MELONS 171 



days until the young plants recover from the shifting. 

 Afterwards, the mats are taken off during the day, and 

 a little air is given in genial weather by tilting the 

 lights on one side or another, or at the top or bottom 

 according to the direction of the wind always 

 taking care to open only on the leeward side. 



Pinching. When the plants have developed three 

 or four leaves (beyond the seed-leaves) the stem is 

 pinched off about an inch or a little more, beyond the 

 second leaf ; and the seed-leaves themselves are also 

 suppressed, so that when decaying they shall not injure 

 the main stem. Pinching should always be done 

 before the young Melons are planted out finally, as it 

 would be unwise to injure the tops and bottoms of 

 the plants at the same time. After the pinching 

 process, a little air should be given, just for two or three 

 hours in the middle of the day during mild or sunny 

 weather. If necessary, slight sprinklings with tepid 

 water may also be given, but one must guard against 

 too much moisture and too much air at this particular 

 period. 



Planting. When the two side branches that usually 

 result from the first pinching have two or three leaves 

 each, the plants are then ready for placing in their 

 fruiting quarters. 



When several rows of frames are being used for Melon 

 culture, the beds are made in the following way : In 

 the first row of frames, the soil is taken out about 

 2ft. wide and i ft. deep, and placed outside the beds 

 or moved to the end where the last trench is to be 

 made. The trench is then filled with two-thirds fresh 

 manure and one-third old manure, all well mixed and 

 trodden down. The first bed being thus made, the 



