CANTALOUPE CULTURE AND PEDIGREED CANTALOUPE SEED. 



Plate No. 5 Planting Cantaloupes with a Hand Planter. 



Heredity is a subtle, unseen force, difficult to understand, and which 

 can only be determined by the performance record of the seed tested 

 under a wide range of conditions, or better still by selecting a number 

 of fine specimens and saving the seed of each separately, and then grow- 

 ing all under uniform conditions of soil, climate and cultural care; this 

 will largely nullify the effects of environment, and the variations thus 

 disclosed, may be reasonably ascribed to heredity and the selections made 

 accordingly. 



Experience has shown that certain plants, like some individual 

 animals possess strong hereditary power to reproduce uniformly, a de- 

 sirable trait or character, while other individual plants have poor repro- 

 ducing traits, and for seed purposes are really worthless. 



Seed breeding is practical; it is not a theory or a fancy, but a rea- 

 sonable, result-producing process. The most successful farmers are giv- 

 ing it careful consideration, nor does the improvement of seed add a bur- 

 den of labor and expense; but comes as an added asset to the growers 

 wealth, and increases his pride in his crop. 



Comparatively few men are capable of producing their seed for if 

 they are growing cantaloupes for market, their time and attention must 

 be occupied with the crop, and to select, cut and cure high grade canta- 

 loupe seed requires no little training and experience, and some little 

 equipment. 



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