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THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



June, 1909 



Montreal Market Muskmelon Industry 



William Stuart in Report ol Vermont Agricultural Experiment Station 



FOR years a few Canadian growers of this 

 melon have enjoyed an almost exclu- 

 sive control of the large eastern mar- 

 kets of the United States. These grow- 

 ers through carefully selected stock and skil- 

 ful cultural methods, succeed in supplying 

 excellent melons at fancy prices ($8-15 per 

 dozen wholesale). The crop, however, is an 

 expensive and precarious one to grow, owing 

 to frequent recurrence of unfavorable sea- 

 sons, and to the extreme care required io 

 grow it succcessfully. 



CULTURAL METHODS 



The cultural methods employed by Mon- 

 treal growers are essentially as follows : The 

 seed is sown in the greenhouse or hotbed 

 from late February to early April; later 



space is allowed between the ends of each 

 section. When the soil over the manure 

 is well warmed up, the warmest portion of 

 some favorable day is selected for planting. 

 Great care is exercised now in transferring 

 the plants from the hotbeds to guard against 

 setbacks from sudden changes of tempera- 

 ture or soil conditions. The coddling 

 process does not cease now. It is simply . 

 spread over a greater area and the plants 

 require even closer care than before, for 

 greater attention must be paid to watering, 

 syringing and ventilation, success at this 

 stage being very largely dependent thereon. 

 As the fruit attains size, it is usually 

 lifted from the soil by a shingle or flat 

 stone, to avoid loss from cracking, rot, etc. 

 Uniform shape, color, netting and ripening 



r ..r"/i-'**jff^l: • /. ■.'■ i. 









A Field on the Island of Montreal Where Big Melons Grow 



Pliintation of Mr. T. J. Gorman, Outremont, Quebec 



they are potted up into three or four inch 

 pots, and when in danger of suffering for 

 lack of root space and plant food and the 

 weather is favorable they are removed to 

 sash-covered frames, there to remain until 

 they are almost fully grown. These hotbeds 

 are well constructed, well exposed to the 

 sun, and also protected from cold winds. 

 The frames are often covered with two sets 

 of sash, mats and board shutters. With such 

 protection, if horse manure is used to 

 generate a sufficient bottom heat and the 

 exposed portions of the frame are banked 

 therewith, the plants may be grown almost 

 as well as in a greenhouse. These frames 

 are movable sections approximately 12 x 6, 

 strong and tight with tie rails for the sash 

 to slide upon. 



The soil over which these sections are set 

 is ridged up in beds 12-16 feet wide with a 

 one foot centre elevation. A trench is dug 

 2 feet wide, 15-18 inches deep, and filled 

 almost level with well fermenting manure, 

 and a portion of the surface soil thrown 

 over it, slightly more being drawn in where 

 the plants are to be set. The frames are 

 then set in place and covered with sash, 

 which in turn are further reinforced with 

 mats and wooden shutters, or hay or straw 

 with or without the shutters. A 4-6 foot 



is secured by turning the fruit every few 

 days. When the runners fairly occupy the 

 enclosed area the frames are opened a few 

 inches. As the season advances, more and 

 more air is admitted until, finally, when 

 the melons are almost full grown, the sash 

 and then the frames themselves are entirely 

 removed. 



As each fruit sets its shoot is pinched off 

 one or two joints beyond it. A 15-20 melon 

 crop is considered sufiicient from each 6x12 

 frame. Three or four hills are planted and 

 usually two plants are set per hill. 



The melons vary greatly in size. One 

 weighing 44 pounds has been grown. The 

 writer saw one weighing 22 pounds which 

 had been selected for seed purposes. Their 

 average weight ranges from 8 to 15 pounds, 

 and a dozen averages from 120 to 130 pounds. 

 In exceptional cases some have been ship- 

 ped weighing 240 pounds per dozen package. 

 The larger melons are apt to be poorer in 

 quality than those weighing 8-15 pounds. 



Two distinct types exist, a roundish oblate 

 and an oblong, the first slightly deeper 

 ribbed than the latter. These do not seem 

 to be separated by the growers. It is not at 

 all certain that either type is fixed. 



A large wicker basket (clothes basket) 

 is commonly employed in shipping to dis- 



tant markets. They hold a dozen melons, 

 packed in short, fine-stemmed hay, and are 

 shipped without cover, no attempt being 

 made to fasten the melons in place, the 

 express company being held responsible for 

 safe delivery. 



A first hand study of this industry leads 

 one to query as to the causes or reasons for 

 the monopoly possessed by Montreal garden- 

 ers. American growers have tried to 

 produce the crop, but apparently without 

 continuous success. At any rate American 

 grown melons of this variety cut no figure 

 in eastern markets. Yet no valid reason 

 appears why American growers should not 

 succeed. Hence the following work was 

 undertaken : 



Cooperative work was undertaken with 

 Mr. E. S. Brigham of St. Albans, seed secur- 

 ed from a Montreal grower and sown in the 

 station greenhouse on April 12. Duplicate 

 plantings by Mr. Brigham were made in 

 berry baskets plunged in a hotbed and filled 

 with a rich friable soil. Early in May the 

 plants were shifted into four inch pots and, 

 *on May 24 were planted out at St. Albans. 

 Owing to a lack of good fermenting manure 

 no bottom heat was supplied ; but an abun- 

 dant dressing of well decomposed manure 

 was used and the frames covered with sash. 

 Owing to the lateness of the season it was 

 thought unnecessary to cover the sash with 

 mats, yet on the night of May 24 the 

 mercury registered 28 degrees, F., and the 

 weather during the next few days was un- 

 reasonably cool. This low temperature, 

 coupled with a lack of bottom heat and of 

 mats, severely chilled all portions of the 

 vines near the glass. Growth was materi- 

 ally checked during this prolonged period 

 of cool and cloudy weather, and the setback 

 was never fully overcome. 



The warmer weather of latter June entail- 

 ed a fairly satisfactory growth. By July 30 

 some of the larger melons were beginning to 

 net. The first ripe fruit was picked August 

 19, and from that period on several were 

 harvested, mostly much undersized, weigh- 

 ing less than 8 pounds; some of good quality, 

 others distinctly inferior. 



The removal of the sash in late August 

 and the heavy rains of early September in- 

 duced rapid growth and much cracking of 

 both skin and the flesh, thus affording 

 favorable opportunity for disease. And on 

 September 12 a few melons were found 

 seriously affected by a soft rot, and two days 

 later a large share of the fruit was found 

 thus affected. The primary points of infec- 

 tion seemed to be those parts which were 

 in contact with the soil or the object on 

 which they were superimposed. Had they 

 been turned frequently during the rainy 

 period less loss would have occurred. The 

 frequent and heavy September rains and 

 cool weather favored the development of 

 this disease and lowered the quality of the 

 healthy melons and retarded the ripening 

 period. Few really good fruit were secured 

 after September 15. 



SUMMARY 



The Montreal grower succeeds only 

 through the careful observance of the best 

 cultural conditions. His success is, how- 

 ever, directly dependent on the weather con- 

 ditions obtaining during the . growing sea- 

 son. Cold, wet weather during the ripening 

 period materially injures quality and retards 

 ripening. Successful plantings, the first ones 

 in late February or early March, extend the 

 ripening period from mid-July to frost. 



A crop which may net $l,000-$2,000 per 

 acre is worth an effort to produce. Ca- 

 nadian growers seem unable to supply the 

 American demand, even at $10 to $15 per 

 dozen wholesale. 



The experimental work at St. Albans was 

 not successful. However, the knowledge 



