12 The Bulletin. 



Where selection is made the seed from the individual plants should 

 be sown separately and the next selection made from the resulting crop, 

 always keeping in mind the ideal type required. In this manner a good 

 strain will be secured. (See Fig. 3.) 



There are many men who have made a specialty of raising cantaloupe 

 seed, and who have the facilities for practicing selection, which an ordi- 

 nary grower cannot have. Such men usually produce good seed, but it 

 would be well if the grower, before purchasing seed, would inquire as to 

 its source, and purchase only from men who are specialists in this line 

 of seed production. There are also seed dealers, not producers, who 

 make a practice of buying up all cull stock at the end of the season for 

 seed purposes. These men place this undesirable seed on the market at 

 a less price than that at which a good seed can be grown and thus place 

 in the hands of their customers seed that cannot possibly produce a good 

 melon. 



PLANTING. 



The best results are obtained from early planting, since the plants 

 receive the benefit of the moisture in the soil before the usual spring 

 drought. Early planting also has its advantages in the fact that it 

 allows for later plantings in case something unforeseen should happen 

 to the first plants, and at the same time it produces fruit for the early 

 market which is generally better than the late. Many growers make 

 several plantings at intervals of a few days and in this way make sure 

 of a good stand. In the commercial sections the planting date varies 

 from the middle to the end of April. 



Plenty of seed should be used; about 2 pounds to the acre is required 

 unless the season proves to be unfavorable, and then it may require 

 from 3 to 4 pounds to make a successful planting. 



The seed-bed should have been prepared as already mentioned at least 

 two or three weeks in advance of planting. The rows are laid off 5 to 6 

 feet apart and the seed planted either in hills or drills. When ready to 

 plant, the seed-bed should be lightly stirred and the seed planted to a 

 depth of 1 inch. If planted deeper, the seed is generally slow in germi- 

 nating and will produce weak plants. On the other hand, if it is planted 

 too shallow it is very likely to dry out and germination Avill be entirely 

 stopped. Good seed planted at the right depth wdll readily germinate. 



The hill system is used by a few of the commercial growers and for 

 home gardens. The hills are planted from 3 to 4 feet apart in the row. 

 The drill system is the most favored by large growers, since it produces 

 a more uniform, medium-sized melon, while the hill system produces a 

 large-sized fruit which is not so desirable on some markets. In the drill 

 system the seed is thickly sown and then thinned to about 2 feet in the 

 row. 



In order to hasten germination a heavy board attached to the rear of 

 the seed drill so that it will follow the drill will be found very beneficial. 



