The dung is now in a uniform state as to general character and moisture; therefore the bed may be established. One thing I would call your attention to - the advantage to be derived from mixing tree-leaves with it when worked, in the proportion of one-part leaves to two-parts of the fermented mass, for early work; but for later purposes the quantities should be reversed. The benefits to be derived from this moisture are prevention from what is termed "burning" of the roots, a more lasting warmth, and a richer medium for the young fibres to run in. In building a hot-bed a dry site is absolutely essential; and in addition to this, a full exposure to the sun's rays from eight in the morning till five in the evening - or at any rate seven hours' sunshine should be ensured. There is no great art in building a bed of this description; any workman who can load a cart well will be able to make a hot-bed. Supposing you contemplate the making this bed in the early part of February, it may be five feet high at the back and four feet in front. The frame must be put on at once, and some loose litter placed round the outside to protect the fermenting materials from winds and rough weather generally.

Under favourable circumstances the bed will become very hot in less than a week, when water must be liberally supplied, with a view to rendering the interior healthy. Here I would remark that a bottom heat of from seventy-five to eighty-five degrees must be kept up, and that ninety degrees is the maximum point to be allowed. In a fortnight, or possibly a little less, the bed may be planted; and from that time it will be necessary to maintain the temperature - a point easily accomplished by means of renewed linings, as the outer protecting material is termed. The temperature of the frame must be kept up at from not less than sixty, nor more than eighty degrees, encouraging, as a matter of course, the highest temperature in the day-time. The usual routine of pinching back, training, etc., with occasional waterings at the root, must be attended to; and here I would remind the cultivator of the necessity of sprinkling, con-tinually, the inside of the frame, and keeping the linings moist, renewing them frequently, and the oftener the better. Melon-blossoms require what is termed setting - that is, impregnation by hand - or otherwise they will be a failure.

The vines of the melon must be allowed to reach nearly to the edge of the bed before they are pinched, and as soon as the blossoms make their appearance, impregnation by hand must be carefully attended to. After the fruit is set - allowing not more than four or five to a plant - the vines must be pinched occasionally in order to prevent the later-made foliage from shading the earlier formed, or principal leaves. A tile, slate, or something of the kind, should be placed under each fruit, to prevent them from becoming discoloured and rotting. A trifle more heat is required for melons than cucumbers, and less watering; but when the fruit are about the size of hens' eggs, a liberal supply of weak liquid manure will benefit them. These applications may be continued in moderation at intervals afterwards, with the exception of the last three weeks of their existence.