HOME VEGETABLE GARDENING 



WATERMELONS 



THEIR soil requirements and general methods of 

 cultivation differ very little from those given for 

 muskmelons. However, watermelon hills should be placed 

 at least nine feet apart each way, since the vines grow 

 as rampantly as those of pumpkins or squashes. From 

 six to ten seeds are generally placed in a hill and only 

 one or two plants should be allowed to develop. Where 

 melons of good size are wanted, the number of fruits 

 per vine should be limited to two or three. 



Watermelon vines are exceedingly tender and resent 

 being moved about, tramped upon, or bruised or injured 

 in any way. They require a long season during which to 

 develop and grow. For this reason, repeated plantings 

 for a succession of crops are not practical excepting on the 

 Pacific Coast. Rather select sorts maturing in succession. 



The best way to tell whether a melon is ripe or not 

 is to knock against it with the knuckles of your fingers, 

 as you would against a door. If the sound is solid, the 

 melon is green. If it sounds hollow, it is apt to be all- 

 right. Another test is to turn the melon over and scratch 

 the lower side, which generally is yellow. If it is hard 

 and cannot be scratched easily it is safe to judge it as ripe. 



241 



