2IO 



Commercial Gardening 



humid yet buoyant, and the young plants must be carefully attended to 

 to bring them on rapidly. At the end of two or three weeks from the 

 date of sowing the seed the young plants will be large enough to transfer 

 to their fruiting quarters, whether in pots or in specially prepared borders. 

 The soil to be used then should consist principally of well-matured 

 turfy loam, with which a fair supply of well-decayed manure may be 

 well mixed. A little basic slag, owing to the fact that it contains lime 

 and phosphates and is slow in its action, may also be incorporated with 



Female Flower Section of Female Flower 



Fig. 397. Male and Female Flowers of the Melon (Cucumis Melo) 



advantage about 2 Ib. of basic slag to 1 ton of soil being sufficient. 

 Where beds are made up, they should be about 18 in. thick, and 1-2 ft. 

 wide. The plants should be turned out of the pots carefully, and inserted 

 in holes about 12 in. apart, taking care to have the collar of the plants not 

 too deeply buried. The soil should be made firm round each plant, so that 

 it shall not afterwards sink too much and perhaps snap the plant at the 

 base from the wires or strings to which the stems are tied. When grown 

 in pots too much soil is not given at first, space being left for additions 

 and topdressings as growth proceeds. Even when grown in beds, the roots 

 begin to show through the surface in the same way as those of Cucumbers, 

 and topdressings of rich loam and well-rotted manure are essential from 

 time to time. 



