Ilia; 10,1394 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
373 
the syringe, air being admitted constantly, or condensation will seriously 
aflEect the fruit. The moisture of the border is apt to be miscalculated 
by the syringing keeping the surface damp, it should be examined and 
water supplied to keep the soil moist down to the drainage. Tie in the 
shoots as they advance, and stop those required to form spurs at about 
the fifth leaf. Black aphides must be kept under by dipping the shoots 
affected in tobacco water, gently rubbing them with the fingers, or 
their shining bodies will throw off the decoction and escape. 
Ventilate freely on all favourable occasions, and when the external 
conditions are unfavourable recourse must be had to the heating 
apparatus to insure a circulation of air. Netting will be necessary over 
the ventilators to prevent birds attacking the Cherries. Trees in pots 
should be well supplied with water. 
melons.—A firm soil of a rather adhesive nature, but not devoid of 
gritty matter, is necessary to secure short-jointed wood and solid fruits. 
The growths must be trained thinly to secure thoroughly solidified wood. 
A rather dry and well ventilated atmosphere favours the setting of the 
fruits. See that the fruits are nearly one stage of swelling, not allowing 
one to take the lead, or it will be difficult to get more to set. Attend to 
fertilising the blossoms in bright weather, nipping out the points of the 
shoots one joint beyond the fruit. Earth up the roots when the fruits 
commence swelling freely. Water well during the swelling, and place 
supports to the fruits in good time, such as pieces of half-inch deal about 
6 inches square, with a hole bored at each corner, two pieces of string 
or wire being passed through the holes from the top coming underneath 
the label and then passing through again to the top, tying to the trellis 
to relieve the vine of the weight, and letting the board slightly incline 
to prevent water lodging. Pieces of netting are also employed for sup¬ 
porting the fruit. Stop the laterals after the fruits are swelling to one 
joint or remove them where likely to crowd. Maintain a good moisture 
by damping the paths and walls frequently, and syringe the foliage 
at closing or about 3.30 p.m. Water or liquid manure will be required 
about twice a week. The night temperature should be kept at 70®, 75° 
by day from fire heat, and 80° to 90° with sun. Ventilate freely in 
favourable weather, but avoid reducing the temperature at any time by 
its admission, commencing at 75° and increase or diminish the air 
gradually according to external conditions. Where the fruit is full sized 
and advanced for ripening gradually reduce the atmospheric moisture 
and the supply of water at the roots, but not so as to cause the foliage 
to flag, and afford a circulation of warm air when ripening, which is 
necessary to insure thorough maturity and high flavour. Keep the 
temperature at 70° to 75° artificially, and 80° to 90° with sun heat. 
Cracked fruits are produced by a close and moist atmosphere, with too 
much water or nourishment at the roots. If any show a tendency to 
crack cut the shoot about half way through a few inches below the 
fruit and diminish the supply of water at the roots and in tne atmosphere. 
Plants swelling their fruits require every encouragement, free 
syringing at closing time in hot weather, damping the floors when 
they become dry, and shading to prevent flagging. Free ventilation 
from 75° to 80°, and securing 80° to 90° from sun beat, will bring the 
fruit on rapidly ; increasing the heat to 90°, 95° or 100° after closing, 
will render the fruit larger and lessen the necessity for fire heat at 
night, but it must be accompanied by plenty of atmospheric moisture. 
If aphides or thrips appear fumigate on two or three consecutive 
evenings, having the foliage dry, and for red spider or white fly dress 
the hoi-water pipes with sulphur. 
Pits and Frames ,—Train out the growths and maintain a good 
bottom and top heat by linings and thick night coverings. Plants 
swelling their fruits should be well earthed up, have the laterals stopped 
and thinned, and the fruits placed on pieces of slate on inverted fl >wer 
pots. Sow seed for raising plants to put out in pits and frames 
after they become cleared of bedding plants, potting seedlings as 
required. 
Caoumbers.— Plants in bearing all the winter will now be showing 
signs of exhaustion, and had better be removed and their places filled 
with others without delay. Assist young plants which show signs of 
weakness by removing the staminate flowers and the first fruits, 
stopping at every third or fourth joint, removing all weakly superfluous 
growths. Shading will be necessary for an hour or two in the middle of 
the day when the sun is hot, especially for houses facing south, but 
shade only to prevent flagging. Houses with the roof lights facing east 
and west will not require shading or only in the afternoon. Little or 
no fire heat will be required by day, shutting the valves about 
8 AM., and opening them again about 4 PM. or later, keeping a good 
moisture by damping the floors. 
In Pits and Frames .—Sow seed to secure plants for placing in pits 
and frames, a fair amount of bottom heat being necessary, which is 
secured by using the less decomposed material from exhausted hotbeds, 
with about a fourth of fresh material. Ventilate moderately if the 
weather is cold, and close as early in the afternoon as safe, running up 
to 90° or more, and employ night coverings. Attend to the linings 
with a view to maintain good bottom heat, but be careful to avoid rank 
steam. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
Dahlias. —Strong old roots stored where frost cannot reach them 
will, eie this, have started strongly. If retarded and planted out just 
as they are the result is rarely satisfactory, nothing but very severe 
thinning getting them into a free flowering habit. The better plan is to 
split the clumps, one or two tubers going with a single shoot. Place 
these divisions singly in 6-inch or rather smaller pots, and keep under 
glass in a light position till well established, when they may be hardened 
off prior to planting out. One good lead is ample, and plants raised 
from cuttings are superior to those obtained by division. Do not keep 
the latter starving in small pots, but give a shift into 5-inch or slightly 
larger pots, and this will keep them growing strongly yet sturdily till 
planting out time arrives. 
Hoilyliocks. —Young plants left in the open ground survived the 
winter surprisingly well, and have grown very strongly since. If not 
already done the thinning out ought to ba rather severe, one or two 
good flowering growths being ample. Should the soil be somewhat poor 
and the position dry bare the surface roots and mulch withshort manure. 
Plants raised from either cuttings or seed, if they are to flower this 
season, must not be checked in growth. After they have well filled 
the pots to which they were shifted with roots, harden and plant out 
on well prepared ground. 
Date Propagratlng-. —If there is a probability of a scarcity of bedding 
plants propagation of some kinds should be persevered with. Soft tops 
of Veroenas, Iresines, and Coleuses root quickly in brisk heat, always 
providing they are well shaded from bright sunshine, and after being 
stopped once would be ready for potting by the time a number of small 
pots are emptied of Zonal Pelargoniums. They would also plant out 
direct from pans and boxes in which they are rooted, only in this case 
they must not be put in too thickly. It is not yet too late to sow African 
and French Marigolds, Tagetes, Sunflowers, and Ricinuses. All but the 
last named transplant ready from the seed boxes or pans, but the 
Ricinuses should be raised singly in 3-inch pots. 
Campanulas. —There should be no further delay in sowing seed of 
0. Medium calycanthema, of which there are now several very attractive 
forms. Plants raised by sowing seed now in pans and placed in a frame, 
duly pricked out, and then planted in the open, would flower strongly 
next year. Those raised and similarly treated last year would trans¬ 
plant safely if need be, and a grand early summer effect could be pro¬ 
duced by a mass of them in a border or bed. 
Wallflowers and Brompton Stocks. —The former have done 
remarkably well this season, and the Stocks are also commencing to flower 
freely. Excellent darkand yellow strains of common Wallflowers can now 
be had, and with these may well be grown double German Wallflowers, 
which also are raised from seeds. All should be sown at once, as further 
delay ma^ end in the plants being strong enough to flower freely. 
Sow on a well prepared border thinly in drills 6 inches asunder, and if 
thinning out is properly done a portion of the plants may be allowed 
to flower where they are raised. If the ground cannot be made fine sow 
the seed in boxes, setting these in the open, and pricking out the 
seedlings before they become drawn and weakly. 
Portulacas. —What is wanted to bring out the full beauty of these 
plants is a fairly hot and dry summer, and in any case those who would 
succeed well with them should grow them on raised beds of light sandy 
soil. They transplant badly, and the seed, therefore, should be sown 
where the plants are to flower. About the middle of May is a good 
time to sow the seed, and this ought to be done thinly in shallow drills 
drawn 9 inches apart. The seed must be quite surrounded with fine 
sandy soil. Thin out to not less than 6 inches asunder, and stir the 
ground among the plants occasionally. 
Sweet Peas. —These are now very popular, and pay well for good 
cultivation. Quite the newest varieties usually succeed better than the 
rest, because the seed is dearer and scarcer, and the plants are grown 
thinly accordingly. Do not crowd the plants together on poor ground, 
andif raised thickly thin out freely prior to supporting with tall stakes. 
Any raised in pots and put out in well isolated groups—five or six plants 
are ample for each station—on well manured, deeply dug ground should 
flower continuously till late in the season, especially if freely cut from. 
Where, however. Sweet Peas are known to fail early, and they soon 
collapse on hot and dry soils, sow more seed now, preparing the sites by 
manuring liberally and digging deeply. 
Hardy Edglngr Plants. —When the bedsare edged with Antennaria, 
Stachys, Ledums, Euonymuses or other hardy grey or variegated plants 
these save a considerable number of tender plants and give, in some 
cases, a very neat finish to the beds. Instead of waiting till late in 
May before dividing and replanting these, this in some instances rather 
tedious work ought to be carried out immediately. If done in hot and 
dry weather there will always be a considerable number of failures. 
First well prepare the beds for their summer occupants, and then make 
the edges sloping and firm. Lift the plants to be divided and pull all 
to pieces, every portion with a few roots attached taking readily to 
fresh soil if properly fixed. Small pieces are always to be preferred to 
bunched up or larger masses. Dibble them in rather thickly, and if the 
weather is hot and dry water gently every evening, and roughly shade 
from bright sunshine during the hottest part of the day. The old 
Srachys lanata is a most effective edging for large beds, especially if a 
broad band is formed. 
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APIARIAN NOTES. 
Can honeycomb be improved in whiteness after taken from 
the hive ? According to a statement by a correspondent (“ G. R.")) 
a judge at a show held last year said that it could be improved. 
