446 C U C U M r s. 
beds mill!be nearly the fame as is directed for cucumbers, 
therefore we need not anticipate it; butfhall only obferve, 
that the melons require a greater fhare of air than cu¬ 
cumbers, and very little water ; and, when it is given to 
them, it fhould be at a diftance from their ferns. 
If the plants fucceed well, they will fpread over the 
bed, and reach to the frames, in about five or fix 
weeks, at which time the alleys between the beds fhould 
be dug out ; or, where there is but one bed, there 
fhould be a trench made on each fide, of about four 
feet wide, as low as the bottom of the bed, and hot 
dung wheeled in, to raife a lining, to the fame height as 
the dung of the bed, which fhould be trodden down clofe, 
and afterward covered with the fame earth as was laid upon 
tire bed, to the thicknefs of a foot and a half, or more, 
treading it down as clofe as poffible ; this will add to 
the width of the bed, fo much as to make it in the whole 
twelve feet broad, which is abfalutely neceffary, for the 
roots of the plants will extend themfelves quite through 
it; and, it is for want of this precaution, that it is com¬ 
mon to fee the vines of melons decay before the fruit is 
well grown ; for, where there is no addition made to the 
width of the bed, the roots w ill have reached the fides 
of the beds by the time the fruit’ appears, and, having 
no more room to extend themfelves, their extremities are 
dried by the fun and air, which is foon difcovered by the 
plants hanging their leaves in the heat of the day, and 
that is foon attended with a decay of many of thofe leaves 
which are near the fern, and the plants from that time 
gradually languid), fo that the fruit cannot be fupplied 
with nourifhment ; but, when ripe, will be found to 
have little flefh, and that meally and ill-flavoured ; 
whereas, thofe plants which have fufficient breadth for 
their roots to run, and the earth laid of a proper depth, 
and clofely trod down, will remain in vigour until the 
froft deftroys them. There is alfo another advantage 
attending this method of widening the beds, which is 
that of adding frefli warmth by the hot dung on each 
fide, which will caufe the dung in the bed to renew its 
heat; and, as the plants will by this time fliew their 
fruit, this additional heat will be of great fervice in fet- 
ting the fruit, efpecially if the feafon fhould prove cold, 
as it often happens in this couivry in the month of May. 
When the beds are made up in the manner here direct¬ 
ed, and the vines have extended fo far as to fill the 
frames, and want more room, the frames fhould be railed 
tip, with bricks, about three inches high, to admit the 
fhoots of the vines to run from under them ; for, if the 
plants are ftrong, they will run fix or feven feet each 
way from the ferns ; for which reafon, we caution every 
one to allow them room, and to put but one plant in each 
light; for, when the vines are crowded, the fruit fel- 
dom will let well, but will drop off when they are as large 
as an egg ; therefore the frames which are defigned for 
melons fhould not be made fmall, but rather fix feet 
wide ; for the wider thefe are, the better will the plants 
thrive, and produce a greater plenty of fruit. 
Pruning and Management of the Plants. There is no part 
of gardening in which the practitioners of this art differ 
more than in the pruning and managing of thefe plants : 
nor are there any rules laid down in the feveral books in 
which the culture of melons has been treated of, by 
which any perfon can be inftruCted ; for there is fuch 
inconfiftency in all their directions, and, what is worfe, 
the greatelt part of them are fo abfurd, that whoever 
follows them can never hope to fucceed ; therefore we 
(hall, in as few words as polfible, give fuch plain direc¬ 
tions as we hope will be fufficient to inftruCt any perfon 
who is the lead converfant in thefe things. 
We have before advifed the pinching off the ends of 
the plants as foon as they have a joint, in order to-get 
lateral fhoots, which are by the gardeners called run¬ 
ners ; and, when thefe flioots have two or three joints, 
to pinch off their tops to force out more runners, be- 
eaufe it is from thefe that the fruit is to be produced ; 
but, after a fufficient number are put out, they fhould 
not be flopped again, but wait for tfie appearance of the 
fruit, which will foon come out in plenty; at which 
time the vines fhould be carefully looked over three 
times a-week, to obferve the fruit, and make choice of 
one upon each runner, which is fituated nearefl the ftem, 
having the largefl foot-ftalk, and that appears to be the 
ftrongeft fruit, and then pinch off all the other fruit 
which may appear on the fame runner ; alfo pinch off 
the end of the runner at the third joint above the fruit ; 
and, if the runner is gently pinched at the next joint 
above the fruit, it will flop the fap, and let the fruit.' 
There is alfo another method praftifed by fome gar¬ 
deners to fet this fruit, which is the taking off fome of 
the male flowers whofe farina are juft ripe, and fit for 
the purpofe, laying them over the female flowers, which 
are fituated on the crown of the young fruit, and with 
their nails gently linking the male flowers to iluike the 
farina into the female flowers, whereby they are impreg¬ 
nated, and.the fruit loon after will fwell, and fliew via¬ 
ble figns of their being perfectly fet. Where the plants 
are under frames, and the wind excluded from them, 
which is necelfary to convey the farina from the male to 
the female flowers, this practice may be very necelfary. 
The taking off all the other fruit will prevent the nou- 
rilhment being drawn away from the fruit intended to 
grow, which, if they were all left on the plant, could 
not be fupplied with fufficient nourifhment. 
By flopping or pinching off the runners three joints 
above the fruit, there will be frefli runners produced, a 
little below the places where the others were pinched; 
flop thefe new runners, foon after they come out, and pull 
off the young fruit which will appear. This mull be 
repeated as often as is found neceffary, which will be 
until thofe intended- to Hand are grown fo large as to 
draw all the nourifhment which the plants can fupply, 
for then the plants will begin to abate of their vigour. 
Thefe few directions, if properly made ufe of, is all the 
pruning which is neceffary to be given them ; but, at the 
fame time when this is praCtjfcd, it may be neceffary to 
give fome water to the plants, but at a diftance from their 
Hems, which will be of fervice to fet the fruit, and caufe 
it to fwell, but this mull be done with great caution.. 
The glaffes of the hot-bed lliould alio be railed high,, 
to admit a large fliare of air to the plants, otherwife the 
fruit will not fet ; and, if the feafon lliould prove very- 
warm, the glaffes may be frequently drawn off, efpecial¬ 
ly in an evening, to receive the dews, provided there is 
but little wind ftirring ; but ihould not remain off the 
whole night, left the cold fhould prove too great; but, 
in warm weather, the glaffes may be kept offfrom ten in 
the morning till evening. 
When the plants have extended themfelves from un¬ 
der the frames, if the weather fhould alter to cold, it 
will be neceffary to cover their extremities every night 
with mats; for, if thefe fhoots are injured, it will re¬ 
tard the growth of the fruit, and often prove very inju¬ 
rious to the plants; and now what water is given to the 
plants fhould be in the alleys between the beds; for, 
as the roots of the vines will by this time have extended 
themfelves through the alleys, fo when the ground 
there is well moiftened, the plants will receive the be¬ 
nefit of it ; and, by this method, the Items of the plants 
will be preferved dry, whereby they will continue 
found; but thefe waterings fhould not be repeated 
oftener than once a-week in very dry warm weather ; and 
be fure to give as much air as pollible to the plants when 
the feafon is warm. 
Culture under Hand or Bell Glaffes. The plants for thefe 
nliift be raifed in the fame manner as has been already 
direfted ; and about the latter end of April, if the fea¬ 
fon proves forward, will be a good time to make the 
beds ; therefore a fufficient quantity of hot dung Ihould 
be provided, in proportion to the intended number of 
glalfesj allowing fix or eight good wheelbarrows of 
