Vegetables with Edible Fruits 155 



WATERMELON 



The watermelon is a tropical plant, and grows well in 

 tropical and even equatorial lands. They are grown in 

 the southern United States to a greater extent than any- 

 where else in the world, and the best varieties have 

 originated there. 



Soil. 



Watermelons will flourish and make an excellent crop 

 on warm sandy soils. Heavy or soggy land should not 

 be chosen, nor will thirsty soil produce a good crop; 

 however, this plant has a wider range of soil than any 

 other raised for market in the South. The profits an acre 

 from raising watermelons are usually so small that from 

 inferior soil they are practically nothing. Also, the early 

 shipments, as a rule, bring good returns, while the later 

 ones are liable to go at a loss. 



The plowing should be shallow but thorough. While 

 the roots do not penetrate deeply, they grow out for a long 

 distance from the hill, and in no case should the fertilizer 

 be so deeply placed as to coax the roots to an unnatural 

 stratum. 



Fertilizer for watermelons. 



For watermelons, the fertilizer proportion should be 

 as follows : ammonia, 83 per cent ; available phosphoric 

 acid, 8 per cent; potash, 8 per cent. Use from 800 to 

 1200 pounds of this formula to the acre. If the soil is 

 rich with nitrogenous matter, ammonia may be omitted 

 altogether. Too much nitrogen makes overgrown melons, 



