264 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  29,  1900. 
would  allow.  Far,  far  back ;  but  still  the  same  drama  of  life,  the 
same  scenes,  the  same  loyal  sentiments,  only  young  fresh-cheeked 
actors  stepping  on  and  off  the  boards.  God  bless  them  all,  and  keep 
them  safe  within  and  true  to  the  great  brotherhood  of  love,  and  work, 
and  duty. — E.  K.,  Dublin. 
- <«♦»> - 
Jottings  about  Melon  Culture. 
Well  grown  Melons  are  invariably  appreciated  by  the  owners  of 
gardens  however  small,  and  in  establishments  of  pretension  a  regular 
supply  is  looked  for  from  May  to  October,  and  should  any  breaks 
occur  their  place  on  the  dessert  table  cannot  well  be  filled  with  any 
fiuit  so  showy,  rrwhen  of  high  quality  so  luscious.  The  majority 
of  gardeners  who  have  the  requisite  conveniences  at  command  do  not 
often  let  a  break  in  the  supply  occur,  as  they  are  too  much  interesied 
in  Melon  culture,  doubtless  because  i  he  plants  give  such  a  bountiful 
return  for  the  labour  bestowed  upon  them,  and  during  the  spring  and 
summer  months  each  day  shows  considerable  progress  in  luxuriant 
growth  or  swelling  fruits. 
From  the  end  of  March  onward  Melon  growing  may  be  termed 
simple  and  easy  compared  with  the  skilful  attention  required  to  pro¬ 
duce  early  crops.  When  well  heated  houses- — fitted  with  hot-water 
pipes  for  supplying  bottom  heat — are  at  command,  no  fermen  ing 
materials  will  be  needed  in  the  beds.  The  pipes  can  bj  covered  with 
a  few  rough  sticks,  such  as  faggot  wood,  and  surfaced  with  a  layer  of 
straw  shaken  from  stable  manure.  Through  these  materials  the  heat 
passes  freely,  and  thus  keeps  the  soil  uniformly  wa  m,  there  is  no 
sinking  of  the  beds,  and  the  arowth  from  the  start  is  sturdy,  though 
not  so  rapid  as  when  fermenting  materials  are  employed.  The  beds 
in  nearly  all  tl  e  Melon  houses  I  have  had  to  deal  with  have  been 
constructed  with  the  object  of  leaving  plenty  of  room  for  fermenting 
materials,  and  consequently  the  pipes  were  invariably  from  2^  to  3  feet 
below  the  top  of  the  bed.  In  such  cases  when  fermenting  material^ 
are  not  employid,  the  plants  must  either  be  planted  too  far  from  the 
glass,  or  a  great  depth  of  rough  material  used  to  bring  the  soil  up  to 
the  required  height,  and  in  the  latter  instance  the  plants  do  not  get 
the  full  benefit  of  the  bottom  heat  pipes.  In  building  Melon  houses 
for  all  crops  except  the  early  one,  my  experience  has  taught  me  that 
the  bottom  heat  pipes  should  n^ver  be  more  than  18  inches  below  the 
surface  of  the  bed;  ample  room  is  then  left  for  soil  and  drainage,  the 
plants  get  the  full  benefit  of  the  bottom  heat,  and  are  also  well  up  to 
the  light,  a  combination  of  advantages  which  does  much  toward 
securing  good  results. 
The  com|)ost  I  find  most  suitable  for  Melons  is  one  formed  of  three 
parts  good  loam — ratht-r  inclined  to  be  heavy  than  light — one  pa't 
fresh  horse  manure,  with  a  little  lime  rubble  and  soot  added.  These 
ingredients  should  be  mixed  a  few  days  before  the  Melons  are  planted. 
Place  a  layer  of  the  compost  over  the  drainage  (prepaied  as  previously 
advised),  then  form  mounds  for  the  plants,  half  a  bushel  for  each  is 
quite  enough;  I  prefir  plants  in  4-inch  pots  to  larger  ones,  as  they 
seem  to  take  to  the  permanent  soil  so  quickly  and  grow  without  a 
check. 
Firm  planting  is  of  the  utmost  importance,  as  it  induces 
sturdy  growth  and  early  productiveness  ;  loose  planting  causes  the 
plants  to  become  very  rampant,  and  the  early  flowers  olten  fail  to  set. 
The  old  ball  ought  to  be  only  slightly  covered  with  fresh  soil,  or  decay 
at  the  collar  will  sometimes  result.  Some  cultivators  advise  that  the 
old  ball  should  under  no  consideration  be  covered  ;  but  if  this  is  not 
done,  repeated  waterings  soon  bare  the  roots,  and  then  fresh  soil  has 
to  be  added,  and  although  1  have  grown  Melons  on  a  large  scale  for 
years  I  have  never  found  the  plants  decay  at  the  collar  through  giving 
a  slight  covering  of  soil ;  indeed,  it  is  not  usually  in  the  early  stages 
of  growth  that  decay  takes  place,  but  rather  when  the  trellis  is 
covered  with  growth,  which  prevents  direct  sunshine'  from  reaching 
the  base  of  the  stems. 
When  the  practice  of  planting  on  mounds  is  adopted  I  never 
hesitate  to  w'ater  through  a  rose  quite  up  to  the  stems  in  the  early 
stages  of  growth  ;  but  when  the  fruits  are  swelling,  especially  if  dull 
weather  prevails,  I  am  careful  to  avoid  giving  water  within  2  inches 
of  the  stems.  Should  decay  at  any  time  be  noticed  a  mixture  of 
freshly  slaked  lime  and  powdered  charcoal  rubbed  on  the  aficected 
parts  will  generally  arrest  its  progress.  Plants  that  are  short-jointed  and 
ffard  in  the  stem  do  not  often  decay ;  it  is  tho  soft  sappy  growth 
i-gSulting  from  loose  planting  and  too  rich  a  compost  which  gives  so 
j^uch  trouble  in  that  respect.  When  the  roots  reach  the  sides  of  the 
jjjOucd  a  little  fresh  compost  should  be  added,  but  I  consider  it  a  great 
j^istake  to  add  a  large  quantity  of  soil  at  one  time ;  it  is  far  more 
g^tisfactory  to  perform  the  work  in  three  stages,  and  to  press  the  soil 
^j.mly  at  each  addition. 
In  regard  to  the  method  of  training  to  adopt  I  prefer  allowing  the 
leader  to  go  unstopped  till  it  is  within  2  feet  of  the  top  of  the  trellis, 
rather  than  to  stop  at  an  earlier  stage  to  secure  a  few  fruits  near  the 
base.  The  plants,  under  the  system  I  advocate,  are  thoroughly 
established  in  the  soil  before  the  strain  of  rapidly  swelling  fruit  affects 
them — a  matter  of  great  importance  in  the  production  of  juicy,  well- 
flavoured  fruits.  Fruits  which  are  allowed  to  swell  before  the  plants 
are  well  established  usually  have  a  hard  thick  nnd,  and  do  not  develop 
to  a  standard  size. 
The  extension  system  of  growing  Melons  is  a  good  one  when  well 
carried  out,  as  the  fruits  are  usually  of  better  flavour  than  those 
grown  under  the  ordinary  system,  as  root  action  is  kept  vigorous 
throughout  in  consequence  of  continuous  growth.  The  system  also 
allows  the  cultivator  to  produce  a  long  succession  of  Melons  from  one 
house.  In  all  stages  the  growths  should  be  kept  regularly  thinned 
and  stopped,  so  that  there  is  no  overcrowding  of  foliage.  Those  who 
have  not  practised  this  system  might  think  there  would  be  a  difficulty 
in  getting  successional  fruits  to  swell  after  the  first  fruits  had  taken 
the  lead,  but  a  little  observation  will  soon  show  anyone  how  to 
arrange  matters  in  that  respect.  When  the  first  fruits  are  about 
half-grown  they  cease  to  swell  for  a  time  while  the  seed  is  being 
formed  ;  that  is  just  the  stage  at  which  to  set  an  additional  number  of 
flowers.  After  the  whole  of  the  trellis  is  covered  the  difficulty  seems 
to  disappear  altogether,  and  flowers  should  be  fertilised  whenever  they 
show  at  a  convenient  point. 
Three  or  four  distinct  sizes  of  swelling  fruits  may  often  be  obtained 
on  a  single  plant.  Some  part  of  such  plants  needs  syringing  daily 
whenever  the  weather  is  bright,  avoiding  portions  where  the  fruit  is 
changing  colour,  and  leaving  a  chink  of  air  on  at  the  top  of  the  house. 
When  a  good  number  are  ripening  simultaneously  the  air  should  be 
kept  comparatively  dry.  The  fruits  do  not  often  crack,  as  the  constant 
growth  generally  prevents  it,  but  whenever  cracking  does  take  place, 
if  the  shoot  is  cut  half  through  with  a  knife  below  the  fruit  no  further 
trouble  is  given. 
When  the  crop  has  been  cleared  on  the  lower  part  of  the  plants  the 
old  leaves  should  be  cut  away  and  young  growths  tied  in.  Under 
both  systems  of  training  I  like  to  stop  the  shoots  at  one  joint  beyond  the 
fruit,  and  then  allow  the  sub-lateral  to  grow  freely  for  a  time. — Pomona. 
(To  be  continued.) 
- - - 
Sweet  Pea  Bicentenary  Celebration. 
SuBSTANTtAL  progress  is  being  made  towards  the  celebration  of  the 
introduction  of  the  Sweet  Pea  into  Great  Britain  200  years  ago.  This 
celebration,  as  already  announced,  is  to  be  held  on  July  20th  and  2l8t 
at  the  Crystal  Palace,  Sydenham,  and  will  take  the  form  of  a  grand 
exhibition  of  Sweet  Peas,  shown  in  bunches,  in  vases,  in  pots,  in  pans, 
in  baskets,  in  bouquets,  in  wreaths,  in  table  decorations,  and  in  other 
ways  that  may  suggest  themselves  to  the  gardener  and  florist ;  at  the 
same  time  a  conference  will  be  held,  at  which  papers  will  be  read  and 
discussed. 
The  work  of  arranging  for  this  conference  occupied  the  attention  of 
the  executive  committee,  which  met  at  the  Horticultural  Club,  Hotel 
Windsor,  on  Friday,  the  23rd  inst.,  when  it  was  decided  that  the 
conference  proceedings  be  held  during  the  afternoon  on  each  of  the 
show  days.  Broadly  speaking,  the  subjects  for  consideration  upon 
the  first  day  will  be  the  history  of  the  Sweet  Pea,  the  evolution  of  the 
Sweet  Pea,  also  an  American’s  views  of  this  popular  annual.  On  the 
second  day  it  is  proposed  to  deal  with  the  decorative  uses  of  Sweet 
Peas,  Sweet  Pea  cultivation,  and  classification.  It  is  probable,  how¬ 
ever,  that  other  matters  relative  to  Sweet  Peas  will  be  discussed  ;  but  a 
further  meeting  of  the  committee  will  be  necessary  ere  titles  and 
authors  can  be  announced,  and  the  final  arrangements  made.  The 
desire  of  the  executive  body  is  that  the  largest  possible  amount  of 
information  regarding  Sweet  Peas  shall  be  brought  into  reasonable 
limits  of  time  and  space,  for  it  is  hoped  that  the  funds  will  admit  of 
the  publication  of  the  papers  read  and  discussion  elicited,  together  with 
the  classification,  in  the  form  of  an  authoritative  report. 
The  executive  committee  reports  that  the  actual  income  up  to  the 
date  of  meeting  is,  in  round  figures,  £250,  including  subscriptions  and 
special  prizes.  The  hon.  sec.,  Mr.  E.  Dean,  Eanelagh  Eoad,  Ealing, 
stated  that,  owing  to  the  increased  dbmand,  he  had  distributed 
practically  the  whole  of  the  two  editions  of  schedule  and  circular, 
consequently  it  was  decided  to  have  a  further  650  of  each  printed. 
Letters  from  several  continental  and  American  gentlemen  were  read, 
and  in  each  case  the  writer  expressed  his  sympathy  with  and  interest 
in  the  movement,  and  his  intention  of  being  present  at  the  celebration. 
Mr.  N.  N.  Sherwood’s  generous  offer  to  place  at  the  service  of  the 
committee,  for  the  purposes  of  classification,  the  immense  trials  of 
Sweet  Peas  his  firm — -Messrs.  Hurst  &  Sons — are  this  season  conducting 
at  Kelvedon,  was  unanimously  accepted,  and  Mr.  Sherwood’s  thoughtful 
generosity  in  this  matter  was  heartily  applauded. 
