MELON 



409 



it is sufficient to cause a consider- 

 able difference in Melon culture, and 

 as this book is mainly intended for 

 English use, we give here an account 

 of the English culture. There are 

 various methods of Melon culture 

 in England, more especially since 

 it has become the rule to devote 

 a house or houses to their produc- 

 tion, and an interesting modifica- 

 tion of the common practice is 

 suggested by Mr. Iggulden in the 

 Garden : 



"Where they are grown princi- 

 pally in frames, certain rules have 

 of necessity to be followed, but in 

 houses the case is very different. 

 Much of this variance in practice 

 may be due to the construction of 

 the houses. As a rule, I believe that 

 the majority of Melon-growers have 

 a fixed routine from which they do 

 not deviate any more than they can 

 avoid, let the conveniences be what 

 they may. Some prefer to cultivate 

 Melons in large pots, not only the 

 earliest, but also throughout the 

 season. Others there are who plant 

 in mounds of soil placed on a slate 

 staging or iron gratings not far from 

 the hot-water pipes, some of the 

 latter, perhaps, being enclosed to 

 afford bottom-heat ; while many more, 

 probably the majority of cultivators, 

 make a good hot-bed with fermenting 

 material, and on this place a con- 

 tinuous ridge of soil in which to 

 start the plants. If all plans were 

 alike successful, there would be no 

 necessity nor room for criticism, 

 but, as it happens, the reverse is 

 the case, and really good fruits are 

 by no means plentiful. Let those 

 who doubt the truth of this assertion 

 taste all the fruits in a well-filled 

 Melon class at any exhibition, and 

 after that probably they will change 

 their opinion.. Several reasons for 

 Melon failures may be given, fore- 

 most among which should be placed 



premature ripening; this may be 

 brought about either by the drying 

 process or by the actual collapse of 

 the plant. The fruits may be well 

 coloured and otherwise tempting 

 enough, but unless they are cut from 

 a healthy plant they are certain to 

 be unfit to eat. If we treat Melons 

 much as we should some species of 

 Orchids, that is to say, almost stew 

 them at one time and bake them at 

 another, we ought to expect failure. 

 Treat Melons as Cucumbers are 

 generally treated, and not only will 

 they yield a succession of crops, but 

 the fruits will be certain to be good. 

 One set of plants may be easily made 

 to perfect three crops of fruit, or I 

 might say a continuous crop, and the 

 last fruits to ripen may be as fine, 

 both as regards size and quality, as 

 the first. Two, or maybe three or 

 four, Cucumber-plants are by many 

 good cultivators considered ample 

 for an average-sized house, and a 

 similar number of Melons is also 

 quite enough. Instead of this, we 

 oftener see them planted 2 ft. and 

 even less distances apart, and con- 

 fusion is not unfrequently the conse- 

 quence. If the cultivator is fortunate 

 enough to set the first four fertile 

 flowers, or, at any rate, a fair crop on 

 the laterals thrown out by the main 

 stem, the result may be satisfactory 

 enough, but should he miss the 

 chance it is very doubtful if another 

 good one will offer. In the case of 

 the plants allowed to extend freely 

 and naturally, these will be con- 

 stantly developing healthy, fertile, 

 and easily set blossoms. Melons 

 grown like Cucumbers, and in a 

 house with them if need be, will be 

 continually gaining strength, and, 

 almost incredible as it may appear 

 to some, will set fruit naturally and 

 at different times. Instead, there- 

 fore, of a glut we may secure a suc- 

 cession from the same plant, and 



