THE MELON. 211 



not for' a novice to carry out the various steps in the 

 process. Indeed it can scarcely be considered a judicious 

 direction of means and labour to commence so early 

 without more certain appliances than fermenting mate- 

 rial and common frames. However, as the mode of 

 raising and general treatment of melons started thus 

 early will meet the case of those who do not commence 

 till later in the season, I will suppose, in order to meet 

 all cases, an early start, and treat accordingly. 



SOWING THE SEED, AND MANAGEMENT OF YOUNG 

 PLANTS. 



If possible, choose three or four years' old seed of 

 some early good-constitutioned variety, and steep the 

 seeds in water for twelve hours before sowing them. At 

 the same time prepare the required number of 4-inch 

 pots, by placing one crock over the hole in their bottoms, 

 and half-filling them with pure moderately-moist yellow 

 loam, and place them in the seed-frame to warm the 

 soil. Sow three or four seeds in each pot, covering them 

 with a quarter of an inch of the loam, and do not water 

 them for the present. They should be plunged so as to 

 get a bottom-heat of about 85°, and let the pots lean to 

 the south, so that the young plants may get the sun when 

 they peep through the soil. The temperature of the 

 air should range from 72° to 75°. In the case of fer- 

 menting beds the heat has to be chiefly regulated by 

 the amount of covering over the glass, and by air- 

 giving, which latter requires to be watchfully attended 

 to, especially in fitful weather. As soon as the young 

 seedlings come up and expand their seed-lobes, and 

 show which are to be the two healthiest and dwarfest 



