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glaffes, which fhould not be placed nearer thaft four 
feet to each other ; for when the plants are too near 
each other, the Vines will intermix, and fill the bed 
fo clofely as to prevent the fruit from fetting : in dig- 
ging the trench, it fhould be fo fituated, as to allow 
for the widening of the bed three or four feet on each 
fide | the depth mufc be according as the foil is dry or 
wet ; but, as was before obferved, if the foil is fo dry 
as that there is no danger of the beds being hurt by 
the wet, the lower they are made in the ground the 
better : in the making of the beds, the fame regard 
muft be had to the well mixing and laying of the dung 
as was before direded ; and after the dung is laid, 
there fhould be a hill of earth raifed, where each 
plant is to ftand, one foot and a half high ; the other 
part of the bed need not as yet be covered more than 
four inches thick, which will be fufficient to keep the 
warmth of the dung from evaporating ; then the 
glades fhould be placed over the hills, and fet down 
clofe, in order to warm the earth of the hills to receive 
the plants ; and if the beds work kindly, they will 
be in a proper temperature to receive the plants in 
two or three days after making ; then the plants 
fhould be removed, in the fame manner as was before 
direded ; and if they are in pots, fo that there will 
be no danger of their growing, there fhould but one 
plant be put under each glafs ; and if they are not in 
pots, there fhould be two, one of which may be af- 
terward taken away, if they both grow. Thele plants 
muft be watered at firft planting, to fettle the earth 
to their roots, and fhaded every day until they have 
taken new root ; and if the nights prove cold, it will 
be proper to cover the glaffes with mats, to preferve 
the warmth of the bed. 
Where there are feveral of the beds intended, they 
fhould be placed at eight feet diftance from each 
other, that there may be a proper fpace left between 
them, to be afterward filled up, for the root of the 
Vines to have room for extending themfelves, for the 
reafons before given. 
When the plants have taken good root in the beds, 
their tops muft be pinched off; and their pruning, 
'&c. muft, from time to time, be the fame as for thofe 
under the frames. In the day time, when the weather 
is warm, the glaffes fhould be raifed on the oppofite 
fide to the wind, to admit frefh air to the plants ; for 
where this is not obferved, they will draw up weak 
and fickly, therefore all poffible care fhould be taken 
to prevent this ; for if the runners have not proper 
ftrength, they can never fupply the fruit with nou- 
rifhment. 
When the plants are grown fo long as to reach the 
ftdes of the glaffes, if the weather proves favourable, 
the glaffes muft be fet on three bricks, fo as to raife 
them about two inches from the furface of the beds, 
to give room for the Vines to run out from under 
them ; but when this is done, the beds fhould be co- 
vered all over with earth to the depth of one foot and 
a half, and trod down as clofe as poffible ; and if the 
nights fhould prove cold, there fhould be a covering 
of mats put over the beds, to prevent the cold from 
injuring the tender fhoots of the Vines ; but as the 
Vines of the Contaleupe Melons are impatient of wet, 
it will be neceffary to arch the beds over with hoops 
to fupport the mats, that they may be ready for co- 
vering at all times when they require it ; which is the 
only fure met hod to have thefe Melons fucceed in Eng- 
land, where the weather is fo very uncertain and va- 
riable ; for I have had fome beds of thefe Melons in 
as fine order under thefe glaffes as could be defired, 
which were totally deftroyed by one day’s heavy rain 
in June. 
After the thicknefs of earth is laid upon the beds, if 
the weather fhould prove cold, it will be advifeable to 
dig trenches on each fide of the beds, into which you 
fhould lay a fufficient quantity of hot dung, to make 
it of the fame thicknefs with the bed, after the man- 
ner before directed for the frames ; or if there is a fuf- 
ficient quantity of hot dung ready, the whole fpace 
between the beds may be dug out and filled up with 
MEL 
the dung, laying thereon the earth a foot and a half 
deep, treading it down clofe ; this new dung will add 
a frefh warmth to the beds, and cauie the plants to 
fhew fruit foon after. 
The watering of thefe plants muft be done with oreaf 
caution, and not given to their items ; the pinching 
oft the runners muft alfo be duly attended to, as alfo 
the pulling off all fuperfluous fruit, to encourage thofe 
which are dengned to remain c and in fhort, every 
thing before direded for thofe under frames, muft 
likewife be obferved for thefe ; and the further care 
is, to cover them in ail hard rains and cold nights, 
with mats, which, if performed v/ith care, therewill 
be little danger of their mifcarrying, and thefe Vines 
will remain vigorous until the cold in autumn de- 
ftroys them. 
There have been many perfons, who of late years 
have raifed their Melons under oiled paper, and in 
many places they have fucceeded well ; but where 
this is pradifed, there muft be great care taken not 
to keep thefe coverings too clofe over them ; for 
where that is done, the Vines will draw very weak, 
and rarely fet their fruit in any plenty ; therefore 
where thefe coverings are propofed to be ufed, I 
fhould advife the bringing up of the plants under 
hand or bell-glaffes, in the manner before direded, 
until they are grown far enough to be let out from 
under the glaffes ; and then, inftead of the covering 
with mats, to put over the oiled paper ; and if this 
covering is prudently managed, it will be the beft 
that can be ufed. The beft fort of paper for this 
purpofe is that which is ftrdng, and not of too dark a 
colour ; and it fhould be done over with iinfeed 
oil, which will dry foon. There fhould be a pro- 
portionable number of fheets of this paper parted 
together, as will fpread to the dimenfions of the 
frame to which it is fattened ; and if this is fixed to 
the frame, before the oil is rubbed over it, fo much 
the better ; but this fhould be done fo long before 
they are ufed, as that the oil may be thoroughly 
dry, and the ftench gone off, otherwife it will deftroy 
the plants. 
There are fome perfons who make thefe frames of 
broad hoops, in imitation of the covers of waggons ; 
but as thefe are cumberfome to move, and there are 
no conveniencies for admitting air to the plants, but 
by railing the whole frame on one fide, I prefer thofe 
made of pantile laths, framed like the ridge of a 
houfe ; and each Hope having hinges, may be raifed 
at pleafure to admit the air to the plants ; but as de- 
fections of thefe things are not well comprehended 
by perfons not fo converfaht with them, I (hall exhi- 
bit a figure of one of thefe frames, to be added to the 
article of Stoves. 
The further management of the Melons, after their 
fruit is fet, is to keep pulling off all the fuperfluous 
fruit, and to pinch off all weak runners, which may 
draw away part of the nouriffiment from the fruit ; as 
alfo to turn the fruit gently twice a week, that each 
fide may have equal benefit of the fun and air ; for 
when they are fuffered to lie with the fame fide con- 
ftantly to the ground, that fide will become of a pale 
or whitifh colour, as if it were blanched, for want of 
the advantages of the fun and air. The plants will 
require a little water in very dry weather, but this 
fhould be given them in the alleys at a diftance from 
the ftems of the plants, and not oftener than once 
in a week or ten days, at which time the ground 
fhould be well foaked in the alleys. This will encou- 
rage the growth of the fruit, and caufe the flefli to be 
thick ; but the great caution which is neceffary to be 
obferved, is not to over-water the plants, which is 
certain injury to them : alfo be fure to give as much 
free air as poffible, at all times, when the weather 
will permit, for this is abfolutely neceffary to render 
the fruit good. 
When the fruit is fully grown, they muft be duly 
watched to cut them at a proper time ; for if they 
are left a few hours too long upon the Vines, they will 
lofe much of their delicacy, therefore they fhould be 
looked 
