118 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
February 7, 1895. 
THE CULTIVATION OF THE MELON. 
The Melon has been with us about 400 years, and well may the 
present stafE of gardeners look with interest on the increased cultivation 
of the last fifty years. I well remember when I first learnt the way to 
obtain the highest awards for Melons; it was at the Beading Horti¬ 
cultural Show in 1886, I was once fortunate enough to have a few 
words of advice from one of our most noted growers, Mr. T. Lockie, 
who remarked—“ What a mistake gardeners make in drying off Melons 
for improving the flavour of the fruit.” 
It would be useless to deny that for general market work the Melon 
has not the same advantage as the Tomato, as we are not all lovers of 
Melons, but with the increased demand they can, with good cultivation, 
be made very profitable, provided a suitable one for market work is 
obtainable. For market purposes we must have size with quality. For 
this purpose it would be advisable to cross a large Melon with one of a 
better flavour ; for instance. Conqueror crossed with Hero of Lockinge 
should be good, and only these two should be grown together at the 
time, or the cross might throw several varieties the next season. Great 
care should be taken to choose a healthy staminate flower on the parent 
plant, and a strong pistillate flower, inserting the pollen and allowing 
it to remain. 
We will now take the method of cultivation in houses. Having 
selected a variety suitable for our purpose, propagation next demands 
attention. The seeds may be sown at different dates, according to heat 
at command, commencing from the shortest day until the end of June. 
Where we have a good supply of heat the first-named date would be 
most suitable for those who require early fruits. Clean, small, 3-inch 
pots are most suitable to raise the young plants in. The crocks used for 
drainage should also be clean and sweet; insert a large one over the hole 
so that it allows the water to pass through freely, then cover over with 
smaller pieces in two layers. The pots should be filled with soil consist¬ 
ing of three parts of good loam, one of sand and leaf mould, no manure at 
this stage being used. Press down moderately firm, make a small hole 
half an inch in depth, fill with sand, then insert a good sound seed. 
The next object is to induce the seed to germinate quickly. The pots 
may be plunged in some moist material, then placed on the pipes. In a 
few days the seedlings will appear, and from this time to the ripening 
stage no plant requires more attention. 
The preparation of the soil for planting in should now be proceeded 
with, and the bed must be made up so that by the time the plants are 
ready to put out the soil will be of the same temperature as the house. 
The material for this purpose should consist of fresh loam, broken up 
to the size of a hen’s egg. To this add a small quantity of lime rubble, 
leaf mould, and road grit in proportion to the texture of the soil. We 
do not recommend any farmyard manure being added, as it often induces 
too free a growth. What we much prefer is bonedust, using about 
1 gallon to two barrowloads of soil. In making the bed, good drainage 
should not be lost sight of. One of the best plans is to have about 
2 feet of long manure pressed down firmly ; on the top turves placed 
grass downwards, or faggots may be used in the place of straw, or, what 
is better still, strong boards raised on pots or boxes, with crocks or brick 
rubbish spread on the surface, then the turves. On the top of this should 
be placed some feeding material, such as half-inch bones or hoof parings, 
then the soil. The compcst must be firm, as this encourages the firm 
wood so desirable in Melon cultivation. 
When the plants have attained the third leaf is the best time to 
plant out, and this should always be done with great care, never giving 
the Melons a check. The best time to plant is just before closing the 
house in the afternoon, as the plants then rarely if ever flag in the leaves. 
Growers differ greatly as to the depth of planting, but if the plants are 
stocky we prefer to plant them up to the seed leaf. If they are leggy 
the plants should not be put in deeply, but the ball should be placed a 
little way off the place where the plant is required, and the stem laid in 
about 2 inches in depth. Place a stake by the side of the plant and 
make fast to the nearest wire, then secure the stem to the stake, allowing 
room for swelling. 
Watering may be considered one of the most important points in 
Melon culture. It has been said, and rightly so, that Melons are lovers 
of water, but more failures in cultivation may be traced to giving 
water at the wrong time than to any other cause. Only by careful 
attention can this part of the work be successful. Never water Melons 
until convinced the plants require it, and then let it be in the morning, 
in wet or dull weather withholding it altogether. The water, too, 
should always be of the same temperature as the house, as cold water is 
very injurious to the roots. When the Melons are first planted 
little or no water is required, syringing the plants being sufiflcient 
unless the soil in the bed is dry, when a little may be afforded, and it 
should last for several days. When the plants have covered the trellis, 
and the fruit begins swelling, they will require more water than at any 
other time, giving it only sparingly when the fruits are netting, and 
when the ripening stage is reached only snflScient to keep the foliage 
green. 
Syringing is another important matter. Young plants should be 
syringed freely every morning, and on bright afternoons. As growth 
extends syringing should decrease, withholding it when the fruits com¬ 
mence netting, relying then on damping the house to keep insects in 
check. Airing is also an essential point, and no favourable occasion 
should be missed to admit as much air as can be given without 
causing a draught, especially in the morning before syringing, closing 
the house for a few hours early in the afternoon after having first 
syringed or damped down, and if the evening will allow give a little 
more air for an hour to let all moisture escape. The temperature, too, 
is another point that must not be neglected, and must be regulated 
according to the external air. If a temperature of 55° to 60° can be 
maintained at night, and from 65° to 70° through the day during January 
and February, this is quite sufficient, raising it according to the season 
later on. Feeding Melons is often carried to excess, as if the material 
they are planted in is good this is generally sufficient, although weak 
liquid manures are of great service in the swelling stage to plants 
carrying a heavy crop. 
In training, the growths should never be allowed to become crowded, 
and the main stems must be given ample room, as unless the wood 
properly matures only poor results may be expected. We practise the 
method of growing three plants to a light, running up five leaders in alh 
The main leader may be allowed to grow without check, starting the side 
shoots from the first wire ; all laterals showing fruit are stopped at the 
first leaf beyond the fruit, removing all others entirely, rubbing a little 
quicklime over the place so as to heal it quickly and prevent decay. 
When the leader reaches to within a foot of the top wire pinch out the 
point, and as soon as sufficient fruits commence swelling for a crop cut 
away all the spare laterals and fruit. The best time for setting the fruit 
is the middle of the day, as then the pollen is drier than at any other 
time. Some growers keep the house very dry at this stage of the work, 
but it is bad practice, as it encourages the increase of red spider, and 
rather hinders than helps the fruits to set. 
In selecting the crop it is always advisable not to leave too many 
fruits on tbe plant, eight to a light being a fair average, but in this we 
must be guided by the plants. When the fruits are selected always 
choose them as nearly of a size as you can, then remove all the other 
growths as before stated. Tie secure the fruits with good strong bass to 
the wire, and when in the netting stage place four bands of bass crossed 
underneath the Melons and make firm to the trellis, then place one piece 
around the fruit, seeing that there is room for the Melons to swell. 
When the fruits approach the ripening stage expose them to the sun by 
tying the foliage back, as this with abundance of air is of great assistance 
in producing good flavour, a point so essential in Melons. Melons at 
this stage should be examined often, as when the fruit has cracked 
around the stem it should be removed to a cool place. Some people 
allow the fruits to be placed on shelves in the greenhouse, but this is 
wrong, as unless the flavour is grown in a Melon no sun after it is cut 
will put it there, whereas when stored in a cool place fruits will keep a 
much longer time. Never hurry Melons that are intended for show 
through the ripening stage, and endeavour to keep the plants healthy 
with good foliage. Choose a fruit that finishes on the plant, and is ready 
to cut just two days before the show unless it is Hero of Lockinge, 
which requires four days, as some Melons are ready before others, 
and we can only gain this knowledge by experience. I remember on 
two occasions taking first prize for Triumph straight from the plant. 
If very early Melons are required they should be grown in pots 
under similar conditions, as by this method fruits may be had several 
days earlier. 
I will now draw attention to Melons grown in a cool house, and 
for this purpose seeds should not be sown until the beginning of March, 
in fact my best results have been obtained from seeds sown in April. 
It is very important that the young plants are not forced on too 
quickly. Make a small hotbed in one corner of the house with short 
hot manure pressed firmly down; cover with 4 inches of soil. Plunge 
the pots, but remove them to the surface as soon as the seeds have 
germinated, and if the weather is bright and warm the next day 
place them on the shelf near the glass, doing this at night, and giving 
a little shade next day. The soil recommended previously would also 
be the best to use for this purpose, but we would recommend a good 
hotbed being made, say 3 feet wide and 3 feet high of short 
manure, and made quite firm. Then place on turves and soil as before. 
The plants must receive careful attention for at least a short time 
every day, and an experienced eye will quickly detect anything going 
wrong with the Melons. Good crops can be grown under these 
conditions, as the photo (fig. 19) taken in 1892 of my house at Andover 
will testify. It was taken when the fruits were just beginning to 
net, and no less than 150 were grown and ripened, the house only 
measuring 20 feet by 10 feet. We prefer the wires about 9 inches 
from the glass, and the same distance apart. Watering and syringing 
must be done with great care, and only when the weather is suitable ; 
from four to five good waterings will be found sufficient to carry 
the crop. 
To those who have only frames to grow Melons in, and have not 
even a cool house at command, I would advise great care being taken 
in the preparation of the hotbed, as this is the most important part of 
the work. Procure, if possible, some good manure, throw it into a 
heap, which turn over every other day for a week, adding water if the 
manure is at all dry. Then make up the bed a foot wider on all sides 
than the frame, treading well at every layer, and leaving a few 
barrowloads to fill in the frame. Then insert the turves as before, 
placing about 9 inches of soil on this, and tread firmly down, especially 
at the corners and sides, and when this is done the surface should be 
about 6 inches from the glass. This is very important, as failure often 
results through the plants being too far from the glass. Two small 
mounds may be formed at equal distances in the middle of the light. 
