CHAP. IT. DESSERT FRUITS. 193 



red beetle, by which it is infested. The usual means adopted to 

 keep this away is sprinkling of wood-ashes over the leaves. This, 

 however, is only to remove one evil by introducing another 

 almost as bad ; for the plants can hardly be expected to thrive 

 with the pores of their leaves thus stopped up. A piece of 

 common gauze stretched upon a frame, as suggested elsewhere, 

 would no doubt be a cheap and effectual remedy. 



The following remarks by other writers are interesting, and 

 perhaps may be found useful. Mr. Knight stated that " suffi- 

 cient breadth of foliage is the main point for bringing Melons 

 to perfection." 



Morier says that " in Persia pigeon's dung has from time im- 

 memorial been sought after for manuring Melons." 



Another writer says that "soil holding any salt of iron is 

 sterile in its application to Melons. This may be tested by 

 burning a portion and applying a magnet." 



A writer in the ' Gardeners' Chronicle ' states that the way of 

 cultivating the Caubool Melon in its native locality is, " when 

 the fruit is of the size of a walnut, cover with a handful of clay, 

 and scrape holes in the ground for it to sit in." 



Another writer in the same paper says : " I defy any one to 

 produce a Melon fit to be seen in a loose sandy soil. The 

 stronger, the stiffer the loam the better. I use grafting clay, 

 and have Beech wood Melons twelve pounds in weight and un- 

 surpassable in quality." 



The usual mode of cleaning the seeds from the pulpy mass in 

 which they are contained is to mix them up with wood-ashes, 

 whereby, after they have been well rubbed and then spread out 

 to dry, they will be rendered quite clean. 



Where it is intended to save seeds, caution should be -taken 

 that no inferior Melons be cultivated anywhere near. For being 

 a monoecious plant it is as likely to become impregnated with 

 the pollen of the inferior plant as with that of its own kind. 

 And even with every such precaution a wandering bee from 

 some adjacent garden may fly over and do a world of mischief, 

 only to be detected by the produce afforded in the following 

 season. 



