M E 



M E 



matter whether any of it falls clofe fhould prove moiit) or at lead to' 

 to the Stems: But, on the con- 

 trary, the drier they are prefer v'd, 

 the greater Vigour they will have ; 

 for the Roots, which are the chief 

 Support of 'em, are at this Time 

 at a much greater DiftaQce from 

 the Hole, and will receive the Be- 

 nefit of the Water much better, 

 when given ail over the Top of 

 the Ridges. 



When your Melons begin to ap- 

 pear upon the Vines, if the Seafon 

 i"hou!d be very hot and dry, you 

 fhould pour down the Water in 

 the Paths between the Ridges, 

 which wiii foak in and fupply the 

 Roots with Moifture; and at that 

 Seaibn, the V/ater which is given 

 nil over the Plants fhould be but 

 little, and given to them very 

 gently, left by the Violence of the 

 Water you injure the tender Fruit : 

 But after they are grown as large 

 as your Thumb, they will be a!- 

 moft out of Danger, tho' then it 

 will be advifeable to give them but 

 gentle Refreiliings over the Vines; 

 but this may be repeated two or 



receive Damage on the Underlide; 

 and when the Melons are full 

 grown, you fhould forbear water- 

 ing them ; and if the Weather be^ 

 cold, you fnould pbce Glaffes over 

 them, v/hich will greatly accele- 

 rate their Ripening, and caufe 'em 

 to be better tafted : You fhould 

 alfb turn the Fruit two or three 

 times as it is ripening, that every 

 Part may be equally ripened; and 

 in cutt'ng them, you fhould ob- 

 fcrve the Directions before laid 

 down. 



In faving the Seeds, you fhould 

 be careful to take them from fucli 

 Fruit as are well ripened, of a firm 

 Flefli, and well-tafled, fuffering it 

 to lie in the Pulp fpread upon a 

 Paper four or five Days before it 

 be wafh'd out ; then you muft dry 

 it, and put it up for Ufe, always 

 obierving to title each Sort, and 

 add the Year it was laved. 



The beft Sorts for Frames, are 



the Black Gallovi>ayy and the fmall 



Foj^mgsd Melons, v/hich ripen ear- 



y, and do not produce lb flrong 



three times a Week, according tcT^ Vines as the larger Sorts, which 

 the Heat of the Seafon, obierving require more Room than can be 



always to do it in the Evening, 

 that it may have Time to fbak in 

 before the Sun comes on to exhale 

 the Moifture. As to tlie pruning 

 of them, I would (as I before laid) 

 advife never to be bufy in that, fince 

 the more exatt you are in that, 

 the more likely you are to do hurt, 

 therefore you need do no more 

 than only keep the Vines clear 

 from Weeds, and train them in re- 

 gular Order. 



When the Fruit is about the 

 Bigneis of a Tennis- Ball, you fhould 

 place a thin Piece of Tile under 

 each, to raiie them from the 

 Ground, otherwife they are very 

 apt to roc (eipecially if the Seaibn 



aliov/'d them in Frames. 



Of late Years, there has been a 

 Method of raifing the general Crop 

 of Melons under oiled Paper, in- 

 ftead of Bell or Hand-GlafPes, which 

 has ill receded fo well, as to be 

 now very commonly pra£tis'd in 

 the Gardens near London ; but this 

 Method being at prefent unknown 

 to Perlbns who reiide in the Coun- 

 try, I lliall infert it in this Piace. 

 The Manner of railing the Plants, 

 as alfb of making the Ridges, be- 

 in^ the lame as for Hand-Glafles, 

 I Ihall not repeat either, but pro- 

 ceed to give Directions for prepa- 

 ring the Papers. You mufl pro- 

 vide your feif with a Quantity of 



firong 



