Winter Muskmelons. 367 



fungi ; hand pollination ; the selection of varieties adapted for the 

 piu'pose. 



•i. The melon house should have all the direct sunlight which is 

 obtainable, and it should be capable of being easily heated. There 

 should be a space of five or six feet above the benches, to allow of 

 training, but all height beyond this is of little avail. Melons demand 

 unshaded roofs. 



5. Muskmelons should be grown in benches, with strong bottom 

 heat, such as is supplied to frame cucumbers and tomatoes. The 

 soil should be live or gix inches deep, and each plant should have 

 about four square feet of ground room. But it must always be 

 remembei'ed that, because so many accidents are likely to overtake 

 the plants, two or three times the number of plants should be trans- 

 planted into the benches which it is designed shall ultimately stand 

 there. 



6. A soil made of pulverized strong clay sod mixed with half its 

 bulk of old manure, is fit for melons. Raw, fresh manure gives too 

 much stimulating growth. Subsequent fertilization may be effected 

 by applications of liquid manure or mineral fertilizers. 



7. Young and rapidly growing melon plants demand free water- 

 ing, and a moist atmosphere always keeps down the mite and red 

 spider ; but when the fruit begins to ripen, and when the. flowers 

 are being pollinated, the house must be dry. It should be borne in 

 mind, however, that a moist atmosphere at any time encourages 

 mildew and canker. 



8. The house should be ventilated cautiously, and all draughts 

 and sudden changes in temperature should be avoided. 



9. Early varieties mature fruits in three months from the seed, 

 except in midwinter, when considerably more time must be allowed. 

 The seed are sown in thumb-pots or 2-inch pots, repotted into 4-inch 

 pots, and thence transplanted to the benches. The plants must 

 never be allowed to become pot bound. 



10. The plants are " stopped " before they show a tendency to 

 run, and three or four strong shoots are trained upwards on a wire 

 trellis. All weak secondary growths should be removed as soon as 

 they start. These main shoots are stopped when they reach a height 

 of about four feet. 



11. Melon flowers must be hand-pollinated. This operation is 

 best done in a sunny day, when the house is dry. 



