OTHER VINES THAT ARE USEFUL 247 
properly grown; yet there is nothing more disap- 
pointing than a poor one. It is safe to say that 
seventy-five per cent. of all melons grown for the 
market are of a very inferior quality in spite of 
the fact that we know what they need in order 
to turn out well. To have good quality (and this 
should be our first aim), melons must be grown 
rapidly, never receiving a check of any kind; 
they must have good, deep, rich soil, must be 
freely watered during the growing season, and, 
finally, the seed must be of the best. 
Hills should be prepared as for cucumbers, save 
that it will be better to have them ten feet apart 
rather than eight. Prepare them the last week 
in April, then cover each one with a small, wooden 
frame, a foot or two square, with no bottom, and a 
glass sash top. ‘The glass should not be removed 
for a week or ten days, by which time the soil 
beneath will be thoroughly warmed and ready to 
receive the seed. The middle of May is early 
enough for sowing, however. Allow ten or twelve 
seeds to a hill, thin out to six seedlings, then 
later to three. The frames may be kept closed 
until the seeds are above ground; then air must 
be gradually admitted. By the time the plants 
fill the frames, they should be accustomed to 
having the glass removed entirely, so that the 
