THE MELON. 213 



always ready. And air-giving, to keep the bed sweet 

 and free from steam, must receive extra attention with 

 the application of every fresh lining. 



TEAINING AND STOPPING. 



When the first rough leaf is expanded, and a lead- 

 ing shoot is formed, the training of the plants must be 

 determined by their subsequent treatment. If they are 

 to be grown on a trellis raised a little above the soil 

 in a brick pit, heated by fermenting material, their 

 leaders must not be pinched, and of course the same 

 is applicable to those that are to be fruited in more 

 modern melon-houses, — I may say that it also applies to 

 what I consider the best way of planting and training 

 them in an ordinary dung-frame. The common prac- 

 tice in this latter case is to pinch out the leading 

 shoot as soon as it is formed. This forces the plants 

 to form several growths, which, when they have grown 

 to 5 or 6 inches, and the pots are moderately filled 

 with roots, renders the plants ready for being planted 

 out in the fruiting -bed — two in the centre of each 

 light. Three shoots are trained from each- plant — the 

 shoots of one to the back, and those of the other to 

 the front of the frame, one shoot towards each corner, 

 and the other to the middle of the light. These shoots 

 are stopped when within 8 or 10 inches of the side of 

 the frame, and the laterals which they throw out pro- 

 duce the fruit.' In this case the plants are twice 

 stopped and of course twice checked. What I. recom- 

 mend in preference to this system is not to stop the 

 plants at all, but to plant them out — as soon as their 

 leading shoot is about 6 inches long — one pot with two 

 plants to every two feet in length of the fruiting-bed 



