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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 experiments I have tried, has
always been to discover an easy, as well as a certain method of maturing
these delicate plants, and, in consequence, have avoided, as much as
possible, any artificial means that might be attended with difficulty or
expense.

The only writer I know upon this subject, with the exception of
Abercrombie, whose system is now totally exploded, is Mr. M'Phail,
gardener to Lord Hawkesbury. This gentleman published a treatise in the
year 1795, in which he strenuously recommends brick pits for cucumbers
and melons, as far superior to the dung bed. It will be obvious,
however, to every person who has perused that work, that the plan was
adopted merely through deficiency of knowledge in the proper management
of the dung bed; for Mr. M'Phail asserts, that upon first attempting to
produce early cucumbers in Lord Hawkesbury's garden, he completely
failed, and was, in consequence, induced to apply to some horticulturist
in the neighbourhood, to whom he paid a gratuity of five guineas for his
instruction. The principal thing he appears to have been taught, was to
keep the burning heat of the dung about the roots of the plants down by
the continual application of water into the bed; which, however, he
found insufficient to preserve them in a thriving state, throughout the
winter months. This caused him to assert that it was out of the power of
any person to keep a dung bed sweet, and consequently impracticable to
rear them at that time of the year. To this I have only to observe, that
the following directions will prove a contradiction; for if they are
strictly attended to, no fear need be entertained of their vigorous
growth, either from the premature season, or the inclemency of the
weather.

In December and January, although their health is certain, I must allow
that they do not grow so fast as in other months; and this is the
particular time when difficulty is experienced by those who are
unacquainted with the proper means to be adopted, although, perhaps,
their efforts may have been attended with far more trouble than the
rules here prescribed.

The dung bed is certainly of the greatest importance both in the culture
of the cucumber and melon; and want of knowledge in the management is
generally the cause of the loss of the plants in the winter season, by
the settlement of a cold moisture upon them, which cannot be removed
without assistance from the sun: particular attention, therefore, to the
directions given upon that point is highly necessary; indeed, it cannot
be too strongly impressed on the mind of the horticulturist that upon
this greatly depends the success of his endeavours to mature them to any
degree of perfection.

In the remarks upon preserving the plants from a cold moisture, in the
most inclement weather, I have called to assistance what may be
technically termed an artificial sun; and as this most material point
may be perfectly understood I shall here describe it more particularly.

Keep the bed always wrapped up to nearly the top of the box with hay,
straw, or any kind of sweet litter; observing that hay, however
damaged, is certainly preferable; this will have the desired effect in
promoting a top heat, and obviating the difficulty above-mentioned, in
keeping the plants perfectly dry.

To those who are unacquainted with the management of a dung bed, a brick
one certainly appears more advantageous, in being attended with less
trouble to the horticulturist, though infinitely with more expense, both
in the building and consumption of dung: this, however, is a mistaken
idea, for nothing certainly can be more congenial to the growth of
either the cucumber or melon than a sweet steam heat: this essential
requisite, which may always be obtained by the process hereafter
described, can be but partially promoted in brick pits; for although
water, in its necessary application, may create a steam heat, it soon
evaporates; and the heat of the linings having to pass through the
bricks and tiles, it becomes dry, and quite incapable of affording any
nourishment to the plants.

The limited space in which the plants are confined in their growth by
brick pits, is also a very great objection to this mode of culture. That
they derive their