The Gardenf.r's New Director. 105 



and north, whereby the plants have double fun, double 

 air, and double the hear by reflexion, than what thev 

 had in your common Tingle frafiies. 



Your fruit, by the addition of heat and air, vvijj foon 

 fet beyond the danger of mifcarrying ; but iliere are feme 

 neceflary diredions to be obferved at this critical period, 

 which if nejile£led, may fufFer thefe plants to fet their 

 fruit too freely, particularly the dintuleupe kind. T have 

 advifed pinching the ends of the plants, when they have 

 got a third good joint, in order to obtain vines or run- 

 ners; and when thefe runners have three or four joints, 

 to pinch off" their tops to force out more runners: but 

 if the vines pufh out others upon this htfl: pinching, 

 pinch no more, for thty will now fliew iruit^ at which 

 tiuie t; ey ought carefully to be looked to. Make ch(-ice 

 of one good, or at moil: two fruits on each runner, fitu- 

 ated neareft the frem of the plant, and fuch as have large 

 pedicles or foot ftalks; taking away all the others 

 that appear upon the runner, pinching o{f the end of 

 the runner at the third joint above the fruit ; ti.is will 

 flop the fap in the runner, and make the fruit fet im- 

 mediately, beyond ti e hazard ot going off, as is fre- 

 quently the cafe, when the vines are over-charged with 

 fruit. I never allowed thefe plants to have more than 

 fix or eight fruit upon one plant. This pinching of the 

 main fruit-riinneri-, will encourage good working plants 

 (as the gardeners call them) to lend out fmall runners, 

 which mull: be pinched off when thev appear, with their 

 young fruit: this work mud be carefully done, and the 

 vines looked over, tintil the fruit left on the plants turn 

 fo large, as to draw all the fip of the plants to them. 

 Lay tiles or blue fcaillie flutes below your fruit; for if 

 you (ufier them to lie on the earth, they will rot; and 

 as they fwcll, turn them to the fun, to ripen equally. 

 Some find fault for dircding them, to forbear pruning the 

 vines of Melons ; butexperience has taught me, that fnch 

 unmerciful knife-management, is good for notliing, but 

 to bring forward a confufion of vines, fo that the plants 

 have been defiroyed. It is fufficiently early to ufe this 

 knife-difcipline, when your fruit is pafl danger of go- 

 \v.o off, snd even then to ufe it with tauiiun. 



There 



