CANTALOUPE CULTURE AND PEDIGREED CANTALOUPE SEED. 



Plate No. 4 Marking Out Cantaloupe Rows, with Two-row Marker. 



SEED TO PLANT 



The question of seed, its variety, and the selection and breeding be- 

 hind it is of utmost importance in growing a crop of cantaloupes for mar- 

 ket; being as essential to success as is the selection of the variety of fruit 

 trees to be set in a commercial orchard; the markets have certain de- 

 mands for certain kinds of fruit, and the grower must meet that demand. 

 A market may become educated to take a new fruit of merit, but it will 

 not be forced to take what may be the misfortune of the grower to pro- 

 duce. There are local demands for several varieties of muskmelons and 

 cantaloupes, but the development of cantaloupe growing, as an industry, 

 has been since the introduction of the Netted Gem type of melon; its 

 small, uniform size adapting it for packing in crates for long shipments, 

 while its fine flavor, its quality and attractive appearance have been other 

 points in its favor. Unquestionably it is one of the best varieties grown, 

 but doubtless there is confusion in the minds of many who see the long 

 lists of varieties published in some of the seed catalogues, of different 

 strains, but which in reality is but one type of cantaloupe. Each seed 

 firm, commission house or grower having named and renamed their par- 

 ticular strain until the original identity has been lost; but regardless of 

 what might be said, or has been said, along this line, there are really but 

 few strains of the Rocky Ford Netted Gem type that deserves the distinction 



