C U C U M I S. 
©f the glafles befm it will be fufe to let them run out ; 
for it often happens in this country, that we have tluirp 
morning-frofts in the middle of May ; fo that if the ends 
of thefe vines are then without the glades, if they are 
not covered with mats to guard them againft the froft, 
they will be fn danger of fuifering greatly ; and, on the 
other hand, if the plants have fpread fo much as to fill 
the glaffes, and are not permitted to run out, they will be 
in equal danger of fuffering by their confinement, from 
the heat of the fun in the day-time; therefore it is ad- 
vifable to put the feed rather a little later into the hot¬ 
bed for the glaffes, than thofe which are to be covered 
with the oil-papers. 
We next come to making and preparing of the beds, 
or, as the gardeners term it, the ridges, into which the 
plants are to be put out to remain ; thefe fhould always 
be placed in a warm fituation, where they may be de¬ 
fended from all cold and ftrong winds, for the eaft and 
north winds are generally very troubiefome in the fpring 
of the year; fo that, if the place be expofed to thofe 
afpedls, it will be difficult to admit a proper fliare of 
frefh air to the young plants ; and, if it is much expof¬ 
ed to the fouth-wefl winds, which often are very boifte- 
r-ous in fhmmer and autumn, thefe will turn up and dif- 
plnce the vines, whereby they will fuffer greatly; there¬ 
fore the belt pofition for thefe beds is where they are 
open to the fouth, of a little inclined to the eaft, and 
fheltered at a diftance by trees from the other points :. this 
place fhould be inclofed with a good reed-fence, which 
is better for this purpofe than any other inclofure, be- 
caufe the winds are deadened by the reeds,and are not rever¬ 
berated as they are by walls, pales, and other clofe fences ; 
but, in making the inclofure, it fhould be extended to 
fuch a diftance, everyway, from the beds, as not to ob- 
ftrucf the fun’s rays during any part of the day ; this 
fhould have a door wide enough to admit of wheelbar¬ 
rows palling, to carry in dung, earth, See. and it fhould 
fee kept locked, that no perfons may be allowed to go 
in but thofe who have bufinefs; for ignorant perfons, 
having often euriofity to look into the beds, open the 
glaffes, and let the cold air to the plants, and frequently 
leave the glaffes in part open ; or, fometimes when they 
areraifed by the gardener to admit the frefh air, the tilts 
are thrown down, fo that the air is excluded ; all which 
is very injurious to the young plants, as is alfo the 
handling of the fruit after it is let; therefore none fhould 
be admitted, but when the perfon who is intruded with 
the care of them is there. 
The next thing is the preparation of tire earth for 
thefe plants, in which the Dutch and German gardeners 
are very exadt; the mixture which they generally pre¬ 
pare is of the following forts : of hazel-loam, one-third 
part; of the fcouring of ditches or ponds, a third 
part ; and of very rotten dung, a third part ; thefe are 
mixed up at leaft one, and often two, years before 
the make ufe of it, frequently turning it over, to incor¬ 
porate the parts and fweeten it; but the compoft in 
which thefe plants fucceed beft in England, is two-thirds 
of frefh gentle loam, and one-third of rotten neat’s 
dung; if thefe are mixed together one year before it is 
wanted, fo as to have the benefit of a winter’s froft and 
fummer’s heat, obferving to turn it over often, and never 
fuffer weeds to grow upon it, this will be found equal to 
any other compoft whatever. As thefe plants fucceed 
beft when they are planted young, fo, before the plants 
appear, there fhould be a quantity of new dung thrown 
in a heap, proportionable to the number of lights in¬ 
tended, allowing about fifteen good wheelbarrows full 
to each light; this mu# be two or three times turned 
over, to prepare it (as is direffted for cucumbers), and 
in a fortnight it will be fit for ufe, at which time the 
trench mull be dug to receive the dung, where the bed 
is intended ; this muft be made wider than the frames, 
and in length proportional to the number of frames in¬ 
tended. As to the depth, that muft be according as 
Vol. V. No. 286. 
44 ft 
the foil is dry or wet; but in a dry ground it fhould not 
be lefs than a foot, or a foot and a half, deep ; for, 
the lower thefe beds are made, the better they will fuc¬ 
ceed, where there is no danger of their fuffering by wet. 
In the well laying and mixing of the dung, the fame 
care muft be taken as is directed for cucumbers. 'When 
the bed is made, the frames fnould be placed over it, 
to keep out wet ; but there fhould be no earth laid 
upon it till after it has been three or four days made, 
and is found of a proper temperature of heat ; for many 
times thefe beds will heat fo violently, when they are 
firft made, as to burn the earth if covered with it; and, 
when this happens, it is much the beft way to take this 
earth off again, for the plants will never thrive in it. 
As foon as the bed is found to be of a proper warmth, 
the earth fhould be laid upon it, which at firft need 
not be more than two inches thick, except in the mid¬ 
dle of each light, where the plants are to be placed, 
where there muft be a hill railed, fifteen inches high or 
more, terminating in a flat cone. In two or three days 
after the earth is put on the bed, it will be of a proper- 
temper to receive the plants; then in the evening you 
may tranfplant the plants, but always do it when there 
is little wind ftirring ; in taking up the plants, then- 
roots fhould be carefully raifed with a trowel, fo as to 
preferve all their fibres ; for, if thefe are broken 
off, the plants do not foon recover ; or, if they do, they 
are generally weaker, and feldom make fo good vines as 
thofe which are more carefully removed ; for thefe 
plants are more nice and tender in tranfplanting than 
thofe of cucumber, efpecially the cantaloupe melon ; 
which, if it is not planted out foon after the third (or 
what the gardeners call the rough) leaf is put out, they 
are long recovering their vigour ; fo that, when it hap¬ 
pens that the beds cannot be ready for them in time, it 
will be a good method to put each plant into a finall pot 
while they are young, and thefe may be plunged into 
the hot-bed where they were raifed, or into the cucum¬ 
ber-bed where there is room, fo that they may be brought 
forward; and, when the bed is ready, thefe may be 
turned out of the pots, with the whole ball of earth to 
their roots, whereby they will receive no check in re¬ 
moving ; and this latter method is what we fhould pre¬ 
fer to any other for the cantaleupe, becaufe there fhould 
never be more than one plant left to grow in each light; 
and in this method there will be no neceflity of planting 
more, as there will be no danger of their fucceeding ; 
whereas, in the common way, moft people plant two or 
more plants in each light, for fear fome fhould mifearry. 
When the plants are placed on the top of the hills, they 
fhould be gently watered, which fhould be repeated once 
or twice after till they have taken good root, after which 
they feldom require more ; for, when they receive too 
much wet, they often canker at the root, and, when that 
happens, they never produce good fruit. 
When the plants have eftablifhed themfelves well in 
the new beds, there fnould be a greater quantity of earth 
laid on the bed, beginning round the hills where the 
plants grow, that their roots may have room to (hike 
out; and, as the earth is put in from time to time, it 
muft be trodden or preffed down as clofe as poftible ; and 
it fhould be raifed at leaft a foot and a half thick upon 
the dung all over the bed, obferving alfo to raife the 
frames, that the glaffes may not be too near the plants, 
left the fun fnould fcorch them. When the plants have 
got four leaves, the top of each fhould be pinched off' 
with the finger and thumb, but not bruifed or cut with a 
knife, becaufe, in either of thefe cafes, the wound will 
not fo foon heal over; this pinching is to caufe the 
plants to put out lateral branches, for thefe are wdiat 
will produce the fruit ; therefore, when there are two or 
more of thefe lateral fhoots produced, they muft alfo be 
pinched to force out more ; and this muft be pradlifcd 
often, that there may a fupply of what the gardeners 
call runners, to cover the bed. The management of thefe 
5 X beds 
