78 MELON CULTURE 



Grasshoppers. — In some sections of the West, the 

 grasshoppers often become quite troublesome, es- 

 pecially in the watermelon fields. They are difficult 

 to manage ; they, of course, chew the leaves and 

 young stems, and so some good may be accom- 

 plished by spraying with arsenate of lead, using two 

 pounds to 50 gallons of water. Grasshoppers, like 

 cutworms, are fond of sweetened bran, and therefore 

 much may be done towards destroying them by thor- 

 oughly mixing one or two pounds of paris green 

 and 40 or 50 pounds of wheat bran together and 

 moistening with just sufficient water to dampen the 

 whole mass ; then add to this two pounds of sugar 

 and mix thoroughly. A teaspoonful of this mixture 

 placed near the vines will accomplish the work. 



Mice and Gophers or Ground Squirrels. — These 

 little animals are often very troublesome in the 

 melon fields by digging out and eating the melon 

 seeds after they have been planted. They often de- 

 stroy the young plants after they are up. The poi- 

 soned bran recommended for grasshoppers will often 

 have a good effect upon these. Good results have 

 been obtained by soaking melon, squash or pumpkin 

 seeds overnight in a strong solution of arsenic and 

 then scattering them about the hills. Poisoned 

 wheat is also recommended. 



There are a few more species of insects which are 

 more or less troublesome to melons which are 

 grown in the greenhouse. A discussion of these 

 will be found under the head of " Forcing melons." 



I desire here to emphasize the fact that in dealing 

 with nearly, if not all, of the various melon insects, 

 much may be done towards holding them in check 

 by a careful, clean system of farming. We have 



