174 The Kitchen Garden. [Apr, 



iirll: irrnptioni from the ftem of the plant; but the malc- 

 blofrom is placed immediately on the top of its footftalk, 

 without any appearance of germen, or fruit under its bafe. 

 Maki?ig Ridges to plant out Cucumbers and Melons^ under 

 Bell or Hand'GlaJJes. 



Make hot-bed ridges, about the middle or latter end of 

 this month, for the cucumbers or melon plants raifed lail 

 month, in order to be planted under hand or bell-glafies. 



Thefe hot-beds or ridges for hand or beli-glafTes, fhould, 

 at this time, be made the greateft part above ground, not 

 digging deep trenches, as is often praftifed,. wherein to 

 make them; for by that pra6lice, you cannot readily line 

 the beds quite down to the bottom when the heat declines. 

 The making them in deep trenches in May, when either 

 but very moderate linings, or fometimes none at all, will 

 be required, is not improper ; but at this feafon do not 

 make trenches deeper than about fix inches. 



Each bed or ridge fhould not be lefs than two feet and a 

 half thick of dung, but if made a yard high will be more 

 eligible, by fupportlng a more durable heat; .and fhould 

 be three or four feet wide. 



But where there is plenty of dung, it will be beft to 

 make them four feet wide : and if there are mo?e than 

 one ridge to be made, arrange them parallel one before 

 another, allowing a fpace of at leaft three or four feet 

 between ridge and ridge ; and if thefe fpaces or alleys 

 are, in about a monthor five weeks after, filled with new hot 

 dung, and covered with earth, it will throw in a frefh 

 heat to the beds, which will be found to be of great ad- 

 vanrage to the plants. See May. 



The beds being made as above direcled, then in two, 

 three, or four days after, when the dung will be fettled, 

 and the heat arifen to the top of the bed, lay on the earth; 

 this fhould be laid ten inches thick on every part. 



When this is done, mark out the holes for the plants at 

 three feet and a half afundcr : then fst on the bell or 

 liand-glafTes, one oi'er each hole, and keep them clofe|iown 

 till the dung has thoroughly warmed the earth ; then pro- 

 ceed to put in the plants. 



Let two melon-plants be fet for each glafs, but you may 

 plant three or four cucumber phtnts under e^xch ; obferving, 

 if poffible, to remove and plant them with a ball of earth 

 about their roots, fo as they may not feel much check in 

 their growth by removal. As 



