QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 9 



40. Q. To save my Citron or Cantaloupes from thieves can I ripen them Ripening cit- 

 in the house ? ^^^' 



A. Yes ; often better than in the field. Pull them when fully grown, 

 wash them, dry them, and place them on shelves in a dry, warm room ; 

 soon an aroma will fill the room superior to that ever before noticed in the 

 field. 



41. Q. Why is it that my Montreal citrons, grown in Pennsylvania, do Flavor of 

 not have the same flavor as those grown in Canada? Melons. 



A. Because of the distinct conditions of growth. At Montreal the seed 

 is sown in hotbeds, 20th to 30th of March. When the plants develop a 

 rough leaf they are potted and three or four times pinched back till about 

 the middle of May, when they are set out in specially prepared hotbeds, 

 three (3) plants to a sash. The glass is liept on till the vines fill the 

 entire bed, when both the sash and frame are removed. Very little water 

 is required, and when applied it is done without a rose, as it has been 

 found injurious to wet the leaves. 



42. Q. What is the merit of the netting or webbing on citron melons? Netting on 

 A, Strong webbing preserves a melon from the disfiguring efi"ects of Citrons. 



abrasion, thus fitting it to withstand transportation better than the melons 

 with smooth skins or only partial webbing. A strong netting often indi- 

 cates a good flavor, but it is not the rule, for some foreign smooth- 

 skinned melons are hard to excel. 



43. Q. Shall I shorten the long shoots of my watermelon vines ? Pinching 

 A. Yes ; pinch them back, cut them early before they get long. Back. 



44. Q. Why do the full-grown vines of my watermelons, squashes, Melon Bag. 

 and citrons get yellow and die off? 



A. From injury by worms produced from the eggs of the squash bug 

 which earlier in the season ate the young seedlings. 



45. Q. How should an Orange watermelon be cut to the best effect ? Orange 



A. About an inch from each end slice off a slab so as to produce a flat Wat«»"™® *»"• 

 surface and set the melon on end. With a knife, held so that one 

 inch of the blade only can penetrate the rind, cut down the rind perpen- 

 dicularly in lines one inch apart from top to bottom and pull it off, leav- 

 ing standing the red flesh of the interior. 



46. Q. What are the rules for determining when a watermelon is ripe? Picking 

 A. When a watermelon is ripe it has lost to a slight degree its lively Melons. 



green tint, appearing a little dull in color. At the stem end the curled 

 wiry tendril has become quite dead. On the earth side the melon is well 

 bleached and has become hard and woody. 



The expert watermelon picker, however, is not guided by these out- 

 ward signs, but relies upon the sound emitted from the melon when 

 gently thumped with the back of the nail of thumb or fingers. A green, 

 unripe melon responding with sonorous noise, while a ripe one, because 

 of the spongy nature of the interior, sounds dull and heavy. Practice 

 will soon make clear the difference in sound. 



