THE MELON. 217 



original ridge, especially in the case of early melons, 

 should be left a few inches higher than these additions 

 of soil ; and the bed, by the time the final earthing-up 

 is given, should slope to about 6 inches deep of soil at 

 the sides of the frame. For later crops a greater depth 

 is necessary, but for early crops this is enough. 



The night temperature, after the plants are planted, 

 should range from 72° to 75°, as near as that can be main- 

 tained. And, of course, as in the case of seed-beds, this has 

 to be regulated and kept up by coverings, linings, and air- 

 giving. Air-giving should be attended to by degrees, as 

 the day progresses and sunshine strengthens ; and it re- 

 quires to be taken oif in the same careful way in the 

 after-part of the day, shutting up with sun-heat at a 

 temperature of 90°, and especially while the heat of the 

 frame is high — after it is newly put up — putting on a 

 chink of air for the night, if they are good close frames 

 or pits. In early spring it is seldom that much artificial 

 moisture has to be made in the frame. This, of course, 

 depends much on the amount of sunshine and air given ; 

 and the rule should be to prevent an arid atmosphere, or 

 the surface of the soil from getting dry', by dewing it 

 over with tepid water from a syringe at shutting-up time. 

 It is seldom that much more watering than this is re- 

 quired with early crops until after the melons are set. 



IMPREGNATION, WATEEING, ETC. 



The system of training and stopping already described 

 (page 213) will have to be attended to as the plants ex- 

 tend themselves towards thes sides of the frame. And 

 if they are all stopped at one time, so much the better, 

 because they are then almost sure to have the female 



