So The TraBical Kitchen Gardiner. 



to it by degrees, putting on clean whcat- 

 ftraw, or haulm, which will permit a 

 fmall quantity of fun and air thorough, 

 till taking it off by little and little, they 

 be left quite naked, and by thofe fteps 

 made to harden by degrees ^ all the 

 while care being to be taken by flicks 

 put into the bed, as before, to watch 

 the motion of its heat, and be upon 

 the guard againft its burning. 

 Qf pruning Many are the methods that gardiners 

 c/ and melonifts make ufe of in the culti- 

 vation or pruning their melons ; but 

 none there are, that I have found, ei- 

 ther in books or pradice, that are bet- 

 ter, if fo proper, as thofe that Monfieur 

 ^e la ^iintinge long fuice fent to Mr. 

 Evelyn, which I fhall fet down, with 

 fuch alterations and additions of my own 

 as time and experience has direded. 



The firft thing appearing after the feed 

 is fown, are a pair of fmall leaves, with 

 them in France cali'd ears, but with us 

 feed- leaves, only fo me time after appears 

 between the two former a fingle leaf, 

 w^iich may be cail'd the firft leaf, and 

 is in cucumbers of a dark red, and in 

 melons of a light green colour ; after 

 which fucceeds, and oppofitc to it, an- 

 other 



