M E 



M E 



good Fruit. When the Plants have 

 eftablilhed themfelves well in the 

 new Beds, they will require little 

 more Water ; but there fliould be a 

 greater Quantity of Earth laid on 

 the Bed, beginning round the Hills 

 where the Plants grow, that their 

 Roots may have room to ftrike out : 

 and as the Earth is put in from time 

 to time, it muft be trodden or preffed 

 down as clofe as poflible ; and it 

 ihould be raifed at leaft a Foot and 

 an half thick upon the Dung, obferv- 

 ing alfo to raife the Frames, that the 

 Glafles may not be too near thePlants, 

 left the Sun mould fcorch them. 



When the Plants have gotten four 

 Leaves, the Top of the Plants mould 

 be pinched off with the Finger and 

 Thumb ; but not bruifed, or cut with 

 a Knife ; becaufe in cither of thefe 

 Cafes the Wound will not fo foon 

 heal over : this Pinching is to caufe 

 the Plants to put out lateral Branches ; 

 ior thefe are what will produce the 

 Fruit; therefore when there are two 

 or more of thefe lateral Shoots pro- 

 duced, they muft alfo be pinched, to 

 force out more ; and this muft be 

 pra&ifed often, that there may be a 

 Supply of Runners to cover the Bed : 

 the Management of thefe Beds muft 

 be nearly the fame as hath been di- 

 rected for the Cucumbers ; therefore 

 I need not repeat it here ; but mail 

 only obferve, that the Melons re- 

 quire a greater Share of Air than 

 Cucumbers, and very little Water; 

 and when it is given to them, it 

 mould be at a Pittance from their 

 Stems. 



Jf the Plants have fucceeded well, 

 they will fpread over the Bed, and 

 reach to the Frames, in about five 

 or fix Weeks ; at which time the 

 Alleys between the Beds mould be 

 dug out ; or where there is but one 

 Bed, there 'mould be a Trench made 

 on each Side, of about four Feet 



wide, as low as the Bottom of the 

 Bed; and hot Dung wheeled in, to 

 r&fe a Lining to the fame Height as 

 the Dung of the Bed, which mould 

 be trodden down clofe ; and after- 

 ward covered with the fame Earth 

 as was laid upon the Bed, to the 

 Thicknefs of a Foot and an half or 

 more, treading it down as clofe 

 as poftible: this will add to the 

 Width of the Bed, fo much as to 

 make it in the Whole twelve Feet 

 broad, which isabfolutely neceifary; 

 for the Roots of the Plants will ex- 

 tend themfelves quite thro 1 it ; and 

 it is for want of this Precaution, that 

 it is common to fee the Vines of Me- 

 lons decay, before the Fruit is well 

 grown ; for where there is no Addi- 

 tion made to the Width of the Bed, 

 the Roots will have reached the Sides 

 of the Beds by the time that the 

 Fruit appears ; and having no more 

 room to extend themfelves, their Ex- 

 tremities are dried by the Sun and 

 Air ; which is foon difcovered by the 

 Plants hanging their Leaves in the 

 Heat of the Day, which is foon at- 

 tended with a Decay of many of 

 thofe Leaves, which are near the- 

 Stem ; and the Plants from that time 

 gradually languifh ; fo that the Fruit 

 cannot be fupplied with Nourifh- 

 ment ; but when ripe, will be found 

 to have little Flem, and that mealy 

 and ill-flavour'd : whereas thofe 

 Plants which have fufneient Breadth 

 for their Roots to run, and the Earth 

 laid of a proper Depth, and clofely 

 trod down, will remain in Vigour 

 until the Froft deftroys them; fo 

 that I have had a fecond Crop of 

 Fruit on them, which have fome- 

 times ripened well ; but all the firft 

 were excellent, and of a larger Size 

 than thefe Sorts ufuaily grow : the 

 Leaves of thefe Plants were very 

 large, and of a ftrong Green ; fa 

 that they were in the utmoft Vigour ; 



whereas^ 



