THE MELON. 217 



higher than these additions of soil. The bed, by the 

 time the final earthing-up is given, should slope to 

 about 6 inches djeep 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 

 maintained. And, of course, as in the case of seed- 

 beds, this has to be regulated and kept up by cover- 

 ings, linings, and air -giving. Air -giving should be 

 attended to by degrees, as the day progresses and 

 sunshine strengthens ; and it requires to be taken off 

 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 mois- 

 ture 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 required with early crops 

 until after the melons are set. 



IMPREGNATION, WATERING, ETC. 



The system of training and stopping already de- 

 scribed (page 213) wiU have to be attended to as the 

 plants extend themselves towards the sides of the 

 frame. And if they are all stopped at one time, so 



