246 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
c April 1, 1886. 
with only limited house room at disposal. This takes more 
plants than the others, as they must be placed about 16 or 
18 inches apart. These are trained upright until they reach 
to near the top of the trellis and then stopped. The laterals 
as they appear are removed from the axils of the leaves below 
the first wire of the trellis. Those above this position are 
stopped at one leaf until the top ones are produced, and upon 
these the crop of fruit is set. It will thus be seen that the 
fruit is set on the first laterals towards the top of the plant. 
The shoots carrying the fruit are stopped one leaf beyond it, 
and all sub-laterals are removed as they appear. The lower 
laterals are not allowed to extend beyond the one leaf, so 
that all foliage the plants carry is fully exposed to light and 
sunshine, and thus the strength of the plants concentrated 
into the swelling fruits. With the earliest plants the first 
female flowers that show are fertilised, so that no time is 
lost. These are generally set towards the base of the trellis, 
and very frequently the same plants ripen them and then 
carry two other fruits on the top. The other plants have 
to bear a full crop, and the fruits ripen in capital succession 
if two or three different varieties are planted at the same 
time. We require a regular supply of fruit, and, therefore, 
place out about six plants each time at intervals of three 
weeks or a month, generally the former. From this number 
there is no difficulty in producing fourteen or fifteen fruits, 
some carrying two, others three, according to the size of the 
fruits. The house is a rather wide half-span with seven lights, 
and contains two rows of plants, one to the front and the 
other down the centre. This space is occupied with six 
different batches trained on the system first detailed, except 
the end plant in each row, which is trained over the walk 
under the seventh light on the modified extension system. 
From the number required there is no difficulty in obtaining 
about ninety fruits, while we have not been able to obtain the 
same number by about twenty on the modified extension 
system. On the restrictive principle we never attempt a 
second crop of fruit from any of the plants without it is the 
first one or two that bear the early fruits, but generally 
these are removed, others being planted. This is continued 
as each batch is removed until we are certain of continuing 
the supply as long as fruits are needed. 
Melons may be grown in pots for an early supply of fruits, 
and under this system can be produced earlier than by any 
other means. The plants when ready may be placed in pots 
14 inches in diameter and plunged in a hotbed of fermenting 
material. In this case the bed in the house would be better 
without the central wall previously advised. The pots should 
be placed upon bricks or some other similar firm bottom to 
prevent their sinking after the training upon the trellis com¬ 
mences. The cultivator will do well to adhere closely to the 
restrictive system. 
The soil most suitable for growing Melons is fibry loam 
of a heavy nature that has been stacked for a few months to 
destroy the grass. If the loam is from a rich pasture it will 
not need any addition ; otherwise a little decayed manure 
or horse droppings may be used with it, and about one 8-inch 
potful of soot to each barrowload of the soil. The last is 
very good in any case, and may with advantage be used 
whether the soil is rich or poor. Melons can be well grown 
in much lighter loam, but with this mix cow manure instead 
of horse droppings, also'a per-centage of clay according to the 
texture of the loam. The best means of thoroughly incor¬ 
porating the clay is to dry it and then redace it to powder. 
The soil must be thoroughly warm and moist before planting. 
Either the whole of the soil the plants require may be placed 
in the bed or border before planting, or the piecemeal system 
may be adopted. The soil must be made as firm as possible, 
so that a sturdy growth instead of a quick soft one will 
result. I do not advocate top-dressing further than placing 
on the surface a thin layer of cow manure after the fruit has 
commenced swelling, and then the stems of the plants are 
never buried. In case a system of top-dressing is practised 
the collar of the plant should be slightly elevated above the 
surface of the soil. The mulching of cow manure will be 
found of great advantage when Melons are grown in largo 
pots. 
Melons require liberal supplies of water ; in fact, from the 
time the seed germinates to the time the fruit commences 
ripening they should never be allowed to suffer by an insuf¬ 
ficient quantity. The system of keeping the plants dry at 
their roots while the fruit is being set may be considered 
obsolete. I have never found any benefit result from so doing, 
but on the contrary have had an attack of red spider. "Water 
is not withheld when the fruits commence ripening, but with 
varieties liable to crack the fruit is cut and finished on a dry 
shelf. They are none the worse for such treatment for a few 
days—in fact, I think they are improved in flavour. While 
the fruits are swelling liquid manure may freely be given. 
Syringe twice daily to keep the foliage clean and the 
atmosphere moist until the fruit is ripe ; in fact, no difference 
is made in the atmosphere even in that stage, or else some 
of the other batches of plants are liable to suffer. Do not 
syringe, however, for a few days while flowers are being set. 
Ventilate daily after the season has fairly advanced when¬ 
ever the weather is favourable, but avoid cold draughts. 
When a close system of culture is practised the foliage is 
thin and flabby and will not bear the force of the sun’s rays, 
therefore shade of some description becomes necessary. On 
the other hand, when freely ventilated the foliage is thick, 
stout and leathery, and not only capable of bearing full sun¬ 
shine, but will resist the attacks of red spider and other insect 
pests. We ventilate liberally during the day and maintain a 
temperature by sun heat of from 80° to 85°. The house 
should be closed early in the afternoon when the plants are 
syringed, and the temperature allowed to run up after closing 
10° or 15 Q higher. 
When plants are grown in houses trained up wires under 
the roof, it is necessary to support the fruits by the time they 
are half swelled, or they will break the shoot from which they 
are suspended. Nothing is better for this purpose than 
shallow baskets made in the shape of a saucer, or square 
pieces of half-inch board with two or three holes bored 
through them to prevent water resting between the board and 
the fruit. These are easily secured to the wires by means 
of thin cord or wire sufficiently low that the fruit can just 
rest upon them. 
Melons are subjected to the attacks of aphides, thrips, and 
red spider. The two former are easily destroyed by 
fumigating with tobacco, two or three applications being 
preferable to one very strong. When this is done the foliage 
should be perfectly dry, but the floor and lower portions of 
the house moist. It is a good plan to apply a little shade for 
a few hours during bright sunshine the next day, and to keep 
the house moderately close. Bed spider will not be very trouble¬ 
some if the plants are freely supplied with water and liberally 
syringed; but should it appear it can be quickly eradicated 
by syringing the plants with a solution of softsoap and 
water, one ounce of the former to one gallon of the latter in 
which a handful of sulphur has been stirred. This should 
remain upon the plants for two or three days and then be 
washed off. 
Perhaps the worst form of disease to which the Melon is 
subject is canker. This is brought about to a very large 
extent by the culture the plants receive. Burying the collar 
of the plant beneath the soil when potting, or by top-dressing, 
is in some instances the cause, other conditions not being 
exactly right. There is another disease which for some years 
gave me endless trouble, and which may be called “rot.” 
This seemed to make its appearance so mysteriously that for 
a time I was puzzled to determine the cause. At closing 
time the plants appeared all right, but when the sun shone 
next day the foliage flagged, and upon examination the stem 
of the plant was found rotten between two joints, not near 
the collar but frequently 2 or 8 feet from it. The plants 
disappeared in nearly all stages of development by this terrible 
disease, and everything we could think of, as well as the 
