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

Excerpt

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.