By Thomas Andrew Knight, Esq. 587 



Melon only. But the fruits set and succeed sufficiently well 

 in a common hot-bed ; and the important point, to which I 

 wish to draw the attention of the gardener, is the weight of 

 fruit which any given extent of glass roof is capable of pro- 

 ducing in high perfection. I have found that thirteen inches 

 square of glass roof will afford me a pound of excellent fruit ; 

 but I sometimes obtain more : though whenever I wish to 

 save seeds, my wishes are to have rather less. This quantity 

 will probably appear small to many who are in the habit of 

 cultivating some other varieties : but if the roof of a vinery 

 were seen with a bunch of Grapes of a pound weight, at 

 thirteen inches distance from each other over the whole extent 

 of its roof, the crop would be thought extremely great ; 

 though the vine has always the advantage of having its roots 

 and stems, and leaves and blossoms, prepared in the pre- 

 ceding year, whilst the Melon plant has every thing to do 

 within the space of three or four months. 



the rind of the Ispahan, as of other Persian Melons, being 

 very soft and thin, the fruit is apt to sustain injury upon its 

 under side, if it be not properly supported ; and I, therefore, 

 when I raise any of those varieties in a hot-bed, always place 

 the fruit, whilst very young, upon a little machine in the form 

 of a short broad ladder, of a foot long, and four inches wide. 

 This, which has four slender cross bars, is supported at its 

 corners by four forked pegs, which are stuck into the mould 

 of the bed ; and the fruit is thus raised some inches above 

 the surface of the mould of the bed, and exposed to light, 

 whilst the air is permitted to pass freely under it. I send a 

 few seeds of the large Melon above mentioned, with the hope 

 that some other Members of our Society will succeed as well 



