Winter Muskmelons. 



I. THE FOECING OF MELONS. 



The forcing of melons for delivery in midwinter is practically 

 unknown. The fruit is often grown as an early winter crop, ripen- 

 ing in October and early November, and the seeds are often sown in 

 January and the melons matured in May and June. Gardeners 

 now and then ripen a few melons in midwinter, but the fruits are 

 almost invariably very poor or even disagreeable in quality. The 

 writer has long been convinced that it is possible to secure good 

 melons in December, January and February, and to grow them nearly 

 as cheaply as the English or frame cucumbers. The attempt was 

 first made in the winter of 1889-90, and it has been repeated more 

 or less persistently until the present time. It was only until last 

 winter when, profiting by all the pitfalls of our past experience and 

 assisted by the services of our gardener, Michael Barker, we finally 

 had a winter crop of good melons. In order to satisfy the reader's 

 curiosity at the outset, I will say that the essentials for growing 

 midwinter melons, as I understand them, are these : High temper- 

 ature from thestart (80° to 85° at mid-day, and 70° at night); the 

 plants must never he checked^ even from the 7noment the seeds germ- 

 inate, either hy insects, fxmgi, low temperature, or delay in '•''hand- 

 ling ; dryness at time of ripening ; a soil containing plenty of 

 mineral elements, particularly, of course, potash and phosphoric 

 add', polliniferous varieties j the selection of varieties adapted 

 for the purpose. All these requirements seem to be easy enough 

 of attainment as one reads them, but it has taken us six years to 

 learn them. Others would, no doubt, have been more expeditious ; 

 but it should be said that no one of these conditions will insure 

 success, but all of them must he put together. 



The House. — A house which is adapted to the growing of 

 English cucumbers or tomatoes, should grow melons. The first 

 requisite is heat. The capacity of the heating system must be sufficient 

 to maintain a high temperature in the coldest weather. The house 



