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thanthefe forts ufually grow: the leaves of thefe j ■ will prevent the hourinimcnt being drawn away frdm 

 plants were very large, and of a ftrong green, fo | d\G fruit intended to grow, which, if they were all 

 thatthey were in the utmoft vigour* whereas, inmofl: ^ ''^ .11. ., . - 



places where the Cantaleupe Melons have been raifed 

 in England, the beds have been no wider than they 

 were firft made, and perhaps not more than three 



left on the plant, could not be fupplied with fuM- 

 cient nourifhmerit; fo that when they come to b- 

 as large as the end of a man's thumb, they frequently 

 drop off, and fcarce one of them fets,' which will be 



inches thicknefs of earth upon them, fo that the plants I prevented by the method before dircifted : but thei_ 

 have decayed many times without producing a fingle [ are fome perlbns, who are fo covetous cf having a 

 fruit ; and from thence people have imagined, that j number of fruit, ias not to fuffer any to be taken off 



Mv 



' this fort of IVIelon was too tender for this climate, 



when their ill fuccefs was entirely owing to their not I allowing but one fruit to be left upon each runner is 

 iinderftanding their culture. 



There is alfo another advantage attending this method 



becaufe if half thefe ftand there will be full as many 

 fruit as the plant can hourilh ; for if there are more 



of widening the beds, as above directed, which is J than eight upon one plant, the fruit will be fmall 

 that of adding a frefli warmth to the beds, by the hot | and not fo well nourifhed : indeed, I have fometimes 

 duno", which is buried on each fide, which will caufe 

 the dung in the bed to renew its heat; and as 'the 

 plants will by this time fhew their fruit, this addi- 

 tional heat will be of great fervice in fetting the fruit, 

 efpecially if the feafon fhould prove cold, as it often 

 happens in this country in the month of May. When 

 the beds are made up in the manner here direfted, 



Melo 



thefe have generally been of the fmaller kinds, which 

 do not require fo much nourifliment as the Canta- 

 leupes, whofe fkins are of a thick fubftance ; fo that 

 where a greater number are left of them tiian the 

 plants can well fupply, their flefli will be remarkably 

 thin, 'i ■ = 



and the Vines have extended fo far as to fill the J As I before advifed the flopping or pinching off the 



runners three joints above the fruit, fo by this there 



frames, and want more room, the frames fhould be 

 raifed up with bricks about three inches high,"t6 "ad- 

 mit the ihoots of the Vines to run from under them ; 

 for if the plants are ftrong, they will run fix or feven I ^- advife the careful looking over the Vines fo often, to 



will be frefh runners produced a little below the places 

 " where the others were pinched ; therefore it is, that I 



-■flop thefe new runners ioon after they come out, as 

 ■ alfo to pull off the young fruit which will appear ; and 

 thism'uftbe -' - - ^^"^'^^ ' " ^ 



s orten as is found neceffary, 

 v/hichwili be until thofe intended to ftand are gro\Vn 

 •fo large as to draw all the nourifliment which the 

 plants can fupply, for then the' p]arits"'will begin 

 to abate of their vigour. Thefc feW^direfliohs, if 



• feet each way from the Items ; for which reafon, I 



'.caution every one to allow them roorn, and to put 



but one plant in" each light ; f6r when t1ie Viries are 



■ * crowded, the fruit feldom will let well, but will drop 

 < off when they are as large as an egg; therefore the 

 i. frames which are defigned for Melons' fhould not be 



-•made fmall, but rather fix feet wide,; for the wider _ 



thefe are, the better will the plants thrive, and produce { ' properly made ufe of, is all the pruning which is ne- 

 ceffary to be given them V but at the fame time when 

 this is praftifed, it m'^y be neceffary to give fome wa- 

 ter to the plants, but at a diftance from their ftems, 

 which will be of fervice to fet the fruit and caufe it to 

 fwell, but this muft be done with great caution. 

 The glaffes of the liot-bed fliould alfo be raifed high^ 

 ' to admit a large fhare of air to the plants, otherwife 

 • the fruit will not fet ; and if the feafon ihould prove 



J.-,- 



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a greater plenty of fruit. 

 u. There is no part of gardening, in which the prac- 

 :; titionei-s of this art differ more than in the pruning 

 ■ "and managing of thefe plants : nor are there any rules 

 vlaid down in the feveral books in which the culture of 

 V Melons have been treated of, by which any perfon 

 can be inftrudted ; for there is fuch inconfiftency in 

 all their direftions, and what is worfe, the greateft 



part of them are abfurd, fo that whoever follows them j . very warm, the glaffes may be frequently drawn off, 



efpecially in an evening, to receive the dews, pro- 

 vided there is but little wind ftirring ; but the glaffes 

 fhould not remain off the whole night, left the cold 

 fhould p'rove too great ; but in warpi^ weather, this 

 • glaffes may be kept off from ten in tKe morning till. 





. can never hope to fucceecl ; therefore I ftiall, in as 

 ""few words as poffible, give fuch plain directions,' as 

 - 1 hope will be fufficicnt to inftru£t any peffon, who is 

 i the leaft converfant in thefe things. 

 '. I have before advifed the pinching off the ends oFthe 



- plants as foon as they have a joint, in order to ^et 

 ' lateral (hoots, which are by the gardeners called run- 



- ners ; and when thefe fhoots have two or three joints, 

 •^ to pinch off their tops to force out more runners, be- 

 caufe it is from thefe thatthefruitirtb' Be produced ; 



" but after afufficient nuiTiber are put'out, they fhould 

 ■ not be flopped againV but-^ait for thie appearance of 

 the fruit, which will foon come out in plenty ; at 

 which nme the Vines fhould be carefully looked over 

 three times a week, to obferve the fruit, and make 

 choice of one -upon each riinnef, which is'fituated 

 neareft the ftem, having the largeft foot-ftalk, and 



*■ that appears to be the ftrongeft fruit, and then pinch 

 off all the other fruit which may appear on the fame 

 runner; alfo pinch off the end of th*^4^1iner at^tlie 

 third joint above the fruit, "^nd if the ''runrier is 

 gently pinched, at.^ the next joint above the fruit, it 

 will flop the fap and fet the fruit.? 'There is alfo ano- 

 tiier method praftifed by fome gardeners' to fet this 

 fruit, which is the taking off fome of the male'fiowers, 

 whofe farina are juft ripe and fit for the purpofe, lay- 

 ing them over the female flowers, which are fituated 

 on the crown of the young fruit, and with their nails 

 gently ftrike the male flowers to fhakethe farina into 

 the female flowers, whereby they are impregnated, 

 and the fruit foon after will fwell, and fhew vifible 

 figns of their being perfeftly fet ; fo that where the 

 plants are under frames, and the wind excluded from 

 tnem, which is neceffary to convey the farina from 

 the male to the female flowers; this pfaftice may be 



• m^ neceffary. The taking off all the other fruit 



When 

 :-Mer the frames, if thie \peather fhoujd alter to cold, 



^TT Will be neceilarv to cover their extremmes pverv 



r-rhight with" mats ; for if thefe fhooH are injured, it 



t' will retafd the growth of the fruit, and often proves 



very injurious to the plants : and now what water is 



given to the plants, fhould be in the alleys between 



' the beds ; for as the roots of the Vines will by this 



time have extended themfelves through the alleys, fb 



when the ground there is well moiftened, the: plants 



will receive the benefit of it ; and by this method, the 



V ftems of the plants will be preferved dry, whereby 



j ' they will continue found ; but thefe waterings fhould 



;^ not be repeated ofteher than once a week in very dry 



■V warm weather, and be fure to give as ^ much air as pof- 



/; ' fible to the plants when the feafon is warm^.^;^>^J 



r ' Having given full inftruftions for the management of 

 thofe Melons "which are raifed under frames, I fhall 

 neJct proceed to treat of thofe which are raifed under 

 bell or hand-glaffes. The plants for thefe muft be 



' raifed in the fame manner as hath been already di- 



" reffed, arid about the latter end of Aprril, if the fea- 

 ■' foh prbves forward,* will be a good time to make the 



' beds ; therefore a fufficient_ quantity of hot dung 

 fhould be provided, in proportion to the intended 



- number of glaffes, allowing fix or eight good wheel- 

 barrows of dung to each glafs.. Where there is but 

 one bed, which is pfopofed to be extended in length, 

 the" ft"eK<^h fhould be dug out four feet and ^ half] 



• widei and the length according to the iiumBer of . 



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