THE GARDENING WORLD 
June 13, 1908. 
398 
Vegetable JVlaffou/s. 
Plants of this useful and much-appre¬ 
ciated vegetable should be gradually har¬ 
dened off towards the end of May, ready 
for planting out as early in June as the 
weather will allow. It is not necessary, 
as frequently thought, to have a large 
heap of manure on which to grow Vege¬ 
table Marrows—quite as good, and often 
better, results can be obtained by digging 
out a hole two feet square and fifteen 
inches deep, filling it in to a depth of 
twelve inches with decaying manure and 
replacing the soil over the top, this pre¬ 
pared space being large enough to take 
one plant. Warm, sunny situations should 
be selected for Marrows, and for a week 
or so after being planted out the plants 
will require the protection of a handlight, 
pot, or other contrivance on cold nights. 
Marrows are moisture-loving plants, 
and during dry, hot weather must never 
be allowed to want for water at the roots, 
sufficient being applied at one time to 
thoroughly soak the soil about the whole 
area of the roots, whilst weak liquid 
manure may be frequently given with 
benefit when the plants are growing 
freely. A simple contrivance on which to 
train’ Marrows where space is limited, or 
where a spare corner against a wall is 
available, is shown in Fig. 1 herewith. 
Wood plugs should be driven into a joint 
of the wall near the top, and a length of 
wood nailed to them. A piece of large 
mesh wire netting should be fastened to 
this top rail and to a bottom rail secured 
Planting Out. 
Growing for Exhibition. 
How to Increase the Size. 
to stakes driven into the ground two or 
three feet from the wall. The Marrow 
plant should be planted out near the bot¬ 
tom rail, and can readily be trained to the 
netting. 
Marrows that are being grown for exhi¬ 
bition or other purposes where soiling is 
undesirable must Be raised and kept clear 
of the ground, one of the best methods of 
doing this being shown in Fig. 2. A piece 
of strong tanned garden netting should 
be secured to four stakes driven into the 
ground, and on this the Marrow is laid 
as shown. Vegetable Marrows are best 
cut young, as then the plants continue 
to bear abundantly for a long time, 
whereas the plants quickly become ex¬ 
hausted if the fruit is allowed to grow as 
large as possible. 
To increase the size of the fruit, feed¬ 
ing by the bottle process is often prac¬ 
tised. A length of thick worsted is sewn 
through the stem of the fruit at an early 
stage, and the two ends placed in a bottle 
of rainwater, as shown in Fig. 3. In this 
way the Marrow receives additional nour¬ 
ishment from the water, and develops at 
a more rapid rate. 
Ortus. 
-- 
Bumper Apple Crop. 
A bumper Apple harvest is expected in 
Devon and Somerset. There is every pos¬ 
sibility of 1908 proving the greatest Apple 
year known in those two western counties. 
In India some of the natives boil t: 
tops of one species of Fern, and eat thn 
with shrimp-curry. 
The American Gooseberry Mildew. 
The Board of Agriculture and Fisher;, 
have received information that the Ame 
can Gooseberry mildew (Sphaerothe. 
mors-uvae) has appeared in England 1 
its summer stage, in which condition 
is highly infectious. All Gooseber 
growers in the infected areas are advis. 
to spray their bushes with a solution : 
liver of sulphur in the proportion of 1 1 
of liver of sulphur to 32 gallons of wati 
A ieafiet describing the disease and. 
memorandum giving directions how 1 
proceed can be obtained from the Sec¬ 
tary, Board of Agriculture and Fisheri, 
4, Whitehall Place, London, S.W., gra; 
and post free, on application. Letters > 
addressed need not be stamped. 
Grand Yorkshire Gala. 
This event is one of the most popu'r 
of its kind in the provinces, and in ma: 
respects is unique. The Grand Yorksh; 
Gala and Floral and Musical Exhi- 
tion, to give it its full title, will this ytr 
be on an extra ambitious scale by reasi 
of being the Jubilee of the big York 1- 
ture, and Secretary Arey, the Imre Kirar 
of those parts, has provided an immeie 
programme which cannot fail to attr: t 
record crowds. In addition to the got 
floral fete, when prizes for fruit, flowe, 
and plants to the amount of ,£1,050 \\1 
be awarded, there will be three first els 
military bands, a circus, performans 
by acrobats, trick cyclists, etc., etc.,i 
balloon ascent, and firework displa. 
The fete will be held on the 17th, 18, 
and iqth insts., and we hope it will e 
favoured with fine weather. Accordingr 
the rules of the society the object of e 
fete is to give encouragement to floric - 
ture, to increase the prosperity of the Cy 
of YMrk, and to aid the funds of the Yet 
charities. We wish Mr. Fred Arey td 
the committee much success. 
The Kew Guild Dinner. 
On the eve of the Temple Show (Y.y 
25) the members of the Kew Gui 
assembled at the Holborn Restaurant r 
the annual dinner. The chair was tala 
by Mr. William W. Pettigrew, Supei- 
tendent of Parks, Cardiff. A number! 
Colonial members, upon a visit to the -d 
country, attended the dinner, includg 
Messrs. G. Cave (Darjeeling), E. . 
Davy (Nyassaland)j R. Derry (Singapo:), 
A. E. Evans, (Gold Coast), and G. • 
Lane (Calcutta). After the cloth was 5 - 
moved and the usual loyal toasts p- 
posed and responded to, the Chairnn 
proposed “ The Kew Guild,” speakingn 
complimentary terms of what it has bin 
doing and some of the legitimate, w-k 
which it might take in hand. This hs 
responded to by B. Daydon Jackson, Eg 
of the Linnean Society, in the absence^ 
W. B. Hemsley, Esq., F.R.S., Keepent 
the Herbarium. The next toast p- 
_posed was “The Chairman,” which is 
given by Mr. R. Hooper Pearson,-o 
which, in due time, the Chairman ?- 
plied. The speeches were few and in r- 
spersed with music and songs by Misp- 
Walter, Miss I. Watson, Mr. J. M. ip 
lier, and Mr. T. W. Briscoe. A vp 
pleasing evening was finished up by 
singing of the National Anthem (d 
“Auld Lang Syne.” 
Growing Vegetable Marrows. 
