CUCURBITACE#. 
ance. For an early crop of melons, he grows the small early 
cantaloup, 1 plant in a light when the frame is narrow, and 2 
if wide, with 2 or 3 fruit on each plant, which in general 
weigh from 2 to 3 pounds each. He succeeds these with the 
scarlet and green-flesh, planted and trained as above, the pro- 
duce of which is from 2 to 6 pounds. His principal crop is, 
however, from the black rock, which he has grown of all sizes 
up to 135 Ibs. weight; the plants are much more hardy than 
many other sorts, it is a good bearer, the fruit handsome, and 
the flavour excellent. The sort which he grew so large was 
originally from France, and in its primeval state was a rock ; 
but it has lately been strongly impregnated with the scarlet flesh, 
which fruit it now resembles in all its characters, except in 
growing much larger. The largest melon weighed 244 Ibs. 
The above is Mr. Holland’s general practice of cultivating the 
melon, which practice he says he will still continue to adhere to 
unless fully convinced he can adopt a better. 
Insects and diseases.—To prevent melon plants from being 
infested with insects or injured by diseases of any kind, no bet- 
ter method can be adopted than to keep the plants constantly in 
a healthy, vigorous, growing state; for this purpose, M’Phail 
observes, “they must be constantly attended to, giving them 
plenty of heat and water. In warm weather in the spring and 
the summer, they should be watered occasionally all over the 
fruit and leaves, till the earth in which they grow be thoroughly 
moistened, and a stronger heat than usual be kept in the frames 
about the plants for a few hours; also the lights should be shut 
down every gfternoon, with a good strong heat among the plants. 
If there be rt one moisture in the earth the greatest sun heat 
in the afternoon will not hurt the plants, but it might scorch the 
sides of the large fruit, exposed to the sun-beams operating 
upon the glass, which should be guarded against. The frames 
and lights should be kept clean and painted over once every 
year. Melon plants are subject to be infested and hurt by the 
mildew and by the canker. These diseases come upon them 
because they are not in a good climate, they have not a suffi- 
ciency of heat, or the dung and earth of the bed is in a stagnated 
state. Melon plants are liable to be greatly injured by an insect 
called the red spider, which increases surprisingly in hot dry 
weather. As I said before, nothing will prevent plants from 
the inroads of disease and insects but heat, sweet air, and a 
sufficiency of water, which sweetens the atmosphere, and makes 
it healthy for vegetables as well as for animals. And nothing 
will eradicate disease and insects from melon plants but good 
management, strong heat, and plenty of water given all over 
them. Diseased plants, or plants much infested with insects, 
cannot produce good healthy fruit. The mildew is a most 
pernicious disease to all sorts of plants. On melons it gener- 
ally makes its first appearance on the oldest leaves and on the 
extremities of the young shoots. The cause of it, I apprehend, 
is unhealthy nourishment comprehended in the elements, or their 
not harmonising in the promotion of the growth of the plant ; 
for by practitioners it may be observed, that when a dung hot- 
bed gets into a stagnated sour state, the plants do not grow 
kindly, the air in the frames is saturated with unhealthy parti- 
cles, and so also must be the juices drawn into the plants by 
their roots. These must breed diseases, if preventive means 
be not applied. It cannot be reasonably supposed that plants 
of a delicate nature will continue in a healthy state growing 
upon a heap of stinking dung, and in confined air. When melon 
plants have become diseased, or much infested with the red 
spider, they should either be destroyed, or effectual means 
used to cure them. To destroy the plants is easy; to cure 
them let the following methods be put in practice : get plenty of 
horse-dung thrown up in a large heap, turn it over once or 
twice, shaking and mixing it well, and let it lie till its rankness 
IV. Cucumis. 13 
be somewhat evaporated, and if there be linings at the beds, 
take them entirely away, examine the dung of the beds, and if 
it be wet and has a bad smell, take a sharp-pointed stake, and 
make holes all round in the sides of the beds unto their centre, 
in such a slanting way that the water may easily run out of 
them; then make a strong lining of the prepared dung all round 
the beds, and by occasional augmentations, keep up the linings 
nearly to a level with the surface of the earth in which the plants 
grow. As soon as the linings have cast a strong heat into the 
beds, scatter some flour of sulphur all over the plants, and keep 
as strong a heat in the frames as the plants can bear; a heat of 
120° will not destroy them, if the steam of the linings be pre- 
vented from getting in among the plants. Water the plants all 
over their leaves about once a week, with clean water 100° warm, 
and if the sun shine keep the lights close shut down all day, 
and cover them up in the evenings, leaving a little air all night 
at each light, to prevent a stagnation of air among the plants. 
Continue this process till the mildew and the insects disappear, 
and the plants appear to grow freely, and afterwards manage 
them in the usual way, taking care to keep up a good strong 
heat in the linings. This method sets the old stagnated bed in 
a state of fermentation, which makes the moisture run out of 
it, and dries it so,-that water given to the plants has free liberty 
to pass off. If the linings do not heat the air in the frames 
sufficiently, let some of the earth in the inside all round the 
sides of the boards be removed, to let the heat from the linings 
rise freely in the frame.” 
Culture of melons in a dung-pit.— A glazed pit to receive 
either stable~dung, leaves, or tanners’ bark, is calculated to ripen 
superior fine fruit. The well of the pit may be formed either 
by a nine-inch wall, or by strong planking, a yard in depth, 
from 6-8 feet wide, and in length from 10-20 feet or more as 
required. A low glass-case is to be fitted to it, adapted to the 
growth of the melon. Having raised the plants in a small seed- 
bed, as for the frame crop, ridge them out into the pit in the 
usual manner. Give the proper subsequent culture, and when 
the strength of the fermenting mass begins to decline, add linings 
outside the pit, if inclosed by boards, but if inclosed by a 
nine-inch wall, cut away as much of the dung and earth within, 
and throw it out, as will admit a lining of well-tempered dung.” 
— Abercrombie. 
Culture of melons in a flued pit.—One such as that proper 
for the nursing pinery is here understood ; and the plants being 
raised in the usual way, and the bed, whether filled with dung, 
tan, or leaves, or a mixture of these, being moulded, plant about 
the end of July. Nicol prefers for such late crops “ the early 
golden cantaloup, the orange cantaloup, and the netted canta- 
loup, planting a part of the pit with each.” A very mild bottom 
heat is sufficient for the purpose here in view; and if the pit 
has been occupied in forcing asparagus, French-beans, or straw- 
berries, on a bark, or a bark and dung, or on a bark and leaf 
heat, it will require no other preparation than to be stirred up 
and have a little fresh materials added, keeping the fresh bark, 
dung, or leaves well down, and finishing the bed with some of the 
smallest and best reduced. When it has settled a few days, let 
it be moulded all over to the thickness of 12 or 15 inches; pre- 
viously laying on a little more of the above small materials, in 
order to keep the plants well up to the glass, as the bed will 
fall considerably in the settling. It should be formed, and the 
mould should be laid on in a sloping manner from back to front, 
so as in some measure to correspond with the glasses. All 
being ready for the plants, they may either be planted in a row, 
in the middle of the pit, at 2 feet apart, or may be planted in 
4 rows at 4 feet apart; or, if they have been planted in nursing, 
3 in a pot; plant in the centre of each light, as directed for 
the common hot-bed, in March. Let them have a little water 
