212 MUSKMELON. 



upon a little swing with a block 01 wood for the bottom 

 (as in Fig. 77, page 217). They will then not hang too 

 heavily on the vine, nor break off, as they sometimes 

 do if unsupported. 



Barkham, whom I have already quoted, writes as fol- 

 lows of the training of melons: "Train the plants to 

 a neat stake until the trellis is reached ; rub off all 

 growths as they show from the stem below the trellis ; 

 train the growths right and left, and allow the leading 



in a sling- of raffia. 



stem to grow up, without stopping, to within a foot of 

 the top. If the side shoots are likely to be crowded, 

 pinch out some at first sight, as. the melon will not en- 

 dure thinning so severely as the cucumber ; therefore the 

 growths should be stopped and thinned early enough 

 for those remaining to just cover the trellis with well- 

 developed foliage, and no more. The first laterals 

 which are formed at the bottom of the trellis should be 



