82 MARKET GARDENING 



that the ball of earth is broken or disturbed as little as 

 possible. Plants started early will produce marketable 

 fruits a week to ten days ahead of their normal season. 



Planting distances vary from five by five to six by seven 

 feet. The common practice is to plant six by six feet. Do 

 not make hills; level culture is preferable. 



Picking. For a local market, the fruit may be allowed 

 to remain attached to the vines until fully ripened. For 

 long shipments, the fruit should be gathered as soon as 

 it may be separated from the vine. As ripening occurs, 

 the stem gradually loosens its attachment to the melon, 

 and when fully ripe, it will often become detached because 

 of the weight of the vine alone. 



Fertilizer. Stable manures are the best sources of 

 plant food for the muskmelon, the plants doing best in 

 soils containing an abundance of organic matter. Care must 

 be taken not to fertilize too heavily with nitrogenous fer- 

 tilizers. An excess of nitrogen causes large growth of vine 

 at the expense of fruitfulness. 



A high grade, complete fertilizer should be applied at 

 the rate of about 1000 pounds per acre, just before 

 planting. 



XIV. ONIONS 



Soil. Rich bottom lands, composed of fine alluvial soil, 

 are especially desirable plots in which to grow onions. 

 Muck or peat soils also give excellent yields of onions, and 

 large areas of such soils are now used for the production of 

 this vegetable. The lighter or sandy loams are very de- 

 sirable for onion growing if they contain plenty of organic 

 matter. Clay or silt soils are not desirable because of 

 their tendency to bake and pack after the seed are sown. 



