C U C U M I S. 
444 
hot or warm climates, they require the protection of the 
dry or bark (love, el'pecially the third, which is a native 
of the Welt Indies. 
THE MELON. 
There is a great variety of this fruit cultivated in the 
different parts of the world, and in this country there 
are too many of them propagated, which are of no value, 
efpecially by thofewho fupply the markets, where their 
lize is chiefly regarded ; fo that, by endeavouring to 
augment their bulk, the fruit is rendered of no value. 
We (hall therefore only mention a very few of the vari¬ 
eties, which are the moll deferving of care, excluding 
the common melons, as being unworthy of the trouble 
and expence in cultivating. 
1. The fort of melon which is in the greatefl efteern 
among all the curious in every part of Europe, is the 
cantaleupe ; which is fo called from a place about four¬ 
teen miles from Rome, where the pope has a country- 
feat, in which place this fruit has been long cultivated ; 
but it was brought thither from that part of Armenia 
which borders on Perfia, where this fruit is in fo great 
plenty, that a ltcrfe-load is fold for a French crown. 
The flefh of this melon, when in perfection, is delicious, 
and does not offend the moft tender (tomachs, but may be 
eaten with fafety. The Dutch are fo fond of this fruit, 
as to cultivate very few other forts, and by way of pre¬ 
eminence, call it only by the appellation of cantaleupe, 
and never join the title of melon to it, which they apply 
indifferently to all the other forts. The outer coat of this 
is very rough, and full of knobs and protuberances like 
warts ; it is of a middling lize, rather round than long, 
and the flefli is, for the moft part, of an orange-colour, 
though there are fome with a greenifh flefli, but not 
fo good as the others. 
2. The Romana is by fome much efleemed ; and, when 
the fruit is well conditioned, the plants in perfeCt health, 
and the feafon dry, it is a good melon, and may be 
brought forwarder in the feafon than the cantaleupe ; 
therefore, thofe who are delirous of early melons may 
cultivate this fort. 
3. The fuccado is alfo a good fort, and may be culti¬ 
vated for early fruit, but thefe mult give way to the 
cantaleupe, when that is in feafon. 
4. The zatte is alfo a very good melon, but very fmall. 
The fruit of this is feldom bigger than a large orange ; 
it is a little flatted at the two ends, and the outer coat is 
warted, like the cantaleupe ; but there is fo little flefli in 
one of thefe fruit, that they are fcarcely worthy the trouble 
©f propagating. 
5. The fmall Portugal melon, which is by fome called 
the dormer melon, is a pretty good fruit, and the plants 
generally producing them in plenty ; by many people 
this is preferred to moft others, efpecially thole who 
love a plenty, and are not fo nice in diftinguifhing the qua¬ 
lity ; this may alfo be cultivated for an early crop. 
6. But the heft melon for this purpofe is the black 
Galloway, which was brought from Portugal by lord 
Galloway many years fince, but of late years is rarely to 
he met with in England, it having degenerated by grow¬ 
ing among other forts. The fruit of this fort will ripen 
in a fhorter time, from its firft fetting, than any other 
which we have yet feen, and, when fuffered to ripen natu- 
Tally, is not a bad fruit. 
The few varieties here mentioned are fufficient to fa- 
tisfy the curious, and there are fcarcely any other which 
deferve the trouble ; indeed, thofe who have a true tafte 
for this fruit, feldom cultivate any but the cantaleupe ; 
hut, as before obferved, where this fruit is defired early 
in the feafon, the cantaleupe is not lb proper as fome of 
the others, therefore a few plants of one of the other 
forts fhould be raifedearlier in the fpring, but fhould be 
in a different part of the garden from the cantaleupe me¬ 
lons; for, when two forts of melons grow near, they can¬ 
not be preferved perfectly right; therefore the Dutch 
j 
and German gardeners are very careful in this refpeCb;- 
and, in order to keep the fort in perfection, do not plant 
any other fort of melon, cucumber, or gourd, near thefe, 
left, by the impregnation of the farina of thofe other, 
thefe fruits fhould be rendered bad ; and, from not obferv- 
ing this, many perfons who are lovers of this fruit have 
gradually diminifhed their goodnefs, without knowing 
the caufe. 
The feeds of melons fhould not be fown until they 
are three years old, nor when more than fix ; for, al¬ 
though they will grow at ten or twelve years old, 
yet the fruit produced from thofe old feeds are feldom fo 
thick flefhed as thofe which come from feeds which are 
frefher; and it is the fame of light feeds, which fwiiu 
upon water when they are taken out of the pulp. 
Method of Cultivation. The method we are going to pre- 
feribe being very different from what has been conflantly 
ufed in England, will be, perhaps, objected to by many ; 
but it is what has been praCtifed in all the good gardens 
in Holland and Germany, where the cantaleupe melon is 
produced in great plenty and perfection, and from expe¬ 
rience is found to be the only method in which thefe me¬ 
lons can be cultivated with fuccefs, and alfo the belt way 
to obtain plenty of any other fort of melon. 
It is common to hear many perfons valuing themfelves 
upon having two or three early melons, which, when 
brought to the table, are no better than a pumpkin, and 
thefe are procured at a great expence, and with much 
trouble; for, in order to have them ripe a little earlier 
than they would naturally come, if fuffered to grow to 
their full fize, the (tern upon which the fruit grows is 
commonly twifted, to prevent the nourifhment entering 
the fruit, whereby the growth is checked ; then the fruit 
is clolely covered with the mowings of grafs-plats, laid 
of a fufficient depth to caufe a fermentation, by which 
the fruit becomes coloured ; but, where this unnatural 
method is praCtifed, the fruit has little flefli, and that has 
neither moifture, firmnefs, or flavour ; fo that, after four 
months attendance, with a great expence of dung, &c. 
there may, perhaps, be three or four brace of melons 
produced, which are fitter for the dunghill than tire 
table. Therefore, it is advifable, never to attempt to 
have this fruit ripe earlier than the middle or latter end 
of June, which is generally foon enough for this climate ; 
and from that time, to the end of September, they may 
had in plenty, if they are fkilfully managed ; and when 
the autumn has continued favourable, you may have 
them very good in the middle of October. 
But, in order to continue this fruit fo long, the feeds 
muft be fown at two or three different feafons : the firft 
fhould be fown about the middle or end of February, if 
the feafon proves forward ; but, if it is otherwife, it 
will be better to defer it til! the end of that month ; the 
future fuccefs greatly depends on the raifing the plants 
in ftrength, which cannot be fo well etfeCted, if the 
weather fhould prove fo bad after the plants are come 
up, as that a fufficient quantity of frefh air cannot be ad¬ 
mitted to them, therefore it is not advifeable to be too 
early in fowing the feeds. When the feafon is come, thefe 
feeds may be fown on the upper-fide of a cucumber-bed, 
where there is any ; and, if there is none, a proper quan¬ 
tity of new horfe-dung muft be provided, which mull be 
thrown in a heap to ferment, and turned over, that it 
may acquire an equal heat, in the fame manner as is di¬ 
rected for cucumbers ; and the plants muft be raifed and 
managed in the fame manner as is directed for them, un¬ 
til they are planted where they are to remain for good, 
to which article the reader is defired to turn, to avoid 
repetition. The fecond feafon for fowing thefe feeds is 
about the middle of March ; and both thefe fowings 
muft be underftood to be planted under frames ; for thofe 
which are deligned for bell or haud-glaffes, or to be co¬ 
vered with oil-papers, fhould not be fown till about a 
week in April; for, when thefe are fown earlier, they 
will grow fo long as to extend their ihoots to the fides 
