May 12 , 1887 . ] 
383 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
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FRUIT FORCING. 
Melons. —Success in Melon cultivation depends upon a firm soil of 
h rather strong adhesive character, but not devoid of grit. When the 
soil is light, loose, and rich the shoots are long-jointed, the leaves thin 
and flabby, not enduring sun ; the fruit then does not set well, and 
l hose that do are light in weight for their size and very indifferent in 
flavour. It is necessary that the shoots be trained thinly to prevent 
crowding. Keep the atmosphere dry and well ventilated when setting, 
!>eing careful not to allow one fruit to take the lead upon a plant, 
watering well when the fruit is swelling, and keeping the soil dry when 
ripening. Do not spare the knife after the fruit has commenced swell¬ 
ing freely, keeping the principal leaves fully exposed to light and air. 
Attend to setting the blossoms in bright weather, nipping out the points 
of the shoots one joint beyond the fruit. Fruits becoming heavy, and 
in the case of plants on trellises, will require supports. Tables of half- 
inch deal, about 6 inches square, with a hole bored at each corner, are 
useful, two pieces of string being passed through the holes from the 
top, coming underneath the table, and then jiassing through again to 
the top, being looped up to the trellis to relieve the Vine of its 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 
.'1.30 P.M., damping the floor several times in hot weather. Water or 
liquid manure will be required about twice a week. The night tempe¬ 
rature should be maintained at 70°, 75° by day from fire heat, and 85° 
to 90° with sun. Ventilate freely, but avoid admitting too much air at a 
time with a view to reducing the temperature, but commence at 75° and 
increase or diminish it gradually according to external influences. When 
the fruit is full-sized and advanced for ripening 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 when ripening, which 
improves the flavour considerably. The temperature should be kept tq 
70° or 75° artificially, and 80° or 90° with sun heat. Cut the fruits 
before they are ripe, keeping them in a fruit room for two or three days 
before sending them to table. Cracked fruits are produced by a close 
and moist atmosphere, with too much moisture at the roots. If any 
fruit show a tendency to crack cut the shoots about halfway through 
with a knife a few inches below the fruit, and diminish the supply of 
water at the roots and in the atmosphere. Plants swelling their fruits 
should have every encouragement, syringing freely in hot weather at 
closing time ; and besides damping the floors whenever they become dry, 
sprinkle them in the evening with liquid manure or guano water, about 
l lb. to 20 gallons of water. Shade only to prevent flagging, ventilate 
freely in favourable weather, commencing from 75° to 80°, increasing or 
decreasing it as necessary, maintaining a day temperature of 80° to 85° 
or 90° with sun heat, closing between 80° and 85°,'and if an advance be 
made after closing to 90° or 95° or more, it will increase the size of the 
fruit and lessen the necessity for fire heat at night, but it must be accom¬ 
panied by plenty of atmospheric moisture. If thrips appear fumigate 
moderately on two. or three consecutive evenings, taking care to have 
the foliage dry, and for red spider dress the hot-water pipes with flowers 
of sulphur. 
Train out the growths in pits and frames. Still maintain a good 
bottom and top heat by linings, and employ thick night coverings, as 
the nights are yet cold. Plants swelling off the fruit should be well 
earthed, the laterals thinned out, and the fruits raised on pieces of slate 
on inverted flower pots. Sow seed for planting in pits and frames after 
they become cleared of bedding plants, jxitting off the young growth as 
required. 
Cucumbers. —A clean growth is of the utmost importance in the 
successful cultivation of fruits, particularly Cucumbers. - If aphides 
ap|)ear fumigate twice or thrice on consecutive evenings, having the 
foliage dry but the floors well damped, which last is more especially 
necessary when there is “ white fly ” to contend with. Red spider is 
almost sure to appear ; remove the worst infested leaves, and keep the 
atmosphere charged with ammonia vapour by damping the floors in the 
evening with liquid manure or guano water, supplying the plants at the 
roots with the same about twice a week. The hot-water pipes may also 
lie coated moderately with sulphur. Be careful that the plants do not 
suffer through insufficient supplies of water, always applying it at the 
same temperature as that of the bed. Plants in tearing 'all the winter 
will now be showing signs of exhaustion, and had tetter be removed 
and their places filled with young plants without delay. Assist young 
plants which show signs of weakness by removing the staniinate 
blossoms and the first fruits, stopping at every third or fourth joint, 
removing all weakly and superfluous growths. Shading will be necessary 
for an houf or two in the middle of the day when the sun is hot, 
esjiecially houses facing south, but shade only to prevent flagging. 
Houses with the roof lights facing east or west will not require shading. 
Little of no 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, keeping 
a good moisture by (lamping the floors, Ac. 
Sow seed for raising plants to occupy pits and frames, a fair bittern 
heat being first secured by using the less decomposed material from 
Seakale, Vine borders, or exhausted hotbeds, which with about a fourth 
of fresh material will afford all the bottom heat now required. The 
days lately though somewhat bright have been cold, and the nights very 
cold, in which case close pits and frames as early in the afternoon as is 
safe, running up to 90° or more, and employ good night coverings. Bee 
that a good bottom heat is obtained by duly renewing the linings. 
Cherry House. —Cherries ripening at this time are always most 
welcome at dessert. The fruit must be kept dry, but the house must 
nevertheless have atmospheric moisture furnished by keeping the surface 
of the borders moist by damping with the syringe, air being admitted 
constantly, or condensation taking place will seriously affect the fruit, 
not only causing it to crack but impairing its quality. Damping the 
border is calculated to mislead as regards its condition, which at this 
stage must be quite moist; therefore, if necessary, a thorough supply of 
water must be afforded without delay. Tie in the shoots as they 
lengthen, and stop those not required for training in at about the fifth 
leaf. Black aphides must be kept under by dipping the shoots or leaves 
in tobacco water. Ventilate freely on all favourable occasions, and 
when the external conditions are unfavourable recourse must be had to 
the heating apparatus to ensure a circulation of warm dry air. Netting 
will be necessary over the ventilators to prevent the birds attacking the 
Cherries. Trees in pots should be well supplied with water. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Mignonette .—If well-developed standards or pyramids trained upon 
trellises are desired in early autumn no time should be lost in sowing 
seed of Miles’ Hybrid Spiral or Parsons’ White. Pots 3 inches in 
diameter must be carefully drained and filled with a compost consisting 
of two parts good loam and one of leaf mould, with a little sand added. 
Sow a few seeds in the centre of each pot, and lightly cover with fine 
soil. Place the pots in a temperature of 60° until germination has taken 
place. As soon as the most promising plant can be distinguished select 
it and pull the other out, except in the case of those required for 
pyramids, when four plants may be left. G-row the young plants under 
moist genial conditions until they are 3 inches high, when their first 
pots will be full of roots, and they may be transferred into 5 and 6-inch 
pots. When established in these gradually dispense with artificial heat, 
and grow the plants under cool but not too airy treatment. Stand the 
pots upon some moisture-holding material, and grow the plants as 
rapidly as consistent with insuring strength and sturdiness. Avoid any 
check, either from remaining in small pots too long, or rooting through 
into the material upon which they are placed. Either of these causes 
will quickly bring about a woody condition of the plants, and if this 
takes place in their early stages they never do any good afterwards. 
For flowering during the spring sow seed at the end of the month. 
Calceolarias— Some of the latest plants that were wintered in pans 
or small pots, and now well established in 3-inch pots, will prove very 
useful for decoration if transferred at once into pots 2 inches larger. 
These should be grown under cool treatment in a cold frame,^ with the 
pots standing on ashes or other moisture-holding material. Feed those 
throwing up their flower spike with clear soot water every time they 
need supplies at their roots. Watch for aphides, which, if allowed to 
establish themselves upon the plants and be neglected for afewdays, will 
quickly arrest their growth. On its first appearance fumigate lightly 
with tobacco, only be careful that the foliage is perfectly dry. 
Spircea japonica .—There is no difficulty in having this plant in good 
condition until the end of June, or even into the following month, pro¬ 
vided steps are taken at once for retarding those that have teen kept 
back as much as possible. For some years we have kept a batch of plants 
to flower during the early part of July after those in outside borders 
were over. In the attainment of this object the plants were plunged 
outside all winter with the crowns covered with ashes. At this period 
of the year they were removed and plunged behind a north wall. _ For 
some time protection will be needed, for the foliage is easily injured 
by slight frosts. If this is given for a few weeks, the plants kept well 
watered, and are afforded room for development, they will be found very 
serviceable either for cutting or various forms of decoration. 
Azaleas.— As these plants cease flowering remove the seed pods and 
wash them in weak tobacco water, to which has been added about half 
an ounce of softsoap to each gallon of the .solution, and a piece of 
washing soda the size of a cob nut to each four gallons of the mixture. 
This will destroy any thrips or eggs that may be deposited upon the 
plants, which, if not destroyed before introducing them into heat, the 
insects will spread rapidly and soon make sad havoc with their foliage. 
We have invariably foupd that if these plants are well washed after 
flowering, and then libetally and judiciously syringed during the season 
of growth, a further washing is not necessary before autumn. Encourage 
all plants that have flowered to make their growth by subjecting them 
to close, moist, warm treatment where they are shaded from strong sun¬ 
shine. The night temperature may range about 60°, and no air need 
be admitted during the day for some time to come, provided the roof is 
shaded with tiffany. Any plants that need repotting should be done at 
once, and the remainder given an application of artificial manure to the 
surface of the soil. 
Hardy Varieties .—Those that have been forced in pots may now be 
planted out if thej have teen thoroughly hardened for the purpose. 
To plant them out directly they have flowered without judicious prepa¬ 
ration means a very Severe check to the plants, especially those that 
have a good per-tentage of : new growth. They are generally severely 
cut, and do not again start into growth during the season ; but with 
care in hardening them many of the plants will set their buds, and do 
