THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 297 



of potash ; an excess of nitrogen causes the production of large tops 

 and few tubers. The stools or roots immediately adhering to stalks 

 are the parts used for propagating; the tubers will not germinate. 

 Lleren should be planted at intervals of 2 feet in rows 4 feet apart, 

 and cultivated like any other vegetable. It requires ten to fifteen 

 months to mature tubers, which are % to 1 inch in diameter, and 

 may be harvested at any time when large enough, but can be left in 

 the ground for a long time without spoiling. It is a good shipper 

 and if introduced into the northern market it would soon create a 

 demand. (P. Rico E. S. 7.) 



MARTYNIA (Unicorn Plant). 



The curious, long beaked fruit is used for pickles. The plants 

 are quite hardy and ornamental, the fruit being no less conspicuous 

 for its odd shape than the large wax-like flowers of whitish color with 

 purple and yellow spots. (Mich. E. S. 20.) 



MELON MUSK. 



Soil and Location. The soil for muskmelons must be well 

 drained and contain an abundance of humus and readily available 

 plant food. If these conditions are met, it matters little what the 

 particular type of soil may be. A knoll or ridge sloping gently to the 

 south and protected by timber on the north and west furnishes an 

 ideal site for melons. Such a location will usually produce earlier 

 melons than a north or west slope and is better than a level area be- 

 cause the soil dries out more quickly after a rain, thus permitting 

 more timely tillage in a wet season, and resulting in the production 

 of melons of better flavor. It is only in dry seasons that low, flat 

 land, unless thoroughly tile-drained, produces good melons. The 

 condition of the soil in reference to its supply of humus has a marked 

 influence upon the welfare of the melon crop. Because of its abund- 

 ance of humus, newly cleared timber land is well adapted to melon 

 culture, but is difficult to work on account of the stumps and roots. 

 Land slightly deficient in humus can be put in condition for grow- 

 ing melons by plowing under a clover sod, or a crop of cowpeas or 

 rye, or a coat of manure applied broadcast. If melons are to be 

 grown as one of the crops in a regular rotation, they should consti- 

 tute the crop immediately following the leguminous crop designed to 

 add humus and nitrogen to the soil. In regions where winter wheat 

 and clover are grown, a rotation of wheat, clover and melons is 

 highly satisfactory. Another good rotation would be: oats, clover, 

 melons, corn. In regions where clover does not thrive and wheat 

 and oats are not grown, a rotation of corn, cowpeas, and melons may 

 be employed, or the rotation extended by seeding to grass after the 

 melons are harvested. Even with careful attention to rotation and 

 the incorporation of humus by plowing under catch crops or manure, 

 ordinary farm land including good corn land is not sufficiently 

 rich to produce a satisfactory crop of melons without the use of fer- 

 tilizing material in the hills. It is only on garden soil that has been 

 made exceedingly rich by repeated applications of manure, that it is 

 wise to attempt to grow melons without special treatment of the hills. 



Manure for the Hills. The manure for use in the melon hills 



