July 21. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
295 
Melon and the Cucumber have the peculiarity of having 
distinct male and female flowers; the female is always 
known by having the embryo fruit behind it. Unless 
when seed is wanted, it is of no consequence fecundating 
a Cucumber; nay, when fine long fruit are wanted we 
have found the object best secured by tying up the 
female flower, and thus preventing fecundation. But 
we have seldom or never known a case of a Melon 
swelling freely, and arriving at full maturity, that did 
not contain fecundated seeds. Hence the importance 
of the process in their case, which is thus effected:— 
On the same or the following day that a female blossom 
opens, and the blossom is dry, and the stigmas in the 
centre present a moistish appearance, take off a male 
blossom, known at once from what we have said of its 
opposite, and if you observe that the yellow dust or 
pollen will scatter freely from the stamens, hold it 
upright, pick off the yellow “ flower,” or corolla, and 
then, reversing it, gently touch the centre, or stigma, of 
the female flower, and leave it there. Even with all 
this care, fecundation, and the consequent free swelling 
of the fruit, will frequently not take place. There is a 
little secret here we have often tried with success, and 
as such we freely surrender it to the denizens of The 
Cottage Gardener. If the Melons are growing on the 
ground the female blossom will generally look up to 
the light. After inserting the male flower, as described, 
draw the female corolla over it, bring its edges down to 
a piece of tile or stone, and, when once there, place 
another piece on their points, so as to keep them there. 
If grown on a trellis, go through the operation in a 
similar manner, hut after bringing the points of the 
petals together tie them there with a string, and then 
from this string - suspend a weight of from an ounce to 
a quarter-of-a-pound. It is amazing what a weight 
these petals will thus carry without being drawn off. 
j The object, in both cases, is to retain more nourishment 
\ to the fruit by checking the return of the sap. We 
S have practised the same mode for causing early Cucum- 
j bers to swell fast for more than twenty years. F. 
! Our readers will remember that in connection with the 
i Birmingham Poultry Show we have long and un- 
: flinchingly advocated as two amendments, that the 
show shall be kept open for a less number of days than 
at present; and that no dealer in poultry shall be em¬ 
ployed as a judge. As evidences that these two recom¬ 
mendations are sound, wo publish two documents, every 
signature to which we claim as a sustaining witness. 
One memorial to the Committee of the Birmingham 
Exhibition was as follows:—“We, the undersigned, 
being Breeders and Exhibitors of Domestic Poultry, 
are convinced that the practice of appointing dealers 
(that is to say, persons who buy and sell exclusively for 
profit or gain) as judges at public shows, must materially 
j tend to diminish the public confidence, and will even¬ 
tually defeat the object for which such exhibitions were 
instituted ; and feeling the necessity of taking some 
steps for the prevention of the evil complained of, hereby 
pledge ourselves to use every exertion to prevent such 
being continued.” 
objectionable appointments 
T. Sturgeon, Esq., Manor 
House, Grays, Essex 
G. C. Atkins, Esq., Edgbas- 
ton, Birmingham 
.T. Cattell, Esq., Moseley, 
Birmingham 
E. Bond, Esq., Leeds 
E. George, Esq., Coulson, 
Surrey 
W. Van Wart, Esq., Selley 
Grove, Northfield 
C. S. Floyd, Esq., Holmfirth, 
Yorkshire 
V. W. Blake, Esq., Old 
Square, Birmingham 
W. A. Lyndon, Esq., Mose¬ 
ley, Birmingham 
T. B. Stead, Esq., Leeds 
Mr. J. Bissell, Moseley, Bir¬ 
mingham 
Mr. J. T. Wilson, Redditch, 
Worcestershire 
Mr. Y. R. Graham, Yard ley, 
ditto 
Mr. W. Anderton, Spark- 
brook, ditto 
Mr. H. Wildman, Birming¬ 
ham 
Mr. G. Lowe, Birmingham 
Mr. J. Hardwick, Birming¬ 
ham 
Mr. G. Graham, Yardley 
Mr. E. Lowe, Comberford 
Mill 
Mr. R. Cox, Ilighfield, Edg- 
b as ton 
Mr. G. Newark, Coventry 
Mr.W.H.Smit li, Handsworth 
Mr. E. A. Lingard, Birming¬ 
ham 
Mr. W. Sutton, Handsworth 
Mr. J. B. Winder, Birming¬ 
ham 
Mr. H. Parker, Church Lane, 
Handsworth 
Mr. T. Smith, Cheapside, 
Birmingham 
Mr. R. Glover, Holt Hall, 
Fazeley 
Mr. J. Gough, Birmingham 
Mr. AV. Cheatle, Slateley, 
Eazeley 
Mr. T. Lowe, AVliateley, 
Fazeley 
Mr. AV. Parkes, Birmingham 
Mr. J. H. Parkes, Highgate, 
Birmingham 
Mr. J. AVarden, Jun., Green 
Lanes, Birmingham 
Mr. E. Farmer, Greet 
Mr. G. Oldham, Nether 
Whitacre 
Mr. J. Oldham, Long Eaton 
Mr. J. Avery, King’s Norton 
Mr. F. Cheatle, Hosthill, 
Fazeley 
Mr. J. Huskins, Wilncote 
Mr. J. Ball, Glasscots, Tarn- 
worth 
Mr. G. AVlieeler, Southamp¬ 
ton 
Mr. T. P. Edwards, Lynd- 
hurst, Hants 
Mr. J. Tye, Handsworth 
Mr. Amphlet, AValsall 
Mr. AVestwood, AValsall 
Mr. Blackham, Handsworth 
Mr. Lawton, York 
Mr. J. AV. AVard, Repton, 
Derbyshire 
The Memorial to the Committee of the Birmingham 
Exhibition, requesting that the show clays may be fewer 
in number, was signed by the following gentlemen :— 
Henry Gilbert, Kensington 
Charles Punchard, Blunts’ 
Hall, Haverhill 
Thomas Sturgeon, Manor 
House, Grays, Esses; 
Captain Hornby, Knowsley, 
Prescot, Lancashire 
John H. Peck, AVigan 
John Fairlie, Cheveley Park, 
Newmarket 
Wm. Thos. Squire, Barton 
PlclC6 
John IT. Sams, Clare, Suffolk 
J. Dutton, Bury St. Edmunds 
Elizabeth W a t ts, M on kB ar n s, 
Hampstead 
AVm. Griggs, Holloway 
John Eason, Lower Norwood 
Samuel Moody, Droxford 
Thomas Atkins, Babbicombe, 
Torquay 
AVm. John Beehy, Clialdon 
Thomas Bridges, Croydon 
E. George, Clialdon 
Harrison Weir, Peckliam 
John Cook, Homerton, Lon¬ 
don 
AVm. AV. AVingfield, Gulval, 
Penzance 
Rich. Plealey Bowman, ditto 
AVm. Cudlip Pennington, 
ditto 
AVm. J. Lawrence, ditto 
Alfred Blee, ditto 
P. Grenfell, Gulval 
E. Bond, Middleton, Leeds 
Titus Bennett, Stead, Leeds 
John Henton, St. John’s Cot¬ 
tage, Leeds 
Geo. Lawton, York 
T. H. Travis, ditto 
Grace Strong, ditto 
R. Hoggard, Clifton, York 
John Hill Smith, ditto 
C. S. Floyd, Sands, Holmfirth 
Joseph Brook, Huddersfield 
Thos. J. AVrigney,St.George’s 
Square, Huddersfield 
AV. H. Snell, Shirley Cottage, 
Norwood 
II. Mills, Sparham, Enfield, 
Middlesex 
John Bidwell, Guildford 
T. H. Fox, 44, Skinner-st. 
H. AV. Collinson, 47, Castle- 
st., Southwark 
Thos. H. Potts, Kingswood 
Lodge, Croydon 
James Henry Catling, Kings- 
st., Baker-st. 
Casteels Cooper, Guildford, 
Surrey 
James Buckley, Llanelly, 
Carmarthenshire 
