The Gardener's New Director. 117 

 t<^r than making a drill, as is the common pradice, a- 

 round the infide of the bed. 



Some perfons raile their principal crop of Melons 

 under bell or hand-glafTiiS, and oiled paper : For which 

 the following particular directiors are necefiary. 



About the third or fourth of March, prepare the dung 

 as before dirc-aed for the plants raifed under lights. 

 Sow your feed about the twelfth of the fame month. 

 And when they have one fmall rough leaf, plunge them 

 in fmall pots in a frefh bed; where they are to remain 

 till the beginning oi April. Then the dung mull be got 

 in readinels by mixing and preparing it, as belorc direct- 

 ed, in a heap to k-rment ; and the ground mull be got: 

 ready, where the ridges are to be made, by Araining a 

 line, and digging a trench three feet wide and fix inches 

 deep, and leaving a fpace of feven feet between each 

 trench. The length mull of courfe be proportioned to 

 the number of g'afTes, which you intend to have in each 

 row ; which mull: be full fix feet apart. Then wheel 

 your dung into the trench, allowing eight barrows ot 

 dung to each hole. 



Your dung-bed being made flraight on the fides and 

 level on the top, it mull be covered with cow-dung two 

 inches thick : Then fprcad two inches of good mould all 

 over the bed. Now put the glafles upon the proper 

 fpots, where the plants are to be placed, that they may 

 draw up the heat. The next day take about a bufliel 

 of earth at a time from the comport, (made as before 

 directed for the early crops) and lay it on thofe fpotr, 

 fourteen inches thick. Into this the plants are to be re- 

 moved about three days afterwards. 



In about three days, therefore, water the plants m 

 the pots, that the earth may cling to the roots. 1 hen 

 turn them out gentlv and plant them under the glafTes, 

 where they are to remain for fruiting. Be fure to keep 

 them watered, and fhaded from the fun, till they have 

 taken frefh root. After this, care muft be taken to give 

 them frefli air in the heat of the day. This will pre- 

 vent the leaves from being fcorched. And, as the plants 

 advance in growth, the bed mufl be e.irthed up with the 

 mould between the ridges, mixed with fomc ot the com- 



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