January 27, 1900. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
343 
should be fertilised. This operation is best done on 
a bright sunny day, about 2 p.m. It is very essential 
to fertilise the flowers together; for, should one or 
two Melons take the lead, the others will not swell. 
When set, the lateral growths must be constantly 
pinched out, and all staminate or male flowers re¬ 
moved. As the fruit approaches the ripening point 
water should be to a considerable extent withheld, so 
as to impart a full, rich flavour. Free ventilation 
will also aid in this matter. A selection of varieties 
should include Blenheim Orange and Hero of 
Lockinge.— C. P. Cretchley, The Honeys, Twyford, 
Berks. 
- . 1 . 
CHEMISTRY FOR THE GARDEN. 
I. Introductory Remarks. 
These notes it will be observed will contain the 
gleanings which the writer has preserved from 
lectures which he has attended at various periods, 
as well as observations made from lime to time by 
himself. It will also be kept in view that the writer 
has no desire whatever to lay down any of the facts 
or theories which these notes will consist of in a 
didactic spirit; on the contrary, his whole aim is to 
create a desire in the bosom of every young gardener 
who is yet unacquainted with the ways of the beauti¬ 
ful science of chemistry, to labour in this mine of 
knowledge and dig out much of the necessary wealth 
it assuredly contains for his use. 
I am too well aware of the almost insurmountable 
difficulties standing against the young gardener in 
going in for a course of study in this useful branch 
of knowledge. In the first place to begin with, 
Chemistry is to most young men the most dry-as- 
dust subject he could well approach, and iD the next 
place it is only under exceptional circumstances that it 
is possible for the average young man to be so situated 
as to derive any substantial assistance in his study 
when it has begun. No doubt these two reasons 
are alone sufficient to disgust many from essaying 
an attempt. These were my own views of chemistry 
when our chief at one period of my career put 
“ Fownes ” text book into my hands. I put on a 
determined effort and in due course dragged through 
and handed the dry volume to its owner, of course, 
without retaining almost a single fact of the wealth 
of knowledge it contained. In after years I made 
the discovery that the way to tackle the subject and 
to make it intensely interesting was to carry out the 
facts by illustrations. 
Everything that admits of illustrations should be 
rigidly performed, and then not only does the matter 
become an inseparable part of one’s self but the 
whole becomes a highly interesting and significant 
study, so much so, indeed, that to most people it 
forms the gateway to an entirely new world never 
before dreamt of. This is the very best of teachers, 
the only teacher that is necessary provided the 
student takes an intelligent interest in the work. I 
know one or two instances of book taught chemists, 
whose knowledge was eagerly sought after by profess¬ 
ional chemists, a fact of itself that gardeners need not 
despair of acquiring a very substantial knowledge of 
the subject as far as their duties demand. 
There is another thing which I consider a greater 
drawback to the acquisition of a chemical 
knowledge for gardeners than any of the two former 
instances, and that is the difficulty for young men 
to carry the necessary apparatus along with them 
in their wonted removals from one place to another. 
This of course could be easily got over, and will be 
got over, if the old anti-education gardeners should 
once disappear from the horticultural stage. A room 
equipped with chemical apparatus ought to be 
included in the premises of every good garden. I 
believe that all that is wanted to acquire this, in a 
good many cases, at any rate, is the sincere sym¬ 
pathy of the head gardener. Gentlemen of to-day 
are most liberal to assist the mental development of 
the young gardeners in their employment, and it is 
but fair to say that if this matter were fairly and 
squarely put before them, that something would be 
done. However, gardeners must not wait for the 
accomplishment of any such thing as thus suggested, 
but do the best possible under the prevailing 
conditions. 
I carried my box of apparatus for the last eighteen 
years whithersoever my destination lay, from one 
end of the kingdom to the other, and I have little 
doubt but that others have done so also. The time 
is certainly advancing when the above suggested, 
and much ameliorated, conditions will relieve young 
men of both the trouble and expense of carrying 
such luggage from place to place. Again there can 
scarcely be any pastime better employed than that of 
the spare time devoted to the practical side of 
Chemistry. 
The experiments which can be made are practic¬ 
ally inexhaustible and every one of which cannot 
fail to strike the student with wonder and admir¬ 
ation. The beautiful laws which govern everything 
to such marvellous niceties, the affinity of one ele¬ 
ment for another, the combination of two like sub¬ 
stances to form an article substantially disimilar to 
either,and many other exceedingly interesting things, 
form but an indefinite conception of the marvels 
chemistry embodies. The earth, its waters, and all 
they contain, the atmosphere, in fact, everything we 
can see around us and in us are subject to the laws 
of this science of sciences.— Oxygen. 
(To be continued.) 
- 
THE PUNT HOUSES. 
The Stove. 
Gesneras. — The greater number of Gesneras hail 
from the tropical regions of Brazil in South America, 
and other parts of that continent. Though most 
are tuberous rooted, not all are. As stove plants 
they occupy an honoured place, quite equal I should 
say to Gloxinias or Achimenes. Gesnera zebrina is 
represented as the type which has beautiful foliage as 
well as handsome and showy red and yellow flowers. 
The plants may be dried off at the end of summer, 
and brought again into a moist warm stove at the 
beginning of the year. A temperature of just over 
6o° will suit them, and with a supply of water they 
will soon commence to grow. New plants can be 
propagated as cuttings from the young shoots which 
will throw up at this lime. The cuttings may be 
struck in pans of light soil, care being taken to give 
them sufficient space apart. Bottom-heat, when 
this can be given, is recommendable. In a few weeks 
pot the cuttings into small thumb pots, still keeping 
them in the propagating pit. In a few days inure 
them to the air, gradually allowing the full freedom 
of the house temperature. In from five to seven 
weeks or more they will require another shift; this 
time into 4 10. or 5 in. pots. 
During the summer an ordinary stove temperature 
will suit them, airing the house during the day. 
Neat stakes may be needed for the shoots, little or 
no pinching being required the first year. The 
object during the first season is to develop size and 
strength of tuber. Therefore it is not advisable to 
allow them to bloom till the next year, although 
blooms can be obtained. They will require abun¬ 
dant watering, a moist atmosphere, and a dail 
syringing overhead. During the brightest part of 
the season some slight shade is necessary above 
them, but when they begin to show signs of lacking 
vigour they may be allowed more light and the 
watering and syringing should be more and more 
withdrawn. When they have nearly died down a 
place on a dry shelf at the coolest end of the stove, 
or even in a cooler house, should be sought out for 
them. The position must be drip proof. Then early 
in the following year shake out the young tubers and 
repot them in pots proportionate to their size ; 5 in. 
and 6 in. pots may be used. 
A somewhat rough but porous and moderately 
rich compost is to their liking, this being warmed 
previous to its use. The tubers must be kept just 
level with the soil. Water the pots thoroughly and 
set them in a light position. Raise the minimum 
temperature to 6o°, advancing it as the season goes 
on. The flower spikes will appear about April or 
May, the strongest tubers generally throwing up 
first. After this time a cooler situation may be 
allowed for the sake of the longer lasting of the 
flowers. These must on no account become damp. 
The tuberous species can be grown on like Gloxinias 
for a number of years. After starting the old tubers 
in the early spring-time propagation may be effected 
by cuttings of the young shoots. The choice species 
are fairly well known, and may be had from the 
nurserymen. Mixed packets of choice seed of 
hybrids may also be ordered. 
The Greenhouse. 
Hibbertia dentata. — Of the Hibbertias there are 
upwards of forty species, variously scattered over 
the South Pacific, though most are concentrated iD 
and around Australia. The species chosen above is 
a beautiful winter-flowering, warm greenhouse 
climber. The flowers are solitary and bear a distant 
resemblance to the yellow blooms of Oenothera 
Youngii, a well-known hardy plant. The growth, on 
the whole, is clean and slender, the foliage being 
oblong, dark green, smooth and with serrated edges. 
Propagation is no difficult matter so long as nice 
firm shoots can be obtained for cuttings. These may 
be struck similar to Plumbago rosea, whose full 
treatment will be found on page 311, where 
“ Grower ” treats of the above. A friable compost 
consisting of peat, leaf-mould, and loam with sand 
should be accorded, and the plants kept growing on 
and shifted as needs require. An airy, light pit, 
with a temperature of 6o° at the most, should be 
their place. The young shoots require a stake to 
train them to, the weakest shoots being cut out at 
the seasons’s end. Thrips are at times troublesome, 
but can be kept off by vigorous syringing with 
paraffin and soft-soap solution. Use this carefully, 
and afterwards syringe with clean water. By-and- 
bye, the plants, when they have reached a consider¬ 
able height, may be put out into a well-drained rich 
border, or may be kept in large pots. At any rate, 
train the shoots to a rafter in a greenhouse. 
Pits and Frames. 
Cold snaps are frequent, so that the duty man or he 
in charge of pits and frames has to be kept in readi¬ 
ness for emergencies. Remove the coverings and 
give free air to Violas, Calceolarias, &c., whenever 
the outside temperature rises to 45 0 .— J. H. D. 
« 1 «- 
©leanings f^unt ffje Drntlb 
of Scienr$. 
The Scientific Committee of the Royal Horticultural 
Society met on the 9th iost., when the undermen¬ 
tioned subjects were discussed. 
Horseradish attacked by Rhizoglyphus.— 
Some roots of this, as also of the Lily ot the Valley, 
attacked by this mite, were received from Mr. Abbey 
of Avery Hill, Eltham, who forwarded a long 
list of plants likewise attacked. Mr. Michael 
observed that it is a subterranean species, and that 
although it prefers bulbs, it is very injurious to many, 
indeed, most other plants with fleshy roots, though 
it may not thrive equally well upon them. As a 
remedy Dr. Muller suggested lime and sugar or 
treacle, as being better and stronger than limewater, 
as well as more persistent in its action. Mr. Mich¬ 
ael also observed that heat, as in boiiiDg wa'er, was 
destructive, but the mite resisted chemicals 1 3 a re 
markable degree. With regard to the life history, it 
passes through several stages, commencing with the 
egg, this gives rise to a hexapod larva, then to the 
nymph, a very active octopod. After a new change 
of skin, in a large number of cases, but not in all, 
there emerges—without any discoverable cause—a 
being totally unlike the preceding, formerly known 
as Hypopus, having being thought to be a quite 
different genus. Thus has a soft body interna 1 / but 
covered with a hard and usually chitinous integu¬ 
ment. Its mouth organs are rudimentary, and it 
probably does not feed. It is provided with discs 
by means of which it adheres to insects such as ants, 
bees, beetles, &c., and to other small moving 
creatures. These it utilises as means of migration, 
clinging to them, but without being parasitic. As 
soon as a suitable environment is met with, the mite 
changes back into the last nymphal stage, and then 
proceeds to pass into the adult male or female con¬ 
dition. It may attack plants in all stages, except 
that of the migratory Hypopus. The Hypopus is 
practically impervious to chemicals, and can endure 
without injury exposure to heat and drought which 
would destroy the creature in any other stage. 
Apples Injured by Hail —Some fruit was 
received from Mr. Woodward of Barham Court, 
Maidstone, which had received severe injuries from 
hailstones. But, although the skin was cut through 
and the flesh exposed, this had dried up and so pro¬ 
tected the interior, which had not at all decayed. 
The storm occurred on July 19th, 1899. Mr. Michael 
observed that when birds plunged their beaks into 
Apples through thirst, the injured spots usually 
resulted in decay. 
