160 THE VEGETABLE CULTIVATOR. 



comes to be considered how nearly the cultivation 

 of this fruit is allied to the kitchen garden, especially 

 in its earliest days, the impropriety will be lessened, 

 and the gardener will derive an advantage from 

 having the work so frequently under his eye. 



The native places of growth of melons are various. 

 They have been found growing wild in sundry 

 plains in many parts of the East Indies ; and, we are 

 informed by Miller, they were so plentiful on the 

 borders of Persia that a horse-load was sold for a 

 French crown, 4>s. 2d. 



The melon was cultivated many years in Italy, 

 before it was introduced into this country, which 

 took place about the year 1520. Its culture for 

 some years was but imperfectly understood. But 

 what will not perseverance and attention accom- 

 plish ? For the last century and more, many of the 

 gardeners of Great Britain have equalled the best 

 in Europe in the cultivation of the melon. 



The title of musk melon, so often mentioned by 

 old authors, was given to this fruit, soon after its 

 introduction, from its agreeable scent. The flesh 

 of a well grown melon is delicious, and does riot 

 offend the most tender stomach. In England it is 

 generally sent to table as one of the leading fruits 

 (such as the Prince, the Pine Apple, or the King) 

 for the dessert, where it is eaten with sugar, ginger, 

 &c. as fancy directs. In France, and some other 

 parts of Europe, the melon is frequently served up 

 at dinner as a sauce for boiled meat ; but the author 

 imagines it would not be agreeable in this state to 

 an English palate. 



The medicinal qualities of the melon, principally 



