MEL 



374 



MEL 



tiles or Blates are employed, they must twenty years old it has been known to 

 be put under the fruit as soon as it has , produce fruitful plants, 

 attained the size of a walnut, the other jj^nd Glass Crops.— For these, plants 

 materials immediately after the plants ^^e required from sowings of the middle 

 are well established. A regular moist- of March, April, or early in May, and 



ure should be kept up by moderate wa- - -^ r„.„i„„.; » ;=,„,nrU<.H 



terings applied with the precaution inti- 

 mated for cucumbers; but when the 

 fruit is becoming ripe, water must be 

 either altogether withheld or applied 



whose fitness for planting out, is marked 

 by the rough leaf, &c., as intimated be- 

 fore. 



The bed must be four and a half feet 

 ide, in length proportionate to the 



eiiiier ajiwycLuci ..nwni^.u «. ^-cf i wide, in lengin proporiionaie i.) mc 



very sparingly. About thirty or forty , jju^^ber of glasses, which must be at 

 days usually elapse between the setting j ^^^^^ f^^^ f^^^ jjp^^t . ^^d, eight barrow 

 and full ripeness; it must be gently S j^j^^jg of dung being allowed to each 

 turned twice or three times during a [ ^]^gg^ ■^^ y,i\\ be about two and a half 

 •week, otherwise that side which lies ^^^^ high. It may be founded in -^ 



^/^notniitl V nn fhp (Tmiinfl wili bc blaHch- 1, :l- »u_ 



constantly on the ground will be blanch- 

 ed and disfigured. Its maturity is inti- 

 mated by a circular crack near the 

 footstalk, sometimes by becoming yel- 

 lowish; but more decidedly by the 

 emission of a fragrant smell. The 

 cutting should be performed early in 

 the morning, and the fruit kept in a 

 cool place until wanted. The whole 



trench, if the soil is dry, but it is best 

 constructed on the surface. The earth- 

 ing, planting, and other points of man- 

 agement are precisely the same as for 

 the frame crops. The temperature 

 need not, however, be so high, the 

 maximum required being 70^, but it 

 must never sink below 65°, which may 

 easily be accomplished by linings, &c. 



of the stalk is left pertaining to it when , rpj^^ runners must not be allowed to 



cut. To prevent the fruit's bursting, 

 it is a very successful plan to elevate 



extend from beneath the glasses until 

 June, or the weather has become genial 



It IS a vcij oLii,>.<^oo.ui jj.u.. — June, or me weainer ii;ts uci;uiuc i;ciiia 



the further end of the fruit as much as ^^^ settled, but be kept within as no 



30'^ above the stalk end. 



To Obtain Seed. — For the production 

 of seed, some fruit of the earliest raised 

 crops must be left : of these the finest 

 and firmest should be selected, the 

 choice being guided by the circum- 

 stances, as are mentioned for cucum- 

 bers. No two varieties should be grown 

 in the same frame, either when the seed 

 is an object, for then it would be con- 

 taminated ; or if the fruit is alone re- 

 quired; for their growth and vigour 

 almost always differing, different treat- 

 ment is required by each. Neither 



ticed for cucumbers. 'When allowed 

 to escape, all dwindled or snpervigor- 

 ous shoots must be removed, and the 

 training be as regular as for those in 

 the frames. The glasses raised upon 

 props must, however, be kept con- 

 stantly over the centre as a shelter to 

 the capital parts. 



The bed requires to be hooped over 

 for the support of mats in cold or wet 

 weather. If paper-frames are employ- 

 ed, the most unremitting attention is 

 required, the plants being very apt to 



ment IS required by eacn ei e ; ^ . .^^^_^_ They may, how 



should cucumbers or gourds be allowed, P , j with advantage in 



to vegetate in such a situation, as to | , PJ ^^^ sheltering and 



risk mutual impregnation by insects e P .^ ^^ ^^ ^^_ 



Bothof themebnandcucuri.ber,s^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^.^^ ^,^^ ^,.^;^ ^^ . 



seed only should be kept as sinks freeb ^^^^^- ,„,j,,i, jj jg highly ad- 

 tothe bottom of water ^^ed is best P "^ ^„ ,/^3 hand-glasses over 



lor sowin" when tliree or lour years = r . ■ »„ ,u„ 



'Z ,Tf .e5 than .^o, ,he plan,. ,Led ■';"-■■;- «^Er,"4"' ,' ,' .', d'„ 



;Z„;»c'.':r?n,?.nT ""„i;.."e'Tr -P-- -■... .„,, .,. srea.e„c.,c a„U a. 

 juxuriaiceu. Vf „o.v c^^rl i« una , tent on, unless there are spare frames to 

 male blossoms. If nevv seed '^""=1- i„p|„ge them entirely; those which do 

 voidab V emp oyed, it should be hung mciose mem euurcij^ , i, 

 m a pajer o*^ phial near the fire until "ot, are employed in pickling. 

 wanted, or be carried in the pocket for , For a tolerable supply throughout the 

 three or four weeks. If, on the con- season, a small fomily requires one 

 trarv, the seed is very old, it should be three-light frame, and three hand-glass- 

 soaked in milk-warm water for two or es ; these together will yield on the 

 three hours before sowing. When average thirty or torty melons, ihe 



