52 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 21, 189: 
destruction before the blossoms unfold. Syringe the trees up to the 
blossom showing the loveliest of all white, but cease then, damping 
available surfaces instead and ventilating freely. Keep the house 
at 40° by night, 45° to 50° by day by artificial means, ventilating at 50°, 
and allowing a rise of 10° to 15° from sun heat, with full ventilation, 
closing the house for the day at 50°. See that there is no deficiency 
of moisture at the roots, watering when necessary, and attend regularly 
to the needs of trees in pots. 
Melons. —Seeds sown early in the month are in second leaf, and 
root action now proceeds rapidly; therefore attend to earthing, and when 
the small pots are occupied with roots shift the plants into pots a couple 
of inches larger in diameter, always watering in advance of shifting, so 
that the roots are all preserved in turning out the plants, and not allow¬ 
ing them to become root-bound. Plunge in bottom heat near the 
glass, a temperature of 75° to 80° being sufficient, placing a small stick 
t^o each plant for its support until it is large enough to transfer to the 
hillock in the Melon house. Plants intended for planting out in pits 
and frames, and trained over the surface of the beds, can be planted out 
as soon as they require more root-room, or be shifted into larger pots, 
stopping them at the second rough leaf. 
Soil for Melons. —Heavy loam is preferable to light, and that cut 
and stacked in the previous autumn will have the herbage destroyed. 
The top 3 inches of a pasture closely grazed by sheep is most suitable, 
and this chopped up moderately small will grow grand fruit. An ad¬ 
mixture of old mortar rubbish, say a sixth, supplies lime and grit, and 
the plants grow sturdier for a supply, which is often deficient in turfy 
loam, and a quart of dry soot, and two quarts of dry wood ashes to a 
bushel of loam makes the poorest soils available for Melons, whilst 
rendering it obnoxious to wireworms and slugs. Unless ordinary garden 
soil is used, manure is not necessary, but it is a great mistake to suppose 
that Melons cannot be grown in ordinary loam, for add to it the soot 
and wood ashes, and, if deficient in humus, a fourth of thoroughly 
decomposed manure free from worms, when it will grow most any kind 
of fruit. Have under cover a few days to dry, chop up turf, and turn 
twice to thoroughly mix the ingredients. 
Planting in Pits anH Frames. —Have the beds made up about a 
week in advance of the plants becoming fit to plant out, employing 
thoroughly sweetened materials, putting together compactly. Place a 
barrowful of soil in the centre of each light, flatten the top, which 
should be about 9 inches from the glass, and not more than 1 foot, the 
soil being about 10 inches deep. When warmed through place a plant 
in the centre of each hillock, press the soil firmly around each plant, 
keeping it about half a inch below the seed leaves, having the plant and 
soil in which it is planted moist, so as to prevent the need of water at 
planting. A circle of quicklime or dry soot drawn around each plant a 
little way from the stem will absorb superfluous moisture and be a 
barrier against slugs. 
In houses the woodwork must be thoroughly cleansed with softsoap 
and hot water, the glass with clear water only, both inside and outside, 
and wash the brickwork with hot lime. Place the soil on a ridge flattened 
at the top about 10 inches deep in the centre, and when warmed through 
turn a plant out in the centre of each light, or about 3 feet apart. 
Secure the stick to the bottom wire, and rub off the laterals up to the 
height of the wire. Maintain a night temperature of 65° to 70°, 70° to 
75° by day, advancing 5° to 10° from sun heat, keeping the bottom heat 
steady at 80° to 85° if fermenting materials are used ; but if from hot- 
water pipes 75° to 80° is sufficient, for fermenting materials lose heat ; 
therefore it must be higher at the beginning. Frames will need covering 
with mats at night, and the linings may be attended to as required. 
Cucumbers. —Young plants must be shifted into larger pots as 
they require more room, keeping near the glass, putting a stick to those 
required for trellis training. The soil may be similar to, but lighter 
than that advised for Melons, adding a little charcoal to keep the soil 
open and sweet. Plants for frames can be stopped at the second 
rough leaf. The bottom and top heat may be the same as advised for 
Melons. 
Winter fruiting plants will need surface dressings occasionally to 
keep them fruitful, and any that exhibit signs of exhaustion will be the 
better of fresh material supplied in place of as much of the surface soil 
as can be removed without injury to the plants, using turfy loam with a 
fourth of manure and a quart each of soot and wood ashes to each 
bushel. Such surface dressing provokes the emission of surface roots, 
and when these are plentiful the plants can be invigorated by copious 
supplies of liquid manure. Keep the growths tied to the trellis, cut out 
exhausted growths, and tie in young shoo's so as to maintain a succession 
of bearing wood, and consequently of fruit. Give each growth space 
for development, all the foliage full exposure to light, and above all 
avoid overcropping. 
Strawberries in Pots. —Plants introduced early in December have 
pushed the flower scapes simultaneously with the leaves. Scrutinise 
them for aphides before flowering commences, and if there be any trace 
of the pests take prompt measures to eradicate them before the flowers 
expand. Damp the walls and paths in the morning and early in the 
afternoon, with a little ventilation at the early syringing, the tempera¬ 
ture being kept at from 60° to 55° artificially, with an advance of 
10° to 15° from sun heat. On bright days the plants as well as the 
paths should be syringed, as absorption and evaporation will take place 
much more rapidly, and the atmosphere will become sufficiently dry 
before dark. Lose no opportunity of closing early, so as to raise the 
temperature to 70° or 75° from sun heat. Allow the temperature to fall 
to 60° at night, but 6° higher if the weather be mild. Look the plants 
over daily for watering, giving those in need a thorough supply. . 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
Tuberous Begonias. —Underneath stages, or any place where drip or 
much moisture reaches the pots, boxes or pans in which the tubers are 
wintered are not the proper positions for storing these. Drip is parti¬ 
cularly injurious, and may lead to the loss of numerous tubers, and, in 
any case, moisture is apt to promote an early weakly growth, whereas a 
later and much stouter growth is most desirable. It is advisable there¬ 
fore to turn out tubers from boxes and such like, and after clearing 
much of the old soil from them, pack them more closely together in 
sand. They can then be stored in cool sheds, taking good care, however, 
to well protect them from severe frosts. March will be quite soon 
enough to start the smallest tubers in gentle heat with a view to 
growing the plants to a good size prior to bedding out, while strong old 
tubers may well be retarded till late in April. Propagating by means 
of cuttings is best practised during the summer, but old tubers with 
several shoots may, after the latter are about 2 inches long, be cut up 
into several pieces and started in gentle heat. The majority will survive 
and strong plants be had for the flower beds. 
Raising Seedling Begonias. —A wet summer such as that of 1891 was 
scarcely needed to demonstrate the superiority of Tuberous Begonias for 
bedding out. Beds of them were quite brilliant in spite of the heavy 
and constant rainfall, whereas Zonal Pelargoniums were a failure. They 
are effective either in masses of one colour or in mixture, nothing but a 
frost putting an end to their floriferousness. The erect flowering strains 
are the most showy, those with drooping flowers, though also very 
pretty, being most effective in baskets and vases. The preference should 
be given to quite new seed, and this germinates most surely if sown 
before the bright sunshine and cold winds of February and March are 
felt. Added to this, early raised seedlings can be grown to a size large 
enough to bed out the same season, though it is not to be expected they 
will rival the two-year-old tubers. Sow early and sow tbinly, and 
thereby avoid losing numerous tiny seedlings by damping. Prepare two 
or three pans by draining them freely, and filling up firmly and evenly 
with finely sifted compost largely composed either of very good leaf soil 
or peat. Avoid all use of sand in the compost, and more particularly 
on the surface. Gently moisten the soil and then sow the seed on 
the surface, but do not distribute any fine soil or sand over it. Set 
the pans on a mild hotbed, cover closely with squares of glass, and 
shade heavily. There ought to be no necessity to moisten the soil ; 
allowing it to become dry and then watering, however gently, being 
almost certain to dislodge either the seed or tiny seedlings. In less than 
a fortnight germination should have taken place, when light must be 
admitted and the glass gradually tilted. Water very gently indeed and 
prick out the seedlings into pans of fine light soil before they become 
crowded and weakly. 
Dwarf Lobelias. —These again can best be raised from seed, the 
strains as supplied by the leading seedsmen being as near perfect as they 
ever will be. The seed being very small it ought to be sown very much 
as advised in the case of Tuberous Begonias, and if not unduly exposed 
to a dry heat or strong sunshine will germinate quickly and surely. 
The advice to sow thinly seeds to be enforced in the case of these as well 
as Begonias, crowded seedlings being peculiarly liable to damp off 
wholesale. Raise plenty of seedlings though, as it is not often too many 
are available. Cuttings of these Lobelias strike very readily in close 
frames or boxes placed in a fairly brisk heat, but not if they have been 
kept in a dry heat and induced to become hard. A newly started 
vinery, the plants not being placed very near to the hot-water pipes, is 
suitable for stock plants, and if there are enough of these the plan of 
propagating by division answers best. If kept in gentle heat the old 
plants will grow strongly, and directly the young shoots commence to 
emit roots near to where they start from is the time to divide them into 
as many pieces as possible. Being dibbled rather thickly into boxes of 
fine light soil and kept in gentle heat all will grow and be ready for 
temporarily bedding-out in frames in April. 
Ageratums. —Though scarcely so true to name as Lobelias, very 
serviceable plants can yet be raised from seed, the strains including 
a good dwarf white. The seed ought to be sown soon and some¬ 
what thinly, covering it very lightly with fine soil. It will germinate- 
quickly if the pans or pots are partially plunged in a gentle hotbed 
and kept closely covered with squares of glass as well as heavily shaded. 
The seedlings being duly pricked out in boxes of fairly good fine 8oil,’topped 
once, and then either given more room in other boxes, or better still, be 
temporarily bedded out in frames or pits, fine bushy plants will be 
ready for the flower beds when required. Cuttings of young flowerless 
shoots strike very readily in a moderately brisk heat, these, in their 
turn, affording cuttings so that a good stock of a favourite variety will 
be available in June. Introduce old plants into gentle heat to cause 
them to produce young shoots freely. 
Various. —If a number of strong old plants of bronze, gold, and 
silver variega’ed Zonal Pelargoniums were lifted and potted before 
being badly injured by frost, these ought now to be introduced into a 
newly started vinery or other moderately warm house, where they will 
soon commence active growth and give a lot of good cuttings. Spring- 
struck cuttings of these are quite as serviceable as any autumn struck, 
but they must not be taken off the old plants before active growth of 
the Latter has commenced, or otherwise the greater part will fail to 
