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THE ART OF PROMOTING THE GROWTH OF THE

Cucumber and Melon;

IN A SERIES OF DIRECTIONS

FOR THE BEST MEANS TO BE ADOPTED IN BRINGING THEM TO

_A COMPLETE STATE OF PERFECTION_.

       *       *       *       *       *

BY

THOMAS WATKINS,

_Many Years Foreman with Mr. Grange, of Hackney, and now with W. Knight,
Esq. Highbury Park._

       *       *       *       *       *

LONDON:

PUBLISHED BY HARDING, ST. JAMES'S STREET;

AND SOLD BY GRANGE AND DULLY, FRUITERERS, COVENT GARDEN; MASON AND SON,
SEEDSMEN, FLEET STREET; WARNER AND CO. SEEDSMEN, CORNHILL; GARRAWAY,
NURSERY AND SEEDSMAN, NEAR MARYLAND POINT, STRATFORD, ESSEX; AND BY THE
AUTHOR, AT HIGHBURY.

1824.

       *       *       *       *       *

PRINTED BY S. CAVE, ISLINGTON GREEN.

       *       *       *       *       *

THE ART OF PROMOTING THE GROWTH OF THE

Cucumber and Melon.




ADVERTISEMENT.


The author begs to inform the purchasers of this work, that it was
originally his intention to have given an engraving of the particular
description of cucumber and melon, which he has been so successful in
bringing to a state of perfection; and, in fact, a plate was executed,
at a considerable expense, for that purpose. Finding, however, that
although accurate in its representation of _fine_ fruit, it did not
pourtray the difference, nor convey the precise idea of those qualities
which constitute the superiority of the author's; and aware that such
would have been obvious to every experienced gardener, the design was
necessarily abandoned, trusting, that as it was merely intended for an
embellishment, its deficiency will not render the work less valuable to
the profession.




CONTENTS.


The Cucumber Seed-bed for October                              Page 1

The Fruiting Frame for early Plants                                14

The Seed-bed for January                                           43

On the Culture of the late Cucumber                                46

On the Hand-glass Cucumber                                         51

Dimensions of the Boxes and Lights for early and late Cucumbers    59

On the Culture of early and late Melons                            65

Dimensions of the Boxes and Lights for ditto                       83




Preface.


Having, when young, imbibed a particular inclination to study the
culture of the cucumber and melon, under the direction of my father,
whose character as an early framer was in high repute, I assiduously
tried every experiment which was calculated to improve upon his system,
by bringing them to a more complete state of perfection.

In marking the progress of their growth, I usually committed to writing
those plans which I had found to have been productive of beneficial
effects. The result of these remarks has proved the compilation of the
following treatise, undertaken at the request of several
horticulturists, who have expressed their desire to become acquainted
with the process of my mode of cultivation.

Considering it superfluous to enlarge this work by unnecessary or
controversial observations, I have confined myself entirely to those
directions, upon which I have uniformly acted; and have endeavoured to
reduce them into as plain and simple a form as possible; at the same
time observing to omit nothing which can be of utility in this difficult
and hitherto imperfectly understood branch of horticulture.

Several gardeners, who are now very eminent in their profession, have
placed themselves under my tuition, and I flatter myself are perfectly
satisfied that the instruction they received, was fully adequate to the
compensation required; and perfectly convinced them of the superiority
of my mode of culture. I here pledge myself, that the advice given to
such practitioners is contained in the following directions.

My principal object in the different