MELON. 159 



strong as those produced from annual sowings ; 

 therefore, to have the flowers in their greatest per- 

 fection, the seed should be sown about the begin- 

 ning of April, in any light soil, either in a bed, to 

 be hoed out to six or eight inches apart, or in a 

 patch, and afterwards transplanted out to a similar 

 distance. Their after culture only requires the 

 hoe to keep them clear of weeds. The plants 

 soon come into flower ; and when it is observed that 

 the blossoms are fully expanded, they should be 

 gathered in a dry day, divested of their outer green 

 leaves, and spread on a cloth, in a dry airy room, 

 where, after having been a few days with frequent 

 turnings, they will be in good order for putting up, 

 either in paper bags or in drawers, for use. 



33. MELON. CUCUMIS. 



Melo was the original name of the Melon,, but 

 according to the sexual system of the great Linnaeus, 

 (who, as before observed, has done more for the 

 advancement of practical and scientific botany than 

 any man before or since his time), it has the seem- 

 ing inconsistency of making the melon a variety of 

 the cucumber. Such questions it is very difficult 

 to solve : nature, however, is her own best inter- 

 preter, and will, no doubt, in the course of time, 

 reconcile this and many other apparent incon- 

 sistencies. 



The introduction of the melon into a work solely 

 intended for the cultivation of vegetables, may, to 

 some readers, seem an impropriety ; but when it 



