698 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
July 4th, 1885. 
Fruit Culture under Glass.— Young Vines : 
These, if planted and subsequently treated as recom¬ 
mended at p. 506, will have made satisfactory 
progress during the interval. Assuming that the 
individual Vines have been stopped a couple of times 
since, and that in each case the laterals resulting from 
the said stopping have been pinched out as soon as 
they appeared, thereby causing the latent bud at the 
base—which, if the laterals had been allowed to grow, 
as is frequently the ease, would not move until next 
year—to push into growth after the lapse of eight or 
ten days, the sap in the meantime will be necessarily 
directed to the development of both stem and buds 
below. Thus treated, an uniform plumpness of buds is 
secured the entire length of the rods. 
When the Vines so stopped have made a couple of 
feet of fresh growth, stop them again in the manner 
indicated, and repeat the operation to the end of the 
growing season, except in the case of the temporary 
Vines, which are to be cut down after they have fruited 
next year. These may be pinched hard at 8 ft. from 
the bottom of the trellis, but should there be any 
danger of the buds in the axils of the leaves bursting, 
a few of the laterals and sub-laterals at the top of each 
rod so disposed can be allowed to grow to draw off 
the sap, and thus prevent the fruit buds from pushing 
into growth. 
In order to concentrate all the energies of the Vine 
in the thickening of the rods and the enlargement and 
consolidation of the buds proceeding from its base, the 
lateral shoots springing from the same source must 
be stopped at the first or second joint, as also should 
the sub-laterals, and those which may afterwards 
appear should be pinched close back. These remarks 
are also applicable to that portion of the Vine between 
the ground and the trellis to insure thickness of main 
stem from its base. Better results will be secured 
from Vines thus treated than would be the case from 
rods the laterals of which have been allowed to grow 
uninterruptedly during the previous season with a view 
to encouraging a corresponding amount of growth at 
the roots. 
I have tried both methods of stopping and non¬ 
stopping the shoots side by side on a great number of 
Vines here a few years since, to prove which one was 
right, and the result of the experiment was decidedly 
in favour of the one recommended. 
Watering and Ventilation. —Give copious supplies 
of clear water to the roots every eight or ten days, 
following with a few tubfuls of liquid manure to 
each strip of border; syringe the Vines and house 
generally morning and afternoon at closing time, 
about four o’clock, and damp the pathways, Arc., 
about mid-day, during bright sunny weather, as 
much with a view to promoting a growing atmos¬ 
phere as to preventing the Vines from being attacked 
by red-spider. Ventilate the vineries freely between 
the hours of admitting fresh air in the morning (after 
that which should be put on late in the evening 
had been taken off for an hour when damping 
the Vines, Ac., at six a.m.) and taking it off in 
the afternoon, so as to secure a short-jointed and 
consolidated growth, without -which the best results 
need not be expected from the Vines.— II. W. Ward, 
Longjord Castle. 
Judging' Melons. —At the last meeting of the 
Fruit Committee, in awarding the prizes offered by 
Messrs. Sutton & Sons "For the best brace of Melons, 
to include Sutton’s Scarlet Invincible, Sutton’s Master¬ 
piece, or Sutton’s Hero of Lockinge,” the Judges first 
gave the premier prize to Mr. Fry, gardener, Haydon 
Hall, Eastcote, and subsequently placed him third 
only, because, in showing two fruits of one variety— 
Hero of Lockinge—it was assumed that he had not 
complied -with the intentions of the prize-givers. 
This, I think, was very unjust treatment, and for the 
benefit of other Melon exhibitors, it is desirable that 
some notice should be taken of the case. I fancy 
that I am not the only one who considers that Mr. 
Fry was w T ell within his right in showing only one 
variety if he thought proper, according to the wording 
of the schedule; and if the Judges thought otherwise, 
they should have disqualified him, clearly, for if he 
was not qualified to take one prize, he was equally 
not entitled to another. Besides, in showing only 
one variety, Mr. Fry did exactly the same as Mr. 
Herrin, at the same place, on May 26th, and yet the 
first prize w T as awarded to him without question. 
One or the other must be wrong, which is it ?—An 
Old Melon Grower. 
"Work in the Plant-houses. —Pelargoniums : 
All the early-flowering varieties should now be dried 
off ready for cutting back, and the earlier this can be 
done the better, both for the plants themselves and 
for the sake of the cuttings, which should have the 
first consideration, as, although the old plants are 
very useful for some purposes, yet for general work 
young plants are more desirable. In commencing 
operations the first thing that should be done is to get 
all the plants of each sort put together ; it will then be 
easy to see what stock is at hand, and any that do not 
appear to be true to name can either be discarded or 
corrected. After this has been done the cuttings may 
be taken ; if plenty of stock is at hand, it is a good 
plan to put in about double the number that will be 
required ; this will allow for losses in striking, and 
also for a few of the weakest plants being discarded 
when they are potted on. The cuttings will root freely 
in any light sandy soil; very little water should be used 
until the cuttings are eallused. They may be placed in 
almost any position, but we prefer a cold frame where 
they can be kept close, as if too much exposed the 
cuttings will shrivel, especially if they are not well 
ripened. 
Cutting Back the Plants.— It is essential that the 
plants should be quite dry in the pots when this is 
done, and w T e recommend cutting them in close, as 
nothing is gained by leaving too much wood ; in fact, 
plants cut in hard, generally break best, as the joints 
are shorter at the base. After the plants have been 
cut back they should be kept quite dry for a few days, 
wdien they may have a slight sprinkle once or twice a 
day until they begin to break out into fresh growth 
again, when they will be ready for potting. 
Be-potting. —As soon as the plants are ready, that 
is, just as they begin to break into fresh growth, they 
should have all the old soil shaken out from the 
roots, and the roots pruned back a little ; the plants 
may then be potted into smaller pots, the size of 
which should be regulated according to the size of the 
plants ; in almost all cases they may be put back to 
one size smaller pots, and in some cases two or three 
sizes smaller. After they have been re-potted it is 
best to put them in pits or frames, and water should 
be used very sparingly until they have made a fresh 
start, when they will require more moisture, and the 
plants should be as much exposed as possible. 
->£<- 
Toxicophlaea Thunbergii. — This handsome 
stove plant is figured in the April number of The 
Illustration Horticole. The leaves are bright green, or 
purplish, when young ; and the pure white Jasmine¬ 
like flowers are borne in large clusters towards the 
ends of the branches. It exhales a most delicious 
perfume. It came originally from the Cape of Good 
Hope, and requires a rather cool stove temperature. 
-- 
The White Marguerite. —In replying again to the 
remarks of “Beilis” on this subject, I do not think it 
is necessary for me to add much to what I have 
already stated, as his arguments, with one or two 
exceptions, are met by those in my recent note (p. 645). 
But as “ Beilis” seems to think he has made a great 
hit by eliciting what he terms the most important 
point, viz., my cultural details, I will just say a few 
words on that point. My former note, from which 
this discussion has sprung, was never intended to 
supply the whole of the cultural details, or it would 
have taken the dimensions of a lengthy article, 
instead of a short note. I simply gave the outline 
of the planting-out system because I had seen such 
beneficial results from it. I am of opinion that there 
are very few gardeners who would think of lifting 
such plants without having them previously prepared 
by cutting around the roots or at least giving them a 
good watering, and even then I think they would be 
rather neglectful if they did not take the precaution, 
after they were potted, to place them in some shady 
position out-of-doors or in a structure where they 
could be shaded and kept close for ’a few days. 
“Beilis” also very pointedly informs me how un¬ 
necessary it is for me to tell him what I did not 
recommend, but I consider I was perfectly justified in 
reminding him of it. If he had stated that when 
plants were wanted solely for winter flowering 
they were best grown in pots, I should not be 
so much inclined to dispute it, as what I have 
written from the first was intended to apply to plants 
grown for spring flowering at a time when thousands 
of them are used for furnishing during the London 
season. But when he asserts that to produce the best 
results they must be grown in pots, I entirely differ 
from him, nor shall I be convinced till I have seen 
better plants grown under the pot system than I have 
already seen under the planting-out one ; and they 
must be better; if only equal, the labour saved by 
the planting-out system would be a strong argument 
in its favour. I was pleased to notice that the 
very plants I mentioned as having been planted 
out and lifted for several years, were, on June 9th, 
exhibited at the Boyal Horticultural Society’s 
meeting, and were awarded a Silver Medal. And I 
find, on referring to The Gardening World, p. 653, 
that these plants are described as being from 4 ft. 
to 5 ft. in diameter, and profusely bloomed. It was 
also added that they were much admired. I think I 
can fairly claim that if such plants were worthy of 
the high honour accorded to them, they are well 
worth cultivating for flowering at that season of the 
year, notwithstanding the remark of “Beilis” that 
Ox-eye Daisies are so common then.— H. Dunkin. 
———►$<- 
Double Cinerarias. —Double Cinerarias have 
not hitherto been usuallyiconsidered a great success, 
but in the May number of The Illustration Horticole 
several very handsome varieties are figured, which, if 
they prove equal to the illustrations, will certainly be 
more extensively grown in the future. They com¬ 
prise pure white, rosy-purple, bluish-purple, deep 
violet, and three other shades varying from deep rose 
to crimson. They are said to be of good floriferous 
habit. If they prove to be free seeders, they should 
soon become common. They are called double, but it 
should be borne in mind that it is not a case of true 
doubling—that is, the stamens, Ac., being trans¬ 
formed into petals—but simply the central or regular 
florets being replaced by strap-shaped or ray florets— 
a change not uncommon in the order Composite. 
Our garden Cinerarias are descendants of Cineraria 
cruenta, a plant which inhabits the woods of the 
Island of Teneriffe. 
A few Pretty Things in Flower. —When 
looking over the New Perennial Garden at Kew, a 
few days ago, a note was made of the following as 
desirable plants, viz., the old-fashioned Mouse-ear, as 
it is termed, Cerastium tomentosum, because so full 
of charming white flowers; of the varied usefulness 
of this plant there can be no doubt. Campanula 
rliomboidea is an elegant-growing plant, about 18 ins. 
in height; the deep blue flowers are produced on 
slender stems, and it is a charming object. C. per- 
sicifolia is so well known as not to need description; 
its charming blue flowers compel admiration; the 
single and double white varieties are strikingly fine 
also. C. pulla is one of the most lovely of the 
dwarf Harebells, forming in cool, shady situations, 
carpets of the loveliest verdure, that send up stems 
2 ins. or so in height, terminating with drooping, 
deep purple flowers, very charming when seen in a 
mass. The new Phacelia campanularia is of the 
loveliest hue of blue, and it is one of the very best 
new annuals introduced in recent years ; it has a 
somewhat bushy and spreading habit of growth, 
and the flowers, which are of the finest deep 
gentian-blue, are iiroduced in terminal racemes of 
from twelve to twenty blossoms ; it deserves to be 
in every garden. Dianthus liirtus is a charming 
species, with a beauty peculiarly its own. It is the 
hairy Dianthus of France, and bears pretty red flowers. 
Centaurea montana, the perennial Cornflower, is of 
strong growth, and produces large blue flowers in 
