June 14.1688. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
497 
over, and this operation should have attention at once. Place a good 
strong stake to the large plants and tie them firmly in two or more 
places. Salt is a good manure for Asparagus. It may he applied at 
any time, but the present has its advantages, as growth is active, and 
any stimulant will be at once beneficial. We do not apply it by weight 
or measure, but a small handful is sprinkled around each plant, and the 
first rain washes it down to the roots. Three or four applications may 
be given during the next month if it rains to wash it down, and under 
the latter favourable conditions we sometimes apply it twice a week. 
SuPEEFLTJOtrs Flowees. —These are appearing on Rhubarb, Seakale, 
and Sorrel. We often allow' Seakale to bloom longer than is pood for it 
that our bees may profit by the flowers, but we never allow it to seed, 
and as a rule the flowers should be cut as soon as they form. Rhubarb 
flowers are useless, and should all be cut off. Sorrel flowers are injurious, 
as they prevent the leaves forming, and they should all be cut away. 
We wonder if many of our readers have tried Sorrel as a vegetable and 
cooked it like Spinach. It is peculiar in flavour, but a good change. 
The Sorrel we grow is not the small-leaved variety, but one with foliage 
as large as a sheet of note paper. 
Open Aie Tomatoes.— If these have to be a success they must be 
taken in hand promptly, and if well attended to the results will be highly 
satisfactory. Planting should be finished at once. Do not on any 
account transfer plants from a strong heat to the op(m ground. They 
would not recover for many a day, if they ever did, audit would be very 
disheartening for beginners, but plants that have been accustomed to 
the open air for a while will not take any harm. In favourable parts of 
the country they may be planted in the open.quarters at a distance of a 
yard apart and staked like Raspberries, but in less favourable localities 
they should have the protection of a wall. Do not make the ground rich 
for them. Have the soil firm round the roots, secure them at once to 
prevent their blowing about, and from the first confine them to one or 
two stems. When allowed to make much wood and ramble about before 
beginning to train them it is impossible to get them to assume the neat 
forms they should possess. Should cold weather immediately follow 
their turning out hang an old net over them, and plant them so as to be 
as much exposed to the sun and as little to the wind as possible. This 
applies forcibly to plants away from walls. 
Paesley. —Plants of 1887 are all flowering, and although the stems 
may be cut off they will not be of much further use. Never trust to 
Parsley plants for a supply for more than a year, and as soon as the 
seed sown this year has produced plants sufficiently large to give a supply 
pull the old ones up and throw them away. When the seedling Parsley 
plants are about 3 inches high draw many of them up and transplant 
them elsewhere. We have planted thousands lately. They are dibbled 
into good ground in rows 1 foot apart .and 6 inches from plant to plant. 
Sprinkle soot on them when it is raining. 
Main Ceop Turnips.— The Turnips from seed sown before this 
will soon flower and be over, but those from seed sown now will not do 
this so rapidly, and if a good breadth is sown they will form large roots 
and remain good for a long time in the autumn. They need not be 
sown in small quantities now but in a large plot. Veitch’s Red Globe 
is a good sort for present sowing, and they may be put in any.,vacant 
piece of ground. We only secured a few roots from our first sowings of 
Turnips, then they were flowered and were at once cleared off to give 
place to other crops, but the Snowballs which are now re.ady are most 
useful. 
Spinach. —Our supply until lately was secured from the sowing of 
last autumn, but this began to seed and is clearal off to make room for 
Turnips. The spring sowings are now ready, but they too will soon 
bloom, and frequent sowings must be made to keep up a constant supply. 
It is no use in sowing in large quantities yet, as the heat of July 
will make it ready so fast that a large sowing would not be all used. A 
few rows sown once a fortnight will be ample. Thin young plants 
well, as it is only by this means that large succulent leaves can be 
obtained. 
FRUIT FORGING. 
Melons. —Setting in Frames .—Difficulty is sometimes experienced 
in getting the flowers to set and fruit to swell freely. It usually arises 
from the plants growing too freely, the atmosphere being too moist, and 
the plants too crowded with foliage, accompanied by cold. Anything 
like crowding the foliage or shoots is fatal to a good set, therefore the 
shoots should be kept rather thin by removing every alternate lateral 
whilst quite small, for to remove them when large very often induces 
canker or gumming. The laterals retained will for the most part show 
fruit; if not, stop them at the second joint, and the sub-laterals will show 
fruit freely, when water should be given sparingly ; but, if necessary, 
pour it between the shoots so as not to wet the surface of the bed to 
any great extent. Place hot dung against the sides of the frame, or 
grass mowings will do with a little litter over the grass. This will raise 
a gentle heat, admitting of a little ventilation being left on constantly 
day and night, which prevents the deposition of moisture on the 
blossoms, which is fatal to fructification. Fertilise the flowers when 
fully expanded. Admit air freely if fine weather permit, increasing 
the ventilation at 70°, allowing it to rise to 80° or 85°, or 90°, at which 
keep it through the day, closing at 80°, except the small portion before 
alluded to. When the fruit is set, two to four on a plant, and the size 
of a bantam’s egg, commence watering by sprinkling the foliage at 
closing time, always keeping the w.ater from the neck or collar of the 
plants ; and besides the sprinkling give a good watering twice a week in 
hot weather, once a week will be ample in dull weather. Commence 
ventilating at 75°, allow the heat to rise to 85° or 90, close by or before 
the temperature recedes to 80°, or between 1 and 5 p.M., with a gentle 
damping. The temperature will run up 10° or more, .which will be 
advantageous to the swelling of the fruit. When the fruit is advanced 
for ripening keep the bed well lined with hot dung or grass'mowings, 
and admit air freely, omitting the sprinklings, watering if necessary 
through the spout of the pot instead of through a rose. Cut the fruit a. 
day or two after it commences giving off its aroma, placing it in a dry 
room, and in two or three days it will be in perfection, which i& 
when the ripening colour pervades every part of the fruit, after which 
flavour is lost rapidly, and in a few days is entirely gone. 
Second Crops in Frames .—Cut back Melons which have fruited, re¬ 
move a little of the surface soil, and give fresh, also a good water¬ 
ing. If due regard has been had to keeping the soil moist for the first 
crop, and shoots retained from near the base of the fruited Vines, fresh 
growth will be quickly made, and fruit will speedily set and swell; in¬ 
deed, we have had fruits set and swelling freely before the first fruits- 
are cut,havingencouraged fresh growth from near the collar of the plants. 
Some cultivators keep their plants so dry at the roots during the growth 
and ripening of the first crop as to completely exhaust them, and in 
many instances spoil the fruit, it ripening prematurely, and conse¬ 
quently is not solid and the flavour is poor. Plenty of moisture is 
necessary when the fruit is swelling, and enough should be given when 
ripening to preserve the foliage, there being no comparison of fruit 
ripened with foliage and that which has no foliage to aid it during the- 
ripening process. 
Late Crops .—Some consider Melons are worth little after the hot 
days of summer, but they are often good when the days are bright 
in September .and October. Plants that were raised some time ago and 
have been put out, or should be at once, will set freely in the dog' 
days and afford acceptable fruit in August and September. A last 
sowing should be made for growing in dung-heated pits and frames. 
It is advisable to make up the beds at once, or at the same time as the 
seed is sown, which should be in 4-inch pots about half filled with soil, 
placed in a frame or house. One or two seeds may be placed in each 
pot and supply soil around the stem as the plants advance, but not 
higher than half an inch from the seed le.aves. When the bed i& 
ready turn the plants out of the pots, place one in the*centre of each 
light, planting to within half an inch of the seed leaves with the soil 
inclining from the stem, give a good watering, and shade from bright 
sun. Pinch out the point of the leader at the second rough leaf, which 
will induce side shoots, reduce those to four, take two to the front and 
two to the back of the frame or pit, rubbing off the laterals to within. 
9 inches of the stem all around, and every other lateral upon the 
primary shoots, stopping those at 6 inches from the sides of the frame. 
The plants will be showing and setting fruit in plenty early in August, 
and they will ripen in late September. All the stopping and disbud¬ 
ding must be done whilst the growths are small, for large reductions of 
growth only tend to'promote grossness in the parts retained, and are 
unfavourable to the setting of the crop. 
The grower who has well-heated light houses will have no difficulty 
in maintaining a supply of fairly flavoured fruit through- October or 
November from sowing up to the third or fourth week in July. 
CucuMBEES. —Strawberry houses, houses occupied with Vines in pots, 
and structures employed for wintering bedding plants will be cleared, 
and may be utilised for growing a late supply of Cucumbers. Grow 
the plants in pots 12 inches in diameter, or larger, draining them well, 
and only partly filling them with compost so as to leave space for fresh- 
additions, or they may be growm in boxes of about 15 inches depth, and 
18 inches to 2 feet square. A wood or other trellis maybe improvised 
at 15 inches from the glass. No fire heat will be necessary, the house 
being closed between 3 and 4 P.M., syringing then, the floors and every 
available surface being kept damp so as to secure a good moisture 
through the day, but do not syringe in the morning, it often being the 
cause of great mischief to the foliage. Admit air at 75°, and allow the 
temperature to rise to 85° or 90° with sun, and close between 80° and 85°, 
and if the temperatui’e rise afterwards to 90° or 95° all the better. Train 
with a single stem to the trellis, rubbing off all laterals to that height, 
then allow them to grow, pinch the leader after it has advanced about 
two-thirds across the trellis. The laterals may be stopped one or twO' 
joints beyond the show of fruit. 
In the Cucumber house fire heat will only be necessary to prevent 
the temperature falling below 65° at night, and to ensure 70° to 75° 
by day artificially. Attend well to stopping the shoots, removing bad 
leaves, well thinning the old growths, and watering with weak 
liquid manure about twice a week. To encourage surface roots sprinkle 
the bed with a few fresh horse knobs once or twice a week, and 
occasionally with a little soot, both of which will be beneficial from 
supplying ammonia to the atmosphere. 
Pit and frame Cucumbers may be watered about 4 P.JI., closing then 
or earlier according to the weather ; but it is not safe to close so early 
as to rai.se the temperature above 90° to 95°. Liquid manure should be 
given occasionally, but it is not desirable to apply it over the foliage, 
nor too frequently. Keep the growths fairly thin, thinning out old 
growths and encouraging others in their place so as to keep up a succes¬ 
sion of bearing wood, ^top one or two joints beyond the fruit. Avoid 
overcropping and allowing the fruit to remain on the plants a day longer 
than can be helped. 
Vines.—Z afc Grapes.—The.'iQ must be thinned immediately they are 
large enough, the berries swelling so rapidly at this season that they 
