244 



HORTICULTURE. 



.Melon. 



on which Mr Knight found the success of this fruit most 

 essentially to depend. 



The fruit should always be gathered before it be 

 dead ripe. It is known to approach maturity, by its 

 beginning to crack near the footstalk, and by the pecu- 

 liar rich odour it then emits. It is cut, with all its stalk 

 to it, early in the morning, before the sun has had access 

 to it, and it is kept in a cool place till served up. If 

 melons be deficient in external colour, this may be 

 brought on merely by laying them in the frame for a 

 day or two. Melons should in general be eaten exact- 

 ly when ripe, or >,harp ripe, as gardeners call it; but 

 rather a day or two before than after maturity. 



262. A late crop of melons from seed is often produ- 

 ced in a flued pit. The seeds for this crop are sown 

 in the beginning of July, and the seedlings are planted 

 out towards the end of the month. Tanner's bark, or tree 

 leaves, afford sufficient warmth at this season : indeed, 

 the remains of the bed of bark or leaves on which early 

 kitchen-vegetables, or tender annual flowers, have been 

 raised in the beginning of summer, a little aided by 

 fresh materials, answers all the purposes. No fire-heat 

 is required till September. In the end of October the 

 melons are ready : they are not equal in flavour cer- 

 tainly, to those ripened under the brighter and more 

 powerful sun of June and July ; but are very accepta- 

 ble at that season of the year, the more so that, owing 

 to the caprices of fashion, those in high life chiefly 

 spend the later months of autumn and the beginning of 

 winter in the country, while they waste the summer 

 amidst the smoke of London. The melons which do 

 not ripen, are sometimes pickled like mangoes, and are 

 said to make a very good substitute for these. 



26'3. In the first volume of the London Horticultural 

 Transactions, Mr Knight has given a general account 

 of his highly interesting views on the subject of vege- 

 table physiology, and has illustrated this account, by 

 alluding to the habits of the melon and the mode of 

 culture best adapted to it. This gentleman's gardener, 

 it appears, had not been previously acquainted with the 

 proper management of the melon, and Mr Knight there- 

 tore particularly attended to it himself. Experience 

 soon taught him, (what was previously in some mea- 

 sure known, ) that much of the flavour of the fruit de- 

 pends on the plant possessing efficient foliage, that is, 

 healthy leaves, presenting their upper surface to the 

 light, and remaining as much as possible undisturbed 

 in that position. Free use of pegs is therefore to be 

 made, not only with the view of keeping the shoots in 

 their position, but of preserving the leaves upright ; and 

 water is to be introduced without touching the leaves, 

 as already recommended. 



Cucumber. 



'ucurnber ^* - ^e cucum ^> er naturally follows the melon, be- 

 ing not only a species of the same genus, (Cucumis sa- 

 thus, L.) but requiring pretty much the same sort of 

 culture, only the fruit is produced perfectly well in a 

 lower temperature. It is a tender annual, a native of 

 warm climates. It was early known in this country, 

 but did not come into general cultivation till the mid- 

 dle of the l?th century. 



265. The varieties most in esteem are the follow- 

 ing : 



Early long prickly, (green.) Cluster cucumber. 

 Longest green prickly. Smooth green Roman. 



Early short prickly, (green.) White Turkey cucum- 

 Dutch or white short prickly, ber. 



The fruit of the Early long prickly is from 5 to 7 

 inches long, of a green colour, with few prickles. The 



plant is a good bearer ; and upon the whole, this is ac- r 



r p , Cucuntber. 



counted the best cucumber tor tae general summer 



crop, the pulp being very crisp and pleasant. 



The fruit of the longest green prickly is from 7 to 10 

 inches in length ; it has a dark green skin, closely set 

 with small prickles. This is a hardy sort, but does not 

 come early. 



The Early short prickly is not more than 4- inches 

 long ; the skin green, rather smooth, but with a few 

 small black prickles. This is one of the hardiest and 

 earliest sorts, and is often preferred for the first crop. 



The Dutch or while short prickly, though not much 

 cultivated, is recommended by a very competent judge, 

 the Rev. Mr Marshall, as preferable even to the early long 

 prickly ; it has fewer seeds; is evidently different in taste 

 from most other cucumbers, but of agreeable flavour. 



The Cluster cucumber is a very early sort, named from 

 the circumstance of the flowers appearing in clusters of 

 three or four together ; the fruit is seldom more than 

 5 inches long ; it is at first of a fine green colour, but 

 becomes yellowish as it ripens. The stems of this va- 

 riety are much inclined to climb, by means of their ten- 

 drils, upon sticks ; the leaves are small, and the plant 

 altogether occupies but little room. 



The Smooth green Roman is also an early sort ; the 

 fruit becomes large and long, and is quite smooth ; the 

 plants grow very strong, and require a good deal of 

 room. 



In the White Turkey, the stalks and leaves are larger 

 than in the other varieties; the fruit also is very long, 

 sometimes from 10 to 15 or even 20 inches; it is quite 

 straight, and has a smooth skin destitute of prickles ; 

 it is produced sparingly, and late in the season. There 

 is likewise a long green Turkey variety, which is some- 

 times sown for the late crop. Late cucumbers, how- 

 ever, are much less cultivated than the early varieties ; 

 most gardeners being of opinion, that those kinds which 

 are best for the early crops are also best for the late. 



266. Three crops of cucumbers are generally raised 

 in the year. The earliest are of necessity produced on 

 hot-beds, or in flued pits. Pickling cucumbers are ge- 

 nerally raised either on a slight hot-bed or under a 

 hand-glass, and planted in the open air in June. When 

 they have thrown out a few joints, they are topped, in 

 order to encourage lateral or fruit branches ; and these 

 are trained on the ground at eight or nine inches apart, 

 and generally kept down by pegs. In some places, the 

 seed is at once sown in drills in the open air ; the fruit 

 being produced in August and September, and well 

 adapted for pickling. But drilled cucumbers succeed 

 only in the southern parts of England ; in the northern 

 half of the island they will not do. The prickly sorts 

 are chiefly used in the recent state ; and the smooth 

 green is much liked for preserving. 



The soil recommended by Nicol is composed of three- 

 fourths light rich black earth from pasture land ; an 

 eighth part vegetable mould from decayed tree leaves ; 

 and an eighth part well-rotted cow-house dung. 



For the early crops, the seed is sown about the end 

 of December or beginning of January, on a small hot- 

 bed, covered with a one-light frame. Where there is 

 the conveniency of a stove, this seed-bed is sometimes 

 dispensed with. Seed which is several years old is 

 preferred, being less apt to produce exuberant shoots 

 than what is recent. The plants soon rise, and the 

 seedlings are transferred from this seed-bed to a larger 

 or two-light frame, which serves as a nursery. Here 



