CANTALOUPE CULTURE AND PEDIGREED CANTALOUPE SEED. 



Plate No. 6 Planting Cantaloupes with Garden Drill. 



By filling the holes one of the regular corn dropping plates with 

 lead, then by boreing out with a three-eights drill bit and by testing and 

 enlarging the holes it can be regulated to drop quite well; the seed box 

 will also need close fitting, to prevent the thin flat seed from leaking out. 

 A block or stop should be attached to the blades at about the depth to 

 plant, about one and a half inches, this will insure uniform depth, which 

 is essential. Great care should be exercised to have the depression or 

 hole formed in the soil by the thrust of the planter, filled or leveled with 

 the foot; otherwise the seed will dry out, field mice will more readily find 

 the hills, and a hard dash of rain will form a hard chunk, or crust right 

 over the seed. The surface of the soil should be dry to insure good work 

 with the planter. A man with some experience can plant from three to 

 five acres per day with a planter, while one acre per day is about all that 

 can be accomplished with a hoe. 



The principal argument for the hill system of growing cantaloupes, is 

 the economy in labor, for more of the weeding and hoeing can be done 

 with a horse. 



In the drill system the rows are usually put about the same distance 

 apart, but the seed are sown in drill rows, the seed being dropped every 

 two or three inches; this method requires about two to three pounds of 

 seed per acre. The seed is sown either with a hand drill, shown in Plate 



11 



