THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, July 26, 1859. 
215 
fitness of such a house for the different purposes mentioned, as wo 
know nothing of the height or of the internal arrangements. If 
the glass roof is rather flat, and consequently the back wall rather 
shaded, then wo would recommend covering it with plants of the 
Cissus antarctica, or something of that kind that would always 
be green. If the glass roof is so steep as to throw a good amount 
of light against the back wall, then Camellias would flourish there, 
if turned out as good-sized plants. They, or Acacia armala , 
would flourish at the two ends of the house. Yines would do on 
the glass roof; and the Passion Flowers coerulea and ccerulea 
i racenwsa might be introduced between them: but then you 
must expect the house to be shaded for the plants in its centre. 
Wo do not quite understand about the slate shelf. Is it round 
the front of the house? or is it a platform in its centre? If tho 
former, there will be little room for Mushrooms beneath it. If 
tho latter, there will be plenty room for such a purpose. If the 
1 itter, however, if you tried Fig3 and Peaches, they would require 
to be in pots on that platform. If ttte former, you could have 
plants on that front shelf, and have Figs and Peaches either in 
tubs or planted out in the centre of the house; but the success of 
thoso will greatly depend on not covering the glass roof too thickly 
with vines or anything else. Sunlight is essential to fruiting 
either Peaches or Figs well. Much has lately been said about 
flues, and nothing could well be added. Did we wish to make 
tho most of such a house in winter for Sea-kale, Mushrooms, and 
Rhubarb, we would take the flue close to or through the chamber 
in which wc grew such things; and if the latter, have openings 
to let the heated air into the house as well. Were it not for the 
appearance, there might be good Mushroom-beds on the floor at 
the back of the house under the opaque roof, which we should 
expect to yield crops from November to the middle of April; by 
the latter time the heat under such circumstances would be 
getting rather strong from sun alone.] 
CLIANTHUS PUNICEUS AND MITRARIA COCCINEA. 
“ Will you inform me if Clianthus puniceus and Mitraria 
coccinea will do plunged in a north border, and their stems 
brought into the greenhouse to cover the lower part of rafters ?” 
—S. M., Manchester. 
[Wc have no faith in plants doing well under such circum¬ 
stances. If the roots were in a south border, mulched in summer, 
and thoroughly protected from frost in winter, we should have 
more hopes of success. The Clianthus is not first-rate for a 
rafter, unless great care is taken to keep down red spider.] 
MELON, FIG, AND GRAPE CULTURE. 
“ I have three frames of Melons which have made strong 
growth and look healthy, but have not set but one fruit in each 
frame. They are growing on a dung-bed. They show fruit at 
several joints, but the fruit turns off yellow. One frame has not 
shown any, but the one that has set. I have some growing 
under a large frame without heat, showing fruit, but none set. 
It is the Scarlet-fleshed Melon. Do you think I shall get any 
fruit without bottom heat ? I saw a large frame of Melons some 
time ago with eight large fruit without bottom heat. I believe 
they were the Bromham Mall variety. 
“ I have a Fig tree on a south wall, making strong wood but 
no appearance of fruit; the young wood is rather long. Is it too 
late to pinch these back ? 
“ What heat do you consider will suit Grapes when swelling ? 
Do they require very much air ? ”—T. H. Jordan. 
[1. In such seasons as this, Melons will require little or 
nothing in the way of bottom heat, from tho middle of June to 
the end of August, provided the water you use is not below 80°. 
Before and after that period a little bottom heat would be useful, 
because the heat in the soil, especially in cold cloudy weather, 
would otherwise get too low to secure healthy growth. We have 
put plants at the end of May in cold pits and frames, and 
scarcely ever had better crops; but the fruit was gathered by the 
beginning of September, and advantage was taken of the heat, 
as well as of the light of the sun. 
2. If you allow one fruit to swell on a Melon plant before more 
are set, it is very difficult to get more to set on that plant. We 
should prefer taking the one fruit away, in order to set from three 
to half a dozen at once. We are presuming you have only one 
plant in a light. 
3. In order to set Melon fruit freely, you should have 
watered the plants a week or so before the flowers arc expected to 
open, so as'to give vigour to the plants. Stop all the lateral 
shoots a joint before the fruit; fertilise the young fruit in the usual 
way, and give all tho sunlight and air possible under the circum¬ 
stances, keeping not only the atmosphere of the pit, but the 
surface of the bed as dry as possible. If the plant show any 
signs of suffering from dryness, make holes in which to pour the 
water, fill them up at top, and keep the surface dry. We pre¬ 
sume your failures are owing to excessive growth, want of 
stopping, and extra moisture, especially at tho surface, in con¬ 
junction with too little air, or a close atmosphere at night, in 
which your young fruit are damped or parboiled. 
4. Wo have little faith in stopping Fig-tree shoots under such 
circumstances. No stopping will give you fruit that will ripen 
this season. Thin out the wood well; retain the primest and 
middle sized ; lay it in full length, and let the sun shine on its 
leaves. If extra luxuriant, lift or cut the roots in September. 
If these shoots show young fruit in autumn, rub, or rather cut, 
olf all bigger than Marrow Peas ; protect from frost in winter; 
and the smaller fruit, and those that will come early next spring 
from the axils of the present leaves, but before the leaves show 
much, will ripen with you next autumn. 
5. Grapes swelling will do very well with from 68° to 90’ 
during the day, and from 58° to 70° at at night. Tho more air 
during the day—especially at the top of the house—the better. 
If these conditions are maintained—and we should like never to 
take away all the air at night until we were threatened with frost 
—Grapes in a greenhouse will do in a lower temperature, because 
they will not have had extra excitement.] 
GISHURST COMPOUND. 
After such high authority as Mr. Rivers, I am sure it will 
not require any other person to speak in its favour as being the 
best and cheapest wash for destroying the aphis; but like 
sulphur, ammoniacal gas-water, &e., it requires to be used with 
caution. About five weeks since I saw near London a collection 
of Geraniums and Fuchsias entirely spoiled by using the abovo 
carelessly; and even last week I had two vines sent me that had 
been washed with the Gishurst Compound, and the foliage of 
which is greatly disfigured. I enclose a leaf for your inspection. 
—Edward Bennett, Osberton Hall. 
[There is no doubt that the Gishurst Compound, like all 
similar remedies, must of necessity be used with caution; but 
there are people who fancy they cannot have too much of a good 
thing, and hence they fail, throwing that blame on others which 
attaches to themselves. It is true Mr. Rivers recommends 
three ounces to the gallon; but it is for Vines out of doors, the 
tissue of which is much firmer than of those grown under 
glass. We, therefore, recommend a trial of two ounces to the 
gallon in such cases ; and if two, or even three applications are 
necessary, better to do so than to do mischief. There is no doubt 
that the Gishurst Compound is an excellent remedy.— Eds.] 
Annual Meeting of Botanists. —Recently the annual meet¬ 
ing of the Lancashire botanists was held in the Odd-Fellows’ 
Hall, Stockport. Two hundred and fifty delegates were present 
from various parts of Lancashire, Cheshire, Yorkshire and Derby¬ 
shire. Mr. Poacher, of Stockport, was called to the chair; and 
after some preliminary business the delegates assembled round 
a table and produced specimens of plants they had brought 
with them from their respective districts. It was agreed that 
the next annual gathering should be held in Yorkshire. Upon 
a motion that the meeting be held at Bills-o’-Jacks, Saddleworth, 
an amendment was proposed that it should be held on the 
nursery grounds of Mr. Stansfield, at Todmorden, on the 2nd 
vveek in July next. This was carried by a large majority. It 
then transpired that the number of members of botanical 
societies present was 75 from Lancashire, 32 from Cheshire, 7 
from Yorkshire, and 8 from Derbyshire, making a total of 120. 
The naming of various plants was then proceeded with. Mr. 
Stansfield, of Todmorden, exhibited a large variety of British 
and other Ferns, taking up separately and naming 199 distinct 
specimens. Mr. Siddall was then called upon to name other 
plants and Ferns ; and was followed by Mr. AVilliamson, of Stock- 
port, and Mr. Percival, jun., who named a great variety, and 
kindly offered to name any plant produced. “ Old Buxton," the 
veteran naturalist, and Mr. Leo H. Grindon were present, and 
the proceedings passed off with great harmony and satisfaction. 
