Page:Philosophical Transactions - Volume 004.djvu/13

 the Sun. But let the foot of the Melon never pass into the dung, nor the earth be water'd but moderately, when you see it grows too dry, so as the shoot might thereby suffer; which yet you must not delay, till it happen, lest the remedy come too late. I water twice or thrice a week in very hot weather, and that about Sun-set; and I cover my Melons with a Straw-mat from eleven of the Clock in the fore- to two in the after-noon, when the heat of the Sun is too violent, and too quickly consuming that little moisture, which is necessary for the root. And when it raineth, I cover also my Melon-garden, lest too much wet hurt my fruit. There is some subjection in this, but 'tis also a pleasure to thrive in working by Rule.

If the root produce too many branches or arms, cut away the weakest of them, and leave none but 3. or 4. of the strongest and most vigorous, and such as have their knots nearest to one another. When I transplant my Melons from the Nursery-bed, I put commonly two roots together, except I find one very strong, which I then plant alone, cutting from it neither of the branches that shoot from each side (mark't 7.7.) betwixt the one Ear and the Leaf before spoken of. But when I joyn two roots together, I quite cut away both the branches, that shoot from the two Ears, standing one over against the other, to avoid the disordering abundance of branches; which also would wrong the foot.

The Melons being knit, I leave but two of them upon each foot, chusing those, that are best placed, and next to the first and principal Stalk, that is, to the heart of the foot. I also take care, to leave none but fair ones, and such as have a short and thick tail. The foot also of your Melon must be short, well truss'd, and not far distant from the ground. Melons of a long stem, and having the stalk of the Leaf too long and slender, are never vigorous, and cannot yield good Melons.

It happens sometimes, that at the very first there shoot out from between the two Ears, two Leaves, though I above spoke but of one; but this happens but seldom, and when it does, such two leaves must be reckon'd but for one knot; and afterwards there will shoot out a second, then a third, &c. and so on to 25 or 30, if you be not careful to cut in time: And it is at the Rh