78 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  2,  1899. 
it  is  wise  to  grow  several  varieties,  as  the  seasoa  of  ripe  fruit  is 
thus  prolonged,  even  under  the  same  treatment.  Obviously,  wdren 
these  conditions  prevail,  greater  care  is  necessary  in  fertilising  the 
flowers  if  seeds  are  to  be  saved.  In  a  case  where  seed  sowing  is  the 
primary  consideration,  one  variety  in  a  house  is  the  correct  method 
to  pursue. 
Heated  pits  are  often  requisitioned  for  Melons,  and  even  in  frames, 
with  no  artificial  heat  beyond  a  small  quantity  of  manure  to  give 
the  plants  a  start,  many  good  crops  have  been  produced.  Under 
such  circumstances,  more  attention  to  the  details  of  air  giving  and 
pinching  the  shoots  is  necessary,  and  if  the  weather  is  uncongenial 
— jiartially  dry  and  warm — during  the  months  of  July  and  August, 
IMelon  growing  in  frames  is  a  long  way  from  being  a  pleasurable 
undertaking. 
Plants  growing  in  frames  admit  of  little  variety  in  the  form  of 
growth,  as  all  must  be,  what  might  not  inaptly  be  termed,  bushes.  In 
a  house  various  methods  of  training  are  adopted,  but  the  cordon  system 
is  the  best.  Plants  15  inches  apart  give  a  crop  more  quickly  through¬ 
out  the  house,  because  if  one  plant  does  not  give  the  requisite  number, 
there  is  no  appreciable  difference  in  the  whole.  Two  or  three  fruits 
are  soon  “  set,”  which  swell  rapidly,  and  thus  afford  time  for  a 
successional  crop,  either  from  the  same  or  later  raised  plants.  Many 
cultivators  aim  to  have  two  crops  from  the  same  plants.  Another 
method  is  to  have  the  plants  4  feet  apart,  and  train  the  shoots  to  the 
right  and  left,  but  much  time  is  then  required  to  furnish  the  roof,  and 
a  longer  period  is  occupied  in  obtaining  the  necessary  number  of 
fruit. 
The  present  is  a  suitable  time  to  sow  seeds  to  have  ripe  fruit  in 
May,  and  only  too  often  is  failure  clearly  traceable  to  a  bad  stock  at 
the  outset.  The  plants  in  separate  pots  must  be  sturdy,  and  have  the 
first  leaf  close  to  the  seed  leaves,  and  not,  as  is  frequently  the  case, 
attenuated,  for  such  plants  never  thrive  satisfactorily.  They  are 
the  result  of  thick  sowing  and  lack  of  after  attention  in  various 
ways.  Let  the  seeds  be  sown  singly  in  25-inch  pots,  containing  fresh 
loam,  and  covering  with  half  an  inch  of  moist  soil.  Gentle  bottom 
heat  favours  rapid  vegetation,  and  immediately  the  seedlings  are 
through  the  soil  place  the  pots  on  a  shelf  close  to  the  glass  in  a 
temperature  of  not  less  than  65®.  In  such  a  position  they  grow 
sturdily,  and  must  be  transferred  to  larger  pots  when  a  good  number 
of  roots  have  formed. 
Some  growers  employ  loam  only  for  planting,  considering  the  use 
of  manure  in  any  form  to  be  harmful,  and  this,  in  my  opinion,  is  one 
of  the  chief  causes  of  failure.  For  years  I  upheld  the  same  view,  but 
a  change  of  procedure,  in  which  manure  was  an  important  agent, 
brought  results  far  more  satisfactory  than  anything  I  attained  to 
before.  It  is  obviously  impossible  lor  plants  growing  slowly  in  poor 
soil  to  give  as  luscious  fruits  as  those  in  a  better  medium  will  do.  An 
improvement  in  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  foliage  must  have  a 
beneficial  effect  on  the  fruit.  Half-decayed  cow  manure  and  loam,  in 
the  proportion  of  three  parts  of  the  latter  to  one  of  the  former,  make 
the  best  compost,  w'hich  can  scarcely  be  too  firm  at  planting  time  for 
Melons.  When  the  roots  appear  on  the  surface  is  the  time  to  add  an 
inch  or  so  of  cow  manure  and  loam  in  equal  parts,  and  the  increase  in 
size  and  colour  of  the  foliage  will  be  an  early  indication  that  the  plants 
enjoy  the  food. 
In  planting,  a  rather  high  ridge  is  formed  along  the  centre  of  the 
bed,  and  the  collar  is  kept  well  above  the  soil  as  a  preventive  of 
canker,  which  then,  vvith  care  in  watering,  ought  not  to  trouble 
anyone.  Low  planting,  so  that  the  stem  above  the  seed  leaves  is 
partly  buried,  or  so  placed  that  it  is  continually  moist,  is  productive 
of  canker,  and  diseased  plants  are  difficult  to  cure.  Powdered  charcoal, 
lime,  and  sulphur,  are  suggested,  but  prevention  is  my  watchword 
with  this  as  well  as  other  foes.  Cordon-trained  plants  should  not  have 
the  points  removed  until  they  have  reached  the  limit  of  space.  Pinch 
out  the  point  of  all  side  shoots  one  joint  beyond  the  fruit,  and  avoid 
overcrowding  the  foliage  ;  it  is  better  to  remove  a  fruitless  shoot 
than  hinder  maturation  and  encourage  weak  growth. 
Abundance  of  moisture  both  at  the  roots  and  in  the  atmosphere 
is  absolutely  necessary  after  the  fruit  is  set  and- swelling ;  the  former 
to  assist  growth,  and  the  latter  to  ward  off  insect  pests,  such  as  red 
spider,  thrips,  and  mealy  bug,  all  of  which  are  prejudicial  to  success. 
Directly  the  first  sign  of  ripening  is  visible  some  persons  withhold 
water  from  the  roots  and  the  leaves,  and  the  latter  is  correct,  as  when 
moist  the  fruit  is  more  liable  to  crack,  but  the  foliage  ought  to  be 
miintained  in  active  condition  up  to  the  time  of  ripening,  and  to 
insure  this  the  soil  at  the  roots  must  never  become  quite  dry. 
Abundance  of  air  must  be  admitted  as  the  fruit  ripens,  and  a  buoyant 
atmosphere  maintained,  damp  air  being  positively  injurious, 
An  article  of  this  nature  should  contain  some  reference  to  varieties, 
which  are  at  the  present  time  so  numerous  as  to  bewilder  the 
inexperienced.  The  following  I  have  tried  and  can  recommend  : — 
Green-feslied  :  Hero  of  Lockinge,  William  Tillery,  Windsor  Castle, 
Imperial  Green,  Sutton’s  Royal  Jubilee,  Sutton’s  Perfection,  and 
Golden  Perfection.  Scarlet-Jleslied :  Blenheim  Orange,  Invincible, 
Triumph,  and  Scarlet  Gem. — E.  Molynedx. 
THE  WEATHER  OF  1898, 
The  weather  of  the  past  year  has  been  of  a  very  interesting 
character,  and  has  shown  to  a  remarkable  extent  the  great  dependence  of 
agriculture  on  the  meteorological  conditions  prevailing  during  a  season. 
A  good  farmer  may  mitigate  the  injury  caused  by  unfavourable 
weather  by  making  the  most  of  every  chance  he  may  have  to  counter¬ 
act  its  effects  on  his  crops,  but  he  cannot  do  more.  It  is  useless,  for 
instance,  for  him  to  expect  a  full  crop  of  hay  if  the  spring  be  rainless, 
or  a  good  harvest  if  the  summer  be  only  one  in  name.  Horticulturists 
also,  to  a  great  extent,  have  to  depend  on  the  weather  conditions  for 
a  successful  season. 
During  the  past  year  the  early  months  were  of  an  exceptionally 
favourable  character,  the  weather  being  open  and  mild,  with  small 
rainfall — an  unusual  accompaniment  of  a  warm  winter.  With  the 
coming  of  spring,  however,  a  great  change  occurred  for  the  worse,  the 
weather  becoming  for  the  time  of  year  very  cold,  damp,  and  sunless, 
and  towards  the  end  of  May  forebodings  of  a  disastrous  season  began 
to  be  heard  on  all  sides.  With  the  advent  of  June  the  outlook  became 
more  unpromising  still,  for  during  the  first  few  days  very  inclement 
weather  prevailed,  snow  and  sleet  showers  falling  in  many  places.  In 
the  third  week,  however,  a  steady  imiirovement  in  the  weather  began, 
and  for  the  remainder  of  the  summer  sunshine  and  heat  became  the 
rule,  the  warmth  and  sunshine  extending  well  into  the  autumn. 
This  glorious  weather  completely  changed  the  character  of  the 
season,  although  there  was  still  occasion  of  complaint — especially  over 
the  south-eastern  counties — in  the  unusual  absence  of  rain.  After 
some  of  the  hottest  weather  experienced  during  September  for  ever 
half  a  century,  the  inevitable  change  from  summer  to  autumn  took 
place  on  the  18th  of  that  month,  although  the  rainfall  continued  very 
deficient  over  the  greater  part  of  our  islands  until  well  into  October. 
The  last  three  months  of  the  year  were,  like  their  immediate  prede¬ 
cessors,  much  warmer  than  usual ;  but  unlike  them  they  possessed  an 
abundant,  though  by  no  means  excessive  rainfall,  so  that  while  the 
fields  yielded  an  abundant  supply  of  grass  farmers  had  plenty  of 
opportunity  to  prepare  the  soil  for  the  crops  of  the  coming  year. 
Upon  the  whole,  therefore,  the  past  season  must  be  reckoned  to  have 
been  for  agriculture  generally  one  of  the  most  favourable  of  recent 
years,  and  it  well  exemplifies  the  truth  of  the  well-known  saying  that 
“  A  dry  year  never  beggars  the  master.” 
In  a  short  article  of  this  kind  it  is  impossible  to  give  an  exhaustive 
account  of  the  rainfall  of  the  year ;  but  the  general  distribution  will 
be  seen  from  the  following  table,  which  gives  the  details  of  fall  at 
eight  selected  stations  situated  over  our  islands. 
The  Rainfall  of  1898  and  Depaetuees  feom  Avebage. 
1898  Aberd’n 
Leith 
York 
Liverpq  Valencia  Bristol  Cambridge  London 
ias. 
ins. 
ins. 
ins. 
ins. 
[ins. 
ins. 
ins. 
Januarj’ ... 
0  97 
0  fjS 
0-61 
1-53 
5-54 
0-68 
0-95 
0-78 
Februar}' 
1-73 
0-70 
1-04 
■  1-75 
4-01 
1-62 
0  59 
1-18 
March  ... 
2-32 
1-17 
1-16 
0-77 
1-70 
0-87 
1-38 
1-33 
April 
4-71 
1-67 
2-55 
1-91 
6-13 
2-34 
1-23 
0-90 
May 
2-96 
1  69 
2-22 
4-51 
1-87 
3-39 
2-55 
2-44 
June 
1-45 
1-29 
1-87 
2-33 
2-08 
1-35 
2'19 
0-95 
July 
0-81 
1-27 
1-76 
0-47 
0-87 
0-39 
1-35 
0-72 
August  ... 
2-67 
3-05 
3-22 
3-80 
6  00 
3-30 
2  03 
1-00 
September 
1-70 
1-8.5 
1  34 
1-39 
4-30 
1-13 
0-17 
0-31 
October  ... 
2'86 
2-9.5 
3-02 
3-49 
7-16 
4-92 
1-96 
3-01 
November 
3-28 
2-40 
2-98 
1-69 
6-79 
2-58 
1-65 
2-58 
DecemS)er 
/ 
2-04 
1-14 
1-89 
1-96 
5-32 
3-53 
1-86 
2-62 
Total 
27-50 
19-86 
23  66 
25-60 
51-77 
26-10 
17-91 
17-82 
Average  : 
30-94 
23-35 
25-95 
28-93 
55-80 
33-88 
23-29 
24-84 
Departure  \ 
f’mav’age  J 
-3-44 
-3-49 
-D29 
-3-33 
-4-03 
—  7*78 
-5-38 
-7-02 
