212 OF RAISING MELONS. SECT. 



water when in the ridges than in frames, and give it 

 \vide, but little about the stem, or hardly there at all ; 

 nor let it be applied cold, though a small degree of 

 warmth from the sun, or otherwise will do. This 

 crop need never be shaded but when the leaves hang. 

 When the plants cannot be contained under the 

 glasses, let them be carefully trained out, and covered 

 with mats all over on nights, and on days, in bad 

 weather, till July ; guard against much rain. 



With large oiled paper frames this work of the 

 second crop of melons may be very well managed. 

 The plants should be kept under hand glasses till too 

 big for them, and then the paper lights may be put 

 on, which containing the runners till high summer, 

 they will be safe. Yet these covers, being set upon 

 bricks, may be kept always on ; but let the fruit, 

 that happens to be without side, be covered with a 

 small hand glass, which will help to ripen it. Let 

 the lights be protected from injury in heavy rains, by 

 laying some cloth, or mat, over ; and towards the 

 close of summer, guard the plants well against much 

 cold on nights. 



A THIRD CROP of melons may be sown (in fa- 

 vourable situations) towards the end of April, or 

 beginning of May, if the former crop was sown about 

 Mid-Marchy and this is to be proceeded with in the 

 same manner as the second. When September comes, 

 (as was observed) late melons must be preserved, as 

 much as possible, from cold and wet, that they may 

 ripen. To this end, glazedframes may be used over 

 all, or at least hand glasses put over each fruit, cover- 

 ing warmly up with mats on nights. Those melons 

 that do not ripen may be used for mangoes, and make 

 good ones. 



