C 318 ] 



XLVIII. Account of a New Melon, with a Description of the 

 Method by which it was obtained. By Mr. David Anderson, 

 F. H. S. Gardener to the Lord Montagu, at Ditton Park, 

 near Windsor. 



Read September 7th, 1819- 



Th e Melon which I had the honour of exhibiting to the 

 Society, under the name of the Montagu Cantaloup, was raised 

 by me in the garden at Ditton Park, in the following man- 

 ner : having cultivated a Green-fleshed Melon, which, though 

 it had much excellence, did not keep long after it became 

 ripe, it occurred to me that this defect might be corrected, 

 if I could obtain seed produced by the impregnation of the 

 female flowers with the pollen of some other kind of Melon, 

 which had firmer flesh ; and in the year 1815 1 carried my 

 proposed experiment into effect. 



In the last week of April, I ridged out two of the Green- 

 fleshed Melon plants under the centre light of a three-light 

 frame, planting some of a good Scarlet-fleshed Melon under 

 the two outside lights, and kept the whole in a state of luxu- 

 riant growth, watering them freely till the beginning of June, 

 when they had nearly filled the frame, and shewed fruit 

 abundantly. I then withheld the water, and as the blossoms 

 opened, I impregnated all the female flowers of the Green- 

 fleshed Melons with the male flowers of the other kind. The 

 fruit thus impregnated set well, and under the usual manage- 

 ment, I obtained from the centre light six fine Melons, in 

 two of which a very sensible change was perceptible ; their 



