36 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 10, 1890, 
Duke of Edinburgh, Countess of Rosebery, Le Havre, Grace Darling, 
Mrs. John Laing, Marquise de Castellane and Comte de Raimbaud. 
In class for eighteen Teas and Noisettes the Rev. F. A. Burnside of 
Birch Vicarage, Hereford, was first with Innocente Pirola, Anna 
Ollivier, Madame Cusin, Comtesse de Nadaillac, Madame Bravy, Jean 
Ducher, Marie Van Houtte, Souvenir d’un Ami, Comtesse Panisse, 
Souvenir d’un Ami, The Bride, Jules Finger, Catherine Mermet, Rubens, 
Francisca Kruger, Niphetos, Madame de Watteville, Caroline Kuster, 
and Hon. Edith Gifford. The Rev. W. H. Jackson of Stagsden Vicarage 
was second. In class 5, for twelve Teas and Noisettes, Mr. E. B. Lind- 
sell was first with Marechal Niel, Madame Cusin, Comtesse de Nadaillac, 
Souvenir d’Elise Vardon, Marie Van Houtte, Prince of Wales, 
Catherine Mermet, Niphetos, Francisca Kruger, Souvenir d’un Ami. 
The Rev. F. R. Burnside was second, and the Rev. W. H. Jackson 
third. In class 6, for twelve, Mr. Tims was first with good blooms of 
Ulrich Brunner, Marie Verdier, Madame Hippolyte Jamain, Mrs. 
Baker, Caroline Kuster, La Rosiere, The Bride, Dr. Andry, Rosieriste 
Jacobs, Etienne Levet, and Louis Van Houtte. Mr. Moule was second, 
the Rev. F. H. Gall third, and Mr. Parker fourth. In class 7, for nine 
blooms, Miss A. Lucas was first with Captain Christy, Ulrich Brunner, 
La France, Duchess of Bedford, Gabriel Luizet, Dr. Andry, Ducbess of 
Vallombrosa, Duke cf Wellington, and Merveille de Lyon. Messrs. 
Bailey, Denton, were second, and Mr. W. and Dr. B. W. Keston 
fourth. In class 8, for six blooms, Mrs. A. Times was first with 
Ulrich Brunner, Madame Gabriel Luizet, Horace Vernet, Maurice Ber- 
nardin, A. K. Williams, and Charles Darwin. Mr. G. Preece of Sandy 
was second, and Mr. W. Pearn third. In class 6, for nine Teas, Mr. 
G. Moules was first with Madame de Watteville, Caroline Kuster. 
Catherine Mermet, Jean Ducher, The Bride, and Marie Van Houtte, 
Mrs. Tims second, Mr. Preece third, and the Rev. F. H. Gall fourth. 
In class 10, for the best six of any one Rose, Mr. Lindsell was first 
with beautiful blooms of A. K. Williams ; the Rev. W. H. Jackson 
second ; Mrs. B. A. Denton third. Id class 11, for the best six of any 
one kind of Tea, the Rev. W. H. Jackson was first with Marie Van 
Houtte, and Mr. E. B. Lindsell second with Anna Ollivier. In class 12, 
for those who had never won a prize. Mr. G. Prince was first with La 
France, Reynolds Hole, Louis Van Houtte, Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, and 
Madame Gabriel Luizet. The Rose Society’s silver medal for the best 
H. P. was awarded to Mr. Lindsell for a fine bloom of Charles Lefebvre, 
and another for the best Tea to Rev. F. R. Burnside for Anna Ollivier, 
the latter and other decorations were very good. Not the least interest¬ 
ing feature of the Show was the exhibition of cut blooms of herbaceous 
plants, especially from Mr. John Buriell of Cambridge, a grand lot, 
consisting of large bunches of flowers.—D., Deal. 
|o WOKK, F0I i THE WEEK. 9 
3i 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Pines. — Starting Suckers. —Those suckers will soon be fit to take 
from the plants which formed the early section of summer fruiters. 
Necessary provision for starting them must be made at once, so that the 
plants may have the benefit of the undiminished solar heat in develop¬ 
ing growth for as long a period as possible. Proper means are a fer¬ 
menting bed in a low house or pit. the heat being steady at about 90° 
6 inches from the surface, but a few degrees higher may be allowed at 
the start. The suckers should be taken from the parent plants, and 
then placed directly into 5 or 7-inch pots according to the size of the 
plants or suckers, and supply water once in order to settle the soil about 
them. Good fibrous loam torn up by hand without any admixture is the 
most suitable compost, which should be firmly embedded in the pot, 
and will tend to cause speedier root action and sturdier growth. For a 
week or ten days keep the house or pit rather moist anl close, shade 
effectually, and admit but little air, sprinkle through a fine syringe 
once or twice a day according to external influences. As soon as growth 
takes place more ventilation with less shade is desirable, which must be 
proceeded with gradually until growth is well decided, and the plants 
are inured to the sun, when ordinary treatment should be given. 
Treatment after Rooting. —Once the plants are started they must 
not be allowed to become root-boiind, but the growth accelerated as 
far as it is consistent with sturdiness, consequently there must not be 
any delay in shifting into the largest pots immediately the roots have 
taken to the soil, and before they become matted together at the sides 
of the pots. The s'ze of the pots should be in accord with the require¬ 
ments of the plants. For Queens and Black Jamaicas 10-inch pots are 
suitable, and for other sorts 11 or 12-inch pots, using fibrous loam, but 
more lumpy than for suckers, adding a sprinkling of bonemeal, and 
to prevent worms entering the pots a handful of soot or wood ashes 
may be sprinkled over the drainage. 
Melons.— Fruits Cracking. —Why should the Melon and other fruit 
crack ? Some insist on its being due to excessive moisture, others are 
equally confident that air moisture is the cause of the mischief. Perhaps 
there is truth in both, but the greater fact remains that Melons will 
and do split, and we have ever found it due to cultural defects. Some 
varieties are more subject to it than others ; the hard rinded and scarlet 
fleshed the most ; the soft and thin rinded and white fleshed the least. 
Those that are troubled with cracked fruits year after year should grow 
more varieties, and make selection of those best suited to the location or 
means of culture, for though the climatic conditions may vary little in 
different localities, it very often is sufficient to mark the distinction 
between success and failure. An excess of root moisture when the 
fruit is full sized and should be ripening is undesirable. Air moisture 
also should be less when the fruit is ripening than when it is swelling, 
for a fruit grown in a comparatively dry atmosphere during the 
swelling period will requite a correspondingly dry atmosphere when 
ripening. In houses a gentle warmth in the pipes and a free circulation 
of warm air constantly prevent moisture condensing on the fruit; and 
by cutting the stem about half through below the fruit excess of root 
moisture is prevented. All this might be avoided by affording more 
liberal supplies of moisture at the roots and a somewhat moister less 
freely ventilated atmosphere during the swelling of the fruit, with a 
slight shade for a few hours at midday from powerful sun during a 
prolonged period of bright dry weather. 
Scorchmg.— This is not common with Melons, but we have had the 
sun scorch the soft thin-rind varieties after a period of dull wet 
weather succeeded by bright. This, of course, occurred in frames, yet 
we have seen it in houses. The leaf tissues, indeed all the tissues of the 
plant, not excepting the fruit, had become soft and watery, therefore 
liable to evaporate more quickly than the roots could or did supply 
matter for elaboration, and the foliage flagged and fruit became highly 
heated, having the rind scorched similiar to scalding in Grapes. There 
is no remedy so effectual as a little ventilation at night, increasing it early 
in the morning, and a slight shade from fierce sun so as to prevent the 
foliage flagging and the sun from heating and drawing the watery matter 
from the interior of the fruit to the surface to be scorched between the 
inner and outer skins. A few days’ attention to shading during bright 
weather succeeding a dull will mostly be highly beneficial to swelling 
and ripening crops. 
Late Crops. —Late plants should be planted without delay, especially 
where the means of affording artificial heat is confined to fermenting 
materials. Whether grown in pits or frames sufficient materials should 
be used to raise a bottom heat of about 90°, so as to start the plants 
quickly. A compost of good loam rather strong, with about a fifth of 
old mortar rubbish incorporated and put in firm, will secure a sturdy 
short-jointed growth and an early, plentiful show of fruit. 
In houses as the crops are cleared the plants if exhausted should be 
removed, and preparations made for a fresh start at the earliest oppor¬ 
tunity ; but if the plants are in good health it is folly to root them out, 
as they will come into bearing much sooner than young plants, and are 
in every way more tractable. If the old plants have not been over¬ 
cropped, have had sufficient water at the roots, and the foliage is healthy, 
they are good for another crop. When the crop is cut the plants should 
be divested of damaged leaves, fresh growth being encouraged in place 
of any exhausted, which should be cut away. The surface of the bed 
should be loosened, removing the loose soil, then applying a couple of 
inches depth of fresh loam, with a sprinkling of some approved fer¬ 
tiliser intermixed, giving a good watering, and when fresh growth com¬ 
mences afford liquid manure, treating as for former crops. On the 
continuous system fruit will show and set freely on the laterals after a 
few joints of growth. Fertilise and encourage swelling, affording 
copious supplies of water or liquid manure to the roots, and maintain a 
genial condition of the atmosphere by sprinkling available surfaces two 
or three times a day and syringing at closing time, which should be 
sufficiently early to raise and maintain a temperature of 90° to 95° for 
some hours afterwards. The fruit will then swell to a good size, and 
be quite equal in quality to the best of first crop. 
Routine.— Attend to stopping, thinning, tying, or otherwise regulat¬ 
ing the shoots. Pressure of other work must not be allowed to interfere 
with this where health of plant and quality of fruit are considered, 
for as the foliage and fruit have means of elaborating and assimilating 
the crude material, so is the fruit affected favourably or otherwise. 
Successional p'ants should be earthed up as soon as the roots show at 
the sides of the hillocks, making the soil firm, being careful that the 
plants have enough water, yet, on the other hand, are not too wet. Main¬ 
tain a bottom heat of 80° to 85°, and afford a moist atmosphere to 
growing crops, syringing freely, excepting when the fruit is setting 
or ripening, being careful not to let one or two fruits take the lead in 
swelling where more are required on a plant, but have them all as 
nearly as possible of one size. This i 9 a matter not only affecting 
swelling, but quality. Those that receive most support not only are 
larger, but as a rule have thicker and richer flesh than those latest in 
swelling. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Early Peas. —The dull wet weather throughout June has been 
much against the pods filling rapidly, and the haulm has run up to an 
unusual height. Had we not pinched the tops out of the growths in 
May we would have gathered but few dishe3 in June, but the stopping 
is a sure means of inducing early maturity, and those whose early Peas 
are still unready should take every top off at once. The sooner they 
are ready and used now the better, as the second early and main crops 
will form and fill their pods should the weather become sunny and dry, 
