THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, July 21, 1857. 
249 
nice mellow condition by sprinkling lightly with the 
water-pot or syringe early in the afternoon, or occa¬ 
sionally before breakfast time, in hot and sunny weather. 
I may now offer a few remarks on the watering of 
Melons, for this is an important consideration. Whilst 
in a young state they require a tolerably moist soil, 
enough moisture to encourage a free and healthy 
growth; but towards blossoming time, when, in order 
to encourage the impregnation of the blossoms, they 
should be suffered to become dry on the surface of the 
bod at least, sprinklings should be entirely refrained 
from until the crop is set and swelling. When a crop 
is insured the sprinkling or syringing may be again 
resumed as needed until the fruits are as large as an egg, 
and appear thriving, when, being dry at the root, they 
should have a thorough watering; and manure water will 
be found of much advantage. Perhaps a second good 
watering will be necessary in two or three weeks after¬ 
wards, with which most good cultivators are satisfied, 
excepting an occasional sprinkling. Some gardeners 
would doubtless object to so much sprinkling as I have 
recommended; and, indeed, I have known first-rate 
Melons grown with a very small amount of attention as 
to sprinkling. The practice here recommended is, how¬ 
ever, somewhat modified by a dread which all Melon 
growers feel in common—that of a visit from that insi¬ 
dious scoundrel, the red spider. If we could be assured 
against the chances of his visitation, and that of the 
thrips, with another enemy or two which revel in a 
dry atmosphere, I should be more cautious in my re¬ 
commendations of water; but since we have no Melon 
Insurance Societies I recommend the water as a pre¬ 
ventive. 
The ripening of Melons requires consideration. We 
all know that these are great exhibition times, and that 
the character and quality of our fruits are affected 
thereby. It is not particularly easy for our grooms to 
train a horse to a day for the Derby or St. Leger : just so 
with fruits and flowers. And thus it is, doubtless, that 
the flavour of many fruits on our exhibition tables does 
not come up to the expectations that might have been 
previously formed of them, judging by size and ap¬ 
pearance. Therefore Melons hurried forward for special 
purposes cannot be expected to possess that intensity of 
flavour which is a characteristic of those which have 
been well ventilated, and, as a consequence, have had 
more time to feed, to use a gardening phrase. A liberal 
ventilation, therefore, contributes much to the depth of 
flesh and flavour of Melons. And thus it is with forced 
Peaches. A good Peach forcer will give his ripening 
house air night and day when they are ripening ; Melons 
the same. Let anybody try one frame against another 
under such circumstances at any time from June to 
September, and I will answer for it that the slow 
ripeners, other conditions being equal, will be the best 
approved. 
I must here offer a few observations on those insect 
enemies which usually beset the Melon; and first the 
red spider. This is the chief pest of the Melon; all 
the other insects are as nothing compared with this. If 
it be allowed to prevail let not success for a moment be 
dreamed of. There are two preventives, if not destruc¬ 
tives, in common use amongst gardeners—sulphur and 
frequent syringing. Now, the application of these two 
at once is not very convenient; the syringe will dash the 
sulphur off and waste it, and to mix sulphur with the 
water at each syringing is but a wasteful proceeding. 
I consider it the best plan to use the syringe freely up to 
the blossoming period, and afterwards to use sulphur 
occasionally, powdering it finely over the whole surface 
of the plants in a highly divided state. Sulphur may 
be thus freely applied just on the heels of the liberal 
watering recommended when the fruits are as large as 
eggs; and, as they will not require water again for a 
fortnight or more, the sulphur will have plenty of 
time to act before the next watering. Besides this, the 
sides of the frame or pit may have a thin wash of lime 
and sulphur; but the frame had better be shaded a day 
or two on. the operation being performed, as the fumes 
may prove too strong at first. 
There is a thrips which is very troublesome to Melons, 
and a most awkward customer. For this, as the spider, 
preventive measures are best. The sulphur is not well 
approved of by this insect; but I believe tobacco fumi¬ 
gations, combined with the sulphuring, have a powerful 
effect on this foe. R. Errington. 
PLANTS SUITABLE FOR VASES AND WINDOW 
BOXES. 
Plentiful as summer-flowering plants are, and their 
numbers continually increasing, those that are really 
adapted to vases and small window boxes are compara¬ 
tively few. This assertion may seem strange to those 
who have seen the beautiful vases and baskets at the 
Crystal Palace; yet, I repeat, the number of those really 
adapted to be grown in the majority of vases to be found 
at villa and other places is very small. The reason is 
obvious enough, and may not have been fully explained 
to those who only see the large vases at the Crystal 
Palace and other places in their best garb, which it is 
needless to say is as near perfection itself as any approach 
by artificial means can well be. But there are very few 
vases like those of the Crystal Palace. Deep and capa¬ 
cious, they contain within their ample bowl earth enough 
to supply the plants that grow therein with sufficient 
food and moisture for a long time. Not so the little 
shallow ones known as Grecian tazza, or by what other 
name soever they are pleased to call them. Most plants 
require a considerable space to grow well in, and though 
some, as Orchids and succulents, exist more on what 
they derive from the atmosphere than on what their 
roots pasture in, such plants are not adapted for vases. 
It ought also to be fully understood by those who only 
see the large vases mentioned above when at their best 
that the plants which ornament them are seldom grown 
there, but are brought from other reserves to furnish 
them, and, when no longer ornamental, are exchanged 
for others in a more vigorous state. This is more espe¬ 
cially the case with basket flowers, which are, in fact, 
nothing more nor less than potted flowering plants ar¬ 
ranged in the best manner for effect. 
This is all very easily managed when there is a large 
store of things to go to; but the amateur who has only 
two or three vases, so small as, perhaps, not to hold 
more than a couple of gallons, must not expect plants in 
these to look so well as those holding as manv barrow- 
loads; and, as such vases are often only once planted 
during the summer, the best way in which to do that 
is, perhaps, a subject worth knowing, or rather, the 
description of plants to do it with is a matter worth 
considering beforehand. 
As I have stated before, the number of plants really 
suitable for small vases is few. I will here give my 
reasons why. Most plants to do well require more space 
than they can have in a vase, and to depend on liquid 
food alone is a very precarious way, and too artificial to 
continue long with a good result. On that account I 
therefore discard many of the most ornamental plants 
from vases, because they are too luxurious livers to do 
well on such limited means. Fuchsias, which are as j 
ornamental as any class of flowers can be to elevate on 
a level with or above the eye, are too greedy to do well 
in a confined space. Verbenas are also beautiful when 
well done; but they, too, are expensive, and soon cease 
to flower well if not well fed. The same may be said of 
Petunia, Gaillardia, and Calceolaria, although the latter 
