22 MUSKMELON. 



as follows: "The melon was by far the most toothsome 

 article that has passed my lips this winter. Its flavor 

 carried me back to early fall, and made me doubt my 

 senses when I looked out of the window and saw snow 

 on the ground, and saw by the calendar that we had 

 begun the new year. I am greatly obliged to you for 

 being able to satisfy a summer taste in midwinter." 



The varieties, then, which we chiefly recommend for 

 forcing, are Blenheim Orange, Hero of Lockinge, Mas- 

 terpiece, Button A i, Imperial, with, perhaps, Emerald 

 Gem for early. 



Yields and markets. A good crop of melons in the 

 winter months is an average of two to three fruits to the 

 plant. This means that some plants must bear four or 

 five melons, for there will almost certainly be some plants 

 upon which no fruit can be made to set. The larger the 

 fruits, the fewer each plant can mature. Four or five 

 pounds of fruit to the vine is all that can reasonably be 

 expected after November. In fall (that is, early Novem- 

 ber or earlier) and late spring crops, the grower should 

 expect four to five melons to the plant (with the plants 

 2 feet apart each way) ; this is about all that one can 

 obtain, even from small varieties like Emerald Gem. Of 

 the larger sorts, like Blenheim Orange, three or four 

 fruits is a good crop. In midwinter, we have not yet 

 been able to average above two good melons to the plant, 

 at 2 feet apart each way. The fruits will continue to ripen 

 for a week after they are picked. Ordinarily, if seeds 

 of Emerald Gem, Blenheim Orange, Hero of Lockinge, 

 or other early varieties, are sown August first, fruits may 

 be expected early in November. If the fruits are desired 

 in January, there should be two or three weeks' delay 

 in sowing. All plants grow slowly in the short, dark 

 days of midwinter. The novice should not attempt to 

 secure fruits later than Christmas time, for the growing 

 of melons should be undertaken cautiously at first. 



The market for forced muskmelons will always be 



