July 13, I 9 ° 7 - 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
475 
Fruit Growing 
9.—MELONS. 
for Amateurs. 
Melons are grown during the hottest 
part of the year, and it is at this season 
that their sweet, succulent flesh is so 
much appreciated by lovers of fruit 
generally; and also by those persons who 
do not make it a rule to eat fruit daily. 
Melon plants are prolific and give a 
/ 
A, Hotbed; 8, compost; C, plants put out 
on raised mound of soil. 
good return for the labour bestowed upon 
them when that labour is rightly directed. 
Some varieties of Melons are not worth 
growing; even the best attention to their 
culture does not result in the production 
of fruits fit to eat. But there are many 
varieties which are really exquisite in 
flavour, and these are the sorts to grow. 
Amateurs should bear in mind the fact 
that it does not cost more nor entail more 
labour in -the growing of a good variety 
than a bad one, and the results are widely 
different, as by receiving good culture the 
choice sort is vastly improved. 
The Best Kinds of Structures.— 
One cannot go far wrong in choosing 
frames in which to grow the plants, as 
nearly all kinds of frames are low. But 
it will not do to attempt to grow Melons 
in lofty greenhouses and conservatories, 
or in vineries. Low, lean-to, and span- 
roofed houses are the best after the con¬ 
sideration of frames is left. 
Melons are sun-loving subjects, so that 
it is absolutely necessary to have both 
frames and houses which face the south 
(see figs. 1 and 2). 
The Mode of Heating. —Ordinary 
frames are placed on hot-beds, and the 
heat from the latter has to be depended 
upon when the sun is obscured. But 
brick frames, or pits, and low houses, 
such as forcing houses, are heated by hot- 
water pipes mainly. I say mainly, be¬ 
cause in many instances there is room for 
a hot-bed, and the young plants always 
do better if they are planted in good soil 
on a hot-bed with pipes in the house as 
well. 
A span-roofed house, 25 feet long, 12 
feet wide, and 9 feet high from floor to 
ridge, may be sufficiently heated at a cost 
of about six pounds. An independent 
boiler fixed in the wall at one end of the 
house would cause the water to circulate 
freely through a flow and return 4 inch 
pipe all round the house. 
This kind of structure is very economi¬ 
cal as regards ths cost of heating, especi¬ 
ally if the pathway is sunk below the 
ground level 3 feet, then there would be 
less house surface exposed to the air and 
so it would cost less to maintain the de¬ 
sired temperature within. 
The Hot-beds. 
The construction of the hot-beds is a 
very important item in connection with 
the culture of many kinds of plants other 
than Melons. 
(a) Materials. —Stable litter and oak 
and beech leaves combined make the 
most satisfactory hot-bed. The litter and 
leaves should be used in equal propor¬ 
tions. 
(b) Their Preparation. —It would not 
do to take the litter in bulk from a large 
heap, because it would be spoiled through 
overheating and thus lose its power. 
Every morning collect all the fresh 
stable litter and spread it out in a thin 
layer on the floor of an open shed. To 
prevent burning, turn over the manure 
ever)' third day. When sufficient has 
been collected for the purpose — that is, 
one half of the entire bulk, as the other 
half will be composed of leaves — throw up 
all into a heap and leave it so for two 
A, hotbed; B, compost; C, position of plant 
on bed; D, leading shoot stopped. 
or three daj's. This action will cause 
the heap to heat violently, but not 
sufficiently to burn in the time; then 
spread out the manure again and so allow 
’all the rank gases to escape. 
It will now be fit to make up into a 
hot-bed. 
(c) Building the Hot-bed for a 
Frame. — The ground whereon the hot¬ 
bed is formed should be dry ; if at all wet, 
put down some broken bricks or stones or 
a few bundles of wood, and then com¬ 
mence to build up the bed. Shake out 
the litter loosely and mingle the leaves 
with it, treading down each layer as it is 
put on. If the litter is dry sprinkle water 
on it, but be careful not to overdo this, as 
a very moist hot-bed would heat violently 
for a time and then suddenly go cold. 
The bed should be nearly 2 feet wider 
than the frame which is to be placed on 
it, and the height should be quite 4 feet, 
as, with time passing and the weight of 
the frame and soil, it will sink down to 
half that height. 
Immediately the frame is placed on the 
bed, fill it with more prepared litter, and 
then put in the soil. 
* 0 . 
How to sow a seed; A, the seed; B, good 
fibrous loam. 
(d) Building a Hot-bed in a House.— 
Practically the same process must be fol¬ 
lowed in this case as when forming a hot¬ 
bed for a frame. But usually there is 
a certain space between walls to be filled, 
and if the inner wall is too low, place a 
few boards on edge to keep the manure 
within bounds. 
Raising the Plants from Seeds.— 
New seeds quickly germinate in a suit¬ 
able temperature, but seeds two and three 
years old also germinate freely, and the 
plants which result do not grow quite as 
grossly as those from new seeds. Melon 
seeds have been known to germinate after 
being kept forty years. L T se a rich loamy 
soil three parts, and sweet leaf mould one 
part, for sowing the seeds in. A small 
quantity of sand will keep the compost 
porous. Place two seeds in each 3 in. pot, 
and cover with one inch of soil. (See 
figs. 3 and 4.) Perfect drainage of pots 
is essential. Plunge the seeds pots in a 
slight bottom heat in a frame so as to 
have strong plants to put out when the 
hot-bed is made ready. But if an amateur 
is obliged to depend upon the hot-bed in 
the frame where the plants are intended 
to be grown, plunge the seed pots in the 
soil on the bed. 
Shows the seed germinating. 
