526 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Jane 27, 1S89 
in the afternoon, closing the house at the same time, so as to gain 
enough sun heat to rise to 90° or 95°. As the fruit approaches ripening 
admit a little air at the top of the house before nightfall. The secret 
of avoiding scorched leaves and scalds is early ventilation. 
Late Houses. —Figs are not grown in cool houses so much as they 
deserve to be. The fruit is most wholesome, and makes a useful addition 
to the dessert. Narrow borders of calcareous soil well drained and a 
light well-ventilated structure afford excellent results. The chief things 
are to grow thin, feed highly, ventilate early, and utilise sun heat by 
early closing. Keep the growths thin, stop at the fifth leaf— i.e., the 
side shoots, and keep the borders well mulched and watered. The trees 
will ripen one full crop in August, after which it is advisable to let the 
shoots grow up to the glass. 
Melons. — Houses and Pits Cleared of Fruit. —Prompt decision 
must be made as to whether the plants are worth keeping for a second 
•crop. If the plants are healthy and not infested with red spider they 
may be reserved for a second crop, in which case growths should have 
been retained and encouraged in the later stages of the first crop, and a 
good set will have been secured in these whilst the structures were kept 
drier for the fruit ripening. The old growths in this case should be cut 
■away, but not all at once, as that would give a check, reserving the best 
of the growths, and any cuts that bleed should be dried with quicklime. 
Remove a little of the surface soil, and apply some lumpy loam. Soak 
•with tepid water, and follow at once with tepid liquid manure. Employ 
short manure, collected, spread in a shed, and turned two or three 
times before using as a mulch for the Melons, a little and often, rather 
than a heavy mulching at once. If kept moist the roots will soon 
■spread in the loam. Thin the fruits to half a dozen, or apportion the 
number to the vigour of the plants, but as the fruit does not attain to 
■so large a size as the first crop, and as this will be the last crop of 
the plants, more may be taken than is advisable at first, especially 
when a second crop from the same plants is desired. Allow a fair 
•extension of fresh growths, especially if the plants have to be grown 
on before fruit can be had, as not all varieties are amenable to the 
continuous system of cropping, and in that case it will be necessary 
to secure a good growth, and then seek a good set by a drier atmo¬ 
sphere. 
Replanting in Houses, Pits, and Frames. —If the plants are not in 
condition for carrying a second crop clear them out at once, removing 
the soil, and the heat being had from fermenting materials, remove a 
portion of it and add some fresh, mixing it with the fresher of the old, 
which will revive the bottom heat sufficiently for young plants. Cleanse 
bouse or structure thoroughly, much success depends on a good start. 
Plant on hillocks or ridges, or a couple of barrowloads of soil will grow 
a large plant, and it saves much trouble afterwards. Ram the soil firm, 
and when warm plant the Melons. Shade from bright sun for a few 
days, and maintain a moist atmosphere, but ventilate freely. 
Plants Setting Fruit. —Artificial impregnation is not so essential now 
as early in the season. If there is a difficulty in getting Melons to set 
in frames, apply good linings, and admit air freely, ventilating a little 
at night, so as to prevent the deposition of moisture on the blossoms, 
as to set the pollen must be dry and the stigmas not destroyed by 
moisture. Keep the foliage fairly thin, but it is not advisable to use the 
knife much during setting, still light and air is essential. Avoid giving 
water if it can be helped, yet the foliage must not flag. 
Plants Swelling their Crops. —Add fresh soil to the ridges or 
hillocks as necessary. Syringe plants in houses at closing time, and 
■damp down in the morning and in the evening of hot days. Afford 
liquid manure copiously, always weak and tepid. Afford supports to 
the fruit in good time, placing slates under those in pits and frames. 
Keep the foliage fairly thin, avoiding too distant thinning or trimming, 
as allowing a large amount of foliage to be made and afterwards have 
to reduce it in quantity gives a serious check, and prolific of gangrene 
or gumming. Ventilate early at 75°, keep through the day at 80° to 
D0°, as sun avails, and close so as to run up to 95° or 100°, with plenty 
of atmospheric moisture. A little ventilation about 6 p.m. will allow 
the temperature to fall gradually, any vitiated air escaping. As the 
fruit approaches ripening reduce the water at the roots, but not to 
cause flagging, and admit a little air constantly, withholding water 
from the fruit. Cracked fruits are generally a consequence of a moist 
close atmosphere at night. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
Roses. —These have improved considerably under the influence of 
warmer weather, and the caterpillars and maggots have done their 
worst. Hand-picking is the only remedy for these, and if gloves are 
worn crushing the maggots as they are curled up in the leaves is not so 
unpleasant an operation as might at first appear. Large properly formed 
blooms, whether required for exhibition purposes or not, are always 
the most appreciated, and as they are of greater substance they are also 
much more durable than the small flimsy blooms cut from crowded and 
■it may be starved bushes. Thinning the buds ought to be closely 
practised, only the most perfect and best placed ones being reserved. 
In order to avoid a glut and then a scarcity of flowers it is advisable to 
remove a considerable number of the most forward buds, this favouring 
the development of later buds, which otherwise would never reach per¬ 
fection. V hen cutting buds or partially opened blooms some regard 
should be paid to the habit of the variety. For instance, La France, 
•one of the very best varieties in cultivation, if in good health, forms 
strong branching growths which continue to flower all the season, this 
also being the habit of Teas generally. Others of a less branching 
habit may well be cut with a good length of stem, and this rather severe 
early summer pruning will usually be followed by strong late summer 
flowering shoots. 
Watering and Mulching Roses.— On heavy lands many of the Roses 
were at one time of a sickly yellow hue, this being principally owing to 
the wet and cold state of the ground. It would be very unwise to 
either water or mulch the bushes when in this plight, a surface loosen¬ 
ing of the soil being all that could be advised under the circumstances. 
Now that the sun heat has warmed the soil and it has become drier, a 
mulching of strawy manure, spent tan, or some other substitute might 
well be given, and when it is found the soil about the roots will not bind 
badly in the hand liquid manure may also be given safely and with 
advantage. On hot dry soils Roses soon fail unless well supplied with 
water during a dry summer, and in all such cases a thick mulching is 
necessary, nothing being better than either cowyard manure or that 
obtained from a piggery. These mulchings may in some cases be 
objected to on account of their fancied unsightly appearance, but this 
difficulty may be obviated by surfacing the manure with common 
garden soil. In fact, the mulching is improved by this addition, as it is 
then much less liable to become caked and dry. Various special 
manures, as well as the drainage from farmyards, soot water, and that 
made by well soaking a bag of sheep’s dropping and soot in a tub of 
water, are also suitable for washing down to the roots of Roses, and one 
or more of these fertilisers ought to be used in moderation by all who 
need fine blooms. Dull or showery weather or, failing this, evenings, 
generally are the best times for applying liquid manure, and a good 
soaking should be given, otherwise it will be wasted labour. Roses 
growing against pillars and sunny walls are usually most in need of 
assistance in the shape of mulchings and good soakings of liquid 
manure, but these are frequently the most neglected. In every case 
either pond water or water naturally soft, or that has been exposed to 
the sunshine and air long enough to become warm and soft, should be 
used, cold spring water being the worst that can be used. 
Cleaning Roses. —Most of the Roses growing in the open are com¬ 
paratively clean, but rarely have many of the pillar and wall plants 
been seen in a worse plight. Mildew is in the ascendant, and green fly 
is also very plentiful. Something must be done, or the trees will be an 
eyesore all the summer, and be of but little service in the following 
season. Mildew is not easily checked, but several of the advertised 
remedies, which most nurserymen keep in stock, are easily applied and 
effective. Soapy water in which several handfuls of sulphur have been 
squeezed through a muslin bag well and frequently syringed into and 
over the trees, the wood and leaves being eventually coated with sul¬ 
phur, also checks the spread of mildew as well as insect pests. A solu¬ 
tion of either tobacco and softsoap or quassia chips and softsoap 
freely diluted with soft water, and vigorous'y applied to the affected 
trees either with an engine or syringe will clear them of green fly and 
other insects, and so also will ordinary soapsuds. Poverty at the roots 
is one of the causes of attacks by mildew, and insect pests do not make 
much headway on vigorous trees. A more liberal system of treatment 
at the roots, such as has just been advised, ought therefore to be adopted, 
and if these measures are persevered in the Roses may yet do well. 
Spring-flowering Plants. — As a rule it is necessary to purchase 
fresh bulbs every autumn. No dependance can be placed on those that 
flowered this spring, and which had perforce to be lifted recently. 
When Hyacinths, Narcissi, Daffodils, Tulips, Crocuses, Snowdrops, and 
Scillas are allowed to remain undisturbed in the ground the greater 
portion of them increase in numbers and flower freely every season. 
The four last named not unfrequently flower fairly well when they are 
lifted every spring and replanted in the autumn, but they succeed far 
better if left in the ground. When the bulbs were first dug up from 
the beds they ought to have been laid in the ground till the foliage is 
quite dead and the bulbs well ripened, they may then be cleared of the 
old foliage and be packed thickly in shallow boxes of sand. Any cool 
dry loft or shed is suitable for keeping the bulbs, a sharp look out 
being kept for mice, or these little depredators will very probably clear 
up the whole of them. 
Spring Bedding Plants. —Those required for the flower beds next 
autumn must not be neglected now. All the Conifers, Aucuba3, Hollies, 
Laurels, and other shrubs ought to be firmly planted in fairly good 
ground and a rather cool position. If the balls are very dry soak them 
in tubs of water prior to replanting, as it is almost impossible to 
remoisten them when surrounded by soil. Cool or north borders are 
usually the best summer quarters for various perennials being kept or 
prepared for the beds in winter. Among these are included Daisies, 
Polyanthuses, Primulas, Primroses, Hepaticas, Arabises, Aubrietias, 
double Wallflowers, Alyssums, Ajuga reptans rubra, and Saxifragas. 
The greater portion of these divide freely, and if all the divisions are 
dibbled out firmly on rather sandy ground and watered whenever dry, 
they will soon become strong well-rooted plants. Any slips without 
roots ought to have the benefit of a handlight, and shade for a time, 
and these also will soon become sufficiently well rooted to transplant 
more thinly in the open. Violas and Pansies duly lifted, trimmed, and 
laid in by the heels in good ground should now be pushing up numerous 
young shoots, and may be freely divided and replanted. Euonymus 
radicans variegata is easily propagated. The young tops should be 
taken off, dibbled thickly in handlights, watered, shaded, and kept 
close till rooted. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
All crops are maturing rapidly, but many of them are inclined to 
be light in quantity, and if dry weather continues water must be freely 
