September 12. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
405 
[You say that “in this month last year” you removed 
barren Pear-trees, and they have not borne fruit. Do you 
not know that to organize buds for fruit, and to reap a crop 
in consequence, requires, of necessity, two seasons? When 
we talk of root-pruning we do not wish it to he understood 
that root-pruning (or removal, if you will,) can cause any 
tree immediately to produce a crop ; it is but a means to an 
end, and, of necessity, requires a given time ; otherwise, the 
practice would not be scientific, but actual conjuration. 
“ The knowledge of a disease is half its cure; ” and we may just 
repeat, that over-grossness is best met by a check; the tree 
must have less root-action, or less nutrition. Their autumn 
treatment should be the let-alone system, providing you 
have followed our constant advice of disbudding in time, and 
pinching every shoot in July and August. Asparagus must 
grow two years on the spot, before a single shoot may be cut, 
whatever the age, if durable beds are expected.] 
DISEASED MELONS AND CUCUMBERS. 
“ I have been unfortunate with my Melons; I should like 
your advice upon the subject. They are in a pit heated by 
hot-water pipes, top and bottom ; they are planted in good, 
sound loam, without manure. The soil is about eighteen 
inches deep, with some rough stones on the top of the 
bottom pipes. The first crop planted was in April, they went 
on well, ripened about a dozen fruit, then all of a sudden 
the leaves became blotched, the stem went soft and withered, 
and about eight or ten fruit never ripened at all. After 
some time I pulled the old plants up, and planted fresh ones; 
they grew as well as could be wished, swelled the first set 
fruit to a fair size (31b), the last set never swelled, and not 
one of the lot has ripened. I keep them about from 70° to 
90° with about 76° bottom-heat; there is no canker. I have 
asked several first-rate gardeners, and one and all tell me it 
is “ the disease ; ” what surprises me is, they look so well for 
a time, and then to go off so quickly and suddenly. Cucumbers, 
in the same pit, only partitioned off, do well for a short time; 
cut fruit two feet long a fortnight ago, and now they are all 
dying off at the ends. This is the third time the Cucumbers 
have served me thus.—A eple-john.” 
[Your case is by no means singular; we have suffered as 
badly as yourself. The fact is, a grievous disease has pre¬ 
vailed amongst Cucumbers for a few years, and it progresses, 
we believe, annually; it threatens extirmination, unless we 
find means to arrest it. It has extended to Melons; and we 
have no doubt, that before a couple more seasons have 
passed, it will produce almost as great a sensation as the 
Potato disease. We have tried various things, but have met 
with no success hitherto. It is, doubtless, one of those fungi 
which, because they are microscopic and insidious in their 
operations, are not to be lightly esteemed. It is evident 
that your temperatures are not to blame, neither your soil, 
and as for other processes, we defy any man to produce those 
effects by neglect or mismanagement in the absence of 
positive disease, providing the temperature is right.] 
FUCHSIAS FOR BEDDING. 
“ Please to say the kinds of Fuchsia proper for a large bed 
to grow in a mass . Some planted out for that purpose .have 
disappointed, for though good Fuchsias as to flower, this is hid 
under the mass of foliage. The old Gracilis I do not often 
see.—J. S. L.” 
[ Gracilis, Globosa major, and Microphylla, are the three best 
Fuchsias for beds. The last-named is too tender to stand 
the winter. Globosa major and Microphylla are the best two, 
and Globosa major the best. All these are very common in 
most parts. Fuchsia Riccartoni is the best for a hedge Fuch¬ 
sia, and Gracilis the next best hedge plant. Coralina is the 
best for training against a house or wall, and that is the 
best way of using it out-of-doors. We have many Fuchsias 
this season under trial as bedders ; and one called Glory is 
the best of them. It reflexes very much; the inside is 
bluish-purple, and the habit is nearly that of Gracilis, but 
more succulent, and not so strong. There are hardly two 
Fuchsias that will quite agree in a mass-bed, and the rage 
for that style of growing them is happily over. The true 
use of Fuchsias, on a large scale, out-of-doors, is as single 
plants, in mixed borders; for which a hundred kinds of 
tlycin are more suited than most of the herbaceous plants 
of the last generation; but which are really the very best 
for borders, is a question which experience has not yet 
decided. All experience is against massing them together.] 
SCARLET RHODODENDRONS NOT FLOWERING. 
“ I have in my Garden three or four Scarlet Rhodo¬ 
dendrons : they have been planted with mo about three-and- 
a-half years; but some of them are much older. They 
were carefully planted in peat mould, which lias been since 
removed. They seem to be in good health ; and have made, 
this season, a luxuriant growth of foliage, though their first 
shoots were greatly injured by the frost in April: but they 
have never flowered, with the exception of one; and that 
one not since the first season after it was planted. Should 
I do anything to them in order to insure or assist their 
blooming in spring ?—Q. R. E., Co. of Wicklow.” 
[There are two causes which hinder these Scarlet Rhodo¬ 
dendrons from flowering as they ought; the first of which 
affects your plants. Your warm, moist climate, and the 
prevalent rains since they were planted, have caused a 
second growth in August and September; and no Rhodo¬ 
dendron in our climate flowers on a second growth made 
in the open air. In the autumn of 1852, we have seen 
whole beds of the best hybrids in full growth at the Botanic 
garden at Kew, not one of which could bloom in 1853. The 
way to meet this kind of failure, anywhere, is to take up 
the plants just as they have done flowering, and plant them, 
at once, not quite so deep as before. We know a garden 
where most of the best bed Rhododendrons are taken up 
every other season, for the double purpose of affording 
room, and to get them to bloom. AVhen they fail from 
poverty—the second great cause of not flowering—fresh peat 
laid round the roots, large doses of water in May and June, 
while the annual growth is going on, and mulching, are the 
best and only remedies. If this autumn holds dry, perhaps 
your plants will bloom next year; but you cannot help them 
now in the least. About midsummer is the right time to 
remove them.] 
PRODUCTIVE CUCUMBER PLANTS. 
“ I have, from three plants, in a house eight feet high from 
the bed, grown more than four hundred Cucumbers this 
summer on a trellis. The first Cucumber I cut was on the 4th 
of April. About six weeks ago I pruned off all the leaves, 
and a beautiful new foliage and new crop have been the result. 
! Now, why should I plant new plants when, apparently, I can 
carry these plants bearing, by proper pruning, throughout 
the winter. Can I do so ? and if not, Why not ? I use pipes 
and hot water.—A Worcestershire Man.” 
[There is no reason why you should plant afresh if the 
old plants continue growing, blossom, and produce fruit. 
Indeed they will bear the winter treatment under glass 
better than newly-raised plants. We shall be glad to hear 
the result; how late in the year the plants continue to be 
productive, and the amount and quality ot the crop. Cutting 
the fruit somewhat younger than usual prolongs the produc¬ 
tiveness of Cucumber plants.] 
SEEDLING PICOTEES.—GERANIUM FOR A 
STANDARD. 
“ After reading Mr. Beaton's interesting account of raising 
seedling Geraniums, and his advice to sow the seed the day 
they are ripe, I am desirous of learning il I shall be able 
similarly to effect the saving of a season in the blooming of 
Ticotees by sowing the seed as soon as ripe. 
« May I beg the favour of your stating, at the same time, 
what is the name of the best Scarlet Geranium for a specimen 
or standard ?— A Cockney Amateur.” 
[We are not aware that this experiment has been tried, 
but we think the thing could be done as easily as with 
Scarlet Geraniums. We could always prove Hollyhocks 
the next season by sowing the seeds as soon as they were i 
gathered, and placing them in a hot-bed, to get them up | 
quickly nurse them on with a gentle heat till late in Novem- i 
her; keep them in the greenhouse till March; then plant 
them out, and they would show what was in them the follow- ( 
ing August and September. We think, therefore, that Cloves, 
Pinks, and Picotees might be treated just in the same way. 
Our stock of this lovely tribe consists of a nice Pink from 
