October  11,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
341 
melon  Culture. 
I  WAS  much  interested  in  your  account  in  the  Journal  of  August 
30th  of  the  system  of  growing  Melons  in  a  plant  stove,  as  practised  i 
by  Mr.  A.  Pettigrew  in  the  gardens  at  Cardiff  Castle,  thereby  j 
showing — as  illustrated  in  the  photograph— that  it  is  not  absolutely  i 
necessary,  to  obtain  success,  to  have  houses  for  their  special  cultivation.  | 
I  take  a  great  interest  in  Melon  growing,  and  I  am  sending  you  j 
particulars  of  my  method,  which  may  prove  of  service  to  some  of  my 
fellow  readers.  My  Melon  house  is  a  span-roofed  one,  42  feet  in  length, 
and  13  feet  6  inches  wide.  It  is  divided  in  the  middle,  each  division’s 
crops  following  in  succession,  and  from  both  I  get  two  crops  a  year. 
My  soil  is  none  of  the  best,  being  very  heavy  in  texture,  not  over- 
sweet  in  nature,  and  therefore  requires  a  little  preparation.  The  actual 
border  is  24  inches  wide  and  12  inches  deep,  and  in  each  division  of 
the  house  I  plant 
twenty. six  Melon 
plants,  that  is 
thirteen  plants  on 
each  side  of  21  ft. 
in  length.  With 
this  number  of 
plants  they  must 
be  grown  like 
Vines — that  is,  on 
the  single  stem 
system.  When 
about  two  -  thirds 
np  the  rafters 
they  are  stopped, 
and  all  the  late¬ 
rals  up  to  the 
first  wile  pinched 
out.  If  the  va¬ 
rieties  are  free 
fruiters  they  may 
show  fruit  at  the 
first  leaf  ;  if  shy 
fruiters  they  may 
not  show  at  the 
second  growth 
when  stopped  at 
the  first  leaf,  but 
if  stopped  at  the 
second  leaf  they 
invariably  produce 
fruit. 
My  aim  is  to 
produce  at  least 
two  fruits  on  each 
plant,  which, 
according  to  the 
sort,  swell  oif  very 
satisfactorily,  some  of  them  reaching  6  lbs.  in  weight.  It  is  necessary 
that  all  the  fruit  blooms  should  be  open  and  set  on  the  same  day, 
so  as  to  insure  even  swelling  and  a  full  crop.  I  may  say  that  I,  too, 
have  adopted  the  system  of  a  “disc”  round  the  stems  of  the  Melon 
plants  to  avoid  canker  at  the  collar,  often  brought  on  by  injudicious 
watering,  and  to  further  obviate  the  risk  I  put  powdered  charcoal, 
an  inch  or  two  deep,  round  the  stem,  which,  combined  with  the  disc, 
is  very  effective. 
Now  as  to  results.  I  herewith  send  you  a  photograph  (fig.  94), 
taken  on  September  19th,  of  the  crop  that  was  then  ripening.  This  is 
the  second  this  season,  the  first  biing  practically  of  the  same  size  ;  the 
other  division  of  the  house  grew  two  similar  crops.  The  number  of 
Melons  represented  in  the  photograph  is  seventy,  grown  on  twenty-six 
plants  in  a  house  21  feet  long.  Tbe  fruit  as  shown  are  suspended 
in  nets,  all  the  strain  being  taken  from  the  collar  of  the  fruit,  so 
as  to  enable  the  Melons  to  get  ripe  before  pushing  from  the 
stems.  My  gardener  is  of  twelve  months’  standing,  being  a  labourer 
prior  to  that.  On  the  death  of  my  late  gardener  he  expressed  the 
wish  that  he  would  like  to  try  and  do  the  work,  and  in  his  own 
phraseology  said  that  “  he  fair  itched  to  learn,”  and  could  do  as 
he  was  told.  I  consented  to  try  him,  with  the  result,  as  far  as' 
Melons  go,  as  shown  in  the  photograph  ;  and  I  am  glad  to  say, 
in  all  the  other  branches  of  his  work — fruit,  vegetables,  flowers — 
and  in  the  general  neatness  and  cleanliness  of  the  gardens  it  is 
satisfactory. — T,  G.  S.  G. 
- - 
Royal  Horticultnral  Society. 
Drill  Hall,  October  9  th. 
The  Drill  Hall  on  Tuesday  last  was  remarkably  well  filled  with 
varied  and  excellent  exhibits.  Michaelmas  Daisies  were  splendidly 
staged  by  several  growers,  as  also  were  other  hardy  flowers.  The 
honours  for  super-excellence  must  be  divided  between  the  fruit  from 
Mr.  Pyfe  and  the  group  of  plants  from  Mr.  Hudson. 
Fruit  Committee. 
Present  :  G.  Bunyard,  hsq.  (in  the  chair)  ;  with  the  Kev.  W.  Wilks, 
and  Messrs.  H. 
Baling,  W.  Pou- 
part,  E.  Shaw 
Blaker,  A.  F. 
Barron,  A.  H. 
Pearson,  W.  Pope, 
A.  Dean,  S.  Mor¬ 
timer,  G.  Keif, 
F.  Q.  Lane,  J. 
Smith,  G.  Rey¬ 
nolds,  E.  Beckett, 
and  G.  Wythes. 
Mr.  W.  Fyfe, 
gardener  to  Lord 
Wantage,  V.C., 
Lockinge  Park, 
Wantage,  contri- 
buted  a  splendid 
collection  of  hardy 
and  under  glass 
fruit.  The  Grapes 
were  shown  on 
boards  erected  on 
easels  and  framed 
in  Ampelopsis. 
These  included 
small  but  well 
finished  bunches 
of  Black  Alicante, 
Muscat  of  Alex¬ 
andria  (fine  in 
berry  and  colour), 
Gros  C  o  1  m  a  n 
(grand  berries, 
deficient  in 
colour),  and  Lady 
Downe’s  Seedling. 
Then,  too,  there 
were  Cherry 
Morello,  Plums 
Jefferson,  Wash¬ 
ington,  C  o  e’s 
Golden  Drop,  and 
Black  Orleans ; 
Melon  Hero  of 
Lockinge;  Apples  Wellitigton,  Grenadier,  Peasgood’s  Nonesuch,  Warner’s 
King,  Alfriston,  Blenheim  Pippin,  Emperor  Alexander,  Beauty  of 
Hants,  Tyler’s  Kernel,  Beam’s  Pippin,  Ribston  Pippin,  Worcester 
Peaimain,  Cellini,  and  Court  Pendu  Plat,  with  several  Pears  and 
Peaches  (gold  medal). 
Mr.  J.  Bond,  gardener  to  W.  E.  S.  E.  Drax,  Esq.,  Olantigh  Towers, 
Wye,  Kent,  was  represented  by  a  large  collection  of  vegetables, 
including  excellent  Carrots,  Parsnips,  Onions,  Potatoes,  Cauliflowers, 
Savojs,  Leeks,  Marrows,  and  Tomatoes  (silver  Knightian  medal). 
Messrs.  J.  Teitch  &  Sons,  Chelsea,  showed  Tomato  Chiswick  Peach  in 
splendid  form,  with  Pea  Veitch’s  Autocrat,  Apple  Surprise,  and  Peach 
Late  Devonian.  Mr.  C.  Ross,  gardener  to  Capt.  Carstairs,  Newbury, 
sent  new  Apples,  The  Houblon  and  Rival.  Messrs.  R.  Veitch  &  Son, 
Exeter,  contributed  Apple  Royal  Snow,  ard  Tomato  Veitch’s  Gloiry. 
Several  other  growers  contributed  small  exhibits. 
Mr.  W.  Taylor,  gardener  to  C.  Bayer,  Esq.,  Tewkesbury  Lodge, 
Forest  Hdl,  arranged  a  collection  of  fruits,  including  Grapes  Directeur 
Tisserand  (excellent),  Gros  Guillaume,  Foster’s  Seedling,  Gros  Colman, 
Gros  Maroc,  Muscat  of  Alexandria,  Black  Alicante,  Trebbiano,  Lady 
Downe’s  (fine),  Chasselas  Napoleon,  and  Mrs.  Pince.  The  Apples  were 
Peasgood’s  Nonesuch,  King  of  Tompkin’s  County,  Cox’s  Pomona,  Cox’s 
Orange  Pippin  ;  Pears  Conference,  Pitmaston  Duchess,  and  Beiirre  Diel, 
with  Plums  and  Tomatoes  (silver-gilt  Knightian  medal).  Mr.  W.  H. 
Fig.  94. — Melons  in  a  Plant  House. 
