72 THE CULTURE OF VEGETABLES 



desirable, if not absolutely necessary, to operate on those of the 

 Melon to insure a crop. The early morning, when the leaves are dry 

 and the sun is shining, is the proper time for this task, which is 

 simple enough and well understood. And the necessity for ripening 

 the crop marks another difference of management, for we may allow 

 Cucumber plants to carry many fiuits, and to continue producing 

 them until the plants are exhausted. But we must limit the pro- 

 duction of Melons to about half a dozen on each plant, and good 

 management requires that these should all ripen at the same time, or 

 nearly so, fully exposed to the sun, and with plenty of ventilation. 



The giving of water is an important matter. The plant must 

 never be dry at the root, and must have a light shower twice a day 

 over the leafage, but must never be so moist as is allowable with 

 Cucumbers, and must have dry leaves oftener than wet. It is a 

 golden rule to grow Melons liberally, keeping them sturdy by judicious 

 air-giving, and to give them a little extra watering just as they are 

 coming into flower. Then, as the flowers open, the watering at the 

 root should be discontinued, and the syringe should be used in the 

 evening only at shutting up. If discontinued entirely, red spider 

 will appear, and the crop will be in jeopardy, for that pest can 

 only be kept at a distance by careful management of atmospheric 

 moisture. 



Melons in frames do better spread out on the beds than when 

 trained on trellises. When so grown, each fruit must be supported 

 with a flat tile or an inverted flower-plot, and means must be taken, 

 by pegs or otherwise, to prevent it from rolling off, for the twist of 

 stem that ensues may check the fruit or cause it to fall. When the 

 fruits are as large as the top joint of a man's thumb, watering may be 

 resumed, and the syringe may be used twice a day until the fruit 

 begins to change colour, when there must be a return to the dry 

 system, but with care not to carry it to a dangerous extreme. 



THE MELON-HOUSE, heated by hot water, is adapted to supply 

 fruit earlier than it is obtainable by frame culture, and is entirely 

 superior to any frame or pit. It appears, however, that in Melon - 

 houses red spider is more often seen than in frames heated by fer- 

 menting material ; but this point rests on management, and there can 

 be nothing more certain than that a reasonable employment of atmo- 

 spheric humidity may be made effectual for preventing and removing 

 this pest. For the convenient management of the crop, a lean-to or 

 half-span is to be preferred. The width should not exceed twelve 

 feet, and ten to twelve feet should be the utmost height of the roof. 



