JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
336 
[ April 26, 1883. 
heat from the top heating pipes is oftentimes unavoidably most 
injurious, and tending to create an undesirable dry overheated 
atmosphere, one result being to greatly encourage the ravages of 
the much-to-be-dreaded red spider, while the lower running 
bottom-heat pipes may be almost cold owing to the fires being 
completely stopped. 1 believe it is this comparative coldness at 
the roots which most frequently results in the loss of plants by 
canker, or the collapse of the plant just when the ripening stage 
is reached. Maintain a good bottom heat, and there is little 
danger—other conditions being favourable—of either happening, 
and but little necessity for extra precautions in the shape of 
guarding against wetting the stems or the soil near the “collars.” 
The best Melons I have yet cut were treated as far as watering 
was concerned almost similar to Cucumbers. 
What is required is a brisk bottom heat not lower than 70°, and 
if higher so much the better. We cannot feel assured of this 
amount of bottom heat, and therefore plant in heaps of soil raised 
above the level of the ordinary brick pits, and by maintaining a 
high temperature we benefit the Melons both at the top and at the 
roots. Where slate benches or wooden stages covered with slates 
are disposed over the rows of hot water which heat the house, 
these, as I have proved, are excellent positions for Melon-growing. 
Slates are good heat-conductors, and the mounds of soil placed on 
them in a well-heated house seldom if ever become too cold for 
Melon-growing. Pots for this position are sometimes preferred 
to heaps of soil. The latter, as a rule, when formed with a rounded 
upper surface, and rammed as hard as possible—a practice con¬ 
sidered imperative by many growers—may easily, and very fre¬ 
quently do, get too dry. Our clayey loam when very dry is not 
easily moistened again—in fact, ordinary waterings then prove a 
waste of labour. To obviate this difficulty we for a time tried 
square heaps of soil with a flat upper surface, and this was cer¬ 
tainly a step in the right direction, but we still wasted much 
water and lost all the outside roots. Subsequently I saw the 
method adopted at Longleat, and this 1 decided to imitate in the 
future. 
Mr. Taylor forms square raised pits, over bottom-heat pipes, 
with loose bricks, these being simply arranged so as to be strong 
enough to enclose the soil, the corners being “keyed” together— 
that is to say, each course is disposed so as to interlace at the 
corners, this also preventing the occurrence of any weak seams. 
The weight of the bricks insures sufficient solidity, and the 
arrangement admits of the walls (4£ inches wide) being taken 
down and rebuilt, so as to leave a space for an addition of fresh 
soil as well as on the surface. Then, again, the bricks absorb 
moisture and retain heat, and instead of the outside roots dying 
they appear to rapidly increase when in contact with the warm 
moist bricks. With these loose brick walls there is no excuse for 
overwatering or neglect, as the soil can always be tested to any 
depth. 
At Longleat two plants are grown in a house 27 feet by 16 feet, 
and frequently one of these is cut away to allow the other to 
extend. We have not com€ to this extension system of Mr. 
Taylor’s yet, but where at one time six plants and even twelve 
plants were grown we are now content to grow three, the third 
plant in each instance being a variety on trial. Our temporary 
brick pits are first formed about 31 inches square, or three and a 
half bricks to each side, no bricks, however, requiring cutting at 
this size, and they are five bricks in depth. A layer of broken 
bricks are placed on the grating over the pipes, and the pits are 
filled to near the surface with roughly chopped turfy loam, to 
which has been added a dressing of slaked lime. If we wish to 
plant at once, heated bricks are buried in the soil, these quickly 
warming it, and when inserted the strong Melon plant has the 
soil heavily rammed about it, and is at once fastened to a strong 
stake connected with the trellis. The leading growth is kept care¬ 
fully trained, all side shoots being rubbed out up to the trellis. 
The point of the leading growth is taken out when halfway up 
the trellis, or at a length of 4 feet, and the laterals are thinned 
out if required so as to have one only for each wire, these being 
12 inches apart, and running parallel with the front. The laterals 
are not allowed to fruit, but are trained to and stopped at about 
half their allotted length of wire. From this stopping abundance 
of fertile blooms will result, and a heavy crop easily secured. In 
most cases, however, we are content with a few fruits—say six to 
each plant. This number the plants are strong enough to perfect 
and yet continue to extend both the leading shoot and the leading 
break of the laterals, these being stopped when near their limits. 
In this manner, incredible as it may appear to some experienced 
growers, a continuous supply is maintained from a single plant. 
This fact is annually demonstrated at Longleat, and it is by no 
means an uncommon occurrence to see Melons in various stages of 
growth on the same plant, those fully matured in the case of the 
Eastnor Castle variety ranging from 5 lbs. to 8 lbs. each in weight. 
The loose pits—and which should always be built on a level firm 
surface where the extension system is adopted—require to be 
occasionally enlarged and fresh soil added ; and this and frequent 
applications of liquid manure, or light dressings of some kind of 
artificial manure, coupled with the free uncrowded top growth, 
maintains the vigour of the plants, and is most conducive to the 
production of successional crops of fruit of high quality. 
If a quick and heavy crop of Melons be required off a limited 
space, the more common method of disposing the plants 3 feet to 
4 feet apart either on isolated mounds or a continuous ridge of 
soil is to be crmmended. In this case the upper surface should 
not be much rounded off ; in fact, if turves are available the fronts 
should be formed with these. A trejlis 6 feet deep is sufficient, 
and the leading growth should be stopped at least 15 inches short 
of this. The laterals resulting generally prove fruitful, and these 
should be thinned out where crowded, laid in obliquely, and 
stopped at the first joint beyond the fruit; and later the sub- 
laterals may be all rubbed out with the exception of the end one, 
these being stopped at the first joint. If this stopping and rub¬ 
bing-out is not closely practised in all cases, the neglect will 
involve the use of the knife, and, in addition to wasting the energy 
of the plant, the risk of the loss of the plant is incurred from 
canker or decay consequent upon excessive bleeding. Large 
thinly-disposed foliage is as much necessary in the case of Melons 
as in Grape Vines. 
In the case of these closely grown and comparatively weakly 
plants care should be taken to set as many fruits as possible on 
each plant at the same time, as they seldom perfect fruits which 
may have been set a day or two later than the first two or three 
impregnated. The best time to impregnate the fertile blossoms 
with the pollen of the male or non-fruiting blossoms is about 
11 A.M., or after the house has been ventilated sufficiently long to 
have well dried the flowers. It is advisable to discontinue syring¬ 
ing till the crops on the different plants are set, but a moist 
atmosphere created by damping the beds and walls when the 
house is closed for the day will not interfere with the setting. 
We do not shade Melons beyond lightly syringing a little thin 
lime water over the glass duiing the prevalence of very bright 
sunshiny weather. If we can manage it without very bard firing 
we maintain a night temperature of 70° during the day, 75° to 80° 
without air, and 85° with air. At this season of the year and 
onwards not much if any air is required on dull days, unless the 
bloom requires setting, and in this case it is given early. Cold 
draughts ought always to be prevented, the aim being to main¬ 
tain a humid atmosphere and comparatively high temperature, 
and the better to insure this we close early—say about 2.30 P.M., 
and syringe freely. Water either for syringing or application to 
the roots ought never to be below 75°, and the heaps of soil ought 
to be kept constantly moist, though not saturated, while the fruits 
are swelling, the supply being reduced and a drier atmosphere 
being maintained when they are ripening off. I have still other 
matters to allude to, but for the present must content myself with 
repeating that the varieties William Tillery, Earl of Beacons- 
field, Eastnor Castle, and Hero of Lockinge are grand green- 
flesh varieties, and Blenheim Orange and Reid’s Hybrid are good 
scarlet-flesh varieties, all being suitable for present sowing.— 
W. IGGULDEN. 
SHOW DECORATIVE PELARGONIUMS. 
I DO not know whether the value of such decorative Pelar¬ 
goniums as Maid of Kent, Mermerus Improved, Duchess of 
Bedford, and Gloire de St. Mandd, are as well known to 
gardeners as their merits entitle them to be. They produce 
their flowers most profusely. The trusses are large, and the 
individual pips of good quality. As plants, they are dwarf and 
spreading in habit, and—a point of great importance to hard¬ 
working gardeners—they are very easy to cultivate. We have 
some plants ten months old in G-inch pots measuring 2 feet across, 
and produced under the most ordinary conditions. 
As the time has arrived for inserting cuttings to form good 
plants for next spring and summer, a few notes on their culti¬ 
vation may be useful just now. Healthy growing shoots about 
3 to 4 inches in length make the best cuttings. A good compost 
for the cuttings may consist of equal parts loam, coarse sand, and 
Mushroom-bed refuse rubbed fine. Leaf soil is a very suitable 
medium for the same purpose. I have employed it for some time 
under certain circumstances and find it excellent. It is used by 
itself. Several cuttiDgs may be inserted in 5-inch pots, or, prefer¬ 
ably, singly in the thimble size. Our stock is placed in a vinery 
to form roots. The shade of the Vine does them no harm. When 
well rooted the plants are transferred into 4-inch pots, the soil 
