CHAPTER XIX 

 MUSKMELON 



Importance. In England the muskmelon is one of the 

 most important forcing crops, being grown on a large 

 commercial scale both in frames and in greenhouses. It 

 is produced most largely as a spring and an early summer 

 crop. While the cool, dull, cloudy weather of England 

 is not at all favorable to the culture of this vegetable, 

 which revels in heat and sunshine, the English gardeners 

 have become so skillful, and such excellent varieties have 

 been developed, that they succeed in spite of adverse 

 climatic conditions. Melons have been grown in the 

 greenhouses of the wealthy in the United States for many 

 years, and private gardeners in America have given much 

 more attention to the crop than they did only a few years 

 ago. A host of people are extremely fond of melons, and 

 it is not surprising that private gardeners are urged to 

 give the crop greater consideration. The quality of well- 

 grown greenhouse melons cannot be equaled by melons 

 produced out of doors under the very best conditions. 



As a commercial proposition in the United States the 

 industry has made very little progress. A greenhouse 

 man here and there has tried small plantings, and some- 

 times with fair success, but they have not been sufficiently 

 encouraged to plant large areas for market purposes. It 

 is possible that our growers have not given the crop 

 enough attention to fully understand and master every 

 detail in its culture, as they have in the growing of let- 

 tuce, cucumbers and tomatoes. It is an acknowledged 

 fact, however, that the melon is much more difficult to 

 grow than the other crops just mentioned, and that fancy 

 prices must be obtained in order to realize a profit. The 



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