MONTHLY CALENDAR. 377 



the plants may have sufficient room to trail ; but they must not be allowed to 

 ramble at pleasure. Keep them within bounds by stopping and pinching ; let 

 the dung be thrown in evenly, and worked about with the fork, so that it may 

 not sink more in one place than another ; allow it to settle ; throw on six or eight 

 inches of good loamy soil, which tread over. When of the right temperature 

 (about 80°) the plants may be put in, settled with warm water, and afterwards 

 watered about twice a week, but not overhead when about setting the fruit : 

 stir the soil and pour it between the roots at that time. Bees will find their way 

 into pits and frames at this time of the year, and fertilize the fruit-blossoms, 

 although some growers, to make doubly sure, still perform that task. Melons 

 in full growth must have plenty of fresh air to insure that dark healthy 

 greenness in the foliage indicative of vigour in these plants. Close before the 

 air cools too much, and open in the morning before the steam shows on the 

 glass : both are important, because, if the lights are left open late, the air 

 inside is chilled, and rendered unsuited for healthy respiration ; whereas, in 

 the morning, if kept closed too long, the plants sweat, and are less able to 

 bear the sunlight. I consider shading unnecessaiy, except in case of fresh 

 planting : if properly treated in other respects, they will be able to bear the 

 sun's rays. 



1 1 13. Cucumbers and melons may be grown under hand-glasses, if managed 

 in some such method as the following. The plants are supposed to be raised 

 in March or April, and potted singly or in pairs, and kept growing till the 

 beginning of this month ; a trench is marked out, four feet wide, and dug out 

 to the depth of 15 or 18 inches, throwing the earth equally on each side ; then 

 throw in dung which has been previously prepared, sufficient to form a bed at 

 least three feet deep ; on this throw a hill of soil (if good garden soil, that 

 thrown out of the trench will do) at intervals of four feet from each other. The 

 only reason for making small hills of eight inches high or so, is to avoid the rapid 

 sinking consequent upon adding too great a weight all at once, which would 

 cause a proportionate rise in temperature, a circumstance to be avoided, 

 because the greater the heat the sooner it is over. Place hand-glasses one on 

 each hill (those with iron frames and portable tops are best) when the rank 

 heat has passed, put in the plants, two under each hand-glass, and shade if 

 necessary. When the fibres begin to appear through the soil, add more earth 

 till the whole is level. The heat is maintained by placing more dung, first on 

 one side and then on the other. By that time the weather will be sufficiently 

 warm to keep them growing. As they begin to trail, lift the lights on bricks, 

 on inverted flowerpots, before they run any length. It is advisable to mulch 

 with light litter : watering will be sometimes necessary ; but it sLould be 

 administered warm, and not too often ; stopping and pinching must also bo 

 attended to. If several ridges are ranged together, leaving four feet clear 

 between, this can be filled in with proper dung, and the whole levelled for the 

 plants to trail on. 



1 1 14. Vegetable marrows and gaurels may be planted in somewhat the samo 

 manner, if done before the last week in this month ; but let the bed be broader. 



