CANTALOUPE CULTURE AND PEDIGREED CANTALOUPE SEED. 



No sooner has the seed germinated, than the struggle for existence 

 begins; an effectual precaution is to plant plenty of seed, scattering it 

 well in the hill, and even replanting before it is evidently necessary, 

 usually some replanting is required anyway. Crop rotation also, is often 

 a good way of avoiding infested fields, in fact, "prevention is better than 

 cure," in fighting insects and plant diseases. 



The destruction of insect-harbors, such as weeds, old vines and 

 plants, should be given more consideration, and the cultivation of the 

 fields in the late fall, winter and early spring, will destroy many eggs 

 and insects that pass the winter in the soil, grasshoppers and cutworms 

 for instance. 



The little striped cucumber beetle is doubtless one of the most com- 

 mon enemies the melon growers have to combat. A long list of remedies 

 have been suggested and tried, but the best method is to keep the soil 

 in the hill as fine as possible even to putting dust on the hill and thus 

 prevent the beetles from depositing their eggs on the stems as the plant 

 pushes itself through the cracks of the soil that would otherwise occur 

 if the soil in the hill were not soft and fine; dusting the hills with air 

 slacked lime, through a common gunny sack, or spraying with the bor- 

 deaux mixture as soon as the plants appear are the best remedies. To- 

 bacco, ashes or any dust bath are good repellants. 



The cucumber beetle is easily frightened, and continual cultivation 

 will often do much to keep the field clear until the plants reach a stage 

 where the beetles will not do much injury. 



The melon aphis is doubtless the most serious pest that the canta- 

 loupe has to contend against in many places, and one against which 

 resistance is least effectual where conditions are favorable to the aphis. 



Fortunately for the growers in Colorado, the natural enemies of the 

 aphis usually hold them in check quite effectually; the lady-beetle, the 

 Syrphus flies and the lace-winged fly are the principal enemies to the 

 aphis, some seasons a little parasitic fly destroys many aphis. 



The only effective measure seems to be a careful watch of the fields 

 to destroy the first plants found to be infested with aphis, as it seems 

 that only a few insects are able to pass the winter, and they seem to 

 spread from a few isolated points, and if these can be destroyed by 

 finding them and burying them, early, has seemed to be the only plan to 

 adopt, as spraying and fumigation has been tried by the most competent 

 experts with very unsatisfactory results. 



The introduction of the natural enemies, like the lady-beetles has 

 been tried in California with some promise, but this plan is in an ex- 

 perimental stage as yet. The necessity of supplying the enemy as soon 

 as the aphis appears, makes this plan rather impractical for the grower. 



Destroying the winter harbor or host plant of the melon-aphis would 

 seem to be the best measure to adopt if possible; this winter harbor has 

 not fully been determined for some points. 



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