THE 



GARDENER'S MAGAZINE, 



JUNE, 1829. 



PART I. 



ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE. 



Art. I. Notes and Reflections made during a Tour through Part 

 of France and Germany, in t\e Autumn of the Year 1828. By 

 the Conductor. 



{Continued from p. 125.) 



Culture of the Honfeur Melon. — " Sow," says M.Ra- 

 cine, " on a hotbed, about the end of March, paying no 

 regard to the age of the moon, as they do at Honfleur, un- 

 less you choose ; " the seed will come up in 48 hours ; and the 

 plants, being put separately into little pots and still kept in the 

 hotbed, in fifteen days will be ready to plant out on the hills 

 or ridges in which they are to produce their fruit. These hills 

 are thus formed : — Having fixed on an open quarter of the 

 garden, facing the sun, stick pins over it 4 ft. apart every way ; 

 dig a hole in the situation of each pin, sufficient to contain a 

 barrow-load of well-fermented dung ; cover this dung with a 

 barrow-load of mould, formed of rotten dung or of rotten 

 leaves, and place around the hill so composed the earth which 

 came out of the hole. Then insert the plant, cover with a 

 bell-glass, and treat as for ridged cucumbers till fruit is shown, 

 when allow only three to each plant, and stop the runners two 

 leaves beyond each fruit. The fruit will ripen in the last fort- 

 night of August, and the first fortnight of September. Can- 

 taloup melons may be treated in the same manner, but do not 

 succeed so well. 



The Honfleur melons so produced weigh from 10 to 40 lb.; 

 those raised by M. Racine, this year, weighed, in general, about 

 24 lb. One or two were still to cut, and also some Canta- 

 loups ; but, owing to the wet season, the flavour of neither was 

 as good as usual. 



Vol. V. — No. 20. r 



