PORTY-FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT. 153 



FERTILIZERS. 



As tlie melon does best in a soil filled with organic matter, it naturally 

 follows that stable manure is the best form of fertilizer under most 

 conditions. According to the Illinois Experiment Station results, manure 

 applied both broadcast and in the hills gave the largest net return. It 

 is frequently advisable to supplement the manure with commercial ferti- 

 lizer. A 4-8-10 formula is often recommended although when clover is 

 plowed under, the nitrogen may be omitted. From 500 to 1,000 pounds 

 per acre may be used profitably in many cases. When a heavy appli- 

 cation of fertilizer is made from one-half to three-quarters of it may be 

 applied broadcast, preferably with a grain drill with fertilizer attach- 

 ment or a fertilizer distributor. The remaining portion should be ap- 

 plied in the hills and worked thoroughly into the soil before the seeds 

 are planted or the plants set. Nitrate of soda is sometimes applied in 

 small amounts around the growing plants but it must be used with care. 



INSECTS. 



The cutworm is usually the first enemy to make its appearance. It 

 can be kept under control in most cases by the use of poisoned bran and 

 molasses bait or poisoned apple leaves scattered near the melon hills. 

 Successive plantings are also resorted to frequently and with success. 



The striped cucumber beetle is the most serious pest the melon grower 

 has to contend with. Owing to the importance of this insect to the melon 

 grower, a brief summary of its life history is here given. According to 

 Sanderson in his book on "Insect Pests of Farm, Garden and Orchard," 

 the adult striped cucumber beetles spend the winter in the ground near 

 where they have been feeding the previous fall. They emerge before melon 

 planting time and feed on almost any kind of plant until cucurbits 

 (melons, cucumbers, squashes, etc.) appear. Unless driven away from 

 the cucurbits by the application of repellants, they prefer this class of 

 plants when available. After feeding on the cucurbits for a few days, 

 the beetles pair and the females begin to deposit .eggs. The eggs are 

 deposited singly and are merely dropped in crevices of the soil or in 

 the openings around the stems of the plants. Each female lays about 

 100 eggs during a period of about a month and they hatch in about eight 

 days if the temperature is at summer heat. The larva is a slender, 

 white, worm-like grub, 3/10 inches in length with dark brown head. The 

 larvae bore into the roots, often tunneling into the base of the stem and 

 sometimes mine into melons lying on damp soil. Rarely does injury 

 by larvae become noticeable. The larvae become full grown in about 

 a month and then form an earthern cell below the surface of the soil 

 where it is transformed into a pupa. The adult emerges from the pupa 

 in from one to two weeks according to the temperature. In the northern 

 states there is but one generation a year. From Kentucky and Delaware 

 south, there are two generations j^early. 



Control. In small patches the hills may be covered when the plants 

 are young. On larger areas dusting with air-slacked lime, land plaster 

 or even road dust to which has been added enough turpentine, kerosene 

 or other material with an ofl'ensive odor to give it a strong odor. The 

 repellant should be dusted over the plants when the leaves are moist. The 

 application may be made with dusters made for the purpose or mosquito 



