712 THK farmers' handbook. 



Some successful growers collect old jam and other tins, and, after 

 melting off the tops and bottoms, arrange them, filled with fine mould, in 

 shallow boxes or trays. A couple of melon seeds are sown in each tin very 

 early in the season, and the boxes are placed in some warm and sheltered 

 place. By the time the season is sufficiently advanced to permit of safe 

 planting in the open the plants are a fair size, and can be readily set out. 

 With a little care the tins can be slipped off without interfering with the 

 roots. Unfortunately for this method, only tins that are soldered at the 

 joints are suitable, and the bulk of the tins now manufactured are not fit 

 for the purpose. 



A variation of this system is in use in parts of the United States, where 

 the seed is sown in what are descriptively called " dirt bands." Thin strips 

 of wood veneer, 3 inches wide and 18 inches long, are scored at intervals of 

 4 inches, so that they can be bent without breaking, and are folded into 

 squares so as to resemble small strawberry boxes without the bottom. These 

 squares are placed close together in a hot-bed, and filled level full with fine, 

 rich soil. With a block of wood shaped for the purpose, the soil within the 

 squares or bands is pressed until it is J to I inch below the top. If only 

 part of the soil is put in first and pressed down firmly, and the balance is 

 then added and similarly treated, a more compact square of soil is obtained, 

 which will hold together better during transplanting. The bed is then 

 thoroughly wetted, unless the soil was very moist in the first instance. 

 Next, three seeds are placed in each square, and covered with enough fine, 

 loose soil to bring all level again with the tops of the bands. This last layer 

 is not firmed. 



The hot-bed for melon plants should have full exposure to light, and be 

 maintained at a high temperature — about 85 deg. Fah. during the day, and 

 65 to 70 deg. at night. As much ventilation should be given as the weather 

 will permit, and care exercised to avoid over-watering. 



As soon as the plants are started, they are thinned to two in each square 

 by cutting off the weakest with a sharp knife. When they are about four 

 weeks old from planting, they are deemed large enough to transplant to the 

 field. The bed is thoroughly watered, and the bands, enclosing their masses 

 of earth and plant roots, are lifted by means of a spade, placed on a flat 

 surface, and carried to the field, where they are set out with the aid of a 

 flat trowel, care being taken that the bottom of each square is in close 

 contact with the soil. The band is then removed and fine, moist soil is 

 drawn in and firmed against the little square. 



For the production of water-melons on a commercial scale, a warm cli- 

 mate and an assured supply of moisture are essential; for market purposes, 

 therefore, the crop is practically limited to the coast, or to areas in the 

 west that can be irrigated. 



In field cultivation, the usual practice is to strike out furrows with the 

 plough, say 10 feet to 15 feet apart, according to the soil conditions. Hills 

 are worked up in the furrows, with ordinary or pronged hoes, and the seed 

 pushed under the surface, or the plants set after having been raised as 

 described above. If seed is planted out at once, plenty is used to allow for 

 losses. Some farmers throw a few handfuls of dry farmyard manure on 

 the top of the hill, so that the soil will not cake. 



The land is cultivated between the rows as long as the vines will permit, 

 after which they are left to themselves. 



