MELONS. 
127 
seen at Mr. Mortimer's Farnham nursery, where eight long houses, all 
span-roofed and so low that they were entered by sunken doors and paths, 
were all devoted just now to Melons. Two crops a year were taken, but 
from diverse plantings — one quite early in the year and one at mid- 
summer. The houses being low needed less fire heat than did bigger 
ones. The plants grew in single rows on either side of the houses, not 
on mounds, but in troughs 20 inches wide, and with sides 6 inches deep. 
They had open or trellis bottoms, were of wood, and movable. These 
were set up just over the side pipes, filled with good loamy soil, and the 
plants put out at about 14 inches apart, each one carrying, after the first 
wire was reached two shorter branches. In that way splendid crops of 
Melons were produced. When the first crop was cut the plants were 
cleared out, also the troughs and soil : the former were cleansed and lime- 
washed, then replaced with fresh soil and plants, and thus the second 
crop was taken off. Of course the flowers carrying fruit were fertilised 
with pollen from the male blooms as fast as they were produced, but in 
no case did one plant carry more than about four fruits. These were 
invariably fine, and shanking of plants or defects in the fruit were of 
the rarest. The collection usually included all the best known varieties, 
old and new. One great feature of Mr. Mortimer's culture, which he 
had specially noticed, was that the houses and the atmosphere in them 
were kept much less damp than was habitually the case. It was common 
experience to find in Melon-houses not only tanks of water, but the floor 
all slops and puddles, and the atmosphere reeking with humidity. That 
sort of thing was never seen at Farnham, and to it he attributed much 
of the success which attended Mr. Mortimer's method of culture. It was 
a matter for considerable comment how far culture or treatment did or 
did not affect flavour. It was so odd that whilst certain varieties had 
high reputations for flavour, yet they exhibited it relatively so seldom. 
To what was that irregularity of character due ? It could not be to 
variety ; hence it seemed as if culture must be at fault. Possibly we 
should find greater average high flavour in Melons if a drier system were 
generally adopted. 
Mr. D. Harrison, who is very successful in growing Melons out of 
doors, said : — ^" The plants I raise in a hot-bed, having no Melon or 
Cucumber-house. For the first crop I sow early in March, and afterwards 
plant out on a partly exhausted hot-bed, and as soon as the plants have 
become established I leave the lights off night and day, although, should 
the weather suddenly become colder or rough, I put the lights on during 
the change. Or for later use I make a hillock on the hard ground, with 
the same treatment. In this way I have obtained Melons measuring 
18 inches in circumference and of excellent quality." 
