94 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 



FORWARDING MELONS UNDER HAND-GLASSES. 



The directions already given for maturing Cucumbers under 

 glass will apply to Melons, with very few exceptions. Care, 

 however, must be taken that they be kept away from each 

 other at the time of fruiting, as instances often occur of whole 

 crops being entirely ruined by plants of the same genus being 

 raised too near each other. Those who wish to forward Melons 

 may prepare a hotbed, early in the season, for plants. If the 

 ridging system be adopted, and a hand-glass applied to each 

 hill, Melons may be obtained one month earlier than the usual 

 time. 



Gardeners raising Melons for the supply of city markets, 

 may gratify the public taste early in the season by pursuing 

 the forwarding, if not the forcing system. Ridges may be pre 

 pared in the following manner : In April or May a trench may 

 be dug in a warm border, about two feet deep and three wide, 

 and of sufficient length for as many hand-glasses as are in 

 tended to be employed, allowing three feet for every hill. 

 Some good heating-manure should be laid in the pits, managed 

 the same as a common hotbed. To this must be added rich 

 mould to the depth of eight or ten inches. As soon as the 

 mould is warm, the seedlings may be planted, three in each 

 hill, after which the hand-glasses should be set on, and shaded. 

 After the plants have taken root and begin to grow, one side 

 of the glasses should be raised in fine days to admit fresh air ; 

 and as the warm weather progresses, the glasses may be taken 

 off in the middle of fine days, so as to harden the plants gra 

 dually to the weather; and by the latter part of May they 

 may be removed entirely. 



Those persons who live at a great distance from a glass-works 

 may make a protection for Melon-hills by making wooden 

 boxes, without bottom or top, about ten inches wide and four 

 teen inches long. Then, one pane of glass, ten by fourteen, 

 simply laid on a box, will subserve the purpose of an excel 

 lent bell-glass. Such boxes should be at least eight inches 



