ifie Sun. But let the foot of the Melon never paf$ into the dung, 
nor the earth be water'd but moderately, when you fee it grows 
too dry, fo as the flioot might i hereby fuffer 5 which yet you 
muft not delay, till it happen, left the remedy come too late. I 
water twice or thrice a week in very hot weather^ and that about 
Sun-fet 5 and I cover my Melons with a Straw-mat from eleven 
of the Clock in the fore- noon to two in the after-noon,when the 
heat of the Sun is too violent, and too quickly confuming that 
little moifture,which is nectffary for the root. And when it rain- 
cth, I cover alfo my Melon-garden, left too much wet hurt my 
fruit. There is fomefubjedlionin this, but 'cisalfo apleafurcto 
thrive in working by Rule. 
If the root produce too many branches or arms, cut away the 
weakeft of them , and leave none but 3 . or 4, of the ftrongeft 
and moft vigorous, and fuch as have their knots neareft to one 
another. When I tranfplant my Melons from the Nurfery- 
bed, I put commonly two roots together, except I find one ve- 
ry ftrong, which I then plant alone, cutting from it neither of 
the branches that flioot from each fide (mar k'c 7. 7.) betwixt the 
one Ear and the Leaf before fpokcn of. But when I joyn two 
roots together, I quite cut away both the branches, that flioot 
from the two Ears,ftanding one over againft the other, to avoid 
the difordering abundance of branches 5 which alfo would wrong 
the foot. 
The Melons being knit , I leave but tmoi them upon each 
foot, chufing thofe, that are beft placed, and next to the firft and 
principal Stalk, that is^ to the heart of the foot. I alfo take care, 
to leavenone but fair ones, and fuch as have a fliort and thick 
tail. The foot alfo of your Melon muft be fliort, welltrufs'd, 
and not far diftant from the ground. Melons of a long ftem, and 
having the ftalk of the Leaf too long and flender, are never vi- 
gorous, and cannot yield good Melons. 
It happens foraetimes, that at the very firft there flioot out 
from between the two Ears, tm Leaves, though I above fpoke 
but of eneh but this happens but feldom 5 and when it does/uch 
two leaves muft be reckoned but for one knot 5 and afterwards 
there will (hoot out a fecond, then a third, &c. andfoon to 25 
or 30, if you be not careful to cat in time : And it is at the ex- 
tremity 
