166 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



AND HORTICULTURAL Rl-.GISTER. 



Edited by Jogepb Breck.. 



BoSTOw, Wednesday, Not. 22, 1843. 



CULTIVATION OF MELONS. 



To the Editor of the New Entjland Fanner; 



Sir — Will ynu ho so kind h8 to give through your use- 

 ful paper, some directions for raising Cantaloupe Melons. 

 I refer particularly V> the green. flesned and other kinds 

 of the small variety. Please state what kinil of soil is 

 best for them— what manure — the lime for planting the 

 seed, &c. 



I liave been very unsuccessful in all my attempts to 

 grow this Viiriely of melons to perfection ; and if you or 

 any of your correspondents will give me some hints on 

 the subject, I shall be truly (hankfuL 



Yours, &c. V. 



Remarks. —'We should have been pleased to have had 

 a statement from the writer informing us of the charac- 

 ter of his soil and the course he has pursued in the cul- 

 tivation of the Melon : we might then have suggested 

 where his deficiencies were. It is difficult to raise good 

 melons in a heavy, cold soil, in the latitude of 42", with- 

 out the aid of artificial heal. On good loam or rich 

 sandy soils, we have not only seen melons of the finest 

 flavor raised, but have done it repeatedly ourselves, 

 without any more care than is necessary for ordinary 

 cucumber cultivation. We once cultivated a tract of 

 land of an alluvial and very sandy soil : — to look at it, 

 one would suppose it nearly pure sand ; but this was not 

 the fact. It was annually overflowed, and fine sand 

 and rich vegetable mould were yearly deposited, and 

 this had been accumulating for ages, and attained the 

 depth of 2 to 3 feet. On this soil we found no difficulty 

 in cultivaiing Water and Musk Alelons of every descrip- 

 tion, to perfection, using decomposed night-soil compost 

 in the hill — planting the seed the last of May, as we 

 should cucumbers. 



Wore we to prepare a soil to raise Ihein in perfection, 

 we should make a composition as near this alluvial scil 

 as we could, with the addition of some virgin lurf mould 

 from a pasture : say one-third river sand ; one-third 

 vegetable mould, (peat or leaf); and onelliird virgin 

 Boil of decomposed turf from the pasture. To this we 

 should add a good seasoning of thoroughly rotted night- 

 Boil compost. This should be prepared in the fall and 

 thrown up in heaps, and sheltered, and thus remain un- 

 til spring, when it should be thrown over again two or 

 three weeks before it is wanted. As nearly every cul- 

 tivator has, or ought to have, a common hot-bed, we 

 should recoimnend starting melons in that, where per- 

 fection was aimed at. The seeds may be planted in 

 pots, the last of April, and kept in the frame until the 

 middle of June, when they should be turned carefully 

 out, witliout distuibing the roots, into the prepared soil. 



Another plan highly recommended is, to cut sods of 

 grass before the ground freezes hard, and store them 

 out of the reach of frost through the winter, and when 

 the hot-bed is prepared in the spring, place the sods in 

 it, with the grass doivnward, and plant the seed on the 

 inverted sods, which may be enriched with a little very 

 fine compost, to give the young plants a start. The 

 plants may be kept in the frame until the ground is 

 warm in June. They can be removed with the lurf 

 without endangering their growth. l!y keeping the 

 plants in the frame until they become strong, they are 

 easily protected from bugs, whereas if they are plant id 

 in the open ground, their growth is so slow that they 



fjll an easy prey to the devouring insects, and it often 

 becomes necessary to plant again, when the season is so 

 far advanced that the chance of success is very small. 



The hills for melons should be about six feet distant 

 from each i.tlier; the common soil should be thrown 

 out to the depth of 12 Indies, making a hole sufficient 

 to contain a bjshel (or tvvobu.sliels would be preferable,) 

 of the prepared soil, with which it should be filled. In 

 this tlie plants from the pot or turf may be carefully 

 planted, shading them w'ith a flower-pot or box, until 

 they establish themselves, giving them a little water 

 after planting. When the plants have acquired strength 

 and the danger from insects is over, and the rouirh 

 leaves produced, ihey should be thinned out to three 

 in each liill^some s .y to one single plant. 



As soon as the plant spieads into branches, it should 

 be stopped by pinching off tho first runner bud. This 

 has a tendency to strengthen the plant and bring it in- 

 to early bearing. When the fruit begins to swell, flat 

 stones should be laid under each one : this retains ihe 

 heat, and accelerates the ripening. 



New seed is not considered by practical gardeners, fit 

 to plant, as it produces plants which are prone to " run 

 to vine," as it is termed, without producing much fruit. 

 Not only melon but all vine seed should be at least four 

 or five years old before it is planted : it is preferred by 

 some even at the age of ten years; in this case, it is 

 more tardy, and less sure in vegetating. 



We have found the green-fleshed melons and other 

 fine sorts more difficult to raise in perfection, than the 

 common old fashion Musk and the large Cantaloupe; 

 with the same treatment, the latter varieties have ripen- 

 ed seasonably, while the former have been nearly worth- 

 less ; but this was where no particular pains were taken 

 with either variety. Where we have been located for 

 the last seven years, our soil is not naturally the bestfor 

 melons, being deficient in sand ; and having many other 

 thing to attend to, we have not given any particular at- 

 tention to this branch of culture, leaving it with our 

 hired men to plant the seeds in iheir own way. The 

 result generally has been, that our melons just begin to 

 get ripe when the frost comes — a long time after we 

 have been abundantly supplied from the market at 6 1-4 

 cents each. 



Mr William Cobbett, who wrote a treatise on garden- 

 ing some twenty years since, ridicules the idea of old 

 seeds being better than new, and says : " As to the no- 

 tion that seeds can be the better for being old, even 

 more than a year old, I hold it to be monstrously ab- 

 surd ; and this opinion 1 give as the result of long expe- 

 rience, most attentive observation, and numerous experi- 

 ments, made for the express purpose of ascertaining the 

 fact. Yet, it is a received opinion, a thing taken for 

 granted, an axiom in horticulture, that melon seed is 

 better for being old. Mr Marshall, author of an Eng- 

 lish work on gardening, says that it ought to be • ahovt 

 four years old, though some prefer it much older' — and 

 he afterwards observes, Ihit 'if new seed only can be 

 had, it should be carried a week or two in the breeches' 

 pocket, to dry away some of Ihe more watery (larticles '! 

 Wliat (continues Cobbett,) should we do here, where 

 no breeches are worn i If age be a recommendation 

 in rules as well as in melon seed, this rule has it ; for, 

 English authors published it, and French authors laugh- 

 ed at it, more than a century past." 



Notwithstanding Mr Cobbett's opinion, we shonid re- 

 commend old seed, (n the strength of the practice of 

 all our best gardeners, as well as of our own experience 

 and observation. 



We have made no|mention in this article of the pro- 

 cess of forcing melons by artificial heat, supposing that 

 our correspondent is confined to common oul-iloor cul- 



NOV. 83, 18«; 



ture. It requires much attention and skill to bring 

 ward melons and cucumbers under glass, and nu i 

 should attempt it unless he Is provided with suits, 

 conveniences, and either acquainted with the art hiini 

 or has some one in his employ who perfectly understn 

 the business, otherwise ho will labor in vain, and I 

 his melons, if he gets any, rather expensive. 



CHINA TREE CORN. 



Specimens of the Messrs. Hydes' corn, mentioned 

 our last paper, may now be seen at the N. E. Fan 

 office. It is perfectly ripened, the ears large and f 

 and Ihe tips completely covered. This variety has 

 parently improved or become acclimated with us. 

 shall be cautious in recommending it for general cult 

 tion, but we sliould like to see it tried in various li 

 lions, on a small scale. On high ground, in a w 

 soil, and not exposed to early frost, we have no do 

 from what we saw at Capt. Hyde's, that a large ( 

 may be obtained, if well manured and attended to, a: 

 corn crops should be. Some will object lo the cole 

 the corn, as there is a prejudice against white cor 

 Massachusetts. In Rhode Island, we believe, the \ 

 is preferred. 



The China Tree Corn is apparently a mixture of 

 White Flint, and of some of the Southern vario 

 This cross has produced an improved variety valu. 

 on account of its great luxuriance and fertility, but 

 sufficiently early for general cultivation in our latit 

 We would now suggest that there be experiments I 

 by those who have leisure, with this and other varii 

 of corn by mixture, or crossing. 



For instance, lake the China Tree Corn and the ! 

 ton, or the Higligale, or any other desirable variety, 

 plant together in the same field, half of one variety 

 half of the other. Thus a Tariety may be produced 

 more productive and at the same time sufficiently ec 

 If a very early variety was used, it would be neces 

 to defer planting it until the later variety was u| 

 otherwise it would mature before Ihe late variety 

 its farina. It should be so arranged as lo bring each 

 riety into flower at the same time. Every other 

 might be planted with [he late variety, and tlie early 

 ricty planted in the vacant rows at such time as w 

 bring the two varieties together at the critical perio( 

 intermixing. It will not cost mucli to try the ex| 

 ment. 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



EXHIBITION OF FRUITS. 



Saturday, Mv. ]8, 184 



From Mr Oliver, Brookline ; extra specimens of 

 Pears. 



From the Pomological Garden, Salem : Pears — Br 

 lieurre, Heurre d' Arembiirg, Beu rre Uronze, Ijezi i 

 Motte, Dix, and Pears wiihuut name. 



From J. L. L. F. Warren, two dishes fine Nnpoi 

 Pears. * 



From S. W. Cole, the Mother's Apple. 



From J. lireck, the Wine Apple. 



Flowers. — From J. L. L. F. Warren ; four hands 

 Bouquets, containing Camellias, Chrysanthemums, 

 via splendens, &c. Also, fine Pansies. 



For the Committee, JOS. BRECll 



VARIETIES OF CORN WANTED. 



As we are making up a lillle assortment of coi 

 si'nd to Europe, we should like from some of 

 friends, one dozen ears of tlie deep red variety of t 

 a few of the beautifully mottled or mixed, betweer 

 red and yellow, and a few dozen of tlie black pare 

 corn. We sliould prefer it with the husks on. 



Jl Great Mistake. — We copied some time since lit 

 a Western New York paper a statement making th i- 

 ceipts at the Fair of the N. Y. Slate AgricuL Soc »' 

 $24,000 : it should have been $2400. 



