The Canadian Horticulturi^ 



Vol. XXXVI 



JUNE, 1913 



No. 6 



Cultural Studies on the Montreal Market Musknvelon^ 



THE commercial culture of the Mon- 

 treal melon is confined almost 

 wholly to a small group of grow- 

 ers near Montreal, Canada. While a 

 large proportion of these melons are 

 marketed in Boston, New York, Phila- 

 delphia and other large eastern United 

 States cities at extremely remunerative 

 prices, practically no effort is being 

 made by United States gardeners to meet 

 this demand. Notwithstanding the fact 

 that the Montreal growers have for the 

 past few years received from ten to 

 eighteen dollars a dozen wholesale for 

 their melons, they have not as yet suc- 

 ceeded in supplying the demand. The 

 writer was informed five years ago by 

 one of the best growers that he had a 

 ten year contract with a leading New 

 York City hotel, which agreed to take 

 every first class melon he raised. This 

 particular case is cited in order to dis- 

 close the keen demand which exists 

 among high-class hotels and restaurants 

 for this variety of melon during the sea- 

 son in which it is on the market. 



The high prices which these melons 

 command and their restricted produc- 

 tion notwithstanding the high prices, are 

 doubtless due to the fact that greater 

 skill is demanded and closer attention to 

 detail is necessary to success than when 

 other varieties are grown. Furthermore, 

 glass sash and frames are needed. Then, 

 again, the Montreal grower confidently 

 believes that this particular sort of melon 

 can be successfully grown only on cer- 

 tain types of soil on the island of Mon- 

 treal. This belief seems to have this 

 iuch basis in fact, that while occasion- 

 lly grown elsewhere high flavored 

 Mons have not commonly been produc- 

 save by Montreal growers ; indeed, 

 J.vor has usually been lacking. 

 The crop is a remunerative one, when 

 jnditions favor. From $1,500 to 

 ,500 per acre are not unusual returns. 

 Plair estimates an average crop at 

 2,250 per acre, with operating expen- 

 ses, including interest on investment and 

 depreciation, of $8go. One grower in- 

 formed the writer that his average sales 

 from seven to eight acres was in the 

 vicinity of $i6,oco. 



CULTURAL METHODS 



Briefly stated the cultural methods em- 

 ployed by the Montreal growers are es- 

 ■- entially as follo ws : The seed is sown in 



•Extract from Bulletin No. 169, of the Vermont 

 Agricultural Experiment Station, Burllngrton, Vt. 



Prof. Wm. Stuart, Burlington, Vt. 



seedbeds or pots, in the greenhouse or 

 hotbed, any time from the latter part of 

 February to the first of April. When 

 the seedlings of the earlier sowings are 

 large enough they are potted up into 

 three or four inch pots, and, in the case 

 of extremely early plantings, are again 

 shifted into fives' and sixes'. When- 

 ever these plants are in danger of suffer- 

 ing for lack of root space and plant food 

 and the weather is favorable they are 

 planted out in the sash-covered frames 

 und^ which they are expected to re- 

 main until they are almost fully grown. 

 The writer was informed by one of the 

 largest and most successful growers 

 that he planted seed for his first crop 

 in the latter part of February or first 

 of March. 



The hotbeds in which these early 

 plants are started must of necessity be 

 well constructed, and in addition must 

 be so located as to be well exposed to 

 the sun's rays and at the same time 

 protected from cold winds. This grower 

 in addition to having well constructed 

 hotbeds, covers his frames with two sets 

 of sash, mats, and board shutters. With 

 such protection, if sufficient horse man- 



ure has been used in the hotbed to gen- 

 erate a steady and fairly strong bottom 

 heat and the exposed portions of the 

 frame are banked with the same ma- 

 terial, plants may be grown almost as 

 well as in a more expensive structure 

 supplied with fire heat. In fact, most 

 of the growers seem to be strongly pre- 

 judiced against the use of plants started 

 in an artificially heated greenhouse struc- 

 ture, claiming that plants so started 

 never give as satisfactory results as do 

 those which have been grown in the 

 hotbed. To the writer this prejudice 

 seems to be ill founded. At least, no 

 good reason suggests itself why green- 

 house groNvn plants, if properly han- 

 dled, should not make satisfactory 

 growth when transplanted into the soil 

 of the frames in which they are to be 

 grown . 



The frames into which the melons are 

 transplanted are movable ones, usually 

 in sections of approximately twelve feet 

 in length by six feet in width. For the 

 early crops they are made strong and 

 tight with the rails for each sash to 

 slide upon. 



The soil over which these sections are 



