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ftrong Cap Paper, nine Sheets of 

 which niuft be allowed to each 

 Hole of Melons. Tl-iefe nine Sheets 

 of Paper muft be join'd together 

 with Pafte (which, when done, 

 will fpread the Width of a com- 

 mon Mat, which is ufed for Co- 

 vering.) When the Pafte is dry, 

 the Paper fhould be fpread on a 

 Board, or hung again ft a Wall, and 

 with a Brulli lliould be rubb'd oVer 

 With Oil, which need be done but 

 on one Side, for the Oil Will link 

 thro' the Paper, if it be only light- 

 ly brufh'd overi then the Papers 

 lliould hang out till they are dry, 

 after which they may be ufed for 

 covering your Melon Plants. Thcle 

 Papers lliould be prepared before 

 you plant out your Plants into the 

 Holes, that they may be ready 

 to cover them, which may be per- 

 formed in the following Manner ; 

 (viz..) After the Ridges are made, 

 you muft procure Ibme fmall Hoops, 

 or flender Withys, which fnould 

 be thruft into the Ground on each 

 Side of the Ridge, and arched 

 over in the lame manner as is pra- 

 6lis'd for covering Flower Beds, 

 then the Papers may be laid over 

 the Hoops, ^c. and faften'd down 

 at each End with a Cord, or a 

 few large Stones or BrickHaid up- 

 on their Ends, to prevent the 

 Winds from blowing them off. 

 Thefe Papers fliould be kept clofe 

 over the Plants while they are 

 young, or in bad Weather j but 

 when the Plants have obtain'd 

 Strength, and the Weather is fa- 

 vourable, they fliould be rais'd on 

 one Side to admit Air to the 

 Plants j and in loft Rains, they 

 fliould be taken quite off, that the 

 Plants may enjoy the Benefits there- 

 of. Theie Papers may continue 

 over the Plants, throughout the 

 Seafon, obferving only to take 'era 



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off in fofc Rains, and admit Air 

 under 'em in warm Weather, to 

 the Plants, as was dire6ledi the 

 Plants will thrive much better un- 

 der thefe, than under GlalTesj for 

 the Rays of Light will be more 

 equally admitted thro' the Paper 

 when oiled, than thro' a Glafs, 

 which collects the Rays, and there- 

 by occafions too great a Heat in 

 Summer under them, than moft 

 Plants can endure. So that Plants 

 under Glaftes, are fubjedl to Dan- 

 ger, from the great Inequality of 

 Heat i whereas thofe under Papers, 

 enjoy a more equal Degree, and 

 hereby the Plants are continued 

 much longer in Vigour, as I have 

 always obierved thofe under Pa- 

 pers in great Health, when thofe 

 under Glafles have been decayed, 

 tho' they were in the fame Situa- 

 tion, and under the fame Ji'Ianage- 

 ment. 



Tho' I have direfted the making 

 of the Ridges after the fame man- 

 ner as for Hand-Glaffes, yet there 

 are fomc Perfons, who only dig 

 Holes in the Ground at proper Di- 

 ftances, into each of which they 

 put two Barrows full of Hot-dung, 

 covered over with the Earth ta- 

 ken out of the Holes, into which 

 they plant their Melon Plants j then 

 arch over each Hole with a few 

 flender Wands, covering 'em v/ith 

 the Papers, and managing them as 

 hath been diredted, in which Me* 

 thod 1 have obferved they have 

 had a prodigious Crop of Melons, 

 with a much Icfs Expence than 

 ufual. 



N. B. Thefe oiled Papers will 

 laft one whole Seafon very well, 

 fo that the Expence of Paper and 

 Oil, will amount to Three-pence 

 Half-penny for each Hole, 



MELOGACTUS j Melon-Thiftle, 



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