86 
THE CULTURE OF THE MELON. 
mould may Form a ridge round the ball of 
earth, heaped close up against it all round, and 
making a kind of basin, into which some water 
of the same temperature as the inside of the 
frame should be put to settle the earth about 
the roots ; this repeated to the other two 
heaps, and it is complete. Air must now be 
given in the middle of the day by lifting the 
light a little behind. • As the roots come 
through the sides of the heap of mould, other 
must be heaped round that for the roots to 
run into, and at length the mould may be 
levelled all over the frame to a good foot deep. 
A glass should be kept in the bed to enable 
you to look to the temperature, which should 
never be allowed to get below 65, and, as the 
fruit is swelling and approaching ripeness, not 
less than 75, but more will not injure them. 
LINING THE BEDS. 
When there is any indication of the tem- 
perature getting down, as will always be the 
case after three weeks, you must be prepared 
with a quantity of hot dung to line the bed, 
as it is called. This is done by taking away 
all the dung that stands beyond the frame 
down straight to the ground, in front and one 
end, as quickly as possible, and even to under- 
mine it a little, and place there fresh hot well- 
prepared dung to take its place, well closing 
it up and putting fully as much beyond the 
frame as there was at first, and sloping it out 
like a bank besides. This accession of heat 
will be found to reinstate the temperature, and 
pei'haps somewhat more. And, as soon as it 
is declining again, serve the back of the bed 
and the other end just in the same way. 
Heat must always be economized from the 
first, by covering the sides of the dung itself 
with mats, or old carpets, or hop- sacks, or 
wrappers, for otherwise a good deal of heat 
will escape without doing any good part in 
the operation. The frames ought also to be 
well covered of nights from the first, but 
wherever steam arises from the bed, it must 
have vent by a slight tilting of the light at 
the back. As the plants throw out their side 
shoots, observe if there be any incipient fruit, 
and, if not, stop them at the third joint. If 
there be any, merely regulate the shoots so as 
to keep out of each other's way, and fill the 
space allotted to them ; take away altogether, 
or materially shorten, any which indicate no 
fruit. Do not allow more than three fruit to 
remain on one plant ; and if you are growing 
for show, where size is an object, leave only 
the best, but you must not trust to the selec- 
tion until the fruit has fairly indicated which 
will be the most handsome ; generally speak- 
ing, a vine will perfect three handsome well- 
fiavoured fruit, but they should only be one 
on a branch. There may be exceptions, and 
we have seen, after every vine had borne its 
three, the plants set off again and keep bearing 
fruit of good flavour, though small size, up to 
the very end of August. It is necessary, of 
course, to place the fruit on some flat dry sur- 
face, and it is almost impossible to give too 
little water, or too much heat, if the plants be 
but kept from downright flagging, for on this 
depends much of the flavour ; and so ticklish 
is this quality, so easily is it effected, that a 
sudden chill, by giving water of lower tem- 
perature than the frame, or by allowing the 
heat of the bed to go down materially, will 
disappoint the grower of the best kinds. 
IN LATE CROPS OF MELONS. 
Independently of sowing in March or later, 
and thus working for later or successive crops, 
a second crop may be promoted by cutting 
back to a strong joint any vine that has done 
its work; so that you keep up, by constant 
linings, the proper heat of the bed, new lateral 
shoots will be made, and a new season of 
bearing be commenced, sometimes as prolific 
as the first. The power of the sun does much 
towards this second crop, but the heat of 
beds must be preserved by linings, or the 
fruit will not be matured. Vine after vine of 
those which have given early fruit may be cut 
back until the whole are thus prepared for the 
second or late crop. Fresh compost may be 
spread three inches thick all over the bed, and 
the other soil mixed with it as well as it can 
be forked together without disturbing the 
roots ; good refreshing waterings with water 
heated to 70 or 80, and then close up the 
frames a few hours, will be all that is required, 
except that very little air need be given (and 
that little at the back) until you see the vines 
making their new lateral shoots. They may 
then be treated as new vines — the heat kept 
up as much as possible by linings or other- 
wise, air given occasionally, and all the sun; 
the same pains taken with the fruit, and even 
greater restriction as to the number each vine 
is to bear. The fruit will, perhaps, not be so 
large, but it will be as finely flavoured, if the 
same care is taken about heat and cold, and 
restriction as to water, except when the plants 
absolutely require it to prevent their drooping. 
TO GROW MELONS UNDER HAND-GLASSES. 
Prepare, by digging out a space four feet 
wide, and as long as you please, and one foot 
deep, a place for the reception of three feet 
thickness of good stable dung, or dung and 
leaves ; let this be piled up properly, and the 
foot that has been taken out of the bottom, 
may be thrown at top of it, evenly spread 
over the surface of the dung, or dung and 
leaves. This shall be the last week in May. 
Bring out the plants all ready to turn out of 
their pots, and down the centre of this heap 
