MEL 
MEL 
than thefe forts ufually grow : the leaves of there 
plants were very large, and of a ftrong green, fo 
that they were in the utmoft vigour ; whereas, in moft 
places where the Cantaleupe Melons have been raifed 
in England, the beds have been no wider than they 
were firfb made, and perhaps not more than three 
inches thicknefs of earth upon them, fo that the plants 
have decayed many times without producing a fingle 
fruit i and from thence people have imagined, that 
this fort of Melon was too tender for this climate, 
when their ill fuccefs was entirely owing to their not 
underftanding their culture. 
There is alfo another advantage attending this method 
of widening the beds, as above directed, which is 
that of adding a frelh warmth to the beds, by the hot 
dung, which is buried on each fide, which will caufe 
the dung in the bed to renew its heat ; and as the 
plants will by this time fhew their fruit, this addi- 
tional heat will be of great fervice in fetting the fruit, 
efpecialiy if the feafon Ihould prove cold, as it often 
happens in this country in the month of May. When 
the beds are made up in the manner here direfted, 
and the Vines have extended fo far as to fill the 
frames, and want more room, the frames Ihould be 
raifed up with bricks about three inches high, to ad- 
mit the fhoots of the Vines to run from under them ■, 
for if the plants are ftrong, they will run fix or feven 
feet each way from the items ; for which reafon, I 
caution every one to allow them room, and to put 
but one plant in each light ; for when the Vines are 
crowded, the fruit feldom will fet well, but will drop 
off when they are as large as an egg ; therefore the 
frames which are defigned for Melons ihould not be 
made fmall, but rather fix feet wide •, for the wider 
thefe are, the better will the plants thrive, and produce 
a greater plenty of fruit. 
There is no part of gardening, in which the prac- 
titioners of this art differ more than in the pruning 
and managing of thefe plants : nor are there any rules 
laid down in the feveral books in which the culture of 
Melons have been treated of, by which any perfon 
can be inftrudted ; for there is fuch inconfiftency in 
all their diredlions, and what is worfe, the greateft 
part of them are abfurd, fo that whoever follows them 
can never hope to fucceed ; therefore I fhall, in as 
few words as poffible, give fuch plain directions; as 
I hope will be fufficient to inftrubt any perfon, who is 
the leaft converfant in thefe things. 
I have before advifed the pinching off the ends of the 
plants as foon as they have a joint, in order to get 
lateral fhoots, which are by the gardeners called run- 
ners ; and when thefe ffioots have two or three joints, 
to pinch off their tops to force out more runners, be- 
caufe it is from thefe that the fruit is to be produced ; 
but after a fufficient number are put out, they ffiould 
not be flopped again, but wait for the appearance of 
the fruit, which will foon come out in plenty ; at 
which time the Vines fhould be carefully looked over 
three times a week, to obferve the fruit, and make 
choice of one upon each runner, which is fituated 
neareft the Item, having the largeft foot-ffalk, and 
that appears to be the ftrongeft fruit, and then pinch 
off all the other fruit which may appear on the fame 
runner ; alfo pinch off the end of the runner at the 
third joint above the fruit, and if the runner is 
gently pinched at the next joint above the fruit, it 
will flop the lap and fet the fruit. There is alfo ano- 
ther method pra&ifed by fome gardeners to fet this 
fruit, which is the taking off fome of the male flowers, 
whole farina are juft ripe and fit for the purpofe, lay- 
ing them over the female flowers, which are fituated 
on the crown of the young fruit, and with their nails 
gently ftrike the male flowers to lhake the farina into 
the female flowers, whereby they are impregnated, 
and the fruit foon after will fwell, and ffiew vifible 
figns of their being perfectly fet ; fo that where the 
plants are under frames, and the wind excluded from 
them, which is neceffary to convey the farina from 
the male to the female flowers, this pradtice may be 
very neceffary. The taking off all the other fruit 
6 
will prevent the nouriffiment being drawn away froni 
the fruit intended to grow, which, if they were all 
left on the plant, could not be fupplied with fuffi- 
cient nouriffiment ; fo that when they come to be 
as large as the end of a man’s thumb, they frequently 
drop off, and fcarce one of them lets; which will be 
prevented by the method before diredted : but there 
are fome perfons, who are fo covetous of having A 
number of fruit, as not to fuffer any to be taken off; 
whereby they generally fail in their expedition. My 
allowing but one fruit to be left upon each runner is, 
becaufe if half thefe Hand there will be full as many 
fruit as the plant can nouriffi ; for if there are more 
than eight upon one plant, the fruit Will be fmall 
and not fo well nouriffied : indeed, I have fometimes 
feen fifteen or twenty Melons upon one plant, but 
thefe have generally been of the fmaller kinds, which 
do not require fo much nouriffiment as the Canta™ 
leupes, whofe lldns are of a thick fubftance • fo that 
where a greater number are left of them than the 
plants can well ftipply, their fleffi will be remarkably 
thin. . V , 
As I before advifed the flopping or pinching off the 
runners three joints above the fruit, fo by this there 
will be freffi runners produced a little below the places 
where the others were pinched ; therefore it is, that I 
advife the careful looking over the Vines fo often, to 
flop thefe new runners foon after they come out, a£ 
alfo to pull off the young fruit which will appear •, and 
this muft be repeated as often as is found neceffary, 
which will be until thofe intended to ftand are grown 
fo large as to draw all the nouriffiment which the 
plants can fupply, for then the plants will begin 
to abate of their vigour. Thefe few diredtions, if 
properly made ufe of, is all the pruning which is ne- 
ceffary to be given them 5 but at the fame time when 
this is pradlifed, it may be neceffary to give fome wa- 
ter to the plants, but at a diftance from their Items, 
which will be of fervice to fet the fruit and caufe it to 
fwell, but this muft be done with great caution. 
The glaffes of the hot-bed ffiould alfo be raifed High, 
to admit a large ffiare of air to the plants, otherwife 
the fruit will not fet ; and if the feafon fliould prove 
very warm, the glaffes may be frequently drawn off, 
efpecialiy in an evening, to receive the dews, pro- 
vided there is but little wind ftirring ; but the glaffes 
ffiould not remain off the whole night, left the cold 
ffiould prove too great ; but in warm weather, the 
glaffes may be kept off from ten in the morning till 
evening. , 
When the plants have extended themfelves from un- 
der the frames, if the weather ffiould alter to cold, 
it will be neceffary to cover their extremities every 
night with mats •, for if thefe fhoots are injured, it 
will retard the growth of the fruit, and often proves 
very injurious to the plants : and now what water is 
given to the plants, ffiould be in the alleys between 
the beds 5 for as the roots of the Vines will by this 
time have extended themfelves through the alleys, fo 
when the ground there is well moiftened, the plants 
will receive the benefit of it * and by this method, the 
items of the plants will be preferved dry, whereby 
they will continue found •, but thefe waterings ffiould 
not be repeated oftener than once a week in very dry 
warm weather, and be lure to give as much air as pof- 
fible to the plants when the feafon is warrm 
Having given full inftrueftionsfor the management of 
thofe Melons which are raifed under frames, I fhall 
next proceed to treat of thofe which are raifed under 
bell or hand-glaffes. The plants for thefe muft be 
raifed in the fame manner as hath been already di- 
re&ed, and about the latter end of Aprril, if the fea- 
fon proves forward, will be a good time to make the 
beds ; therefore a fufficient quantity of hot dung 
fliould be provided, in proportion to the intended 
number of glaftes, allowing fix or eight good wheel- 
barrows of dung to each glafs. Where there is but 
one bed, which is propofed to be extended in length, 
the trench ffiould be dug out four feet and a half 
wide, and the length according to the number of 
