early maturity is to be accomplished. Owing to this fact, Food for 

 the utilization of the Nitrate by the plant is liable to be less Plants 

 than if applied later, as the season for heavy rains, which are 55 

 liable to carry away part of the soluble Nitrogen, is not yet 

 over, besides, the weather is not warm enough to cause a 

 rapid growth. Practice, however, has shown that, by small 

 fractional dressings of Nitrate early, maximum results may be 

 obtained. In the preparation of the soil for the growth of 

 this crop, therefore, considerable organic nitrogenous mate- 

 rial may be used to advantage. 



A good practice is to manure the soil, 



either during the fall or winter, with from Methods of 

 ten to twelve tons per acre, and apply Practice. 

 previous to planting or setting the plants (in many cases the 

 plants are started in the plant-house), a fertilizer rich in 

 phosphoric acid and potash, also containing organic forms of 

 Nitrogen. At time of planting use a compost in the hill, and 

 use the Nitrate as a side dressing after the corn is well rooted. 

 The advantage of the compost and organic forms of Nitro- 

 gen is that they supply the soil with an abundance of readily- 

 fermentable material, which, to some extent, warms the soil, 

 besides containing substances useful in later stages of growth. 

 Nitrate may be applied in three dressings, at the rate of 100 

 pounds per acre in each dressing, and the dressings should 

 be so distributed as to cover the season of growth that is, 

 as soon as plants begin to form ears the last application of 

 Nitrogen may be made, which encourages a quick growth 

 of the ears and also makes them much larger. The increased 

 gains per acre when the Nitrate has been used in this way 

 have ranged from $i 8 to $40 a very profitable use of Nitro- 

 gen, as the gain is really in excess of that which would be 

 obtained by average methods of manuring. 



Soils suitable for the growth of musk- Muskmelons. 

 melons are preferably light, sandy loams, 

 not naturally well supplied with any of the constituents of 

 plant growth. The crop does not require large quantities 

 of plant-food, but must have the needed amount in available 

 form early in the season. Experiments that have been con- 

 ducted through several seasons show that the best form of 

 Nitrogen for this crop is the Nitrate, and that preferably two 

 applications should be made. The increase in yield from 

 the addition of Nitrate of Soda has averaged, practically, 



