,7 )
i l i
f i ?
! ta to'
.7 ;
8 0 2 PRACTICE o r GARDENING. P a r t III.
„h o le , and plunged in the mould under tho glasses, and a little „ a te r S 'X f ‘“i "
ahout their roots, the glasses set over them, and after they have made loots, .“the- getS
days, they are raised a little on one side to lot the plants have the tree a ir; and as tho „e .ithe r gets
warmer and warmer, air is given more plentifully, to hai
the open air, and run from under the gia
¥ to t e l f e n ; : t o C S Z t e p l a t a t s . so that thc,n>.ay ho ablo to boar
glasses. When th e plants begin to lill tho glasses they arc tr.uned
set upon bricks or sucli-Iikc, to boar them from the plants. After
of management, the plants will bear plentifully for about two months, provided they be not attacked by
T n S R S S r é r The thrips sometimes attacks early cueumhers and
fumigation. The red spider rarely makes its appearance; when it¿o e s , w a t^
perlv withheld. Some soils produce canker in the shoots, especially where they branch from th e main
stem. When this is the case, the only resource is to renew th e sou and the plants.
S e c t . VII. Culture o f ihe Melon.
3255. The melon requires the aid o f artificial heat the greati/ part o f the year, and even
in the ivarmest months it cannot be brought to perfection in Britain without the protection
of glass. Its culture is an object of emulation among gardeners ; and tlie iruit
of the best sorts have a peculiarly rich flavour, thought by some to bear a resemblance
to that of the pine. liipe fruit, Abercombie observes, “ may be had by forcing at any
season ; but the main crops raised for the general demand, arc seldom cut, at the
before May, and the last succession mostly ceases to yield fruit after October.’ l o
ripen the best, largest, fine kinds, M l'h a il observes, “ as great an atmospherical hCkat,
and a bottom heat to its roots also, is required as is sufficient to ripen the piiie-applo_ in
this country ; but as the melon is produced from an annual jilant, the seeds of ivhicli
must be sown every year, it requires a different mode of culture. Diilcrcnt methods
of treatment and various kinds of eai'ths and of manures have been recommended, and
used successfully hi rearing of melons. The gi-eat thing after planting is to give them
plenty of atmospherical heat, and a sufficiency of external air and water. Those methods
which arc most simple and the least expensive, and best calculated to assist in
making a suitable climate for the melon-plaut to grow in and ripen its fruit well, should
be preferred.”
3256. Soil. Abercrombie says, “ the melon will succeed in any unexhausted loam, rich in vegetable
rudiments, with a m ixture of sand, but not too light. The following is a good compost: two thirds ^
top-spit earth from a sheep common, adding sharp sand, if the earth contains h ttle ®
sand; one sixth of vegetable mould ; and one sixth of well consumed horse-dung. Or, if the carih is
not obtained from a pasture, rotted sheep-dung may be substituted ior the last. The ingredients shou d
have been incorporated and pulverised by long previous exposure and turmng over. 1 he compost shoiiJct
be dried under shelter before it is used, and warmed in th e frame for potting.
3257. M'Fhailiays, “ melons will grow and produce fruit of a good flavour, if they be planted in any
kind of earth not of too light a texture, whether it be taken from a compartment of the kitchen-garden
or from a corn-field, mixed well with good rotten dung; but earth of a loamy nature is the best, because
it retains moisture longer than light earth. Earth dug from th e surface of a common, where sheep and
cattle have long been pastured, is excellent for the melon. It should be broken welk and lie a few
months before it be used; and if it be exposed to a winter’s frost, it will do it good. This sort ol C'Wt i,
if it be taken from the surface of the common, will require no manure the first year of u s in ^ . 1 would
here mention, th a t unless the earth which I used for the melon-plants was very strong, I made it a practice,
when the melon-beds were wholly earthed up, to tread th e surface all over, which makes th e earth
retain its moisture longer than if it were left loose.”
3 258 Nicol savs, “ soil for melons may be thus composed: one half strong brown loam from a pasture;
a ouarter light sandy earth ; an eighth part vegetable mould of decayed tree-leaves ; and an eighth part
rotten stable-yard dung. The mould for melons should be well incorporated ; should be exposed to the^
frost, and be frequently turned over to meliorate.” . , , -r> i
3259. Sorts. T h e following list is recommended by an eminent practical gardener, Mr. Brown; and
they correspond also with th e lists of Abercrombie aud Lindley.
Melons ivith red flesh and thick rind.
I Cantaloups, th e ea rly , netted, I P olig nac . I R om an ie I th o orange, and M ontag u. 1 Succada. I Scarlet-fleslicd.
Fi'uit with green flesh and moderately thick rind.
Ita lia n grocn-flcshed. | Io n ia n green-flcshed.
Fruit with green or white flesh and thin rind.
G rccn-ileshod.
Daree. | Gerce. 1 Green Hoosainee. | G u rm u c k. | K eisiug . 1 Ispahan.
Winter melons.
D ampsha. 1 V alen cia. [ Hìèros.
We may here observe that the melon, being an annual plant, the varieties in cultivation are continually
changing; and th a t many excellent sorts are in cultivation of which no gener
’ ‘ ihops can be given.
0 general names by which they can
be purchased at the seed-shqps Z'ie,0. Estimate of sorts. The cantaloups a are r t in high estimation in „ general,.............. for their su penqr^ _ avqur.
.
although not uniformly such great bearers as some others in the l i s t ; they are besides admired for their
handsome and curious shapes, some of them growing very large. T h e netted cantaloup is a good bearer;
the fruit is above the middle size, round, heavy, full of juice, and high flavoured. The early small black
rock cantaloup is also a good b e a re r: but there is a large black rock which holds an inferior rank, both
for bearing and th e flavour of the fruit. Of the carbuncled rock th ere are two sorts : the smaller is by
far the best. T h e green cantaloup has a dark green rind, with a pale pulp, grows ra the r larger than
th e early black rock, and vies with it in flavour. The orange cantaloup is an excellent early variety, a
great bearer ; the fruit under the middle size, but juicy, and of th e most generous flavour. T h e early
golden, and the prolific, set speedily, and soon rip en ; th e fruit is middle-sized, and th e flavour not so
elevated as might be expected from a cantaloup. T h e silver cantaloup bears freely; the fruit is middle-
B o o k III. CULTURE OF TIIE MELON.
sized, and for flavour ranking with the finest,
either for an early or main
netted llomana bears r
The small Romana is ono of the mo,st plentiful bearers,
crop; the fruit is not abundantly juicy, but good-flavoured. The larger
. . OT OT freely than large sorts in gene ral; th e fruit is substantial and heavv, a single
mMon sometimes weighing lOlbs., not so ju icy as the best cantaloups, but the flavour high and grateful.
I he 1 ojignac IS also a rich-flavoured fruit. ¿The old oblong-ribbed is generally fo.Vu L i l l « OIU «njioiig-nouea is generally aa ggoooodd bbee arer, and' t' h‘ e
iru it IS agreeably flavoured. The other kinds also will ripen in Britain in full perfection, except the
water-melon, which does not always ripen freely with a good full flavour. For the principal culture,
a a n d ^ P o h g n a c are indisputably preferable: any of the otliers may be
adopted in secondary crops, or for variety.
of beginning to force. From the time of sowing, ripe fruit maybe cut in about fifteen
^ A®" average peViod: when many short and wintry days fall in the course, it may last eighteen
weeks; but when the forcing is not commenced till the days .are nearly twelve hours long, and continu-
¿ ly lengthening, ripe fruit is sometimes cut in ten weeks. Vhe period also depends upon the sort. Little
time IS gained by begmning to force in December. The early and main crops are commonlv sown from
th e middle of January to the first week of F ebrua ry; the latter or succession crops, a t the beginning of
oirto ’ il® ® intended to fruit .at the end of summer, in the middle of April.
3262. I'ornnng the seed-bed. The plants maybe raised in a cucumber-bed, and this is the general
practice; but Abercrombie prefers a separate bed, built a slight degree higher than that for the cucum-
Dei, at the same season, and adapted to a one or two light frame, according to the quantity to be raised.
iNicol raises the melon almost exactly in the same way as the cucumber, and there is very little difference
in his subsequent culture of these plants.
3263. Choice o f seed. Seed under the age of two years is apt to run too much to vine, and show only
male np'yers; but new seed may be mellowed by being carried in the pocket a fortnight or more, till the
heat of the body has dried and hardened it. Seed, twenty years old, has been known to grow and make
which has been kept three or four years is quite old enough, and less likely to
fail than older.
31226644.. Sowing. Abercrombie says, “ having moulded the bed, and proved the heat,
pqto 4 m., deep, ra the r than in the earth of the bed. Sow a second portion in five
'W in pans 3 in.,
* -J ■■■.’.1. A..OT OT.A.V.« UI Aiiv uOTu.<i BUOTuiiu puinuii jii uvc ui' sevoD davs, to
P T n j- 1^0 not at once plunge the pots to the rims.” (P r . Gard., p. 108.)
326o. rreatmenttillre inovcdtothefruiting-pit. “ As soon as the plants appear, give air cautiously
guarding the aperture with matting at night, and on frosty or gloomy days. At favourable opportunities,
wipe the condensed steam from the glasses. When the seed-leaves are about half an inch broad
prick the plants into small pots 5 in. in diameter, three in each pot, giving a little aired water ju st to the
ro o ts ; then piunge the pots into the earth of the hotbdd, partially or to the rims, according to the heat.
Admit Iresh air every day m moderate weather, a t the upper end of the lights, raised 1 in. or 2 in.,
according to the temperature of the external a i r ; more freely when sunny than cloudy; shutting closer,
or quite close, as the afternoon advances towards evening, or sooner if the weather changes cuttingly
cold; and coyer the glasses every night with mats, and uncover in the morning, as soon as the sun is
A AU®®®/® reach the frames. Give, occasionally, a very light watering, when the earth appears dry.
As the plants advance into the first rough leaves, the first riinner-bud in the centre should be stopped
by cutting or pinching the top off, close to the first or second jo in t; an operation which strengthens the
plantS’ and promotes the lateral issue of fruitful runners. Be careful to support a regular tenour of heat
in the bed, by laying, first, an outward casing of straw litter round the sides, to defend it from the
we ather; afterwards, if the heat declines, remove the above casing, and apply a moderate lining of hot
dung to one or more qf the sides. In matting at night, be careful not to drive the rank steam of the
linings into the beds, by letting the ends o fth e mats hang down.”
a Form it as directed for the cucumber-bed, but 6 in. deeper; M'Phail says,
upon i t ’’ ’ ™ about a week, tread it down and make it level, and set the frames
3267. Moulding tke bed. Abercrombie directs to “ mould it by degrees to 8 in., 10 in., or 12 in. depth ;
ii r^ laying the compost in little hills of that thickness, one under each light, with the intervals earthed
o®ly 2 m. or 3 m., for the present, till the general heat is moderated.” M'Phail lays in under each light
a small hill of earth about 1 ft. high. ^
3'268. Planting. When the earth of th e hills is warmed by the heat of the bed, and the plants have
leaves 2 in. or 3 in. broad, or have begun to push lateral runners, tu rn them out of the pots, “ with the
bail of earth entire: set a ball contaming one plant, in the middle of each hill, inserted clean over the
b a ll; qr set at most two plants under the centre of a large light. Aiter planting, give a gentle watering
oyer the hills and round the roots, taking care not to wet the shanks of the p lan ts: shut down the glasses
close, till th e heat and steam arise; then give air moderately. Extend a slight shade over the glasses in
the middle part of warm summer days, if the plants shrink or flag their leaves before fully rooted in the
hills, which they will be in two, three, or four days after planting.”
3269. Temperature. The melon requires a minimum heat of about 65° from the time of germination
till that of fructification, and a heat of about 75° to fruit in. (Abercrombie.)
3270. Air. As long as weak steam is perceived to rise from the bed, leave an aperture,, even e'
at night,
for It to escape; guarding against the influx of cold air by a curtain of matting. Admit fresh fre
air to the
plants by tilting the glasses more or less a t the most favourable hours in a mild dry day. .^
After the bed
las come to a sweet heat, shut down close at i
............. ight. As the fruit enlarges, it becomes more necessary
to seize every proper opportunity of admitting air ; raising the lights from 1 in. to 4 in., according to
the season, the heat of the bed, and temperature of the external air ; shutting close, if that should
frcel always timely towards evening. As confirmed summer approaches, admit air still more
' 327• 1-' . W ater . After the plants are placed on the hills, give, opportunely, gentle waterings, increasing
them as the season and the growth of the plants advance. Water circumspectly and scantily while the
fruit is setting or young in g rowAthU , a..s.A to o muc1h.. ..m....o..i.s..t.u...r.e. wou ld ma.k.e . i.t .d.ec ay. Take a warm morning
for watering, before the middle of M ay; in summer, the afternoon, or evening. ________ ota.
to the air of the frame; and let as little as possible fall on the setting or neivly-set young fruit, or near
th e main head of the plants, for fear of rotting that part. Shut down the lights after watering, for a
short tim e ; and if in the morning, and there is a strong sun, spread a m at over, to prevent the sim from
injuring the plants by acting on the water lodged on the spray and leaves. As a strong steam will now
arise, remove the mats, in an hour or two, and raise the glasses at the top, to give vent to the steam and
admit air to the plants. As the fruit becomes nearly ripe, lessen the quantity of water given, barely
keeping the plant from flagging; and withhold water entirely when the fruit begins to tu rn colour.
3272. Earthing. Perform this operation as directed for the cucumber, after the heat of the dung has
become moderate, earthing up by degrees th e intervals between the hills, till the depth of the earth becomes
equal. Eight or ten inches’ depth of earth, M'Phail states to be enough for the roots of the plants
to run in, provided the bed, or fermenting mass beneath, bo made of leaves of trees, or of dung well prepared
; for if the bed under the earth be in a good state, the roots will grow into it, and draw thence
considcrabie nourishment to the plants. The roots of the melon do not naturally run deep ; they extend
horizontally, not far from the surface, especially in Ibrcing-framcs, where the moist warm air is more
conflned than in th e open atmosphere. In early forcing, leave unfilled up with earth a space of about
7in. or 8 in. wide against the inside of th e frames, immediately adjoining the hot linings. “ By this
method the heat of the linings does more powerfully warm the air in the frames than if the earth was
made level home to tho sides of the boards of the frames to which the linings adjoin. But if melons be