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Melon, with a fmooth green Skin, 

 and a fmall Seed, 



y. Meloj Hifpanicus-, cortice al- 

 io, intm rubente. White Spanifh 

 Melon i vulgo. 



6. Melo i cortice Uvi, intus vU 

 rente. The Green fiefli'd Melon j 

 vulgo. 



There are feveral other Varie- 

 ties of Melons which are annually 

 brought into England-^ but as ma- 

 ny of them are only accidental Va- 

 riations, and fcldom continue to 

 produce the iame KJnds from Seed 

 again, fo it would be to Uttle Pur- 

 pofe to enumerate them in this 

 Place. 



As there is not any Plant culti- 

 vated in the Kitchen-Garden, which 

 the Gardeners near London have a 

 greater Ambition to produce early 

 and in Plenty ; fo there is a great 

 Number of Methods now pra6tis'd 

 in the railing and drelTing of the 

 Vines, in order to obtain them in 

 greater Perfe6tion: But to enume- 

 rate them all in this Piace, would 

 greatly exceed my intended Bounds, 

 therefore I fhall only fet down the 

 plain and eafy Method, whereby a 

 Perfon may depend on having a 

 good Crop of Melons whenever the 

 Seafon is tolerably good for them, 

 provided the Seed be good, and the 

 Dire£fions duly followed. 



An J firft, as to the Choice of Seed : 

 In this you muft be careful, becaufe 

 the whole Succefs of your Labour 

 and Expence depends upon it. You 

 fliould annually (if polTibiej exchange 

 your Seeds, and not continue to 

 five and fow the fame for feveral 

 Years in the fame Ground, for they 

 will certainly dep^eni^rate in two or 

 three Years, and from being extra- 

 ordinary good Sorts, will become 

 very bad ; therefore you fliould 

 purchafe ibme good Melons from 

 fomc Gardens .at a ijreac Dilfance 



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from you ; which Seed (provided 

 the Fruit was well-taftcd, high- 

 colour'd, and of a firm Nature) 

 lliould be carefully preferv'd two or 

 three Years before it be Town, 

 when it will not be fo fubjedt to 

 produce ftrong luxuriant Vines, but 

 will be more productive of Fruit, 

 (for as I have obferv'd, that by 

 keeping thefc Seeds, they annually 

 lofe of their Weight: fo it is cer- 

 tain, that the watery Parts do lirfl 

 evaporate j and thef^ are what pro- 

 mote Luxuriancy in all Plants, 

 therefore the more of thefe are lofl 

 by keeping, ^c. the more fruitful 

 will the Phnts be): but it muft be 

 obferv'd, that although thefe Seeds 

 will retain their growing Quality 

 for eight or ten Years, yet they are 

 not near fo good at that Age (what- 

 ever may have been faid to the 

 contrary) i for the Plants product 

 from fuch Seeds are generally too 

 weak to produce Fruit of any con- 

 fiderable Size, and Seed of three or 

 four Years old is by the bcft Judges 

 always preferred. 



But if you cannot obtain Seeds of 

 that Age, and are oblig'd to fow 

 new ones, then you Ihould either 

 carry it in your Breeches Pocket, 

 where it may be kept warm, or 

 plac'd at a proper Diftance from a 

 Fire two Months betore it be fown; 

 by which means the watry Parts 

 will be carry'd off, and the Seed 

 prove equally as good as if it had 

 been kept two or three Years, as 

 hath been experienc'd by feveral 

 curious Perfons. 



There are commonly greatQuan- 

 tities of Melon Seed brought into 

 England annually as great Curioli- 

 ties, v/hich often tempts the Gar- 

 deners to fow it, expeding fome- 

 thing very extraordinary from it; 

 but it feldom happens that it ever 

 proves good, therefore great Cire 



fliould 



