. The pot being only filled to within the 
above depth of the top permits of a top-dressing of 
manure being given when the crop commences swelling. 
I must not omit cautioning beginners against em¬ 
ploying cold soil. It should, prior to potting, be heated 
to the same temperature as the house in which the 
young plants are growing, and to effect this I know of 
no plan to equal that of heating several hricks in a 
furnace and burying these in the heap of soil. The 
balls of plants to be shifted into fruiting pots should be 
in a moist state, and care must be taken not to satu¬ 
rate the surrounding soil or the roots will not readily 
penetrate it. "When in full growth abundance of water, 
always of the same temperature as the house, should 
be supplied, those not plunged often requiring two or 
three soakings daily. When the fruits are swelling 
weak liquid manure should be given at every watering, 
or, better still, an occasional spoonful of a good artificial 
manure such as that supplied by the Crown Manure 
Company, or Standen’s Manure, should be spread over 
the surface of the pots and carefully watered in. 
The trellis for training may be fixed about 12 inches 
from the glass, the wires being strained across the 
house, and 10 or 12 inches apart, or, as I prefer, two 
rods may be fixed, one along the front and the other 
about 4 feet from this in the same direction, and to 
these short lengths of wire may be attached. The 
growths are trained to within 1 foot of the top of the 
trellis before the point of the leading shoot is pinched 
out. All the leaves on the main stem should be pre¬ 
served intact, but the side shoots formed below the trellis 
should be rubbed out as fast as they appear, as in this 
case they heal quickly, whereas if allowed to remain 
till it is necessary to cut them out there is the danger 
of bleeding and eventual injury to the stems from the 
spread of the canker thus caused. The main growth 
up the trellis will form abundance of side shoots, which 
also should be early thinned out where at all crowded. 
Nearly every lateral will produce fertile blooms, which 
should be impregnated when four or more are expanded 
at the same time. Pinch back the shoots at the first 
joint beyond the fertile blossom, and do not syringe 
when these are being set. Maintain a temperature as 
near as possible to 70° by night, to rise in the day¬ 
time to 85° with air. Further cultural details will 
follow. Nearly every variety is adapted for fruiting in 
pots, but the old Victory of Bath is early and good, 
and I much like Colston Bassett, Hero of Lockinge, 
and William Tillery, green-fleslied; with Blenheim 
Orange and Beid’s Hybrid, scarlet-fleshed.—W. 
Iggulden. 
MAKING AND RENOVATING LAWNS. 
(Continued from page 156.) 
The ground having been prepared and levelled, it will 
further be necessary to bring the surface into good tilth, 
whether it is to be laid with turf or sown with grass seeds. If 
the ground be poor it will be desirable to apply a dressing of 
well-decayed manure, and point it in Avith a fork. After this 
the ground should when the surface is dry be trodden well and 
raked, so as to produce an even surface. Obnoxious Aveeds, such 
as Ranunculus repens, Plantain, Dandelion, Docks, Knot and 
Couch Grass, it is needless to point out, should be rooted out 
and cleared away, also any rough stones. 
The next consideration is Avhether to lay turf or soav grass 
seeds. If good turf can be had this Avill afford a satisfactory 
result in a shorter time than soAving seeds, but feAV care to 
sacrifice their best turf even for a lawn. Where turf cannot 
he had -from better places than roadsides it would be prefer¬ 
ably left there along with its numerous weeds and coarse 
grasses. Good turf, however, being obtainable, it should be 
properly cut. All the turves should be of an equal thickness 
and size, about 3 feet long and 1 foot broad, cutting it as level 
and as square as possible, othenvise the Avork Avill be more 
tedious and indifferently performed. If there be any great 
inequali y in a turf place it aside for piecing, as more time is 
spent in adjusting a badly cut turf than is needed to lay a 
dozen proper ones. When the turves are all laid, or, if the 
