THE NORFOLK FINE SAND. 13 



earliest shipments may sell at a price of $2 a basket or even better. 

 When the price sinks to 75 cents a basket shipment usually ceases. 

 The yield of this crop per acre is decidedly variable, but the best 

 growers count upon 200 or more baskets per acre as a fair crop. In 

 the more northern regions the Norfolk fine sand is probably the best 

 soil for cucumber growing. 



While the Norfolk fine sand is probably exceeded in value by the 

 Norfolk sand for the production of extra-early asparagus, still the 

 former soil type is well suited to the production of this crop, and 

 it has been grown to considerable extent as one of the most valuable 

 of the early spring crops. In order to secure deep rooting of the 

 plants the ground is trenched out to considerable depth and the 

 roots are placed in the bottom of the trench. As the plants grow 

 the intervening ridges are hilled up against the growing plants 

 until the plants themselves occupy the ridge and the soil between 

 the rows has been moved out until hollows or furrows intervene. 

 Heavy fertilization is practiced with stable manure scattered in the 

 bottom of the trenches and commercial fertilizers applied in the 

 row, the latter being applied both at the time of transplanting and 

 at succeeding periods during the first year's growth of the aspara- 

 gus. Small applications of nitrate of soda from time to time have 

 been found particularly efficacious in forcing the growth of the 

 asparagus. 



The Norfolk fine sand is admirably suited to the production of 

 both cantaloupes and watermelons. It is remarkable that so little 

 attention has been paid in the majority of trucking regions to the 

 production of these crops upon this type of soil. For cantaloupes 

 few better soils may be found in the Coastal Plain region, since the 

 Norfolk fine sand is sufficiently well drained to minimize the danger 

 from fungus diseases; it is sufficiently retentive of moisture to pro- 

 duce a good growth of vine; and it is sufficiently warm and early to 

 give not only early maturity to the crop, but also sweetness and flavor 

 to the melons. It requires heavy applications of both stable manure 

 and commercial fertilizer to produce the heaviest yields, but is capable 

 of rewarding such care with excellent crops. 



The most advanced growers of cantaloupes start the plants in indi- 

 vidual pots or small cans in cold frames and transplant these to the 

 field as soon as danger from frost has passed. This is accomplished 

 without disturbing the root growth, and there is no check to the 

 growth of the plants. In this manner the maturity of the vines and 

 melons may be advanced from 10 days to 2 weeks over that of the 

 cantaloupes planted directly in the same field. Of course, only a 

 small acreage may be handled in this manner, since the attendant 

 expense is very great. It is, however, used by growers who desire to 



