July  22.  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDEA^EPu 
83 
For  a  group  of  Carnations,  arranged  for  effect  in  a  space  not  exceeding 
30  square  feet,  Mr.  J.  Douglas  was  first  as  the  only  competitor.  For 
a  larger  group  Mr.  C.  Blick,  gardener  to  M.  R.  Smith,  Esq.,  Hayes,  was 
first,  followed  by  Mr.  C.  Tamer,  both  staging  well,  though  the  first 
named  plants  were  too  packed. 
Mr.  Jas.  Douglas,  Great  Bookham,  sent  a  collection  of  flowers  com¬ 
prising  many  of  the  best  well-known  and  new  varieties.  Messrs.  J. 
Veitch  &  Sons,  Ltd.,  sent  two  boxes  of  beautiful  flowers  of  the  leading 
varieties.  Mr.  E.  F.  Hopper,  Hoddesdon,  sent  a  few  flowers,  but  none 
of  very  great  merit ;  as  did  Messrs.  W.  Cutbush  &  Sons,  Highgate,  but 
some  of  these  were  very  good. 
FRITILLARIA  ARMENA. 
AMONG!  the  dwarf-growing  Fritillarias  the  species  depicted  in  the 
illustration  (fig.  13)  occupies  a  prominent  place.  As  the  specific  name 
implies,  F,  armena  is  a  native  of  Armenia,  and  was  introduced  in  1878, 
but  it  is  not  generally  well  known  in  gardens.  It  is  a  charming  little 
plant,  growing  about  6  inches  in  height.  The  flowers  are  brownish 
purple,  and,  as  will  be  seen  by  referring  to  the  woodcut,  are  small, 
campanulate,  and  slightly  drooping.  They  are  usually  produced  in 
April.  There  is  a  yellow  form  of  this  species  named  F.  a.  fusco-lutea. 
This  was  introduced  in  1887,  and  is  a  native  of  Smyrna.  F.  armena 
can  be  grown  in  sheltered  positions  on  a  rockery  or  border,  or  in  pots 
in  a  cool  greenhouse. 
THE  YOUNG  GARDENERS’  DOMAIN. 
Cultivation  op  the  Melon. 
(Continued  from  page  60.) 
As  the  roots  penetrate  through  the  ridge  layers  of  fresh  warmed 
compost  should  be  added,  doing  this  whenever  the  roots  are  visible. 
When  top-dressing  after  the  fruits  are  set  a  small  quantity  of  artificial 
manure  may  be  added  with  advantage.  If  each  plant  is  required  to 
carry  four  Melons  allow  three  side  shoots  to  grow.  These  should  start 
from  near  the  base  of  the  plant.  Some  growers  stop  their  plants,  so  that 
they  will  break  more  freely  ;  but  we  find  no  necessity  for  this,  as  the 
side  shoots  grow  rapidly,  reaching  the  top  of  the  trellis  with  the  main 
stem.  When  they  have  extended  to  the  height  desired  both  the  main 
stem  and  side  shoots  are  stopped,  or  as  they  may  be  now  called  the 
“  four  stems.”  Laterals  are  then  produced,  and  these  pinched  at  the 
second  pistillate  or  fruit-bearing  flower.  When  a  sufficient  number 
of  these  flowers  are  open  they  are  fertilised  about  midday,  when  the 
pollen  is  dry.  After  a  good  set  has  been  obtained  the  fruits  are  thinned, 
only  one  being  allowed  on  a  stem.  Those  which  remain  should  be  of 
an  equal  size,  for  if  otherwise  they  are  very  difficult  to  manage,  for  some 
of  them  will  be  netting  when  others  are  still  swelling,  some  stems  con¬ 
sequently  requiring  very  little  water,  while  others  need  a  copious  supply. 
Again,  some  fruits  may  be  ripening,  and  need  a  minimum  quantity  of 
water,  when  others  are  in  a  green  state  and  would  suffer  by  the  reduced 
supply.  After  the  fruits  have  set  remove  all  sub-laterals  and  super¬ 
fluous  growths,  leaving  only  the  main  leaves. 
Some  growers  follow  a  different  method  of  training  to  the  one 
described.  The  main  stem  is  allowed  to  extend  to  the  required  height, 
and  is  then  stopped,  all  side  shoots  being  also  stopped  at  the  second 
pistillate  flower.  When  the  set  has  been  obtained  the  fruits  are  thinned 
out  to  four  on  a  plant.  This  method  sometimes  answers,  but  it  is  often 
found  difficult  to  get  the  fruits  equal  in  size,  as  the  sap  flows  to  the 
Melon  furthest  from  the  base,  causing  it  to  swell  faster  than  those  which 
are  lower  down. 
After  thinning  the  fruit,  those  which  remain  should  be  tied  up,  a 
short  distance  from  the  trellis,  with  a  piece  of  matting,  passing  it  round 
the  stalk  near  the  fruit.  Afterwards  the  fruit  will  need  something  to 
rest  upon.  Small  pieces  of  board,  or  wicker  baskets,  made  for  the  pur¬ 
pose,  fastened  to  the  trellis  with  pieces  of  string,  may  be  used.  Nets, 
made  for  the  purpose,  can  be  obtained  from  nurserymen  and  seedsmen, 
and  these  are  preferable  to  boards  and  baskets.  Cut  the  Melons  before 
they  are  fully  ripe,  and  place  them  in  a  dry,  airy  room. — Elveden. 
Means  and  Modes  op  Peopagatino  Plants. 
(Continued  from  page  60.) 
Returning  to  the  consideration  of  the  root  of  the  plant,  it  must  be 
remembered  that  it  is  not  always  the  portion  of  the  plant  that  happens 
to  grow  underground  that  is  really  its  rooti  We  are  accustomed  tb  call 
Potatoes,  Parsnips,  Carrots,  Onions  and  Beetroots,  root  crops,  because  the 
parts  of  them  that  are  eaten  grow  under  the  earth’s  surface,  or  nearly 
so  ;  but  in  reality  the  parts  of  the  Potato  that  we  use  as  food  are  tubers  ,* 
the  Carrot,  Parsnip,  and  Beetroot,  as  well  as  the  Dahlia,  are  tuberoids, 
and  the  Onion,  in  common  with  the  Lily  and  the  Hyacinth,  is  a  bulb, 
What,  then,  is  the  root  ?  The  root  or  roots  of  a  plant  are  offsets  from 
that  portion  of  it  which  is  within  the  soil  in  the  form  of  threads  or 
filaments,  terminating  in  soft  organs  called  spongioles,  through  which 
moisture  and  the  various  elements  that  combine  to  form  the  structure  of 
the  plant  are  absorbed  from  the  earth  to  be  carried  upward  to  the 
extremities  of  the  branches. 
In  the  Onion  and  all  bulbs  the  roots  are  not  the  bulbous  portions 
which  are  produced  and  matured  either  above  or  below  the  surface  of 
the  soil,  but  the  circle  of  fibres  which  issue  from  the  edges  at  the 
bottom  of  the  bulb.  In  the  Potato  the  tuber,  rich  in  starch  and 
nutritive  matter,  is  not  the  root,  but  the  roots  are  the  string-like  fibres 
issuing  from  the  tuber,  through  which  the  food  stored  up  within  it  has 
been  gathered  from  the  soil.  The  real  roots  of  the  Parsnip,  the  Carrot, 
and  the  Beetroot  are  the  thread-like  fibres  which  issue  from  the  fleshy 
tuberous  roots  on  all  sides,  and  especially  at  the  extremity,  which  is 
commonly  called  the  tap  root. 
We  are  now  in  a  better  position  to  understand  the  various  natural 
means  by  which  the  propagation  of  plants  is  effected.  The  junction  of 
root  and  stem  is  usually  called  the  collar,  and  in  planting  due  regard 
should  be  had  to  keeping  the  collar  in  its  proper  position,  for  if  it  be  too 
low  the  portion  of  the  stem  that  is  buried  will  be  liable  to  canker, 
especially  in  the  case  of  worked  trees,  where  the  junction  is  close  to  the 
ground  ;  and  if  it  be  too  high  a  portion  of  the  plant  that  ought  to  be 
below  ground  will  be  above  it,  and  will  suffer  from  the  exposure. 
This,  however,  as  we  have  seen,  is  not  the  case  with  every  plant,  and  we 
Fig.  13.— Fritillaria  Armena. 
know  that  the  rootlets  or  fibres  which  are  sent  forth  anew  by  the  parts 
above  ground  for  the  reception,  aeration,  and  maturation  of  the  sap  when 
it  is  brought  to  them  from  below  by  the  system  of  circulation. — C.  W.  M. 
(To  be  continued.) 
Aristolochia  elegans. 
This  desirable  and  beautiful  tropical  climber  is  seldom  met  with  in 
a  satisfactory  condition  ;  at  least  this  is  my  experience,  owing,  I  think, 
chiefly  to  its  being  confined  in  pots.  Wnere  I  have  found  it  to  succeed 
the  best  is  planting  in  front  of  the  hot  water  pipes  in  a  lofty  stove. 
This  Aristolochia  was  planted  early  in  February  of  this  year,  in  a 
mixture  of  three  parts  loam,  and  one  each  of  peat  and  leaf  soil,  with  a 
free  amount  of  sand,  The  growths  were  trained  perpendicularly  until 
they  reached  the  roof  wires,  which  the  plant  now  covers  for  the  space  of 
several  yards. 
This  species  is  a  free  grower,  the  foliage  being  of  a  rich  grass  green 
colour,  and  the  flowers  borne  in  great  profusion  on  stalks  4  inches  in 
length.  The  plant  in  question  is  bearing  between  200  and  300  flowers 
and  buds.  The  ground  colour  of  the  flowers  is  white,  finely  marked 
with  veins  of  rich  velvet  chocolate.  The  shape  of  the  flower  is  most 
curious,  resembling  a  pipe,  the  bowl  of  which  has  been  turned  back  to 
meet  the  stem  and  then  faced  outwards. 
One  of  the  chief  points  to  note  in  the  management  of  this  plant  is  to 
train  the  growths  thinly,  in  exactly  the  same  way  as  the  Stephanotis  is 
trained  ;  in  fact,  the  plant  in  question  is  growing  side  by  side  with  a 
Stephanotis,  both  receiving  similar  treatment — viz.,  a  free  use  of  the 
syringe,  and  shade  during  the  hottest  part  of  the  day. 
The  only  insect  which  has  made  any  attack  on  this  Aristolochia  is 
