May 24, 1894 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
417 
moisture on the fruit, which is likely to induce decay at the apex, if 
not encourage attack of “ spot,” which is rather prevalent this year on 
Figs and Grapes, and in less degree on Peaches and Nectarines. 
Succession Houses. —Only moderate artificial heat will now be 
necessary in order to admit a free circulation of air. Remove any 
leaves that shade the fruit too much, raising them on thin laths placed 
across the trellis so as to bring them with their apexes to the light. 
Attend regularly to tying in the shoots, stopping the laterals at the first 
joint, as soon as made. Any shoots that cannot be allowed to extend 
without crowding or encroaching on others stop at about 14 inches, 
exception being made of extensions. Shoots retained level with or past 
the fruit to attract the sap to it should be stopped to one or two joints 
at each break. Syringing must be practised morning and afternoon to 
keep red spider under, and the inside border attended to frequently 
with water. Admit air early in the day, and in the case of houses 
glazed with the best quality glass in large panes a double thickness of 
herring or single pilchard netting drawn over the roof lights is beneficial 
in very bright and hot periods, preventing the foliage browning. A 
little whitewash from a fine-rose syringe on the glass also diffuses the 
light and acts favourably, and has the advantage that the first rain 
washes it off and gives the much-needed light in dull periods. 
Late Houses. —Let there be no delay in thinning the fruit, leaving 
very few more after the fruits attain the size of a Walnut than will be 
required for the crop, up to which stage the thinning should be gradual, 
and avoid overburdening the trees. It is better to retain too few rather 
than too many fruits, fine examples being always appreciated, whilst 
the indifferently swelled and quality-lacking are a source of complaint. 
There is no greater mistake than retaining more shoots than there is 
room for; if the wood is not properly formed and is not solidified as 
made imperfect buds result. If aphides appear fumigate on two or three 
consecutive evenings, having the foliage dry and being careful not to 
give an overdose; or apply one of the advertised insecticides, carefully 
following the instructions. Should mildew attack the foliage or fruit 
dust with flowers of sulphur, taking care to reach every part. 
Melons In Houses. —When the fruit is cut from the earliest plants 
the old stem may be shortened back to a strong shoot near its base, 
removing as much soil as can be picked from amongst the roots without 
injuring them, supplying rather strong lumpy loam pressed well down 
and giving a good watering. A moist atmosphere being maintained, 
and the plants syringed in the morning and about 4 p.m , they will start 
freely, showing fruit in much less time than by planting afresh. If, 
however, the plants are affected with canker, or from carrying too heavy 
a first crop, a deficiency of water or attacks of insects, are much 
enfeebled, it is better to remove them, thoroughly cleansing the house 
after removing the old soil and placing fresh sweet compost in ridges or 
hillocks, planting strong plants when it has been warmed through. 
Early Melons are coming in and are of excellent flavour, through the 
days being bright and the range of temperature considerable. Plants 
swelling their fruit should have a night temperature of 70°, though 65° 
or even 60° will do no harm when the nights are unusually cold and the 
days bright, 70° to 75° by day being artificially secured, admitting a 
little air at and above the latter, allowing an advance to 85° or 90°, 
closing at 80° to 85°, but so early as to raise the temperature to 90° or 
95°, or 100°. Keep abundant moisture in houses containing young 
growing plants, feed plants liberally that have their fruits swelling, not 
allowing them to suffer through deficient supplies of water or of weak 
liquid manure. Gently damping the foliage, walls, floors, and closing at 
about 3.30 P.M., or as early as safe, will insure the swelling of the fruits 
to a good size. Where the plants are showdng blossom fertilise the 
pistillate flowers daily to set the fruit, ensuring a somewhat dry 
condition of the atmosphere, not using the knife more than can be 
helped during that period, but pinch out the point,s of the shoots one 
or two joints beyond the fruit. Earth-up the plants when the fruit 
is set and swelling, and examine them frequently for the removal of 
superfluous growth, not allowing them to interfere with the principal 
foliage. Shade lightly from powerful sun, but only to prevent flagging^ 
Earliest Melons in Pits and Frames. —The fruits in an advanced 
stage should be well exposed to light by raising them on inverted flower 
pots with a piece of slate for the fruit to rest on, or the moisture arising 
beneath will cause it to decay. Admit air freely, and water only to 
prevent the foliage flagging. If a second crop is desired encourage 
about four shoots from the base of each plant, so that when the fruit is 
cut the old growths may be removed and the young shoots substituted. 
These will show fruit freely on the first laterals, every alternate lateral 
being rubbed off to prevent overcrowding. If a top-dressing of fresh 
compost be given, supplemented with a judicious supply of moderately 
weak liquid manure at 90°, the plants will be assisted to make a 
vigorous second growth. 
Late Melons in Frames —A useful crop of Melons may be obtained 
by making up beds now of any spent material, which from mixing and 
turning will generate a gentle warmth, placing over it frames that may 
have been used for Potatoes and bedding plants, placing in each light a 
barrowload of rather strong loam, mixed with a fifth part of old mortar 
rubbish or road scrapings if deficient of grit, and pressing it down firmly. 
Into this when warmed turn out a strong healthy plant, pressing the 
soil compactly about the roots, and giving a good watering. If the 
weather be bright shade for a few days. Seed may yet be sown to raise 
lants for frames at present occupied by tender bedding or other plants, 
ut the Melons should be placed into their fruiting quarters with as 
little delay as possible. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
Bedding Out. —Although very many tender bedding plants are 
already in their summer quarters there is little likelihood of their making 
good progress before the sunshine has had time to warm the soil. During 
the week ending May 19th, and which saw so many plants bedded out, 
the ground must have been in a cold wet state, and it the Zonal Pelar¬ 
goniums and such like change from a healthy green to a bronze colour 
this will be largely due to coldness. Avoid saturating the soil about 
both these and any plants turned out later on, or the evil will be 
aggravated. Give enough water to keep both the old balls of soil and 
roots as well as the soil about them uniformly moist, but do not fiood 
the beds every evening. Frosts may yet be experienced, and are par¬ 
ticularly to be feared after hailstorms. It is well, therefore, to be 
prepared for them. Benders or Baan stakes fixed over the beds would 
support mats, Apricot blinds, and such like, and these would ward off 
frosts and prevent a serious check to the plants. A few fairly large fresh 
branches of deciduous trees, fixed so as to lightly overhang the beds or 
borders, would also as a rule afford ample protection from frosts, and a 
light shading of these in the daytime will be beneficial to plants moved 
with only a few roots. 
Zonal Pelargoniums. —If properly hardened these will withstand 
light frosts. They thrive best and flower well in a fairly rich free work¬ 
ing soil, but will prove most effective in a somewhat hot and dry position, 
especially if plenty of light and air can reach them. The flowering 
varieties are most showy in masses or broad bands, and particularly in 
the centres of plain beds with appropriate edgings. The bronze, silver, 
and golden leaved varieties are also very effective massed in the centres 
of small beds, or they can be used either dotted among Violas, Iresines, 
Lobelias, or Begonias. Tall plants should be planted in a sloping 
direction with a view to pegging them down neatly over the ground, but 
busby ones may well be kept upright, though avoid crowding. Thick 
planting is right enough for immediate effect, out when the plants begin 
to overrun each other they cease to flower freely. 
Tuberous Begonias. —Where and when Zonal Pelargoniums fail, 
these Begonias not unfrequently succeed admirably. They thrive and 
flower grandly during a showery season, and are at their best when 
Pelargoniums are damping badly. If they partially fail it will mostly 
be due to poverty and dryness at the roots. The beds, therefore, should 
be extra well prepared for them, by freely mixing decayed manure, leaf 
soil and, if it can be spared, some fresh loam with, or substituting it for, 
the ordinary garden soil. This coupled with a good mulching of very 
short manure or cocoa-nut fibre refuse and occasional soakings of water 
would keep them in a vigorous floriferous condition during a hot and 
dry summer. Root-bound plants in small pots should be soaked in 
water, and have some of the roots carefully loosened prior to planting, 
or they may be a long time in starting growing strongly. Tuberous 
Begonias really move best out of boxes or beds of fairly rich soil. In 
some instances they are effectively used in separate colours as much as 
Zonal Pelargoniums are bedded out, and in mixture are also very 
beautiful. Very imposing beds may be formed with the aid of a 
groundwork of Besonias with variegated Maize, Acacia lophantha, 
herbaceous Lobelias, small Gannas, Cyperus natalensis, and similar 
plants dotted thinly among them, with Chamsepeuce diacantha, 
Ophiopogon spicatum, variegated Agapanthus, and other ornamental 
foliaged plants nearer the margins. Standard Fuchsias in the centres 
of circular beds of Begonias are very effective. 
Other Begonias. —The fibrous-rooted Begonias are fast becoming 
popular as summer bedding plants, and none more so than the Semper- 
florens group, white, pinkish white and rose coloured. Old plants may 
be freely divided and planted when the weather is safe, not before. 
Seedlings raised early in the year and grown to a good size in boxes 
are, however, the best for planting out, and these would lift well in the 
autumn for winter flowering. B. Carrier! is well adapted for bedding 
out, and so also is the old fashioned but pretty B. Weltoniensis, 
B. Ascotensis and B. hybrida floribunda. All are suitable for either 
mixed beds or for massing in the centres of small beds. 
Verbenas. —These, again, require good culture, or otherwise they 
are liable to fail. Seedlings naturally grow stronger, and will thrive 
and flower freely in poorer soil than will those raised from cuttings, but 
the latter pay well for being planted in a bed or beds prepared and 
treated much as advised for Tuberous Begonias. If the start is made 
with clean, healthy, young plants, and these are given good room, each 
would soon cover a circle of ground 1 foot in diameter, also flowering 
grandly in all weathers. The old-fashioned V. venosa is too weedy for 
neat beds, but is very suitable for mixing with variegated Veronicas, 
tall Centaureas, and similar plants. 
Violas and Calceolarias. —These ought to be planted early, and 
more than ordinary care be taken with them, or otherwise there will be 
many failures. Violas when planted late and in poor dry soil are almost 
certain to mildew badly, while Calceolarias under similar conditions 
not unfrequently collapse wholesale. See that they are in a thoroughly 
moist condition at the roots before they are lifted, and move with a 
moderately large ball of soil about the roots. If planted in succession 
to spring-flowering plants first well moisten the soil, and then mix 
decayed manure freely with it. Avoid lifting too many plants at one 
time, as all should be replanted quickly. Give a good watering, and at 
once mulch with more of the manure, leaf soil, or cocoa-nut fibre refuse. 
If Violas are mixed with bronze, silver, or golden-leaved Zonal Pelar¬ 
goniums they will be very effective when flowering freely, and if 
they fail later on their places may be taken with late-raised Tuberous 
Begonias. 
