MELON PUMPKIN 



547 



MENODORA 



allowance to each light, which make it about 6 inches 

 higher than is allowed for the cucumber bed of largest 

 dimensions. 



// a melon- Jiouse be employed, the following is the 

 form and mode adopted by Mr. Fleming : 



* The house is 28 feet long, and 15 wide, and is heated 

 by means of a saddle boiler, with 4-inch pipes pass- 

 ing round the outside of the pit, which pipes are fitted 

 with cast-iron troughs, for holding water to regulate the 

 moisture of the atmosphere. Beneath the pit is an 

 arched chamber, along the front of which runs the 

 flue, imparting a slight degree of heat to the soil above, 

 and also serving to heat a series of arches, which run 

 along beneath the path, and are entered from a house 

 in front, and which are used for forcing rhubarb, &c., 

 in the winter." Cantors' Chronicle. 



Culture of the Persian Kinds. These are much more 

 tender than the ordinary green-fleshed melons ; they 

 will not endure so low a temperature, and neither will 

 they thrive in so moist an atmosphere. A high autho- 

 rity, speaking of the Persian melons, has thus observed : 

 " They are found to require a very high temperature, 

 a dry atmosphere, and an extremely humid soil, while 

 they are at the same time impatient of an undue supply 

 of moisture, which causes spottings and decay long 

 before the fruit is ripe." 



We are informed that in Persia, where the melon 

 grows in the open fields, that the ground where they are 

 cultivated is crossed hi various ways by streams, between 

 which the melons are placed on raised beds highly 

 manured. It would seem, therefore, that in order to 

 excel in their culture, the following may be taken as 

 maxims : ist. The brightest of glass is requisite, to 

 admit every ray possible of the sunlight. 2nd. A very 

 high atmospheric temperature must be sustained, and 

 especially in order that the cultivator may be enabled 

 to ventilate freely, to prevent the accumulation of damp. 

 3rd. A rich soil, dry in its upper surface, but rather 

 moist beneath. It is urged by those who have been 

 successful in their culture, that they should be trained 

 on trellises ; and there is no doubt the opinion is correct. 

 They may, however, be trained against the back walls of 

 stoves, or grown in large pots, to which in due tune a 

 dish of water may be affixed, and the shoots trained on 

 portable trelhses. 



We will conclude with a few general remarks. The 

 foliage of melons, of whatever kind, should never be 

 ruffled or disturbed; training and stopping, therefore, 

 must be attended to in due time. Melons should not 

 be encouraged to become luxuriant until a crop of fruit 

 commences swelling ; after this it is almost impossible 

 to encourage them too much. Again, they should never 

 be watered indiscriminately overhead, after the manner 

 of cucumbers, unless it be some of the ordinary green- 

 flesh kinds, during periods of continued heat and a dry 

 atmosphere. 



Diseases. These are few properly so called except the 

 gum and canker, and those are mostly engendered by 

 wounds or bruises on gross subjects, producing a sort of 

 vegetable gangrene. When such occurs, it is a good 

 plan to place a slate, tile, or piece of glass beneath the 

 affected part, and to pile a mixture of quick-lime three 

 parts, and charcoal-dust one part, in a hillock around 

 and above the wound, changing the same when it be- 

 comes damp. 



Canker is a term applied to the effect of eelworms at 

 the collar of the plant, and which gain an entrance owing 

 to bruises or to careless watering, by which the collar of 

 the plant is kept wet, thus enabling the eelworms to attack 

 the plants there. Akin to this are the unnatural swell- 

 ings or nodules on the roots, also caused by eelworms, 

 for which there is no cure when once the plants are 

 attacked. The pest is introduced by the soil, manure, 

 or water, and care should be exercised to guard against 

 it as much as possible. The sterilisation of the soil and 

 manure before making up the bed is the best preventive. 

 This can be done by heating the soil to a temperature of 

 150 or thereby, by steaming it, and, possibly in the 

 near future by chemicals. 



Insects. See ACARUS, APHIS, and THRIPS. 



MELON PUMPKIN. Cucu'rbita Pe'po. 



MELON THISTLE. Meloca'ctus. 



MELON TURK'S-CAP. Meloca'ctus commu'nis. 



MELON WATER. Citru'llus vulga'ris. 



MELO'THRIA. (From melon, a melon, and thrion, a 

 fig-leaf ; in allusion to the leaves resembling those of 

 both the plants named. Nat. ord. Cucurbitaceae.) 



Prostrate or climbing stove perennial herbs, bearing 

 small yellow or orange fruits. Seeds ; cuttings in sand 

 in a close case. Loam, leaf-mould, and sand. 

 M. abyssi'nica (Abyssinian). Small, yellowish. Fruits 



orange. Abyssinia. 1893. 

 heterophy'lla (variable-leaved). Yellow. Leaves with 



silvery veins. Trop. Asia. 1866. 

 i'ndica (Indian). Yellow. Cochin-China. 

 puncta'ta (dotted). Yellow. S. Africa. 1889. 



MELVTLLA SPECIO'SA. See CUPHEA MELVILLA. 



MEME'CYLON. (Dioscorides' name for the fruit of 

 the Arbutus. Nat. ord. M elastomads [Melastomaceae]. 

 Linn. 8-Octandria, i-Monogynia. Allied to Mouriria.) 



The berries of M . edu'le are eatable, but not very good. 

 Stove evergreens. Cuttings of shoots in sand, under a 

 glass, in heat ; loam and peat, with a good portion of 

 sand, and pieces of charcoal. Winter temp., 50 to 55 ; 

 summer, 60 to 85. 

 M. angula'tum (angled). 3. Purple. May. Mauritius. 



1826. 



capitella'tum (small-headed). 4. July. Ceylon. 1796. 

 edu'le (eatable). 10. Purple. Malaya; India. 1820. 

 ,, gra'nde( large). Blue. May. Ceylon, Malaya. 1824. 



MENTNIA TURGLDA. See CYSTACANTHUS TURGIDUS. 



MENIO'CUS. (From mene, the moon, and okos, the 

 eye ; referring to the shape of the seed-pod. Nat. ord. 

 Crucifers [Cruciferae]. Linn. i^-Tetr adynamia. Allied 

 to Aubrietia. Now referred to Alyssum.) 

 M. linifo'lius (flax-leaved). See ALYSSUM LINIFOLIUM. 



MENTSCIUM. (From meniskos, a crescent ; referring 

 to the shape of the spore, or seed-cases. Nat. ord. Ferns 

 [Filices]. Linn. 2^-Cryptogamia, i-Filices.) 



Stove Ferns, with brown spores. See FERNS. 

 .Yf. cuspida'tum (sharp-pointed). May. Isle of Luzon. 

 ,, denta'tum (toothed). 3-4. Brazil. 

 ,, palu'stre (marsh). See M. SERRATOM. 

 ,, proli'ferum (proliferous). May. E. Ind. 1820. 

 reticula' 'turn (netted), f. May. Martinique. 1793. 

 serra'tum (sawed). 4. May. Mexico, W. Ind., &c. 

 ,, simplex (simple). 1-2. Chusan, Hong- Kong, &c. 



1850. 

 sorbifo'lium (Sorbus-leaved). Pinnae narrower than 



those of M. reticulatum. Brazil. 1823. 

 ,, triphy'llum (three-leaved). i-i. June. Himalayas 

 to Ceylon. 1828. 



MENISPE'RMUM. Moonseed. (From mene, the moon, 

 and sperma, a seed. Nat. ord. Menispermads [Meni- 

 spermaceas]. Linn. 22-Dicecia, lo-Decandria. Allied to 

 Cocculus.) 



Chiefly hardy deciduous twining plants. Division of 

 the roots ; cuttings in spring under a hand-light, and by 

 seeds sown at the same time ; common garden soil. 

 M. amari'ssimum (most-bitter). Yellow. E. Ind. 1804. 



Stove evergreen climber. 

 ,, canade'nse (Canadian). 10. Green, white. June. 



N. Amer. 1691. 

 loba'tum (lobe-leaved). Green, yellow. June. 



N. Amer. 1732. 



,, Co'cculus (Cocculus). See ANAMIRTA COCCULUS. 

 dau'ricum (Dahurian). 6-12. Green, white. Siberia, 



China and Japan. 

 ,, fenestra'tum (windowed). See COSCINIUM FENESTRA- 



TUM. 



,, Lyo'nii (Lyon's). See CALYCOCARPUM LYONII. 

 ,, smilaci'num (Smilax-like). See M. CANADENSE. 

 virgi'nicum (Virginian). See COCCULUS CAROLINUS. 



MENODO'RA. (Derivation not quite clear. Nat. ord. 

 Oleaceae.) 



Evergreen shrub requiring greenhouse protection. 

 Cuttings of nearly mature shoots, in sand, in gentle heat 

 and cov red with a bell-glass. Loam, peat, and sand. 

 M. tri'fida (three-cut). 1-2. Yellow. Brazil. 1828. 



