October  2G,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
361 
skin,  juice,  and  seeds  returned  from  the  table.  It  is  rare  lor  a  com¬ 
plaint  to  be  made  about  quality,  though,  as  a  matter  of  necessity,  this 
varies  from  day  to  day ;  but  sometimes  special  commendation  is  made 
when  one  of  particular  merit  is  presented.  “A.  D.’’  places  a  small 
value  on  the  man  who  ventured  to  judge  by  cultural  m  ait,  apart  from 
flavour;  but  many  cases  can  be  cited  where  men  of  high  position  and 
attainments  have  stepped  down  from  the  platform  so  jealously  guarded 
by  your  correspondent,  and  have  given  their  verdict  without  cutting 
them. 
What  I  the  more  strongly  advocate  was  a  class,  or  classes,  for 
Melons  representing  the  different  sections — white,  green,  and  scarlet 
fleshed — the  same  as  Apples 
or  Pears  are  shown.  The 
fruit  to  be  judged  according  to 
their  merits  without  being  cut. 
Present  day  classes  could  be 
continued  as  they  stand,  but 
introduce  new  principles,  and 
judge  by  comparison  between 
the  two.  A  too  serious  view 
seems  to  be  taken  of  the 
standard  set  up  by  such  a 
course ;  many  jump  to  the 
conclusion  that  only  the  largest 
fruits  would  be  favoured  apart 
altogether  from  material 
quality,  and  this  standard 
tiken  as  a  downward  grade 
in  Melon  raising  as  well  as  in 
growing  them.  Such  opinions 
are,  I  think,  more  fanciful 
than  real.  There  are  plenty 
of  fine  Melons  grown  every 
year  that  ate  not  seen  on 
the  exhibition  table,  simply 
because  the  fruit  itself  is 
considered  too  good  for  the 
prizes  offered  together  with 
the  uncertainty  of  winning. 
“  E.  M.”  says,  “  Could  a 
better  reason  be  advanced  for 
condemnation,  because  on  the 
show  day  they  happen  to  be 
either  under  or  over  ripe  ?  ” 
He  would  indeed  be  a  clever 
man  who  could  cut  Melons  for 
several  consecutive  shows,  and 
judge  them  to  the  day  for 
ripeness.  It  may  be  done  by 
chance,  or  by  a  grower  who 
has  sufficient  stock  to  be  able 
to  cut  some  fruits  every  day  ; 
but  how  many  exhibitors  of 
Melons  have  to  adopt  measures 
of  retarding  or  hastening  their 
fruits  for  particular  dates  ? 
From  the  same  plant,  too,  it 
is  possible  to  cut  Melons 
differing  in  their  qualities ;  a 
fruit  staged  at  one  show  may 
be  dismissed  without  favour, 
while  at  a  later  show  a  fruit 
from  the  same  plant  may  win 
a  first  or  second  prize  in 
“good  company.”  It  is  im¬ 
possible  for  the  average 
gardener  to  estimate  the 
flavour  test  of  any  Melon,  no 
matter  what  are  the  conditions 
under  which  it  has  been  pro¬ 
duced,  on  a  given  day. 
“  A.  D.”  pits  Cox’s  Orange  against  Peasgood’s  Nonesuch  Apples  as 
an  argument  of  flavour — a  most  unfair  competition.  He  should  at 
least  have  chosen  two  dessert  or  two  cooking  varieties  for  comparison. 
But  even  in  these  two  Apples,  which  are  those  that  win  at  exhibi¬ 
tions  ?  Is  it  not  the  larger  and  better  coloured  iu  both  cases  ?  And 
if  this  is  a  correct  principle  with  one  fruit,  why  not  in  another — that 
is,  given  standard  high-class  varieties  to  compete  with  ?  Would  not  a 
fruit  of  Earl’s  Favourite,  Blenheim  Orange,  Sutton’s  Triumph,  Best 
of  All,  or  any  other  high-class  Melon  of,  say,  5  lbs.,  be  judged  a 
better — colour,  netting,  and  ripeness  admitted — than  one  of  a  pound, 
more  or  less  ?  and  would  not  such  a  fruit  show  better  cultivation  ? 
All  practical  Melon  growers  must  necessarily  give  an  affirmative 
answer.  These  I  hold  to  be  the  points  raised  by  “  II.  P.”  in  his  excel¬ 
lent  not-'s  on  page  278,  with  many  of  which  he  would  find  adherents 
among  the  Journal  readers. 
“  Rather  than  write  to  excuse  grave  deficiencies  of  flavour  found  in 
Melons,’’  writes  “A.  D  ,”  “would  it  not  be  better  to  seek  information 
as  to  how  to  produce  in  them  the  best  flavour,  even  though  they  be 
;  mailer?”  Herein  may  be  found  an  excellent  text  for  “  A.  D.”  him¬ 
self  to  furnish  the  desired  information  upon,  and  I  am  sure  there  are 
a  great  number  who  would  be  grateful  for  the  needful  detail  that  would 
lead  to  more  uniform  results.  Melons  are,  no  doubt,  erratic  plants  to 
deal  with,  and  notwithstanding  the  great  strides  that  are  being  made 
in  almost  everything,  the  goal  seems  yet  remote  for  the  much  sought 
for  uniformity  of  flavour  in 
these  fruits. 
If  it  is  so  absurd  to  pro¬ 
pose  classes  for  white,  green, 
and  scarlet  fleshed  Melons  for 
the  purpose  of  exhibition, 
why  should  raisers  and  seed 
merchants  lay  so  much  stress 
on  retaining  the  different 
sections  at  all  ?  Why  not 
dispense  with  such  definitions 
altogether  and  offer  them  as 
Melons  simply,  and  societies 
offering  prizes  for  them  drop 
the  stipulations  out  of  their 
schedules  ?  It  is  not  true  that 
not  on  one  occasion  in  ten  can 
anyone  tell  what  the  colour 
of  a  Melon’s  flesh  is  without 
cutting.  If  careful  fertilising 
and  selection  is  carried  out  a 
Melon  of  any  standard  variety 
can  be  relied  on  to  reproduce 
itself  true  to  colour,  and  if 
“  A.  D.’s  ”  assertion  were  true, 
what  a  mixed  medley  would 
be  seen  at  fruit  shows  after 
they  had  been  cut.  This, 
however,  is  not  so,  when 
schedules  clearly  state  the 
terms  of  competition.  Un¬ 
certainty  of  colour  in  flesh 
comes  from  the  newer  sorts 
that  are  not  “  fixed  ”  before 
being  sent  out,  and  also  from 
the  saving  of  seed  from  fruits 
that  have  not  been  “  set  ”  at 
the  flowering  time  from  care¬ 
fully  chosen  pollen  -  bearing 
blooms. 
In  reference  to  your  corre¬ 
spondent’s  assertion  that  a 
judge  is  not  worth  his  salt 
who  would  decide  by  appear¬ 
ance  alone,  schedules  in¬ 
variably,  or  very  often,  clearty 
say,  “  Melons  to  be  cut,”  or 
“  to  be  decided  by  flavour.” 
Such  being  the  case,  adjudica¬ 
tors  have  no  alternative,  and 
any  departure  from  the  terms 
of  the  schedule  would  have  to 
be  legally  obtained  from  the 
executive  who  employed  them. 
Any  change  of  constitution  in 
Melon  competitions  must  first 
come  from  schedule  com¬ 
mittees,  and  “A.  D.”  might 
assure  himself  that  if  he  could 
bring  his  influence  to  bear  on 
a  few  leading  societies,  and  induce  them  to  add  an  additional  class 
for  Melons  representing  the  three  sections,  not  to  be  cut,  but  to  be 
correctly  named  and  distinct,  he  would  find  that  it  would,  in  course  of 
time,  be  both  popular  and  interesting.  Retain  classes  for  flavour  by 
all  means,  but  have  also  the  suggested  alternative. — W.  S.,  Wilts. 
Bouvardia  Humboldti  corymbiflora  grandiflora. — This 
handsome  free-flowering  Bouvardia  may  be  torgiven  its  uninviting  name 
when  we  consider  its  great  usefulness  as  a  cut  flower.  The  leaves 
are  well  formed,  and  the  flowers  ot  the  purest  white  and  thoroughly 
distinct,  altogether  an  acquisition  in  any  greenhouse.  All  Bouvardias 
are  useful  during  the  winter  months,  but  none  more  so  than  the  above 
mentioned  variety.— PRACTICE. 
