152 Encyclopaedia of Gardening 



FRUIT, MELONS continued. 



when planted out in mounds of soil made on slates on the 



stage of a warm span-roof 

 house, the same as Cucum- 

 bers; but they need more 

 -p air and less moisture than 

 Cucumbers, and the soil 

 should be firmer, closer, and 

 less lumpy. The structure 

 must be light, as without 

 sun the flavour will be poor; 

 on this account shade must 

 be avoided. Propagation : 

 There is no difficulty in 

 getting a supply of plants 

 from seed, which should be 

 sown singly in small pots 

 in a compost of loam, leaf 

 C. mould, and sand, in winter 



FRUITING SYSTEM OF MELONS. 

 A. Main stem. B. One of the side shoots. 



. . . , , 



Female bloom. D. Male bloom. E. Unopened _ a-m-i-mr o/^r^/^tirr 



or s P rm g> according 

 when the crop is required. 



. . . . 



male flowers. F. Point of pinching. 



Approximately 4 months may be allowed from sowing to cutting, 

 but the time may be longer with spring crops and shorter with 

 summer ones. If the pots can be plunged in bottom heat, or 

 stood in a warm house, germination will be speedy, and the plants 

 may be ready for putting out within the month. When they have 

 rooted freely in the small pots they may be shifted to 5 -in., and 

 grown in them until the house is ready for them. The leading 

 shoot must not be stopped, but side shoots should be pinched out. 

 The length to which the plants may go must 

 depend on circumstances, but they are gene- 

 rally in good condition for planting when they 

 are about a foot high and have several rough 

 leaves. If they are grown for frame culture 

 it is well to nip off the tip of the plant when 

 it has made a pair of rough leaves, and so 

 encourage it to push side shoots for training 

 over the hotbed. House or pit culture : The 

 structure should be a light, airy one in which a 

 minimum night temperature of 60 can be 

 maintained. The mounds may be made up 

 of loam, with a little decayed manure or leaf 

 mould and some sand, and there should be 

 just enough soil to nicely cover the ball when 

 the plant is turned out of its pot. Top dress- 

 ings can be given afterwards. The leading MELON PLANT STOPPED 

 shoot may be allowed to go up the roof, *^ RAGE LATERAL 

 where it can be secured to wires strained 



about a foot below the glass, Side shoots will form, on which 

 two kinds of blossom will show, one with an incipient fruit at 

 the base, the other without. The latter is the pollen-bearer, and 



