224 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. June 23. 
thirteen Melons, four dishes of Strawberries, one dish of 
Cherries, one dish of Apricots, one large dish of Citrons, 
one of Lemons, and one of Oranges, besides several 
Vines in pots, bearing ripe fruit. The Pines were not 
quite so good as I have seen in former years. The 
Black Grapes were excellent, both in size of bunches, 
! size of berry, and colour. The White Grapes were 
1 scarcely ripe, excepting one dish of Muscats, which were 
! most excellent, being of that rich amber colour for 
I which this variety is so much admired. Peaches and 
I Nectarines perfectly ripe, and a good size. Melons very 
j line, as also the Strawberries. 
The American Garden was in fine order. The scene 
I under the tents appropriated to it was truly grand. 
I Nearly every bush, whether a noble standard, ten feet 
diameter, or a tiny plant, not a foot high, was covered 
with blooms of various hues, from nearly black to pure 
white. I took notes of the best varieties, and shall 
I write them out shortly for the benefit of our readers 
who are desirous of growing these fine hardy shrubs. 
! At present, the space allotted to me is full. 
T. Appleby. 
MELONS, AND THEIR CULTURE. 
Notwithstanding the many improvements the last 
few years ’have effected in the heating apparatuses by 
which our forced fruits, flowers, and vegetables have 
benefited, it is strange that the old-fashioned mode 
i adopted by our grandfathers produce as good fruit as 
the most approved heating contrivance of the present 
day, aided by all the other advantages which science 
has been able to suggest. That this stand-still state of 
things is the result of any lack of energy on the part of 
the cultivator, we do not assume; the reason is, that a 
tender annual plant, like the Melon, is more the creature 
of the season than of the cultivator; and we have the 
best authority for supposing them not to have improved 
much during the last century or more. Our most 
enterprising growers will, now and then, produce fruit 
of extraordinary excellence—and, more than this, fur¬ 
nish one at a much earlier period than of yore; yet we 
question whether they exceed the flavour of the small 
old Egyptian Green-fleshed Melon, which, we are told, 
was in existence long before the present century. Now, 
though this was, perhaps, never produced so early as 
some kinds have been of late, still, with the means then in 
existence, we must admit that Melon growing, as a 
branch of the great horticultural tree, has made but 
j little growth, neither is it likely that it will advance so 
■ rapidly as has done that of the Pine-apple and the 
Grape; for, as we have said, it is more the creature of 
the seasons than anything else, and if any proof were 
wanting to show that the seasons were quite as favour¬ 
able an hundred years since as now, just ask the old 
people accustomed to rural life, and they will tell you 
that, in accordance with the old Calendar, wheat was 
i expected to be in the ear by the last day in May (now 
| the lltli of June); and, except, perhaps, in very favoured 
1 districts, I might ask, How often is it seen before that 
time? But seldom, wo opine, and very often not until 
: some three or four days after. 
Having dwelt enough on that point, let us consider 
next what can be done to render the Melon as useful a 
fruit as can be obtained under any circumstances. Now, 
as ripe Melons will, in most gardens, have been pretty 
plentiful for some time, we will omit any detail of the 
process to be adopted in winter and early spring, in 
order to secure this fruit at the earliest possible day, 
I and will proceed with the usual routine work of the 
season, so far as it relates to the keeping of the plants 
, in good health, without which it is useless to think of a 
i successful issue to your endeavours. 
This good health is more the result of a careful atten¬ 
tion to small matters than to any particular one; and it 
is also to be observed that disease and insects are quite 
as often the effect of an omission of duty as the com¬ 
mission of any great fault. Eor instance, we will 
suppose the Melon inhabiting an ordinary frame or 
compartment in a pit, where the volume of air it has 
to live upon is comparatively small; in such a position, 
it is reasonable to suppose that its welfare must depend 
very much on the keeping of that air as pure and of as 
proper a temperature as possible. Now the reverse to 
this is the case when, by accident, “ air is forgotten to 
be admitted,” for but a few minutes later than the 
proper time, the too-mucli-increased heat is a trial which 
it often proves unable to endure; and though the 
prudent cultivator will, under such circumstances, not 
suddenly expose the plants to that open exposure which 
others might do, in the folly of running from one ex¬ 
treme to the other, but will most likely give such ad¬ 
mission to fresh air as will gradually cool it down to 
the proper standard, and, at the same time, apply some 
shading, to prevent the sun acting on leaves so highly 
excited as these have been; yet the residt olten is, that 
next day the plants are unable to stand against sun¬ 
shine, and shading is again had recourse to, and prob¬ 
ably, in about a week, it is discovered that “ Red Spider” 
has made its appearance amongst them, notwithstanding 
the precaution of putting them “ wet to bed,” as gar¬ 
deners would say, lias been fully carried out. 
This is no fanciful picture ; it has occurred over and 
over again. The limited space for air, in an ordinary 
Melon pit, renders it peculiarly liable to heat quickly by ; 
the sun, especially as such structures are generally as ; 
air-tight as possible ; hence the excited state the plant 
must be in when subjected to something like, perhaps, a 
temperature of about 110°, which an air-tight frame will 
speedily heat to; and, as we have said, its pores are so 
numerous,-and of so delicate a nature, that their being 
filled in one minute by hot air, and the next exposed to 
the ordinary breeze of the atmosphere, is too sudden a 
change for them to endure. A careful attendance, 
therefore, will be necessary in the matter of giving air, 
and the same in taking it away; for an undue admission 
of it, or rather cold currents, at a time when the atmo¬ 
sphere is chilly and uncongenial, is often as fatal as the 
reverse course; and though, by commencing when the 
plants are young, to inure them to a great amount of 
atmospheric air will enable them to withstand a greater 
amount of cold than if brought up in a more coddled 
way, still, it rarely happens that first-rate fruit is pro¬ 
duced by that means, for the plant being a native of 
the hot regions of the East, where, for the greatest part 
of its existence, it enjoys unclouded sunshine, and 
a tropical temperature at night, as well as by day, 
we may properly class it amongst the most tender 
plants we have; for, though we have plants with us 
from the same countries the Melon is a native of that 
will endure our winter, still, be it remembered, these 
are perennial, and the winter of Persia, and other parts 
of central Asia, is not without a fair share of severity 
nearly equal to our own, consequently, plants having 
such a climate to accommodate themselves to must be 
possessed of a considerable share of constitutional hardi¬ 
hood. This, however, is different with others like the 
Melon, which only exists during a small portion of the 
hottest period, of which we have no parallel in England, 
save the rough imitation we strive at in our hothouses and 
hotbeds; it is, therefore, plain that the Melon requires 
a great amount of heat both atmospheric and bottom. 
Something like 80° will be wanted to grow' this fruit to 
perfection, and although, on some occasions, a lower 
temperature will suffice, and at other times a higher 
one may be successful; yet something like the heat 
here given will be found the best that can be in the 
