54 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 15, 1889. 
water is not given before the foliage flags a check has been given, and it 
will have its effect. The great point is not to allow flagging, and yet not 
to give water until the soil is getting so dry as to be insufficiently 
moist for the support of the plants, when a thorough supply should be 
given. Plants swelling their fruit will need water or liquid manure at 
least once a week, even those with a large extent of rooting space, and 
those with lessened rooting areas twice a week, and those in boxes every 
other day or oftener, whilst those in pots will need it once or twice a day. 
When setting and ripening it will be sufficient to just keep the foliage 
from flagging, and if watering becomes necessary it should be given without 
wetting the surface more than can be helped. A poor growth is not good 
either for setting or the ripening of the fruit, but a drier condition of the 
soil is desirable at those times than when the fruit is swelling. 
Syringing .—When the blossoms are about expanding withhold water 
from the foliage, and when the crop is ripening it must be kept off the 
foliage and especially the fruit, which would probably crack, but a 
close moist atmosphere at night is the chief cause of fruit cracking. At 
the time of setting and ripening moisture must not be entirely withheld 
from the atmosphere, but available surfaces should be damped in the 
morning and afternoon. When the fruit is swelling syringe well at 
closing time, and if morning syringing is practised it should be done 
early, but is best omitted, being more liberal in damping available sur¬ 
faces. Plants in frames should be sprinkled or syringed at closing time, 
being careful to keep the water from the neck or collar of the plants. 
Ventilating .—When th; fruit is ripening admit air freely, also when 
setting, leaving a little on constantly to prevent the deposition of moisture 
on the fruit or blossoms through the night. It is also a capital plan to 
leave a little air on at night in all cases, and increase it early in the 
morn ng of bright days when the temperature has advanced to 75°, and 
gradually increase it with the rising temperature, keeping through the 
day at 80° to 90°, and closing sufficiently early to rise to 95° or 100°, and 
before nightfall admit a chink of air at the top of the house. 
Temperature .—This will now be maintained without having recourse 
to artificial heat, it being sufficient if the night temperature does not fall 
below 65°, and is maintained at 70° to 75° by day. In a dull cold period 
a little fire heat may be desirable to maintain a buoyant condition of 
tbe atmosphere when the blossoms are setting and when the fruit is 
ripening, and plants in frames at those times will be better if the frames 
are lined so as to allow of a free circulation of air, otherwise the tempera¬ 
ture will be ruled by external influences. 
Second Drops .—The old plants being in good health and free from red 
spider, they will show fruit freely on the laterals, even when the fruit is 
swelling, but these will not set unless syringing is discontinued, which is 
not advisable, so that sufficient lateral growth should be encouraged to 
insure fruit showing when the present crop is advanced for ripening, and 
these will set freely with the drier and airier atmosphere, and the crop be 
somewhat advanced by the time the first is cut. The plan is then to 
cut away such old growths as are useless, and concentrate the fresh growth 
on the young fruit. A little of the old soil may be removed, and be re¬ 
placed with lumpy loam and a fourth of well-decayed manure. A good 
soaking of tepid water should be given, followed at once with some 
thicker and equally warm liquid manure. If there is any red spider, 
sponge the leaves with soapy water, 2 ozs. to the gallon, and remove the 
worst infested leaves. Maintain a good moisture, and sprinkle the beds 
in houses with horse droppings once or twice a week, not much at a time, 
but little and often. Failing these, sprinkle the paths, &c., with liquid 
manure two or three times a week, but it is best to use the liquid at all 
afternoon dampings, and weak. It must be kept from the foliage. The 
plants not having fruit set when the first crop is cut, but being healthy 
and free of red spider, they should be treated as if they had fruit swelling, 
encouraging growth, and when they show fruit keep drier and freer venti¬ 
lated. They will set and swell a crop more quickly than young plants, 
but if they are much exhausted with the first crop, and attacked with red 
spider, they would be best rooted out. In that case thoroughly cleanse 
the house or pit, and remove some of the soil, clearing off the surface a 
couple of inches deep, and replacing with fresh. After giving the bed a 
soaking with liquid manure fresh plants may be put out. Kept close, 
moist, and shaded, they will soon become established, and show fruit so 
as to afford a late supply ; but such structures must have means of 
affording artificial heat, as Melons in late September are worthless unless 
they have a dry atmosphere, a temperature of 65° to 75° secured, and a 
free circulation of air. We find late Melons very useful for the shooting 
season. In the case of narrow beds the whole of the soil should be 
removed, and if some fresh fermenting material is added to the old, some 
of the most exhausted being removed, it will help the plants materially. 
Plant on hillocks or ridges rammed well down. 
Put supports to the fruits before they get heavy, letting the board slant 
so as not to hold wet, and place slates beneath the fruits of the plants in 
frames, railing them as the fruits advance in swelling on inverted flower 
pots above the foliage. Impregnate the blossoms daily until a sufficient 
number of fruit is set of about an equal age on a plant, then remove all the 
flowers and reduce the fruit to three or four on a plant according to their 
vigour. 
Sha le only to prevent flagging ; it is most needed on bright weather 
succeeding a dull moist period. Melons directly exposed to the sun will be 
improved by slight shade when ripening, especially when the plants do not 
from indifferent health supply moisture to the fruit freely. Pot off any 
plants requiring it, and keep them sturdy by placing them near the glass. 
Look well after canker. It is occasioned by damp. The remedy is a drier 
atmosphere or freer ventilation, and rubbing quicklime into the affected 
parts until dry. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN AND PLEASURE GROUND. 
Watering the Flower Beds .—A long period of hot and dry weather 
following so soon after planting has seriously militated against the 
progress of many of the bedding plants. Such strong-growing herba¬ 
ceous plants as Phloxes, Pyrethrums, Japanese Anemones, and Asters 
have been also suffering badly for want of water, the only exceptions 
being those that were divided and replanted early in the year. 
Even these are benefited by occasional copious soakings of water. 
Driblets in any case are worse than useless, and a thorough soaking 
should be given, preferably in the evening. Those living near towns are, 
in most instances, well supplied with water, and a favourite amusement 
of an evening is to turn on the water and saturate the beds, either through 
a hose or watering pot. These too regular supplies of hard and very 
cold water not unfrequently do more harm than good, as they chill and 
greatly impoverish the soil, and under the circumstances it ought not to 
surprise anyone if the occupants of the beds and borders do not grow 
satisfactorily. 
Value of Mulching .—It is doubtful if amateurs, as well as many 
gardeners, fully appreciate the value of mulching, or a surface dressing of 
short manure, leaf soil, cocoa-nut fibre refuse, or short grass from the 
mowing machine. Whatever is used should be applied after a heavy rain¬ 
fall , or a liberal watering has been given, and the surface lightly stirred wi' h 
a flat hoe. If the mulch is considered unsightly it may be lightly faced 
over with soil, this also tending still further to preserve the moisture, and 
tbe birds are less likely to disturb it. Zonal Pelargoniums, if planted in 
fairly good well-worked soil, scarcely need a mulching, but Violas, 
Verbenas, Calceolarias, Begonias, Dahlias, Fuchsias, Heliotropes, Stocks, 
Asters, Zinnias, and other annuals delight in a moist root-run. The 
surface of unmulched beds and borders should be frequently hoed over, 
this both keeping down the weeds, and also tends to check cracking and 
an unduly rapid evaporation of moisture. Too little value is usually 
attached to the grass from the lawn mowers. In reality this is a capital 
mulch for borders, plantations. R ose beds, and especially newly-formed 
shrubberies. In one town garden we are acquainted with Rhododendrons 
never made good progress till the proprieter ordered that all the grass 
from the lawn mowers should be spread over the surface of the beds. 
Since this has been done they have grown and bloomed grandly, the 
mulch both preserving the moisture in the beds, and also later on, when 
well decayed, serving as good food for the roots. All newly formed 
borders, and any trees or shrubs that were transplanted during tbe past 
winter or spring ought now to receive a heavy watering, or they may yet 
collapse. It is the old ball that needs to be kept in a moist state, the 
roots in this serving to keep the foliage fresh till such time as more roots 
are formed in the surrounding soil. In order to effectually mois'en these 
balls it is advisable to form a basin round the stems, this preventing the 
water from running away to where it is less needed. Sometimes it is 
necessary to thrust a sharp iron rod into the ground all round the stems, 
this rendering the work of moistening the ground tolerably easy and 
certain. Mulching should follow this watering. 
Thinning Annuals. —Annuals, as a rule, are left much too thickly 
together, and the consequence is a weakly growth and poor bloom. 
Mignonette, Candytuft, Es-hscholtzias, Godetias, Poppies, Sweet Peas, 
Love-Lies-Bleeding, and various other annuals, if properly thinned out, 
branch freely, while the bloom is much stronger, and produced over a 
much greater length of time than is the case when the plants overcrowd 
each other. Wallflowers, Stocks, Forget-me-nots, Sweet Williams, 
Campanulas, Polyanthuses, and other biennials raised this season, and 
intended for next spring’s display, ought also to be freely thinned out, the 
thinnings being pricked out on good around and well attended to. They 
will require to be shaded from bright sunshine for a time, and watered 
overhead occasionally. When left too long in a crowded state they 
never make stocky plants suitable for flower beds. 
Propagation of Carnations and Pinhs .—Pipings or small side shoots 
of these may now be put in. In moist localities they may be inserted in 
a cool shady border or behind a north wall, hut as a rule they strike 
more readily in frames with or without a little bottom heat. The 
cuttings being slipped off require no further preparation, and the sooner 
they are put in the better. We use ordinary bedding Pelargonium boxes, 
draining and filling these with a fine loamy mixture, to which plenty of 
sharp sand or grit has been added. The cuttings are dibbled in firmly, 
and from 2 to 3 inches apart according to their size. They are kept 
rather cl >se and shaded from bright sunshine, keeping them uniformly 
moist, and under these conditions they are not long in striking roots. 
Afterwards they are planted out on well-prepared beds, and flower 
strongly the following season. Seed saved from any of the Pinks, 
notably Mrs. Sinking and Lady Blanche, may be sown directly it is ripe, 
standing the box or pan containing the seeds in a frame or under a hand¬ 
glass till it germinates, which it soon does if kept moist and shaded. The 
seedlings will flower next season. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Primulas .—The earliest of these plants should without further delay be 
placed in 5-inch pots. Cold frames will now be plentiful to accommo¬ 
date them. They should be well surfaced with coal ashes, and the plants 
arranged as close to the glas$ as possible to prevent the foliage from 
drawing. For a fortnight after potting keep the frame close until the 
plants have commenced root-action in the new soil. They must be most 
carefully watered for some time, for if there is any carelessness in this 
respect the plants make slow progress for a very long time. The frame 
in which they are grown should be well shaded, for these plants cannot 
endure strong sun. After they are rooting freely air must be daily ad- 
