May 11, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
383 
border lightly. Afford a gentle circulation of air constantly, increase 
it early in the morning with advancing sun, and reduce correspond¬ 
ingly with the declining sun heat, closing sufficiently early to retain a 
good heat. 
Late Houses .—Attend to stopping and tying, laying in laterals as 
the space admits without crowding. Thin out the berries liberally, 
reserving the best set and most compact bunches for the crop, as these 
finish better than large loose ones. Top-dress the borders according to 
the vigour of the Vines. If young and strong they may only need a 
light mulching, or if the soil is light cowdung will be found more bene¬ 
ficial than stable manure. In some cases the late Vines will only be in 
flower. Lady Downe’s, Mrs. Pince, Black Muscat, Alnwick Seedling, 
and other shy setters should be cross-fertilised, using pollen from Ham- 
burghs and Alicante, operating on fine days. 
Cucumbers. —Be careful that the plants do not suffer through in¬ 
sufficient supplies of water, always applying it at the same temperature 
as that of the bed. Plants in bearing all the winter will now be showing 
signs of exhaustion, and had better be removed and their places filled 
with young plants without delay. Assist young plants which show signs 
of weakness by removing the male flowers and the first fruits, stopping 
at every third or fourth joint, removing all weakly and superfluous 
growths. Shading will be necessary for an hour or two in the middle 
of the day when the sun is hot, especially houses facing south, but shade 
only to prevent flagging. Little fire heat will be required by day, 
shutting the valves at about 8 A.M. and opening them again at about 
4 P.M. or later. Maintain a good moisture by damping the floors two or 
three times a day. If aphides appear fumigate on a calm evening and 
repeat early the following morning, leaving the foliage dry but the floors 
well damped, especially when there is white fly. That pest and red 
spider are best eradicated by removing the worst infested leaves and 
brushing the hot-water pipes when hot with a thin wash of sulphur and 
skim milk. Keeping the evaporadon troughs charged with liquid 
manure or sprinkling the floors in the evening with it is beneficial. 
Sow seeds for raising plants to occupy pits and frames as they 
become cleared of forced vegetables and bedding plants. A moderate 
bottom heat may be secured by using the less decomposed material from 
Seakale, Vine borders, or spent hotbeds, which, with about a fourth of 
fresh material, will afford all the bottom heat now required. Attend to 
renewing the linings, and still employ good night coverings. Close 
early in the afternoon, and so as to run the temperature up to 90° to 100°. 
Melons. —Train the shoots thinly, never permitting them to become 
crowded. Keep the atmosphere dry and well ventilated when the fruit 
is setting, and fertilise the flowers, so as to have three to half a dozen 
fruits of about an equal stage of swelling on a plant, being careful not 
to allow one fruit to take the lead. Stop the shoots one joint beyond 
the fruit. Place supports to fruits becoming heavy to relieve the vine 
of the weight. Attend to stopping the laterals after the fruits are 
swelling, maintaining a good moisture by syringing the walls as well as 
the foliage at about 3.30 P.M., and damp the floors in the morning and 
evening, or oftener in hot weather. Water or liquid manure will be 
required about twice a week. Maintain a night temperature of 70°, 
75° by day from fire heat, and 85° to 90° with sun. Ventilate early and 
freely, but avoid admitting too much at a time with a view to lower 
the temperature, commencing to ventilate at 75°, and increase or 
diminish it according to external influences. When the fruit commences 
to ripen gradually reduce the supply of water at the roots, but not so 
as to cause the foliage to flag, and afford a circulation of warm rather 
dry air, the temperature being maintained at 70° to 75° by artificial 
means, and 80° or 90° with sun heat. Cut the fruits before they are 
dead ripe, and keep them until in good condition—evenly ripe all over— 
before sending to table. Cracked fruits arise from various causes 
—generally by a deficiency of water when swelling, and a close atmo¬ 
sphere, with too much water at the roots when ripening. The remedy 
is to diminish the supply of water to the roots, admit air constantly, 
and cut the shoots about half-way through with a knife a few inches 
below the fruit. 
Encourage plants swelling their fruits by syringing freely in hot 
weather at closing time, damping the floors when they become dry, and 
sprinkle them in the evening with clear liquid manure, say 1 lb. of 
guano to 20 gallons of water. Ventilate freely in favourable weather, 
commencing from 75° to 80°, increasing or decreasing it according to 
external influences, maintaining a day temperature of 80° to 90° with sun 
heat, and closing between 80° and 85°, always so as to run up 10° or 
more, which will increase the size of the fruits and lessen the necessity 
for fire heat at night, but it must be accompanied by plenty of atmo¬ 
spheric moisture. If thrips appear fumigate moderately on two or three 
consecutive evenings, and repeat in a week afterwards. Red spider may 
be kept under by syringing, or coat the hot-water pipes lightly with 
flowers of sulphur. If canker appear rub quicklime well into the affected 
parts and repeat as necessary. 
Pits and Frames .—Train out the growths, keeping them rather thin. 
Attend to setting the blossoms in bright weather, and pinch off the points 
of the shoots at the same time one joint beyond the fiuit. If there is 
any difficulty in getting the fruit to set, apply a good lining to the bed, 
and admit a little air constantly, withholding water. Shade only to 
prevent flagging. Plants swelling their fruits should be well earthed, 
the laterals pinched and thinned out, and the fruits raised on pieces of 
slate on inverted flower pots. Sow seed to raise plants for planting in 
frames after they become cleared of bedding plants, potting the 
young plants when they show the second leaves, and take out their 
points at the second rough leaf. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Runner Beans.— If a good sowing is made now the seed should 
germinate quickly and strongly, and the plants will moat probably 
escape injury by late frosts. If wanted extra early from a week to a 
fortnight may be gained by sowing the seed singly in 3-inch pots in 
gentle heat, and planting out before the seedlings become root-bound. 
These Beans also transplant readily out of pans or boxes, and this should 
be done by those who find their first sowings are coming up badly. 
In every case a rich and deep root-run should be provided, as they are 
liable to collapse during a hot and dry season unless abundantly 
provided with moisture and good food at the roots. If the ground has 
not been trenched recently, and is not of a heavy binding nature, open 
a trench or trenches 2 feet wide and a spit deep, fork a heavy dressing 
of manure into the bottom spit, and return half of the soil first thrown 
out on to the top of this, making all fine and firm. Water if at all dry, 
srw the seed thinly, cover with 2 inches of the loose soil, and bring the 
rest of the latter up to each side of the row in the form of a basin— 
this facilitating watering operations later on. Seed may also be 
sown on well manured, ordinarily dug ground, that has been sufficiently 
long broken up to crumble to pieces freely when watered, or after a 
soaking rain. Before arranging the rows it ought always to be decided 
how the plants are to be staked. Stakes of almost any length may be 
used, those about 8 feet in height being the favourite size. If arranged 
in a single line the rows ought to be not less than 6 feet apart. Double 
rows are often preferred, the stakes crossing each other 18 inches from 
their top.s. In this case sow the seeds thinly in two drills 12 inches 
apart. The crops in the open fields are not staked, all running growth 
being pinched off the plants as fast as they form, but this plan does not, 
as a rule, answer well in the more sheltered private gardens. If tried 
sow the seed thinly in drills not less than 3 feet apart. 
Cropping between Beans. — Where a considerable number of 
rows of Runner Beans have to be grown, and these are given the good 
room they ought always to have, the intervening spaces should also be 
turned to good account. Early Potatoes, two rows of these being planted 
near the centre of the 6 feet spaces, are about the best crop that can be 
recommended for this purpose, and it is not yet too late to plant these. 
Cabbages, Cauliflowers, Lettuces, and Turnips are other crops that would 
succeed, and come off the ground before the Beans would shade it 
badly. 
Bwarf Kidney Beans. — After Runner Beans have become 
plentiful there is only a light demand for Dwarf Kidney Beans. It is 
early in the season that the latter must be forthcoming, and fortunately 
it is then when they usually thrive, and produce the best gatherings of 
straight tender pods. With the help of pits, frames, and handlights, the 
two former being previously occupied by Lettuces, Potatoes, or other early 
crops that required heat to forward them, good pods may be obtained. 
There is a considerable gain by raising the Kidney Beans in heat and 
planting in the frames or handlights, the precaution being taken not to 
crowd the plants. If not already done more seed of Sion House, Ne 
Plus Ultra, or other early varieties should be sown on a warm border in 
drills 18 inches apart and 2 inches deep. 
Peas.— Those planted out from pots and boxes and such like are not 
doing well this season, the majority flowering prematurely. These 
neither require nor merit staking, quite as good crops being had by 
allowing them to fall on the ground. If dwarf varieties have been put 
out 2 feet or rather less apart sow rows of early or second early Kidney 
Beans midway between them, while any put out 3 feet or more apart 
may have two rows of Beans sown or planted between them. When the 
Peas are cleared off the ground give the Beans a good watering if at all 
dry, then mould them up, and no further trouble will be necessary with 
them. They will well repay for the room if the Peas do not. 
Veg-etable Marrows.— If these are wanted early great square 
heaps of all kiuds of decaying vegetable refuse, leaves and manure 
answer well for the purpose, the plants being put out now either under 
handlights, glazed frames, or any makeshift form of protection. Give 
them a little good soil to start in, and be not over-lavish with the 
plants or they will quickly over-run and smother each other. Three 
plants are enough for a ridge 6 feet square, and even these must not 
eventually be confined to this space, or they will fail to bear well. It 
is a mistake to raise the plants long before they can be planted out, as 
they soon become badly starved and stunted. All such may well be 
thrown away and fresh plants raised singly in 3-inch pots in gentle 
heat, taking care to get these finally planted before they become much 
root-bound. In the warmer parts of the country the market growers’ 
method of culture answers best, the plants in this case forming a mini¬ 
mum amount of haulm and producing most abundantly. Select a some¬ 
what sheltered yet open spot, open a trench running from north to 
south 4 feet wide and one spit deep, spread over the bottom a thickness 
9 inches deep of good decaying farmyard or stable manure, and on this 
return and level so as to completely enclose it, the soil previously 
thrown out. Either sow about three seeds in patches 3 feet apart 
through the centre, or raise plants at once and turn out singly at that 
disrance apart, protecting in either case with inverted flower pots or other 
contrivances during cold nights. 
Rldgre Cucumbers. —These can be treated in nearly every respect 
similarly to Vegetable Marrows, as they succeed equally well in the 
open as on heaps of manure. They require rather less room though, 
and stand in need of more shelter from cold and twisting winds. 
Enclosing both Marrows and Cucumbers by thatched hurdles is labour 
well expended. 
Sowing- Seed in Bry Weatber. —There must not be long 
