As late crops come into bloom attend to their impregnation. Those that are swelling off crops in Melon-houses or trellises should have the surface of the border mulched with a little rotten manure. In ordinary dung frames the fruit should be slightly elevated, so that they are exposed to the sun while ripening. Give occasional heavy waterings to those that are swelling off, but withhold it when they are full grown, for at this season especially they are apt to burst. More plants might be planted in Melon-houses for late crops.

Melon Forcing #1

Keep ripening crops dry and warm, with a free circulation of air on all fine days, and fully expose the fruit to the sun. Crops that are fully swollen should not have any more water, or they are after this season very liable to crack. Now that the nights are longer and cooler, apply fire-heat to prevent the heat from declining below 70° to 75° according to the weather, and grow with less atmospheric moisture.

Melon Forcing #2

Keep the night temperature at 70°; and as the Melons approach the ripening stage, keep them dry at the root, and keep a free circulation of air about them. When more ripen than are required, wrap them in dry cotton wadding, and place them in the fruit-room and they will keep a long time.

Melon Forcing #3

Sow for an early crop about the middle of the month, in a temperature of 70°. To prevent any check from transplanting or "potting-off," sow a few seeds in 4-inch pots half filled with soil, and thin out the plants to one in each pot. As soon as they show the rough leaf, commence to add to the surface of the soil till the pot is nearly full. Pure loam is the best soil to sow in. Keep them near the glass in a light house, and give air regularly to keep the plants stocky, but beware of exposing to frosty currents of air.

Melon Forcing #4

The early plants will be ready to plant this month. Let the soil be a rather strong loam, with about a fifth part of well-rotted manure well mixed with it. Train the plants up the wires with one stem until within a foot of the top, and then stop them. Do not give very much water at this early season, or they may make unfruitful growth. The night temperature should range about 70°, with a rise of 10° by day with sun. Sow at the beginning and near the end of the month for successional crops.

Melon Forcing #5

Train the early plants to within 15 inches of the top of the house before stopping them. Water them sparingly until the lateral growths show fruit, and let the air moisture be moderate, especially in dull weather. Plant out succession plants, using a strong calcareous loam having no dung mixed with it. Dung is best applied as a top-dressing to strong soil. Those planted last month will be growing freely. Water moderately, and mould up by degrees, as the roots appear outside the heaps of soil. The night temperature may now be 70°. Give air early, and increase it by degrees till noon, and then decrease it gradually until the house is shut up, so that it stand at 80° for a short time, with a corresponding amount of moisture in the air.

Melon Forcing #6

As soon as a full crop is set on the earliest plants, increase the moisture in the air, and if dry at the root give a good watering. Keep the night temperature at 68° or 70°, and shut up with the glass at 85° for a short time on fine afternoons. Give air rather freely every favourable opportunity, so as to produce a stiff vigorous foliage. Impregnate those in bloom at mid-day, when the pollen is in good condition. Stop the growths one leaf beyond the fruits. Sow and plant out for succession crops. A stronger loam may now be used than earlier in the season.

Melon Forcing #7

Attend carefully to the impregnation of female blossoms at mid-day on fine days. Stop the fruit-bearing growths one joint above the fruit. So soon as a full crop is set give the plants a good watering, and when the fruit begins to swell freely syringe the plants when the house or pit is shut up on bright afternoons. The earliest crops will be advancing towards full size, and must not be overwatered in case the fruit splits, as some varieties are apt to do. It is best to mulch the surface of the bed, and so prevent evaporation and the necessity for frequent waterings. See that the fruit is as much as possible exposed to the sun. The night temperature at 10 p.m. may range to 75° when shut up with sun-heat, allowing it to fall to 70° by morning. Attend to the tying and stopping of succession plants, and plant and sow for August crops.

Melon Forcing #8

Expose ripening fruit to all the sun possible, and ventilate freely. If the weather be bright, do not let the plants become too dry at the root. The soil should at this season be moderately moist till the crop is perfected. Sprinkle advancing crops on fine afternoons. Mulch the surface of the borders in Melon-houses with rotten dung, to prevent evaporation and the necessity for frequent waterings. Stop the lateral growths of later crops one joint beyond the fruit. Impregnate those in bloom, and plant out more plants to ripen their crops in August. Sow more seeds for later crops. A heavy loam is best for summer crops of Melons, and it should be beaten firmly in forming the bed.

Melon Forcing #9

Melons swelling off heavy crops require much more water and nourishment now than earlier in the season. The beds of those growing in Melon-houses should be top-dressed with rotten manure. Red-spider is apt to be troublesome, and the foliage should be freely syringed at shutting-up time. Very little fire-heat will now be necessary, except during a period of sunless weather. Expose ripening fruit as much as possible to the sun, and air freely, but do not allow the soil to become too dry. Impregnate succession crops as soon as they are in fit condition. Plant out, and sow for succession crops.