348 



THE DICTIONARY -OF GARDENING, 



Melocactus continued. 



small flowers are borne, tubular in form, and red or 

 rose-coloured" (Castle, " Cactaceous Plants ") The spe- 

 cies generally grow in exceedingly dry, rocky or sandy 

 situations. The one most generally cultivated is M. corn- 

 munis, which is very difficult to grow with anything 

 approaching success. Essential elements in its culture 

 are a high temperature, very porous soil, plenty of 

 drainage, and but little water. See also Cactus. 



M. commnnls (common). Melon Cactus ; Turk's Cap. JL rosy- 

 red, tubular, lin. long. Stems from 1ft to lift nigh, 1ft. in 

 diameter; ridges from twelve to twenty, lin. to liin. deep, 

 conical, bearing clusters of eight or nine spines, iin. to lin. long. 

 West Indies, 1788 See Fig. 539. (B. M. 3090.) 



M. depressus (depressed), fl. rose-coloured. July. fr. a club- 

 shaped berry, about lin. long. Stem depresso-conical, not more 

 than 6in. across, with rounded sides ; ribs about ten, acute, each 

 bearing four or five clusters of strong, spreading, pale brown or 

 ashen-green spines, five to seven in a cluster ; at the summit of 

 the stem is a short crown, less than Jin. high, and about 2iin. in 

 diameter, of woolly substance, filled with exserted red aculei. 

 Pernambuco. (B. M. 3691.) 



M. Ellemeetii (Ellemeet's). fl. rose-colour, rather small. Stems 

 ovoid, depressed, ten-ribbed ; ribs separated by broad sinuses ; 

 spines seven or eight rather short, similar. Bahia, Brazil, 



M. Schlumbergerianns (Schlumberger's). This species forms 

 a globular, glaucescent, furrowed mass, about 6in. in diameter, and 

 as much in height ; the angles are fifteen in number, elevated 

 about lin., and bear clusters of about nine radiating spines, 

 which are white, with black points ; the terminating tuft, or cap, 

 is about lin. high and 2in. broad. St. Thomas' Island, 1861. 



MELODINUS (from melon, an apple, and dineo, 

 to turn round; referring to the shape of the fruit). 

 STNS. Bicorona, Lycimnia. OED. Apocynacece. A genus 

 comprising about fifteen species of woody-stemmed, often 

 climbing, stove shrubs, natives of the East Indies, 

 South China, the Malay Archipelago, the Islands of 

 the Pacific, and tropical Australia. Flowers white, often 

 fragrant, disposed in short terminal cymes ; corolla with 

 a cylindrical tube, and five oblique or sickle-shaped, 

 spreading lobes; the mouth of the tube furnished with 

 a coronet composed of five to ten small erect scales. 

 Fruit a globose two-celled berry, pulpy inside. Leaves 

 opposite, penniveined. The only species yet intro- 

 duced is the one here described. For culture, see 

 Dipladenia. 



M. monogynus (one-styled), fl. white, fragrant ; panicles axillary 

 and terminal, sub-globular, brachiate, crowded. July. fr. yellow, 

 four-cornered, the size of an orange, containing an edible pulp. 



Northern and Eastern **** 



MELOLONTHA VULGARIS. See Cockchafers. 



MELON (Cucumis Melo). The Melon produces the 

 richest and most highly valued fruit of any plant in 

 the family to which it belongs, and its crop is one of 

 the most important each year for dessert and other 

 purposes. It is supposed to be a native of the hotter 



Melon continued. 



articles of food for the inhabitants. In this country, 

 where success is rarely attainable without glass houses, 

 or frames, and artificial heat, the product is, in conse- 

 quence, one of comparative luxury. The Melon is a 

 trailing plant, unless trained to cover trellises, &c., when, 

 by the use of its numerous tendrils in retaining a hold, 

 it becomes partially self-supporting as a climber it is of 

 annual duration. The flowers are monoecious, and are 

 produced in the axils of the leaf-stalks (see Fig. 540), 

 the males being by far the most numerous of the 

 two sexes. Plants only succeed well during the summer, 

 when there is plenty of light and sun for ripening the 

 fruits, and causing them to attain the highest flavour. 

 The season for the best fruits is, therefore, limited 

 to the six months beginning with May ; and, for the 

 earliest crops, preparations must commence in January, 

 or early in February. It is advisable to sow a few 

 seeds, from this time until July, at intervals of about 

 three weeks, as various circumstances may tend to 

 render one or more batches useless, and then others 

 will be ready to take their place in a short time 

 afterwards. Melons are raised in any quantity, from 

 seeds, and it is very important that these should 

 be obtained from a reliable source. Where numerous 

 varieties, or even any number beyond one, are grown 

 together, there is a danger of the flowers becoming 

 naturally or artificially cross-fertilised ; and, again, if 

 good specimens of fruit are not selected for seed-bear- 

 ing, deterioration soon takes place. The seeds are best 

 placed singly, or two each, in small pots, with a view, in 

 the latter instance, of removing the weakest plant in 

 due course. A compost of loam and leaf soil is most 

 suitable, and the pots should be plunged in a frame where 

 there is a bottom heat of about 75deg. Considerable 

 attention is requisite in the early part of the year, in 

 respect of inuring young plants to air and light, with 

 a view to getting them strong before being permanently 

 planted. So soon as the first leaf appears, beyond 

 those produced by the seed, the plants are generally fit 

 for repotting. This operation should be carefully per- 

 formed, to avoid injuring the tender roots, and the soil, 

 before being used, should, for the same reason, be 

 placed where it can become warm throughout. Allow- 

 ing seedling Melons to become starved in their pots, 

 before planting, is a bad system, unfortunately too com- 

 monly practised. It is far better to sow frequently, 

 and plant only such as are healthy, and in a free-grow- 

 ing state, discarding others as soon as it is known they 

 will not be required. 



Soil. Melons succeed best in a rather strong, heavy 

 loam, which should be of a friable, rather than of an 

 adhesive, nature. Some growers recommend cutting 

 turf, Sin. thick, from a pastnre, breaking it in pieces, 

 and using at once ; while the more general 

 plan, in gardens, is, perhaps, that of re- 

 serving a small stack purposely for grow- 

 ing Melons and a few other plants, such 

 as pot Strawberries, which require similar 

 heavy soil. A little well-rotted manure 

 is sometimes added, but it should only be 

 sparingly applied, or the soil may become 

 too rich, and induce an over-luxuriant 

 growth. The better plan is to give manure 

 water after a crop of fruit is set, or to 

 substitute a richer compost as a top-dress- 

 ing, if an additional one is required, at 

 the same period. The soil for Melons 



FIG. 540. LATERAL GROWTH OF MELON, showing (a) Male and (6) Female Flowers. shoul , d be ramm ' d Tery Sx * e!oT ? 



ing time, or when an addition is made 



parts of Asia, and to have been introduced from there 

 to Europe at the commencement of the Christian era 

 n some parts of the East, where Melons grow plen- 

 tifully m the open air, the fruit forms one of the chief 



round their roots. It matters little how hard the bulk 

 is made ; roots readily permeate the whole, if kept 

 quite moist, as it should be at least, till the fruits 

 begin to ripen. 



