70 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ March, 
“ The fruit is above the medium size and oblong-obovate. The skin is 
entirely covered with a crust of warm brown russet like that of the Brown Beurre , 
and has a slight orange glow on the side exposed to the sun very much like the 
Chaumontel ; there is no yellow or ground-colour visible. Eye open, with very 
short segments, and set in an irregular-ribbed depression. Stalk an inch long 
and rather slender, inserted without depression. Flesh yellowish white, tender 
and buttery, very juicy, sweet, and richly flavoured. A dessert Pear of the first 
quality. In use from the end of October and beginning of November, till 
December. 
“ The seed was sown about sixteen years ago, and the tree has borne fruit 
this year for the first time.” 
MELON-GROWING AT BURGHLEY. 
« AST season I advised my noble employer to build me a span-roofed house 
for the growth of Melons in the summer, and Cucumbers in winter. The 
? house is 60 ft. long by 10 ft. wide, with a bed in the middle, and a path 
all round, and it is divided across the centre. I have only used one division 
for Melons, the other being engaged with Pines. On the 16th of March last I 
planted out nine Melon plants, eight of which were Gilbert’s selected Victory of 
Bath and one Burghley Green-flesh. They were allowed a border along one side 
of the bed 3 ft. wide and 14 in. deep. Each plant was staked up to the wires, 
being run up with a clean stem to the top of the stakes, and was then brought 
over the wires without stopping until it reached within two feet of the other 
aide of the house, wdien it was stopped. On the 24th of June I cut the first four 
Victory of Bath, each weighing between 4^- lb. and 5 lb; from that time to the 
20th of July I have cut sixty-six more, making a first crop of seventy melons, 
averaging 3 lb. each, from the nine plants. 
When the first crop was swelling, the second was setting without any artificial 
means ; indeed they set so thickly that some scores had to be cut cff. We left 
forty, which were in every respect as good as before. The weather being fine, they 
grew at a rate that quite astonished me, and in September and October we cut 
the whole. As usual, the third crop was more numerous than the second, but 
having winter Cucumbers ready to put out, I very reluctantly pulled them up. 
Mr. Barron, of Chiswick, saw them in July, and pronounced them grand. One 
of the second-crop fruit, weighing 5 lb., I sent to Dr. Hogg, along with four 
others about the size of pullets’ eggs, in order to show the fruitfulness of the 
variety. 
Melons are subject to many pests, as red-spider, thrips, and green-fly, also the 
gout, but armed with so many insect-killers as we now have, we have nothing 
to fear. As a remedy for red-spider, keep the house humid. For the thrips, 
mix one pint of soot and one pint of lime in a four-gallon can of water; let 
this stand all night, and then syringe the plants ; do this once a week, always 
