THE MELON 8i 



not know that I should presume at this tinne to swell the volume of matter 

 written on the subject. But most of us know that the wheel of time is some- 

 thing like the wheel of fortune ; it is wonderful how quickly it revolves, and 

 how soon one generation of gardeners is succeeded by another. 



As grown in British gardens, the melon may not be so important as 

 some other fruits, yet no summer dessert is considered complete without its 

 refreshing and welcome presence. No committee of a horticultural summer 

 show would think of issuing a schedule without offering prizes for this popular 

 summer fruit, and certainly no gardener is deserving of the name who has not 

 endeavoured to excel in its cultivation. 



Houses. — Any structure that is sufficiently well heated will grow melons 

 satisfactorily, but for very early crops lean-to houses, well heated, are the best, 

 and these should face due south. For summer crops, no doubt, span-roofed 

 houses are the best, and they should be built with the ends pointing 

 south and north, so that the plants may have full advantage of the morn- 

 ing, afternoon, and evening sun, and not the full force of the sun at 

 the hottest time of the day. I do not advocate large houses for melons — 

 for one reason, because they succeed better in rather small ones, and for 

 another, that they can be more economically grown, for of course less fuel 

 is required to heat the latter than the former. A width of 8 feet is quite 

 sufficient for a lean-to structure for early forcing ; the length must be 

 determined by the number of plants to be grown and the quantity of fruit 

 required. The roof should be at an angle of about 38 degs. The height of 

 the back wall need not be more than 9 feet, efficient top and front ventilation 

 must be provided, and the ventilators should be so secure that when closed no 

 air can enter, for it must be remembered that early melons are grown in winter, 

 when scarcely any front air is admitted from the time they are planted until 

 the ripening time approaches. If the ventilators, especially the front ones, are 

 not effectually closed, there is much waste of heat and fuel. In houses of this 

 size and description, three 4-inch flow and two return hot-water pipes will 

 provide sufficient heat. As regards bottom heat, I prefer that furnished by 

 leaves and stable (straw) litter mixed up in sufficient quantity to make a bed 

 2 feet thick when well trodden down. This will afford sufficient heat for three 

 or four months, i.e. until the crop is ripe. If these materials are not available 

 in sufficient quantities, then hot-water pipes will have to be substituted ; one 

 flow and return 4-inch pipe will be enough, and these should be laid in the 

 middle of the bed, which need not be so deep as when fermenting material is 

 used. The cultivator should have full control of the heat, and valves therefore 

 must be fixed both to the flow and return pipes, and the same holds good with 

 reference to the pipes for warming the atmosphere. 



Size of Bed. — It was the custom years ago, and I am afraid it is now more 

 or less, to provide large, wide, and deep beds to accommodate the materials 

 thought necessary for the successful culture of the melon. This practice, I need 

 scarcely say, entailed much waste and needless expense ; the melon needs but 

 little soil to grow in, as evidenced by the excellent crops often produced by 

 plants in comparatively small pots. The size of bed I advise if fermenting 



