i8S9J 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



49 



This may be propagated either from the seed, cut- 

 tings, or parting their roots in the spring, emd it 

 kept dear I'rora the weeds, will stand a number of 

 years. 



Marsh mallow, uilthcea gr. from Jllthos gr. 

 medicament. Tliese niu}' be raised Irom seed 

 sown in March, and transplanted into pots or else- 

 where, or liom cuttings planted in May, in a light 

 soil and shaded. 



Mint, Mentha, from mens, the mind, because 

 it strengthens the mmd. These should be plant- 

 ed in the spring, by parting ihe roots or cuttings, 

 and planted six mciies asunder; otherwise the 

 roots mat into one aaoilier and destroy themselves 

 in three years. 



Melons, Irotii Mcelon gr, apple because of its 

 fragrancy. Tlie Italians call \t milo, li-oni jnillea 

 thousand, because not one in a thousand is good. 

 There are but three sorts of melons that Miller 

 Bays are worth cultivating, the Portugal or pocket 

 melon, which is small and round, the Cantaleupe 

 melon, and the Zatia melon; tlie green Heshed 

 melon, and the netted wrought melon, he does 

 not esteem, though I have Ibund them very deli- 

 cious in this country. Tliere is a rough knotty 

 melon called the Diarbekr, li'om a province be- 

 longing to the Turkish empire in Asia, which is 

 reckoned the most exquisite oi' all melons, which 

 have been brought to great perlection here, and 

 which are not taken notice ol by Miller, probably 

 because it has been brought into England since 

 the publication of his dictionary, unless it is the 

 Zalta melon. The Portugal melon has been call- 

 ed by the name of King Charles' melon, because 

 he used to carry one in his pocket, and also 

 Dormer's melon, because brought Irom Poriugai 

 by a general of that name. The Cantaleupe ori- 

 ginally came trom Armenia on the coiiliues of 

 Persia, but took its name Irom Cantaleupe, a pro- 

 vince about six miles from Rome, where they jjio- 

 duce the best. It is known all over Earuj>e, by 

 the simple name of the Cantaleupe meluii, and 

 agrees with all stomachs and palates. The Zatta 

 melon is greatly esteemed in Florence, Italy, &c. 

 It is small, deeply lurrowed, rough and warted, 

 and compressed at the ends. Melons should 

 never grow near one another, if of dilierent sorts, 

 or by any means near gounls, cucumbers, &c. be- 

 cause the liiiina of one will im|)regnate the other, 

 spoil the relish of the liuit, and make ihcm de- 

 generate. Melon seed should nut be sown belcjre 

 three years old, and though they will grow at ten 

 or twelve years, yet they should not be propagated 

 after six years. The early melon is Oi little value; 

 the middle of June is early enough, in lader to 

 have a proper succession, the seed should be sown 

 at least at, two dilierent seasons, about the middle 

 of February il" seasonable weather, if not, the lat- 

 ter end. The second sowing should be in March, 

 and the third in May which last will yield a crop 

 in August, and last till October. The early sow- 

 ings should be covered with oil-paper in preicieuce 

 to glasses. The culture of melons and plaining 

 Ihem out is the same with cucumbers, to which 

 we retiir. The conijiost used by the Dutch and 

 German gardeners, lor melons, is ol hazel loam, 

 one-third part, of the scouring of ditches, ponds, 

 &c. the same, and a third part uf rotten dung all 

 Vol. VII-7 



mixed together, and mellowed by being frequently 

 turned over and kept twelve months. But Miller 

 prefers two- third of iresli gentle loam and one- 

 third of rotten neat's dung, kept together a year, 

 and olten turned. It will take about fitteen good 

 wheel-barrows of dung to a light. Melons of all 

 sorts, but particular the Cantaleupe, should be 

 planted out as soon as the third or rough leaf ap- 

 pears. These seeds do well to be sown on the 

 upper side of a cucumber bed. One plant is 

 enough lor a light. Watering is very requisite, 

 but in much smaller quantities than for cucumbers, 

 and the water should be laid on at a distance from 

 the stems. WJien the plant has lour leaves, the 

 top of the plant should be pinched oif. in order to 

 force out the lateral branches. It must not be cut 

 or bruised; that wounds the plant, and takes a con- 

 siderable time to heal. The roots of melons ex- 

 tend a great way, and often perish alter the li-uit 

 is set, for want of room; wheretbre Miller advises 

 that your beds be twelve feet, and when your 

 frames are filled with vine, to raise it so as to let 

 the vines run under them. When the lateral 

 branches, or, as the gardeners call them, runners, 

 have two or three joints, their tops should be also 

 pinched off, and when your li-uit is set, examine 

 the vines and pull all ottj except one to a runner, 

 leaving at most about eight to a vine, and pinch 

 ofi' the end of the runner about three joints from 

 the ii^uit; notwithstanding these are jiinched olij 

 there will new runners appear, and these should be 

 also taken away. If the ground is not too wet 

 and moist, the lower the plants are the better, and 

 if you plant in a bed, let your trenches be extend- 

 ed in length about three lt;et and u half wide, and 

 your plants should not be less than five feet asun- 

 iler, to prevent their vines intermixing. If there 

 are several beds the}' should be eight It-et asun- 

 der and ihe si'aces between filled up, for the bene- 

 fit of the roots, with rotten dung. They ought to 

 be covered m all hard rains, 'ihe liames should 

 not be too Iicavy. Many use laths in imitation of 

 covered waggons. Your fiuit should be turned 

 twice a week, Jbr the advantage of tlie sun, and if 

 lodged on a board or piece of tile, it will be better. 

 Once a week watering will be sufficient. The sign 

 of the fiuil's maturity is the cracking near the loot 

 stalk, and smelling fragrantly. The Cantaleupe 

 never changes color, till too ripe. Gather your 

 fruit in a morning before the sun has warmed it, 

 but if gatiiered after put it into cold water or ice, 

 and keep those got in the morning in the coolest 

 place. A few hours delay in gathering will s|)oil the 

 iruit, wherefore they ought to be overlooked twice 

 a day. Take your seeds from the richest flavor- 

 ed li'uit with the pulp, in which it must lie three 

 days before being washed out, and save only ihe 

 heavy seed, that which will sink in water. 



Millet, from MtUe, alliotisand, from the mul- 

 titude of seed it bears. There are four sorts, 

 white, yellow, black, and the Sorgo or Guinea 

 corn. It originally came from the eastern coun- 

 tries, and is much esteemed in making puddings. 

 The seed should be sown the middle of March, 

 very thin, as the plants require room, in a warm 

 dry soil. They should be kept clear of weeds, 

 and in Atigust or latter end of July the seed will 

 rijien, when they are to be beaten out. The seed is 

 good lljr poultry. The black, surt so called from 

 its black seed, is of liu use oj value. 



