May,] 



THE FORCING GARDEN. 



729 



finger and thumb, which will in a great measure prevent their 

 bleeding. 



The plants so treated should be shaded from the mid-day's 

 sun for a few days, exposing them by degrees. Let the mould 

 in the frames be well watered and fresh surfaced with fresh 

 mould. Previously to laying on this additional fresh mould, 

 fork up the surface carefully with a bit of stick, but not so as 

 to injure the roots. For some time after this operation, the 

 frames should be kept shut up rather close, which will induce 

 the plants to push out fresh roots ; and as they appear to be 

 rooting, and breaking into fresh shoots, let air be again ad- 

 mitted gradually until they be fully re-established. After this, 

 give air, water, prune and train them, and otherwise manage 

 them, as if they were young plants. After this second crop 

 is cut, proceed in like manner to prepare for a third. 



The successional crops of melons should be attended to, as 

 directed above for the early crops ; and if attention be paid 

 to these hints, or improved upon, the success will be complete. 



Ridges should now be put up for planting out melons, to 

 produce their fruit under bell or hand-glasses. These ridges 

 should be put up as already directed for cucumbers. — (See last 

 month.) Or beds may be put up similar to those for the pro- 

 duction of the earlier crops, and covered with frames and 

 sashes fitted with oil-paper instead of glass. The plants for 

 this purpose being raised from seeds sown in March, or the 

 beginning of last month, will be now of a proper size for final 

 transplantation into frames of the above description. The 

 general management of melon-plants in such frames, is the 

 same as of those under glass, as has been already described. 



Plants now put out under such frames or upon ridges co- 

 vered with hand-glass, will produce their fruit by the end of 

 July, and in August and the beginning of September they 

 will be in perfection. Beds are sometimes made up for the 

 production of these fruits in the form of an inclined plane, pre- 

 senting their sloping side to the sun ; and such beds appear 

 to have been the most primitive form, both for the production 

 of cucumbers and melons, and are reported to have been in 

 use, amongst the commercial and private gardeners, so early 

 as Charles the Second's reign, and were covered with straw 



