Winter Mdskmblons. 353 



Fig. 56 is a view in our melon house when the plants had been four 

 weeks transplanted. For myself, particularly where such high tem- 

 peratures are wanted, 1 prefer steam heat. A melon house should 

 receive direct sunlight through an imshaded roof. In this respect 

 melons differ from frame cucumbers, which generally thrive best 

 under a shaded roof. The burning of the foilage by the sun is 

 avoided hy the use of glass which does not possess waves or varying 

 thicknesses in the panes. The bubbles, Haws and " tear drops " in 

 glass are not the cause of burning. Fig. 57 shows a cross-section of 

 the house in which we have grown melons. We have used benches 

 A, B and C. The lower bench, D^ has too little head room and, 

 being the lowest, it is too cold for melons. 



The soil should be vei'y fertile. We have had good success with 

 clay sod, which had not been manured, pulverized and mixed 

 thoroughly with about half the bulk of well- rotted stable manure. 

 Such a mixture contains enough quickly available nitrogen to start 

 the plants off strongly, whilst the mechanical condition of it is so 

 friable that all the mineral elements are easily obtained by the 

 plants. An occasional light application of potash and phosphoric 

 acid worked into the soil will be found to be useful. Yery much 

 of the ultimate behavior of the plants will depend upon the proper 

 selection and mixing of the soil, and one who has had no experience 

 in forcing-house work will rarely obtain the best results for the first 

 year or two in preparing the earth. The mechanical condition of 

 this soil is really more important than its fertility, for plant food 

 may be added from time to time, but the soil itself cannot be re- 

 newed whilst the crop is growing ; and, moreover, the plant food is 

 of little avail unless the soil is well drained and aerated, not too 

 loose nor too hard. It is impossible to describe this ideal soil in 

 such manner that the beginner can know it. Like many other sub- 

 jects of handicraft, it can be known only by experience. It may 

 help the novice, if I say that soil which will grow good melons in 

 the field may not be equally good in the house. Under glass, with 

 the fierce heats in full sunshine and the strong bottom heat, heavy 

 watering, as compared with normal rainfall, is essential, whilst the 

 rapid drainage and the evaporation from both the top and the bot- 

 tom of the bed, impose conditions which are much unlike those of 

 the field, But the ideal condition of the soil to be maintained in 

 the house, may be likened to the warm, mellow, rich and moist seed 

 bed in which every farmer likes to sow his garden seeds in spring. 



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