482 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Juno 1 x , 1887. 
very many of the supports are ugly, quite disfiguring a well grown crop 
of fruit. If there was any necessity to support the Melons at any time, 
say up to the time they are ripe, there would be some excuse for the 
practice. As it happens, the plants are capable of bearing the heaviest 
fruit grown, always providing the haulm immediately over the fruit is 
fastened with a stout piece of raffia to the wires overhead. It is by no 
means an uncommon practice to support the fruit when no larger than 
an Orange, some being slung up in baskets, some in nets, others on 
boards, and a few in saucers with perforated bottoms, made for this 
especial purpose. Many are content to support them with a network 
of raffia, while occasionally string only is used. Any and all of these 
contrivances, if used before the fruit are fully grown, are liable to dis¬ 
figure the fruit, either as regards form or appearance. 
Those who wish their Melons to be perfect in shape and beautifully 
netted ought not to hamper them in any way. If the embryo fruit are 
well formed and properly set in the first instance, and allowed to hang 
naturally from the plant, they arc almost certain to be of good shape. 
Whether they will be large and well netted, however, is principally de¬ 
termined by the quantity of fruit each plant is allowed to swell off, and 
it may not be out of place to repeat what others before me have pointed 
out—viz., that when Melons are overcropped the quality of the fruit is 
greatly deteriorated thereby. We are apt to overlook the fact that any 
kind of fruit tree or Vine is quite capable of bearing the weight of the 
fruit produced, at any rate as far as the footstalk is concerned ; but if 
we sling up the fruit when quite young the tendons cease to strengthen. 
Exercise and use develope the muscles and tendons in both the members 
of the animal and vegetable kingdom, and it is good for neither animal 
nor fruit to be always riding. Let the Melons bear their own weight, 
and cut them when they are ripe. About the middle of May we com¬ 
menced cutting Melons, and although several of them weighed 3 lbs., 
or rather more, not one of them fell. They would have fallen, 
doubtless, if we had left them on the plant long enough ; but I hold it 
is quite possible to leave a fruit too long on a plant. Cut it when well 
coloured and commencing to crack round the footstalk, leave it on a 
shelf in the same house for a few hours, and then keep it in a cool room 
till wanted. Those sorts given to premature cracking, and which include 
Victory of Bath, Eastnor Castle, and Longleat Perfection, very fre¬ 
quently have to be cut before they are coloured, but they ripen 
thoroughly on a shelf in a forcing house. I have tasted numerous fruit 
thus cut and ripened, and many of them were of excellent quality, 
quite equal to taking prizes at large flower shows, in fact. This season 
we supplied the Melons for a Royal dinner party, and were praised for 
them. They were “ very good,” yet never receive any supports. 
Very few will be tempted to risk losing a few fruits owing to no sup¬ 
ports being affixed, but if they will not discontinue supports they ought 
to defer supporting them till near the time of ripening, and then little 
or no harm will result. All that is needed is a few short lengths of 
medium-sized strings. With one piece form a loop so as to fit closely 
round the fruit slightly below the thickest part, and leave one long end ; 
attach two other pieces to this loop at equal distances apart, and tie all 
three ends to the wires overhead. This simple support is strong enough 
for the heaviest fruit grown, but we do think it advisable for them to 
actually bear the weight of the fruit, their purpose being to prevent the 
fruit from dropping. Strips of raffia may be used instead of string, 
but the latter is more easily tied, and is also much the strongest.—W. 
Iggulden. 
NOTABLE TREES AT WHITTINGHAME, 
PRESTONKIRK, N.B. 
Whittinghame, as hinted at page 305, is situite amidst a wealth 
of charming woodland scenery, about three miles south-east from 
Prestonkirk and the East Linton station of the Great Northern main 
line of railway, and a like distance in an opposite direction from the 
fishing town of Dunbar and its historic il castle, now, like many 
others of the thirteenth century, in ruins. As I am not going 
to write a description of Whittinghame and its extensive and well- 
kept gardens, but simply to give the dimensions of a few of the 
choice trees which abound in the grounds, I may say at once that 
everything, both indoors and out, go to show that Mr. John Garrett 
is a good all-round practkioncr. Close by the old Castle (which is 
situa'e at the t> p of the charming grounds facing the present com¬ 
modious and handsome Grecian mansion) is a remarkable and most 
interesting Yew tree—remarkable alike for its great age and s : ze — 
ttie circumference of the trunk being 10 feet 6 inches, diameter of 
s iace inside where the branches rest on the green sward 35 feet, out¬ 
side spread of branches close upon 100 yards in circumference, and 
interesting from the fact that underneath the spreading branches of 
this venerable tree Bothw ll and other Scottish nobles opposed to 
Darnley, are said to have concocted a plot to assassinate him. Of 
Araucaria imbricata there are trees from 1G feet to 31 feet high, and 
furuished from the ground with luxuriant branches ; two bore cones 
from which a quantity of good seed was saved a year or two since. 
Abies Douglasii, spread of branches 43 yards in circumference, and 
girth of trunk 7 feet 9 inches ; Picea cephaloniea, 50 feet high, 
circumference of branches 34 yards ; Thujopsis borealis, a handsome 
specimen, 25 feet high ; Wellingtonia gigantea, trunk 11 feet in cir¬ 
cumference, and about 51 feet high ; Picea Pinsapo, 4G feet in height, 
a finely proportioned tree; P. nobilis, 71 feet high, stem 6J feet 
rcund ; P. pindrow, 41 feet high ; P. Nordmanniana, 71 feet high, 
stem 6| feet round ; P. Morinda, 41 feet high ; P. Webbiana, 46 feet 
high ; Pinus excelsa, 41 feet high, as also is a handsome specimen 
of P. Cembra ; Picea nobilis glauca, 31 feet in height; Fitzroya 
patagonica, 21 feet high ; Taxodium sempervirens, 51 feet high ; 
Cupressus Lawsoniana, 31 feet high, and, like the other trees men¬ 
tioned, of proportioned dimensions ; Cryptomeria japonica, 41 feet. 
There are several standard Portugal Laurels, having clean stems 
mostly G feet in girth, and heads from 20 yards to 28 yards in cir¬ 
cumference, truly grand specimens ; and in the flower garden there 
is a very fine silver variegated Holly, 27 feet high and 33 yards in 
circumference. 
Last but not least, mention must be made of a large specimen 
Eucalyptus, having a trunk 1(R feet round, main limb 5 feet, others 
two 3 feet 8 inches, and others of smaller dimensions, height 61 feek 
Hitherto Mr. Garrett, the able gardener, had thought the species to 
have been E. viminalis, it having been so named by the late Pro¬ 
fessor Balfour; but Sir Jt seph Hooker, to whom Mr. Garrett lately 
sent a branch, recognised it as one which he had himself gathered on 
the mountains of Tasmania, called E. Gunnii, or Cider Tree. The 
natives make use of the fermented juice as a potable beverage. The 
soil at Whittinghame overlies the old red sandstone formation, the 
subsoil being mostly of sand or gravel; the atmosphere is conse¬ 
quently dry, and to this fact Mr. Garrett, naturally enough, attributes 
his immunity from severe frost, as he finds a given amount of frost 
does not do the same amount of damage as it does in the low-lying 
districts, where the air is more moist. The elevation of Whitting¬ 
hame, which is about three miles westward of tho German Ocean, is 
about 320 feet above sea level. It would be interesting to know 
whether there is any larger specimen of the Eucalyptus Gunnii grow¬ 
ing in Great Britain or Ireland than the one indicated above.—H. W. 
Ward, Longford Castle. 
NOTES ON BUSH FEUITS. 
Raspberries. —These are perhaps more liable to suffer from lack 
of moisture than from any other cause. They like a soil therefore 
which contains a permanency, without stagnation. They will, for the 
above reason, succeed pretty well in a half-shaded situation ; but the 
fruit never attains that, high flavour so much esteemed in the Raspberry. 
We have some highly improved kinds of the Raspberry at present in 
cultivation. Fastolf continues in bearing long after the other kinds ; 
appearing to partake in some degree of the double-bearing. Those who 
desire Raspberries through the end of the summer should prune some of 
the canes back to later eyes, or buds, after the bushes have sprouted an 
inch or two. This forces them to sprout lower down the stem. Of 
course, later Raspberries like liberal manurings ; indeed they should have 
a little annually, and no digging over the roots should be permitted. 
Gooseberries. —Amongst all the bush fruits this delights most in 
an open, free, and generous soil—one rather dark in colour seems to suit 
it best. The Red and White Currant like a similar soil; but, if too 
generous, they will produce too much watery wood. It is, however, 
difficult to make the soil too good for Gooseberries with any reasonable 
amount of manurial matters. Many good gardeners pack about half a 
barrowful round the stem of each bearing bush every winter. This 
washes down in nutrition to the roots, and keeps them damp in dry and 
hot periods. Little summer pruning is needed for the Gooseberry—just 
enough to keep the boughs from dangling too low and becoming 
splashed. For this purpose the ordinary shears may be used, only 
removing any portion of the points which are disposed to touch the 
soil. 
Black Currants. —These love a moist soil : drought, especially 
when they are in blossom, or swelling, is almost sure to engender aphides. 
For this reason, cottagers in country places are in the habit of packing 
damp manure round their stems, in order to retain the moisture, as well 
as to encourage surface fibres. In dry periods, during the end of May 
and first week in June, those who suspect any drought at the root should 
give their bushes a thorough soaking of water ; if soapsuds are mixed 
with it all the better : this will generally secure a good crop and avert 
the attacks of the fl<-. Here I must protest against the use of the spade. 
I do not allow it to come within 3 feet of my bushes. Summer pruning 
is not needed with the Black Currant; unless it be a few of the lower 
shoots, bending with their weight and touching the ground. If, how¬ 
ever, any of the young points grow to an inconvenient height, they may 
be pinched or cut back any time during this month, leaving a few of 
the lower leaves. 
Red Currants. —The Reds are much coarser-growing bushes than 
the Whites, and do not require so much manure ; indeed, where they 
make coarse breastwood, manure is out of the question ; whereas it is 
not easy to over-manure the Whites. Both Red and White Currants 
delight in a free and open soil, and will endure drought much better 
than the Black Currant. They are apt to produce an inconvenient 
amount of breast shoots, which rob the fruit considerably ; and here is 
a case where summer pruning is of much service. This is performed 
when the breast shoots arc about 9 inches in length ; they may be 
shortened to 3 inches, which is necessary to protect them from intense 
sunlight : for if it shines much immediately on the berries before the 
colouring period they will lose size as well as juiciness. But the tre- 
