40 MELON CULTURE 



should be used to moisten the entire mass of soil 

 instead of simply wetting the surface. One should 

 remember that it is the roots that need the mois- 

 ture, and not the tops so much. A good watering 

 once in two or three days is far better than a slight 

 sprinkle every day. 



Starting in Hothouses. AVhere one is fortunate 

 enough to hav^e a hothouse or greenhouse, the plants 

 may be started in this and the hotbeds may be dis- 

 pensed with. But owing to the much greater ex- 

 pense in constructing and heating a hothouse, it 

 would not be advisable to do so for melons alone ; 

 but where one already has a house which is used 

 for other forcing crops, such *as lettuce, tomatoes, 

 and the like, it will be found to be very useful for 

 starting the melon plants, as the lettuce and toma- 

 toes will be well towards the close of their season 

 before much of the room will be needed for the 

 melons. In this case, there will doubtless be plenty 

 of four-inch pots which can be utilized for starting 

 the melons instead of the plant boxes. The hot- 

 house has one advantage over the hotbed for this 

 purpose in that the temperature and watering can 

 be kept under better control than is possible in a hot- 

 bed. As the season approaches for planting out-of- 

 doors, all of the windows and ventilating sashes 

 should be left open night and day in order to harden 

 off the plants and accustom them to outdoor tem- 

 perature. 



