FORCING MELONS 67 



pound to one gallon of water, will often prove ef- 

 fective, as will kerosene emulsion, i to 15. While 

 the plants are young, the bugs may be picked off 

 without much trouble. 



There are one or two fungous diseases which 

 sometimes attack greenhouse melons ; one, a pow- 

 dery mildew, which attacks the upper surface of 

 the leaves ; the other is a canker, or " damping-off " 

 fungus, which attacks the plants at or near the 

 surface of the soil. The latter is aided by a contin- 

 ued warm temperature and much moisture on the 

 surface during the early stages of growth. If the 

 roots are allowed to get dry, thus checking the 

 growth of the plant, the disease will be more apt 

 to show itself, and the plants will rot off at the sur- 

 face of the soil. 



Subirrigation is one of the best preventives, as 

 then the surface may be kept comparatively dry. 

 Putting dry sand around the plants will also help. 

 Burning sulphur in pans or on the steam pipes occa- 

 sionalh' will have a tendency to keep down the 

 mildew. We have tried all of these remedies with 

 good results. It must be remembered, however, that 

 in dealing with these diseases " an ounce of pre- 

 vention is worth several pounds of cure," and so 

 the person engaged in forcing melons must be con- 

 stantly on the watch for trouble and strive to 

 forestall it if possible. 



