THE SEED 29 



Many mistakes have been made and disappoint- 

 ments experienced by growers in different parts of 

 the country by planting northern grown seed which 

 was taken from melons indiscriminately from the 

 field without any thought of selection. The law of 

 heredity and environment holds true in Colorado 

 as well as anywhere else. Because a certain strain 

 of seed will produce good results in Colorado, it does 

 not necessarily follow that it will do equally as 

 well in other states and under entirely different 

 conditions. It is only after a long period of selec- 

 tion of seed from melons of the same strain which 

 have been grown under different environments that 

 we can be reasonably certain of success. Says Pro- 

 fessor Blinn : " Ten years in cantaloupe breeding 

 has demonstrated that in such heredity tests some 

 will breed uniformly true, a desirable type, while 

 others will be irregular and worthless as seed. If 

 choice specimens are again selected and given an- 

 other heredity test, the variations will be less 

 marked and the seed will improve along the lines of 

 selection. After a few years of systematic effort, 

 the reproducing tendency of seed so developed can 

 be depended upon, but the system should be contin- 

 ued indefinitely to constantly produce reliable 

 seed." 



