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lafies, which fliould not be placed nearer than four 

 _eet to each other ; for when the plants are too near 

 each other, the Vines will intemix, and fill the bed 

 fo clofely as to prevent the fruit from fetting : in dlg- 



ing the trench, it fhould be fo fituated, as to allow 



or the widening of the bed three or four feet on each 

 fide ; the depth muft be according as the foil is dry or 

 wet ; but, as was before obferved, if the foil is fo dry 

 as that there is no danger of the beds being hurt by 

 the wet, the lower they are made in the ground the 

 better : in the making of the beds, the fame regard 

 muft be had to the well mbcing and laying of the dung 

 as was before direfted ; and after the dung is laid, 

 there fhould be a hill of earth raifed, where each 

 plant is to ftand, one foot and a half high ; the other 

 part of the bed need not as yet be covered more than 

 four inches thick, which will be fufficient to keep the 

 warmth of the dung from evaporating; then the 

 glaffes Ihould be placed over the hills, and fet down 

 clofe, in order to warm the earth of the hills to receive 



the plants -, and if the beds work kindly, they will I to keep thefe coverings too clofe over them'; for 

 be in a proper temperature to receive the plants in | where that is done, the Vines will draw very weak, 

 two or three days after making; then the plants! and rarely fet "their fruit in any plenty-, therefore 

 fhould be removed, in the fame manner as was before [ where thefe coverings are propofed to be ufed, I 

 direfted ; and if they are in pots, fo that there will fliould advife the bringing up of the plants under 

 be no danger of their growing, there fhould but one I hand or bell-glaffes, in the manner before direfted, 

 plant be put under each glafs ; and if they are not in I until they are grown far enough to be let out from 



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the dung, laying thereon the eartli a foot and a half 

 deep, treading it down clofe ; this new duncy will add 

 a frelh warmth to the beds, and caufe the plants to 

 fhew fruit foon after. 



The watering of thefe plants muft be done with 

 caution, and not given to their ftems; the pinchino: 

 off the runners muft alfo be duly attended to, as alio 

 the pulling off all fuperfluous fruit, to encourage ihofe 

 which are defigned to remain : and in fhort"^ ever/ 

 thing before direded for thofe under frames*, muft 

 likewife be obferved for thefe ; and the further care 

 is, to cover them' in all hard rains and cold nights 

 with mats, which, if performed with care, there will 

 be little danger of their mifcarrying, and thefe Vine^ 

 will remain vigorous until the cold in autumn de- 

 ftroys them. 



There have been many perfons, who of late years 

 have raifed their Melons under oiled paper, and in 

 many places they have fucceeded well ; but where 

 this is praftifed, there muft be great care taken not 



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under the glaffes ; and then, inftead of the covering 

 with mats, to put over the oiled paper; and if this 

 covering is prudently managed, it will be the beft 

 that can be ufed. The beft fort of paper for this 

 purpofe is that which is ftrong, andnotof too darka 

 colour ; and it fhould be done over with linfeej 

 oil, wbiciTi will dry foon. There fhould be a pro- 

 portionable number of fheets of this paper palled 

 together, as will fpread to the dimenfions of ^ the 

 frame to which it isfaftened; and if this is fixed to 

 the frame, before the oil is rubbed over it, fo much 

 thp better ; but this fhould be done fo long before 

 they are ufed, as that the oil fhay be thoroughly 

 dry, and the ftench gone off, otherwife it will deftroy 

 the plants. . ■ / 



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There are fome perfons who make thefe frames of 

 broad hoops, in imitation of the covers of wasgohs; 

 but as thele are cumberfome to move, and there arc 

 no conveniencies for admitting air to the plants, but 



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pots, there fhould be two, one of which maybe af- 

 terward taken "away, if they both grow. Thefe plants 



rnuft be watered at firft planting, to fettle the earth 

 to their roots, and fhaded every day until they have 

 taken new root ; and if the nights prove cold, it will 

 be proper to cover the glaffes with mats, to preferve 

 the warmth of the bed. 



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Where there are feveral of the beds intended, they 

 Ihould be placed at eight feet diftance from each 

 otherj that there may be a proper fpace left between 

 ' them, to be afterward filled up, for the root of the 

 Vines to have room for extending themfelves, ' for the 

 reafons before given. 

 When the plants ,have taken good root in the beds, 



V their tops mufl be pinched off ; and their pruning, 

 ; &c. muft, from time to time, be the fattte as for thofe 



. Vunder the frames. In the day time, when the weather 

 is warm* the slafles fhould be raifed on the oppofite 



V fide to the wind, to admit frefh air to the plants ; for 

 ■' where this is not obferved, they will draw up weak I -.by raifing the whole frame on one fide, I prefer thofe 



and fickly, therefore all poffible care fhould be taken | made of pantile laths, framed like the ridge of a 



to prevent this ; for if the runners have not proper 



ftrength, they can never fupply the fruit with nou- 



rifhment. 



When the plants are grov/n fo long as to reach the 



fides of the glaffes, if the weather proves favourable, 

 / ^he glaffes tnuft be fet on three bricks, fo as to raife 



them about two inches from the furface of the beds, 



to eive room for the Vines to run out from under 

 • them ; but when this is done^ the beds fhould be co- 

 vered all over with earth to the Hepth' of one foot and 



a half, and trod down as clofe as poffible ; and if the 

 . nights fhould prove cold, there fhould be a covering 

 . of mats put over the beds^ to prevent the cold from 



injuring the tender 'ffibo'ts of the Vines ; but as the 

 '. .Vines of the Contalfiilpe Melons are Impatient of wet, 



it will be neceffary to arch the beds over with hoops 



/. tofupport thernatSj^ ^Mjihey may be ready for co- 



' vering at all times wlien they require it; which is the 



V pnly lure method to have thefeMelons fucceed inEng- 

 i tana, where the weather is fo very uncertain and va- 

 ;, riable'; for I have had fome beds of thefe Melons in 

 . as fine order under thefe glaffes as could be defired, 

 '^. which were totally deftroyed by one day's heavy rain 



i 



ridge 

 'houfe; and each flope having hinges, may be raifed 



at pleafure to admit the air to the plants ; Jbut zs de- 



fcriptions of thefe things are not well comprehended 



by perfons not fo converfant with them, I fhall exhi-- 



bit a figure of one of thefe frames, to be added to the 



article of Stoves. '■' ^: ■' 



The further management of the Melons, after their 



i, fruit is fet, is to keep pulling off all the fuperfluous 



-: fruit, and to pinch off all weak runners, which'inajr 



v_;draw away part ofthenouriihmentfrom the fruit; a5 



...alfo to turn the fruit gently twice a week, that each 





^^ 'After the thicknefs of earth is laid upon the beds, if 

 ; ,tbe weather Ihould prove cold, it will be advifeable to 

 dig trenches on each fide of the beds, into which you 

 ftoul^ lay a fufficient quantity of hot dung, to make 

 it of the Tame thicknels with the bed, after the man- 

 ner before direded for the frames ; or if there is a fuf- 

 ficient quantity ^of hot dung ready, the whole fpace 



between the bed& may be dug out and filled up with 



\ 



fide may have equal benefit of the fun and air'; for 

 when they are fuffered to lie with the fame fide con- 

 ftantly to the ground, that fide will become of a pale 

 or whitifli colour, as if it were blanched, for want of 

 the advtmages of the fun and air. The plants will 

 require a little watet m very dry weather, but this 

 fhould be given them in the alleys at a diftance frorn 

 the. ft^ms of the plants, and not oftener than once 

 in a week or ten days, at which time the ground 

 fhould be well foaked in the alleys. This will encou- 

 rage the growth of the truit, and caufe the fleihtobe 

 thick ; but the great caution which is neceffary to be 

 obferved, is not to over-water the plants, which is 

 certain injury to them : alfo be fure to give as much 

 free air as poffible, at all times, when the weather 

 will permit, for this is abfolucely neceffary to render 

 the fruit good. ' ' 



When the fruit is fully grown, they muft be duly 

 watched to cut them at a proper time ; for if they 

 are left a few hours too long upon the Vines, ^^^YJ^/^ 



Jofe much of their delicacy, therefore they fhould be 



^ looked 



