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ed : this muft be made rather wider 

 than the Frames, and in Length 

 ■proportional to the Number of 

 Frames intended : as to the Depth, 

 that muft be according as the Soil is 

 dry or wet ; but in a dry Ground it 

 fhould not be lefs than a Foot, or a 

 Foot and an half, deep ; for the 

 lower thefe Beds are made, the bet- 

 ter they will fucceed, where there is 

 no Danger of their fuffering by Wet: 

 in the well laying and mixing of the 

 Dung, the fame Care muft be taken, 

 as hath been advifed already for 

 Cucumbers, which in every refpect 

 muft be the fame for thefe Beds, ex- 

 cepting that of making Holes in the 

 Dung, where the Plants are to be 

 placed, which fhould not be praclifed 

 for Melons ; but the Dung laid in 

 •every Part fmooih and even. When 

 the Bed is made, the Frames Ihould 

 be placed over it, to keep out Wet; 

 but there Ihould be no Earth laid 

 upon it, till after it has been three 

 or four Days made, and is found of 

 a proper Temperature of Heat: for 

 many times thefe Beds will heat fo 

 violently when they are firft made, 

 as to burn the Earth, if covered 

 with it : and when this happens, it 

 is much the belt way to take this 

 Earth off again ; for the Plants will 

 never thrive in it. 



As foon as the Bed is found to be 

 of a proper Warmth, the Earth 

 fhould be laid upon it, which at firft 

 reed not be more than two Inches 

 thick, except in the middle of each 

 Light, where the Piants are to be 

 placed, where there muft be raifed 

 an Hill, fifteen Inches high or more, 

 terminating in a flat Cone : in two 

 Days after the Earth is put on the 

 Bed, it will be of a proper Temper 

 to receive the Plants : then in the 

 Evening you may tranfplant the 

 Plants ; but always do it when there 

 is little Wind llirring : in taking up 



of the Plants, their Roots mould b€ 

 carefully raifed with a Trowel, fo 

 fo as to preferve all their Fibres ; for 

 if thefe are broken off, the Plants 

 rarely take well ; or if they reco- 

 ver, they are generally weaker, and 

 never make fo good Vines, as thofe 

 which are more carefully removed ; 

 for thefe Plants are more nice and 

 tender in tranfpl anting, than thofe 

 of Cucumber, efpecialiy the Can* 

 tahupe Melon ; which if it is not 

 planted out, fcon after the third (or 

 what the Gardeners call the rough) 

 Leaf is put out, they are long re- 

 covering their Vigour; fo that when 

 it happens, that the Beds cannot be 

 ready for them in time, it will be a 

 good Method to plant each Plant 

 into a fmall Pot, while they are 

 young ; and thefe may be plunged 

 into the Hot- bed, where they were 

 raifed, or into a Cucumber-bed, where 

 there is room ; fo that they may be 

 brought forward : and when the 

 Bed is ready, thefe may be turned 

 out of the Pots, with the whole Ball 

 of Earth to their Roots ; whereby 

 they will receive no Check in re- 

 moving : and this latter Method is 

 what I mould prefer to any other 

 for the Cantaleupe ; becaufe there 

 Ihould never be more than one Plant 

 left to grow in each Light; there- 

 fore in this Method there will be no 

 Neceility of planting more ; as there 

 will be no Danger of their fucceed- 

 ing ; whereas, in the common way, 

 rnoft People plant two or more Plants 

 in each Light, for fear fome fhould 

 mifcarry. When the Plants are 

 placed on the Top of the Hills, they 

 mould be gently watered ; which 

 mould be repeated two or three times 

 in a Week ; i>ut it muft be done 

 with great Moderation ; for when 

 they receive too much Wet, they of- 

 ten canker at the Root ; and when 

 that happens, they never produce 

 K k k 4 good 



