EPITOME OF MELON FORCING. 205 
sweetness and fragrance of August, is no mean ambi- 
tion. Then, if at no other time, one may exclaim with 
Thoreau — 
‘* And what saith Adshed of the melon ? 
‘“““Color, taste, and smell,—smaragdus, honey, and musk ; 
Amber for the tongue, for the eye a picture rare; 
If you cut the fruit in slices, every slice a crescent fair; 
If you have it whole, the full harvest moon is there.’”’ 
In order to satisfy the reader’s curiosity at the outset, 
I will say that the essentials for growing midwinter mel- 
ons, as I understand them, are these: AWigh femperature 
from the start (80° to 85° at midday, and 65° to 70° at 
night); the plants must never be checked, even from the 
moment the seeds germinate, either by insects, fungi, low 
temperature, or delay in “‘handling’’; dryness at time 
of ripening; a soil containing plenty of mineral ele- 
ments, particularly, of course, potash and phosphoric acid ; 
polliniferous varieties; the selection of varieties adapted 
to 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 a// of 
them must be put together. 
Watermelons are not forced, as they demand a too 
long season, make too rampant growth, and probably 
would not develop their best quality in midwinter. I 
have seen them ripened in a glass house in early sum- 
mer, following winter crops, with fair success. It is 
probable that forcing varieties could be developed, but 
it is doubtful if the fruits would be large enough to meet 
with ready sale. 
The house.—A house which is adapted to the grow- 
ing of English cucumbers or tomatoes should grow mel- 
ons. 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 should 
