Winter Muskmelons. 



357 



manently n the bencb. The record of one of our cr'])S is as fol- 

 lows: Seeds sown August 4th ; repotted August 80tb ; transplanted 

 to bench September lOth ; first fruit picked December 6th ; crop all 

 harvested for Cliristmas.* Fig. 58 shows the size of a good melon 



58 — Melon plant fit for transplanting into permanent quarters. About J3 actual 



size. (In a 4-inch pot.) 



plant as it leaves a 4-inch pot for the bench. It is very important 

 that the plants should not become pot bound, nor stunted in any 

 other way. It is only strong, pushing plants which give satisfac- 

 tory results. 



Training. — The plants are " stopped " — the tip of the leader 

 taken oil — as soon as they become established in the bench, or 



* It should be said that the forcing season at Ithaca is unusually cloudy, and 

 that, consequently, these dates of maturity are somewhat later than they may 

 be in sunnier regions. 



