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Plant, could not fupply them with 

 Sufficient Nour JJiment ; fo that when 

 they come to be as large as the End 

 of a Man's Thumb, they all drop 

 off, and fcarce one of them fets; 

 which will be prevented by the Me- 

 thod before directed : but there are 

 fome Perfons, who are fo covetous 

 of having a Number of Fruit, as 

 not to fuffer any to be taken off ; 

 tvhercby they generally fail in their 

 Expectation. My allowing but one 

 Fruit to be left upon each Runner 

 is, becaufe if half of thefe ftand, 

 there will be full as many Fruit as 

 the Plant can nourifh : for if there 

 are more than eight upon one Plant, 

 the Fruit will be fmall, and not fo 

 well nourished : indeed I have fome 

 times feen fifteen or twenty Melons 

 upon one Plant ; but thefe have ge- 

 nerally been of the fmaller Kinds, 

 which do not require fo much 

 Nourifhment as the Cantaleupes, 

 whofe Skins are of a thick Subftance; 

 fo that where a greater Number are 

 left of them, than the Plants can 

 well fupply, their Flefh will be re- 

 markably thin. 



As I before advifed the flopping, 

 or pinching off, the Runners three 

 Joints above the Fruit ; fo by this 

 there will be frelh Runners produced 

 a little below the Places where the 

 others were pinched ; therefore it is, 

 that I advife the careful looking over 

 the Vines fo often, to flop thefe new. 

 Runners foon after they come out ; 

 as alfo to pull off the young Fruit 

 which will appear ; and this mull be 

 repeated as often as it is found ne- 

 ceflary, which will be until thofe in- 

 tended to ftand are grown fo large 

 as to draw all the Nourishment which 

 the Plants can fupply ; for then the 

 Plants will begin to abate of their 

 Vigour. Thefe few Directions, if 

 properly made ufe of, is all the 

 pruning which is neceffary to be 



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given them ; but at the fame time- 

 when this is pra&ifed, it may be ne- 

 ceflary to give fome Water to the 

 Plants, but at a Diftance from their 

 Steins ; which will be of Service to 

 fet the Fruit, and caufe it to fwell ; 

 but this mult be done with great 

 Caution. 



The Glafles of the Hot-bed mould 

 alfo be raifed high, to admit a large 

 Share of Air to the Plants, otherwife 

 the Fruit will not fet : and if the 

 Seafon mould prove very warm, the 

 Glaffes may be frequently drawn off, 

 efpecially in an Evening, to receive 

 the Dews, provided there is little 

 Wind ftirring ; but theGlaffes Ihould 

 not remain off the whole Night, left 

 the Cold mould prove too great. 



When the Plants have extended 

 themfelves from under the Frames, 

 if the Weather mould alter to Cold, 

 it will be neceffary to cover their 

 Extremities every Night with Mats; 

 for if thefe Shoots are injured, it 

 will retard the Growth of the Fruit; 

 and often proves very injurious to 

 the Plants : and now what Water is 

 given to the Plants, mould be in the 

 Alleys between the Beds ; for as the 

 Roots of the Vines will by this time 

 have extended themfelves thro' the 

 Alleys, fo when the Ground there 

 is well moiftened, the Plants will re* 

 ceive the Benefit of it : and by this 

 Method the Stems of the Plants 

 will be preferved dry, whereby they 

 will continue found: but thefe Wa- 

 terings fliould not be repeated of- 

 tener than once a Week in dry warm 

 Weather ; and be fare to give as 

 much Air as pofiible to the Plants, 

 when the Sealon is warm. 



Having given full Inftru£tions for 

 the Management of thofe Melons, 

 which are raifed under Frames, I 

 fhall next proceed to treat of thofe 

 which are raifed under Bell or 

 Hand-glailes. The Plants for thefe 



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