368 THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. [May. 
they must be thinned, leaving only three of the strongest in each 
hole, drawing a little earth about their stems, and giving a light 
watering, to settle it close to the roots. 
When the plants have two rough leaves, they must be slopped 
or topped, as directed in page 121, which see. This operation is 
very necessary to throw them into a fruiting state, before they run 
too much into vine. 
As the plants advance in growth, they must have gentle and fre- 
quent waterings, and plenty of air admitted, by the raising of the 
glasses on props; under which, suffer them to run out, as they in- 
crease in growth. The glasses may be totally taken off about the 
end of the month. 
Solving Melons and Cucumbers, in the open Ground. 
About the tenth of this month will be a good time, in the middle 
states, to sow a general crop of Melons, in the open ground; from 
a week to a month earlier, to the southward, according to the re- 
spective situations; and between the fifteenth and twentieth, in the 
eastern states. It is remarked that musk and water melons, cu- 
cumbers, pumpkins, squashes, gourds, and all the varieties of these 
families, may be sown, at the periods in which people g^etierally 
plant Indian corn; but in order to have them as early as possible 
in the open ground, a few patches may be sown ten days or more, 
before the dates above mentioned; which with good care may suc- 
ceed very well, especially if the season proves favourable. 
For the varieties of the Musk or Cantaleupe Melons, prepare a 
piece of rich sandy ground, well exposed to the sun; manure it and 
give it a good digging, then mark it out into squares of six feet 
every way; at the angle of every square, dig a hole twelve inches 
deep and eighteen over, into which put seven or eight inches deep, 
of old hot-bed dung; or very rotten manure; ihrow thereon about 
four inches of earth, and mix the dung and earth well with the 
spade, after which, draw the remainder of the earth, over ihe mixture 
so as to form a round hill, about a foot broad at top. Some people 
use hot stable dung, under an idea that its heat would promote the 
vegetation of the seed; this is a mistaken notion, as in a few hours 
it loses all it had, for want of a sufficient quantity being together, 
to promote fermentation, and becomes a dryish wisp, unfit, at least, 
for the present, to afford either heat or nourishment to the plants. 
When your hills are all prepared as above, plant in each, towards 
the centre, eight or nine grains of good melon seed, distant two in- 
ches from one another, and cover them about half an inch deep. 
When the plants are up and in a state of forwardness, producing 
their rough leaves, they must be thinned to two or three in each 
hill; the extra number in some, may serve to fill up deficiencies in 
others: draw earth, from time to time, round the hills, and as high 
about the roots of the plants as the seed leaves; when fit, stop them 
as directed in page 122; after which, keep the ground, by frequent 
hoeings, perfectly free from weeds. 
