August  30,  19u0. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTIOULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
203 
Culture  of  Melons. 
In  our  issue  of  August  16th  in  referring  to  a  paper  read  by  Mr.  A. 
Pettigrew,  Cardiff, Castle,  we  promised  to  make  further  remarks  on  the 
subject,  and  we  are  now  able,  by  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  Pettigrew,  to 
reproduce  a  photograph  (fig.  53)  taken  a  few  weeks  ago  of  the  Melons 
under  his  charge,  and  which  admirably  demonstrates  the  fact  that 
Melons  and  stove  plants  may  be  successfully  associated.  It  must 
not  be  inferred  that 
this  successful  grower 
advocates  the  culture 
of  Melons  in  such 
positions  in  prefer- 
•enoe  to  devoting 
special  structures  to 
them.  This  is  not  the 
case.  These  favoured 
fruits  have  to  be 
cultivated  in  prac¬ 
tically  all  gardens  in 
the  country,  and 
every  gardener  is  not 
the  most  favourably 
equipped  as  regards 
houses  adapted  for 
specific  purposes.  In 
fact,  excellent  heated 
pits  are  frequently 
at  a  minimum,  and 
where  such  is  the 
case  the  Melons,  at 
any  rate,  can  be  re- 
legated  to  the  plant 
stove.  We  saw  the 
house  containing  the 
plants  represented  in 
the  photograph  some 
weeks  ago,  and  can 
testify  to  the  vigour, 
health,  and  produc¬ 
tiveness  of  the  Melons 
as  well  as  the  general 
excellence  of  the 
miscellaneous  plants 
therein  contained. 
The  methods  of 
procedure  in  the  cul¬ 
tivation  of  Melons  at 
Cardiff  Castle,  as  laid 
down  by  Mr.  Petti¬ 
grew  in  his  paper  at 
a  meeting  of  the 
Royal  Horticultural 
Society  are  by  no 
means  elaborate. 
Special  houses  can¬ 
not  be  devoted  to  the 
Melons,  and,  there¬ 
fore,  they  are  grown 
on  the  side  stages  of  a  lofty  plant  stove,  where  they  appear  to  be 
perfectly  at  home.  Not  only  do  the  plants  make  progress  that  can 
only  be  regarded  as  in  every  respect  satisfactory,  but  the  fruits 
develop  a  richness  of  flavour  that  is  all  too  seldom  to  be  found  in 
the  majority  of  Melons  at  the  present  time.  Naturally  enough, 
variety  has  much  to  do  with  this,  but  it  is  quite  certain  that  culti¬ 
vation  plays  a  very  important  part  in  achieving  the  very  desirable 
object  named. 
In  listening  to  the  reading  of  Mr.  Pettigrew’s  paper,  or  in  conver¬ 
sation  with  him  relative  to  Melon  growing,  one  fact  is  made  most 
obvious,  and  that  is  the  importance  with  which  he  regards  careful 
watering.  It  may  almost  be  asserted  that  this  is,  in  his  view,  the 
principal  item  in  Melon  culture.  Not  only  does  he  lay  down  clearly 
defined  rules  relative  to  the  ordinary  applications  of  water  by  the  aid  of 
Fig.  53.— Melons  in  the  Plant  Stove  at  Cardiff  Castle. 
the  watering  pot,  but  also  that  provided  with  the  syringe.  Tlie  great 
desideratum  is  to  avoid  wetting  the  collar  of  the  plant  under  any  circum¬ 
stances  whatsoever.  Hence  we  find  Mr.  Pettigrew  a  strong  advocate  for 
the  use  of  collais  of  zinc  or  other  suitable  material  which  surround  the 
stem  of  each  plant  at  a  distance  of  9  inches.  Within  that  radius  no 
water  must  be  applied  ;  every  drop  goes  on  to  the  soil  without  the 
charmed  circle. 
Of  course  every  reader  will  appreciate  the  difficulty  of  keeping 
water  therefrom  at  the  time  of  syringing.  This  is  done  at  Cardiff 
with  the  aid  of  pieces  of  strong  brown  paper  rather  larger  in  size 
than  the  area  covered 
by  the  ring  j  a  slit  is 
cut  in  each  piece,  and 
prior  to  syringing  it 
is  placed  in  position, 
the  cut  allowing  of 
the  admission  of  the 
stem  of  the  plant  to 
the  middle  of  the 
paper.  This  catches 
the  drip  during 
syringing, and  shortly 
afterwards  the  paper 
is  removed  until  re¬ 
quired  again. 
Every  gardener  is 
not  nearly  so  parti¬ 
cular  in  the  matter 
of  watering  as  in  this 
instance,  and  still 
most  creditable  re¬ 
sults  are  secured.  For 
example,  Mr.  Fyfe 
of  Lockinge  produces 
crops  equal  to  those 
of  any  other  culti¬ 
vator,  and  yet  he  is 
by  no  means  averse 
to  watering  directly 
upon  the  collar  of 
the  plant  at  its  point 
of  junction  with  the 
soil.  We  have  ex¬ 
amined  the  Lockinge 
plants.and  have  failed 
to  find  the  practice 
indicated,  though  dia¬ 
metrically  opposed  to 
general  usage,  has 
the  slightest  preju¬ 
dicial  effect  upon 
their  health. 
Watering,  then, 
is  evidently  regarded 
by  Mr.  Pettigrew 
as  a  primary  factor 
towards  success,  far 
more  so  than  soil. 
As  a  matter  of  fact 
the  basal  soil  of  the 
borders  is  stale,  fresh 
compost  being  placed  upon  it  for  the  reception  of  the  plants.  It 
might  be  thought  that  the  subsoil,  if  we  may  so  term  it,  would 
become  so  sour  as  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  any  roots  living 
within  it.  But  the  roots  of  the  Melons  remain  upon  or  immediately 
beneath  the  surface,  hence  the  inert  soil  plays  practically  no  part 
in  the  successful  culture  or  otherwise  of  the  plants  in  the  soil 
above  it. 
We  cannot  go  into  all  the  details  of  Melon  culture  as  given  by 
Mr.  Pettigrew  in  his  paper,  and  have  therefore  confined  our  remarks 
to  the  points  of  chiefest  importance.  The  entire  essay  will  be  printed 
in  the  society’s  journal  in  due  course,  and  it  will  be  advantageously 
perused  by  everyone,  and  particularly  by  those  whose  conveniences 
for  the  production  of  large  supplies  of  Melons  are  not  so  great  as 
they  could  hope. 
