By Thomas Andrew Knight, Esq. 223 



of a proper construction, upon the brick-tiles, between the 

 leaves, without at all touching them ; and thus managed, I 

 had the pleasure to see, that the foliage remained erect and 

 healthy. The fruit also grew with very extraordinary rapidity, 

 ripened in an unusually short time, and acquired a degree of 

 perfection, which I had never previously seen. 



As soon as a sufficient quantity of fruit ( between twenty 

 and thirty pounds) on each plant is set, I would recommend 

 the further production of foliage to be prevented, by pinching 

 off the lateral shoots as soon as produced, wherever more 

 foliage can not be exposed to the light. No part of the full 

 grown leaves should ever be destroyed before the fruit is 

 gathered unless they injure each other, by being too much 

 crowded together ; for each leaf, when full grown, however 

 distant from the fruit, and growing on a distinct branch of 

 the plant, still contributes to its support ; and hence it arises, 

 that when a plant has as great a number of growing fruit 

 upon part of its branches, as it is capable of feeding, the 

 blossoms upon other branches, which extend in an opposite 

 direction, prove abortive. 



The variety of Melon, which I exclusively cultivate, is little 

 known in this country, and was imported from Salonica by 

 Mr. Hawkins. Its form is nearly spherical, when the fruit 

 is most perfect, and without any depressions upon its sur- 

 face; its colour approaching to that of gold, and its flesh 

 perfectly white. It requires a much greater state of maturity 

 than any other variety of its species, and continues to improve 

 in flavour and richness, till it becomes externally soft, and 

 betrays some symptoms of incipient decay. The consistence 



vol. i. G G 



