The Bulletin. 13 



The board should be as wide as the seed-bed. It will act as a smoother 

 and at the same time will firm the soil about the seed, which will receive 

 the benefit of the heat and moisture in the soil thus brought in close 

 contact with it. 



THINNING. 



Thinning should not be done until the young plants have made a good 

 start. The best time to thin is about the time the plant has developed 

 the first four or five leaves. Care should be used that only the strongest 

 and most vigorous plants be left in the hill, and also that they be not 

 disturbed. Should they be disturbed the root system may be injured, 

 resulting in a serious check in growth, which will be detrimental to the 

 crop, often producing inferior fruit and making it late for the market. 



The thinning should be done gradually, first leaving several plants 

 to the hill and later thinning these down to the desired number. Many 

 growers prefer to leave two plants to the hill, but it has been found that 

 one plant to the hill gave a larger percentage of uniform melons and a 

 very small percentage of unmarketable fruit, while the two plants to the 

 hill gave a goodly percentage of marketable melons, yet the percentage 

 of culls was far in advance of the one plant to the hill. 



CULTIVATION. 



The most critical period in the development of the cantaloupe is 

 the first two or three weeks of growth. At this stage nothing must be 

 allowed to interfere with it, for if once set back the plant will never 

 really recover. It will give a poor grade of fruit and will also be late. 

 The reason that the plant needs such careful attention at this time is 

 because of the very delicate root system. As the seed germinates it sends 

 down a straight, long, tender, tapering root. This root later develops 

 lateral roots which are very delicate and feed near the surface. It is 

 upon these roots that the plant depends for its food supply, and not until 

 they are formed will the plant put on its true leaves and begin to grow. 

 From the foregoing the necessity of conserving the soil moisture can 

 readily be seen. 



Cultivation should begin early. The crust that forms on the surface 

 of the seed-bed should be kept broken and a dust mulch formed in order 

 that the young plants may have no trouble in pushing their way through 

 the soil. At this time hoeing around the hills will do more good than at 

 any other time during the life of the plant. 



The first cultivation should be deep and hear the plant, but not near 

 enough to disturb it. The later cultivations, however, should be frequent 

 and should become shallower at each Avorkiug. This will avoid root 

 pruning, hence a setback to the plants. The important point is to have 

 the plants grow from start to finish without a check, and there is nothing 

 that will help to do this so much as careful, frequent cultivation. 



