Watermelons 99 



most advisable for this fruit if large, luscious 

 melons are to be produced. 



Watermelon seed should be sown in pots or in 

 inverted sod indoors in April or May in order to 

 produce early melons. In sowing out of doors, 

 defer until June. The seed should be set in the 

 ground with the eye down and about a dozen seeds 

 planted in one hill. 



Watch out for the cucumber beetle on the water- 

 melon vines until the foliage is toughened. Spray 

 with Bordeaux mixture. 



Melons need a very abundant supply of moisture 

 early in the season but produce fruit of the best 

 quality if the soil is comparatively dry during the 

 ripening season. Soil moisture can be conserved 

 by frequent cultivation. This applies both to 

 watermelons and muskmelons. 



Watermelons which have the thinnest rinds and 

 are of a deep green color will contain seed which will 

 produce the strongest vines and the reddest-mealed 

 fruit. Watermelon seed do not have to be dried 

 before washing as is the case with muskmelons and 

 cucumbers. 



