214 NUSKMELON. 
quantity of growth is giving a check to the fruit, not 
unfrequently causing it to cease swelling, and it becomes 
hard in the flesh; fungoid germs fasten upon the exu- 
dation, and the fruit decays when it should ripen. These 
disasters are generally preventable by attending to the 
thinning and stopping of the growths in time.’’ 
Pollinating. —The flowers must be pollinated by hand. 
Melons are moncecious,—that is, the sexes are borne 
in separate flowers on the same plant. The first flowers 
to open are always males or staminates, and it may be 
two weeks after these first blossoms appear that the 
females or pistillates begin-to form. There is nearly al- 
ways a much larger number of males than females, even 
when the plant is in full bearing. Fig. 74 (page 213) is 
a female or pistillate flower, natural size. It is at once 
distinguished by the little melon, or ovary, which is 
borne below the colored portion of the flower. The 
male or staminate flower is seen in Fig. 75. It has no 
enlargement or melon below, and the flower perishes 
within a day or so after it opens. Pollination is per- 
formed in the middle of the day, preferably when the 
house is dry and 
the sun_ bright, 
so that the pol- 
len is easily de- 
tached from the 
male flower. A 
male flower is 
picked off, the 
petals or leaves 
-~} stripped back, 
and the central 
75. Staminate flower cf melon. Full size. or pollen-bearing 
column is then inserted into a pistillate flower, and there 
allowed to remain. That is, one male flower is used to 
pollinate one female flower, unless there should happen 
to be a dearth of male flowers, in which case two or 
