6 The Bulletin. 



to be a prevailing idea that it takes sandy bottom-land to produce good 

 quality fruit. This is to a certain extent true; but sandy uplands with 

 clay subsoils and favorable drainage will also produce very fine melons. 

 This is proven by the excellent quality of stock produced by growers in 

 the region of Warren County. 



The general belief is that the nature of some types of soil has a great 

 influence on the shape, size, and quality of the melon. As a matter of 

 fact, it is not so much the soil as it is the effect of the varying seasons 

 and closeness of planting. In favorable seasons the percentage of large 

 size or "Jumbo" melons is increased, while in seasons unfavorable to 

 growth the percentage of small or "Pony" melons will prove to be large. 



Earliness is a fundamental essential to success. To get an early crop 

 the soil must be quick, warm, and fertile. The best results are obtained 

 when the soil is in an ashy, mellow condition ; therefore, the preparation 

 must be deep and thorough. The soil should have been in cultivation 

 during the previous season. There is nothing that will be so advan- 

 tageous to the cantaloupe crop as a crop of clover or cowpeas plowed 

 under. The effects of this treatment will be seen in the increased mel- 

 lowness and moisture-holding capacity of the soil, as well as in the in- 

 creased amount of nitrogen added. Deep plowing and careful harrow- 

 ing will do much to bring about favorable soil conditions. A good crop 

 rotation will be very beneficial. One of the best to follow and one that 

 is used by many of the successful growers is a three-year rotation con- 

 sisting of cotton, corn, and cantaloupes, with cowpeas planted in both 

 the corn and cantaloupes. The cowpeas planted in the corn are plowed 

 under, adding vegetable matter to the soil, and making it loose and 

 friable. The legume' crop, with the cantaloupes, produce, with the crab- 

 grass that grows voluntarily, a good crop of hay. 



FERTILIZERS. 



The soils generally used for the commercial production of cantaloupes 

 are not, as a rule, of sufficient richness to produce large crops of fruit 

 without the addition of some form of manure. Where it is possible, 

 stable manure should be applied, since it furnishes both plant food and 

 humus. Unfortunately, the supply of stable manure is very limited, and 

 dependence must be placed for the source of humus and plant food on 

 green manures and chemical fertilizers. 



The amount and kind of fertilizer applied depends entirely on the 

 natural fertility and the previous treatment of the land. The canta- 

 loupe requires an abundance of vegetable matter, which may be secured 

 either by the use of stable manure or from some leguminous crop. 



Stable manure when applied should be well rotted and well incorpo- 

 rated with the soil. It may be broadcasted or placed in the furrow. 

 Broadcasting has its advantages, but where only a small quantity is 

 available, it is better to place it in the seed-beds. 



