M E 



means to be put in Competition with 

 thefe j for whoever has eaten of the 

 CantaLupe in Perfection, will hardly 

 be brought to relifh any orher ; To 

 that I mould not have mentioned 

 them here, but to prepare for the 

 Reception of thefe ; and that it 

 might not be imputed to a Dekit in 

 the Book. 



Before I quit this Head, I b?g 

 Leave to caution all Perfons againlt 

 depending upon Seeds which are 

 brought from abroad, either by thofe 

 Perfons who import them for Sale, 

 or Gentlemen who frequently bring 

 or fend over thefe Seed;> to their 

 Friends ; for it feldom happens,that 

 any of thefe prove tolerable. I 

 have been fo often deceived by thefe 

 myfelf, as to determine never to 

 make Trial of any of thefe Seeds 

 again, unlefs I receive them from a 

 Perfonwho is fkilful, and who eat 

 of the Fruit himfelf, of which he 

 laved the Seeds : for in Italy, Spain, 

 Portugal, and in many Parts of 

 Trance, the Gardeners are very 

 carelefs in the Choice of all their 

 Scedfe ; but of the .Melons they are 

 remarkably fo : and as for thofe 

 which come fromConj?ant!7.'ople,Jlfp-^ 

 po, and other Part* ofTurky, I have 

 rarely feen one M Ion produced 

 from thofe Seeds, which was tolera- 

 ble. 



The Seeds of Melons mould not 

 be fown, untii they are three Years 

 old ; nor would I choofe to low 

 them, when they are more than fix : 

 for altho' they will grow at ten or 

 twelve Years old, yet the Fruit 

 which are produced from thofe old 

 Seeds are feldom fo thick-fieuYd, as 

 thofe which come from Seeds which 

 are frelher : and it is the fame of 

 light Seeds, which fvvim upon Wa- 

 ter, when they, are taken out of the 

 Pufp ; for I have made feme Trials 

 of thefe, and have had them grow at 



M E 



three Years old: but not one of the 

 Melons produced on thefe Plants, 

 was near fo deep -fleihed, as thofe 

 which grew upon Plants railed from 

 heavy Seeds, taken out of the fame 

 Fruit ; tho' they grew in the fame 

 Bed, and were cultivated exactly in 

 the fame manner : nor was their 

 Flelh fo firm, but rather inclining to 

 be mealy : therefore I would not 

 advife the fowing of thefe light 

 Seeds, nor thofe which are very 

 old. 



Having thus largely treated of 

 the Choice of the Sorts, and of the 

 Seeds, I {hall next proceed to the 

 Method of cultivating them, in order 

 to obtain plenty of good Fruit : the 

 Method which 1 am going to pre- 

 icribe, being very different from 

 what has been conflantly pra&ifed 

 in England, will, I doubt not, be 

 objected to by many ; but it is what 

 has been practifed in all the good 

 Gardens in Holland and Germany, 

 where the Cantalcupe Melon is pro- 

 duced in great Plenty and Perfection 

 and from feveral Years Experience 

 I have found this to be the only Me- 

 thod in which thefe Melons can be 

 cultivated withSuccefs : and 1 air 

 likewife convinced of its being th< 

 belt way to obtain plenty of an) 

 other Sort of Melon. 



It is common to hear many Per 

 fons valuing themfelves upon having 

 two or three early Melons ; which 

 when brought to the Table, are no 

 fo good as a Turnep : and thefe ar 

 procured at a great Expence, an« 

 with much Trouble : and in orde 

 to have them ripe a little earliei 

 than they would come, if fuffere 

 to grow to their full Size, the Stei 

 upon which the Fruit grows, : 

 commonly twilled, to prevent tl: 

 Nourishment entering the Frui 

 whereby the Growth is checked 

 then die Fruit is clofely covered wii 



