March 18, 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
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Liverpool Spring Show. Linnean Society at 8 p.m. 
2nd Sunday in Lent. 
Eoyal Horticultural Society—Floral and Fruit Committees at 11 a.m. 
Royal Botanic Society, Regents Park Spring Show. [Promenade Show. 
THE CULTIVATION OF MELONS. 
[A paper read by Mr. W. Bardney, Norris Green Gardens, before 
Liverpool Horticultural Association, March 13th.J 
the 
HETHER Melons are grown better at the pre¬ 
sent time than formerly is of little moment, 
but they are grown with less difficulty, and 
their culture appears to be better understood. 
With properly appointed structures there is no 
difficulty in maintaining a supply of ripe fruits 
over a period of five clear months—that is, 
from the end of May until the end of October. 
They can be produced two or three weeks earlier, 
and the supply kept up well into November, but only those who 
have the very best of convenience for raising plants can obtain 
ripe fruits so early, though to have them late in the season is 
not so difficult. Those who cultivate the Melon only in hot¬ 
beds and frames must be content with a late supply of fruits. 
To have the fruit ripe early in the season much depends 
upon the structure available for the purpose. I prefer a 
narrow lean-to house on the side of a wall, with top and 
front ventilation, and if there is a shed behind it all the 
better. The roof must have a moderately sharp pitch, so 
that every ray of light and sunshine would be able to reach 
the plants. The hot-water pipes provided should be as evenly 
disposed in the house as possible, and sufficient to maintain 
a temperature at night that will not fall below 70°. The 
pipes employed must be capable of doing this on the very 
coldest night without being overheated. Hot-water pipes 
overheated are injurious to the plants, and often result in 
the plants becoming attacked by red spider. Provide bottom- 
heat pipes 30 that the heat if desired can be raised from 80° 
to 85°. The piping required depends upon the size of the 
structure, and as these differ so widely it is unnecessary to 
enter into details. The arrangements of the house are, how¬ 
ever, important and must be considered. In houses such as 
I have alluded to, say 8 or 9 feet wide, there is generally a 
bed 3 to 4 feet wide extending from the walk to the front 
wall of the house, with pipes to the front and probably in the 
walk, with bottom-heat pipes in the bed. Melons can be 
successfully grown in houses with such arrangements, but to 
my mind these are not the most satisfactory ; first, because 
it is unnecessary to fill, say, a bed 3 feet wide with soil in 
which to cultivate these plants; and secondly, because the 
front portion of the border where the plants are generally 
placed is several degrees colder by contact with the front 
wall early in the year than the remaining portion of the bed 
of soil. To remedy this a second wall (4£ inches wide is 
sufficient) should be built one foot from the outer wall, or 
sufficiently far from it that one or two of the surface pipes 
can be conveniently fitted between the two. Another wall of 
the same size should be built the whole length of the bed and 
18 inches from the former. It will thus be seen that the 
wall bordering the walk would be 4 feet from the front wall, 
and the bed practically 3 feet wide divided down the centre. 
Two pipes would be ample for bottom heat, one in each bed, 
the flow where the Melons would be planted and the return 
No. 299.—Yol. XII., Third Series. 
in the other. The upper surface of these pipes should not 
be more than 18 or 20 inches from the top of the walls. The 
pipe in the bed nearest the walk could be used to assist in 
maintaining the surface heat if the bed was covered with an 
open trellis, but this bed would be filled with cocoa-nut fibre 
refuse or some similar material for plunging and propagating 
purposes. 
For second and later batches of fruit narrow span-roofed 
houses would be preferred, and the extra wall to the front in 
this case could be dispensed with. In this case the houses 
are best with their ends facing north and south. But when 
the season has fairly advanced Melons can be grown success¬ 
fully in any glass structure, whether large or small, as long 
as drip is prevented, light and sunshine can reach the plants, 
and the requisite heat is maintained.) 
Melons can be grown and ripened in four months from 
the time the seed is sown. The first crop will take a little 
longer, and if seed is sown on the 1st of January the fruit 
will probably not be ripe on tie 1st of May, but they will not 
be much later if no time is lost and the first female flowers 
fertilised. To grow plants from seed sown at the time 
named the cultivator must have a close warm house in which 
to raise his plants, and a steady bottom heat of 80° to 85°, 
with a surface heat of 70° to 75° until the plants are ready 
for placing out, and this temperature should be continued 
until the fruit is ripe. Young Melon plants grow slowly 
during the dull sunless days of the first month of the year, 
and without the best convenience it is useless to sow the 
seed until three weeks or a month later. If seed is sown 
about the last week in January the plants with fair accom¬ 
modation will grow freely, even rapidly, from the middle of 
February, and fruit will be ripe about the 25th of May, 
according to the season. This is as early as the majority 
of people have Melons, and the time I am able to produce 
them with the means and conveniences at my disposal. 
The present is a good time for raising plants, and we 
prefer a hotbed made in the house in which they are to be 
grown, say in the bed nearest the walk. In this the material 
can be raised above the top of the brickwork so as to bring 
them near the light after the seed has germinated and the 
plants commenced growing. The material for the bed should 
consist of Oak or Beech leaves that were stored in a shed 
when dry in autumn, and litter from the stables. If this is 
properly prepared it is surprising how long heat will be main¬ 
tained. Leaves are not within the reach of all, but litter can 
generally be obtained, and this will answer the purpose very 
well. Collect the litter as soon as it is thrown out of the 
stable and place it under cover to prevent it getting saturated 
with heavy rains. When sufficient has been gathered throw 
it into a heap and turn it daily so that rank steam can 
escape. A gentle lasting heat is wanted, and not a strong 
violent heat such as is produced by wet litter. Some may 
ask when bottom heat has been provided, Why bother with 
making a hotbed ? This is easily answered, for young 
plants will not grow so freely in the dry heat from pipes as 
they will in the moist genial warmth surrounding the plants 
when plunged or standing upon fermenting material. 
When the bed has been made and commenced heating the 
seed may be sown in the centre of 3-incli pots filled with soil, 
one or two pieces of crock being placed in at the base. Two 
or three seeds may be placed in each pot, and if the soil is in 
an intermediate state of moisture when the pots are filled no 
water will be needed until the seed has germinated. The 
pots may be stood on the surface of the manure at first and 
afterwards plunged to their rims as soon as it is certain that 
the heat is not too strong. The best and most robust plant 
that comes up should be selected and supplied with a small 
stake as soon as needed. When a good quantity of roots 
has reached the side of the pots transfer the plants into 
others 2 inches larger. Drain them well, using loam with 
one-third of leaf mould and manure thoroughly warmed, so 
that no check will be given. When well established in this 
No. 1955.—Yol. LXX1V., Old Seriep. 
