1902.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 38. 65 



the field being new to melons. About July 'I'l it was first 

 noticed that a blight was appearing on the vines on the old 

 ground. This did not increase verj' rapidly or cause any 

 serious damage for some time. When visited, on August 

 17, picking had just commenced, and the croj) was mostly 

 in excellent condition. In the most atfected part a few 

 plants were dead or had been pulled out, and many leaves 

 were spotted ; some of the fruit also showed spotting and 

 decay. Examination of the badly affected plants, ^.e., those 

 Avhich had been earliest attacked, showed the presence of 

 the anthracnose in great abundance, some AJternaria^ while 

 the downy mildew appeared to be just coming on. The 

 decay of the fruit was due entire!}' to the anthracnose. 

 From this time on the trouble spread rapidly to other parts 

 of the field, and in this later attack the mildew was almost 

 entirely the cause of the trouble. In other places also, 

 where no disease appeared until about September 1, the 

 rapid destruction which followed was due to the same cause. 



From all the cases reported it is evident that, except for 

 the rather unusual case of the anthracnose becoming abun- 

 dant in Jul}', the chief trouble with the melon crop comes 

 on about September 1, or in the last days of August, just as 

 the fruit begins to mature. The appearance of a badly 

 blighted field is a most discouraging one to the melon 

 grower, the ground being covered with good-sized but 

 mostly flavorless worthless melons among the dead vines. 

 It therefore comes about that a saving of the vines for two 

 weeks at this time is of supreme importance, and even one 

 week means often the difference between profit and loss to 

 the grower. 



Treatment . — In order to gain this period in the life of 

 the plant, the most obvious methods are by getting an early 

 start, by the use of early varieties, and by i)rotecting the 

 l)lant by spraying. Each of these is of practical impor- 

 tance. The first is often practised by starting the plants 

 in hot-houses or frames, and trans})lanting later to the open 

 field. This method has been used with promising results, 

 and deserves a trial wherever practicable. The choice of 

 varieties is largely a matter of personal taste in this crop, 



