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«nd let the cold air to the plants, and frequently leave j ward ^ and when the bed is ready, thefe may be turnM 



' '^ ' '* ' 1 -< - - out of the pots, with the whole ball of earth to thdr 



roots, whereby they will receive no check in removing- 

 and this latter method is what I Ihould prefer to qnJ 



the glaffes in part open-, or fometimes when they are 

 raifed by the gardener to admit the frcfh air, the tiles 

 are thrown down, fo that the air is excluded j all 

 which are very injurious to the young plants, as is 

 alfo the handling of the fruit after it is fet -, there- 

 fore none Ihould be admitted, but when the perfon 

 who is intrufted with the care of them is there. 

 The next thing is the preparation of the earth for 

 thefe plants, in which the Dutch and German garden- 

 ers are very exaft: the mixture which they generally 

 prepare is of the following forts ; of hazel loam, 

 one third part; of the fcouring of ditches or ponds a 

 third part, and of very rotten dung a third part ; 

 thefe are mixed up at lead one, and often two years, 

 before they make ufe of it, frequently turning it over, 

 to incorporate their parts and fweeten ic; but the 

 compoft in which I find thefe plants fucceed beft in 

 England, is two thirds of frelh gentle loam, and one 

 third of rotten neats dung j if thefe are mixed toge- 

 ther one year before it is wanted, fo as to have the 

 benefit of a winter's froft and fummer's heat,' ob- 

 ferving to turn it over often, and never fuffer weeds 

 to grow upon it, this will be found equal to any other 

 compoft whatever. 



As thefe plants fucceed beft when they are planted 

 young, fo before the plants appear there fliould be a 

 quantity of new dung thrown in a heap, proportion- 

 able to the mimber of lights intended, allowing 

 about fifteen good v/heelbarrows full to each light ; 

 this muft be' two or three times turned over, to pre- 

 pare it (as hath been directed for Cucumbers) and in I heal over : this pinching is to caufe the plants to put 



other for thcCantaleupe^bccaufc there lliould never l^ 

 more than one plant left to grow in each licrhc ; therc^ 

 fore in this method there will be no neceffuy of plant- 

 ing more, as there will be no danger of their fuccee^- 

 ing; whereas in the common way, moft people plane 

 two or more plants in each light, for fear fome 

 ftiould mifcarry. When the plants are placed on the 

 . top of the hills, they ftiould be gently watered, which 

 fhould be repeated once or twice after till the plants 

 have taken good root, after which they feldom require 

 more 5 for when they receive too much wet, they of- 

 ten canker at the root, and when that happens they 

 never produce good fruit. When the plants have 

 eftablilhed themfelves well in the new beds, there 

 fhould be a greater quantity of earth laid on the bed 

 beginning round the hills where the plants grow, that 

 their roots may have room to ftrike out ; and as the 

 earth is put in from time to time, it muft be trodden 

 or prefTed down as clofe as pofTible ; and it Ihould be 

 raifed at leaft a foot and a half thick upon the dun^ 

 all over the bed, obferving alfo to raife the frarres, 

 that the glaffes may not be too near the plants, left 

 the fun fnould fcorch them. ■ - - 

 When the plants have gotton four leaves, the top of 

 the plants fhould be pinched off with the finc>;er and 

 thumb, but nctbruifed or cut with a knife, Vcaufc 

 in either of thefe cafes the wound v/ill no^ fo fooa 



a fortnight it will be fit for ufe, at which time the 



trench muft be dug to receive the dung, where the 



bed is intended ; this muft be made wider than the 



frames, and in length proportioiial to the riumbei* 'of 



frames intended. As to the depth, that muft beac- 



' cording as the foil is dry or wet; but in a dry ground 



• it Ihould not Be lefs than afoot, or a foot and a half 



- ' -deepVTof thc'lower thefe beds are made the better they 



outjateral branches, for thefe are v/hatwill produce 

 the fruit •, therefore, when there are two or more of 

 •thefe latefal llioots produced, they muft alfo bepinch- 

 , ed, t(S force gut, more ; and this muft be praflifed of- 

 fen, that there may beafupply of what the gardeners 

 call runners, to cover the bed. The management of 

 thefe beds muft be nearly the fame as hath becndi- 

 V fe6led for the Cucumbers, therefore I need not re- 



'/will fucceed,%hefe there is iio danger of their fufitring peat, it here; but fhall.only obferve, that the Melons 



^*\>y wet. In the well laying and mixing of the dung, 



^^the fame care muft be taken as hath been a^vifed 



-already for Cucumbers, which in. every refpeft muft 



be 'the fame for thefe beds. ' When the bed is made, 





the frames Ihould be placed oyer it to keep out wet ; 

 * 6ut there fhould T)e no earth laid upon it till after it 

 ' has been three or four days maSe, and is found of a 



proper temperature of heat ; for many times thefe I there fhould be a trench made on each fide, of about 



^ require "a g^reater Ihare of air than_ Cucumbers, and 

 -very little water; and wlien it Ts given to them, it 

 'Ihould be at'a'^ciiftance from their ftems. ; ■ .' 

 If the plants have fuccedded well, 'they willfpread 

 over the bed, and reach to the frames, in about fivecr 

 fix weeks, at which time the alleys between tiie beds 

 Ihould be dug out ; or where there is but one bed, 



beds will heat fo violently when they are firft made. 



four feet wide, as low as the bottom of the bed,' and 



as to burn the earth, if covered with it ; and when hot dung wheeled in, to raife a lining to the fame 

 this happens, it is much the beft way to take this height as the dung of the bed, which Ihould be trod- 



earth oflf again, for the plants will never thrive in it. 

 -Jii foon as the bed is found to be of a proper 



den down clofe, and afterward covered with the iame 

 earth as was laid upon the bed, to the thicknefs of a 



'w4'rmiEh; t.he crarth fliould be laid upon it, which .at I foot and a half or more, treading it down as clofe 



J 



firft need not be more than two inches thick, except in 



the middle of each light, where the plants are to be 



- placed, where there muft be a hill raifed fifteen inches 



high or more, terminating in a flat cone ; in two or 



. three days after the earth is put on^the bed, it will be 



' 6f a proper temper to receive the plants ; then in the 



-* evening you may tranfplant the plants* but always 



• do it when there is little wind ftirring : in taking up 



' tKe plants, tlieifrdd^^ Ihould be carefully raifed with 



^a trowd^ {b'Sstdpfeierve'all their fibres ; for if thele 



* iare broken off, the plants do hot foon recover this ; 



^or if they do, they are generally weaker, and feldom 



' make fo good Vines as tnofe which are more carefully 

 ' ■removed ; for thefe plants are more nice and tender 



as pofTible ; this will add to the width of the bed, fo 

 much as to make it in the whole twelve feet broad, 

 which is abfolutely necefTary, for the roots of the 

 plants "will extend themfelves quite through it; and 

 It is for want of this precaution, that it is common 

 to fee the Vines of Melons decays before the fruit is 

 well grown ; for where there is no addition made to 

 the width of the bed, the roots will have reached 

 , t^ fides of tKe beds bx the time that the fruit ap- 

 pears,* and having no more room to extend themfelves, 

 " their extremities are dried by the furi and air, which 

 is foon difcovered by the plants hanging their leaves in 

 the heat of the day, which is foon attended with a 

 decay of many of thofe leaves which are near the 



Iri't'ranfplariting than thofe of Cucumber, efpecially ftem, and the plants from that time gradually lan- 



t 



; the Cantaleupe Melon; which, if it is not planted 



"^outj, foon after the third, (or what the gardeners call 



^^tne rough) leaf is put out, they are long recovering 



^ their vigour ; fo that when it happens that the beds 



^cannot be ready for them in time, it will be a good 



rHethod to plant eaich plant into a fmall pot while they 



are young, and thefe may be pluhged into the hot-bed 



\vhere they were raifed, or into the Cucumber-bed 



guilh, fo that the fruit cannot be fupplied with nou^ 

 rifhment ; but when ripe, will be found to have litt.e 

 flefti, and that meally and ill flavoured ; whereas thofe 

 plants which have fufficient breadth for their roots to 

 run, and'tKe earth laid of a proper depth and clolely 

 trod down, will remain in vigour until the froft de- 

 ftroysthem, fo that I have had a fecond crop or 

 fruit on them, which have fometimes ripened well; 



where there is room, fp that they may be brought for- I but all the firft were excellent, and of a larger fee 



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