28 EXPERIMENTS WITH MUSKMELONS 



EXPERIMENT XO. VII 



VARIETY TEST: MUSKMEILOXS IX THE XORTH 



The results of two additional seasons with these same vari- 

 eties together with the later introductions, make this the sec- 

 ond report more complete. The first report, "New Hampshire 

 Experiment Station Bulletin Xo. 52/ J contains figures and 

 descriptions of all varieties numbering up to sixty, with the 

 exception of illustrations of numbers 1, T, 8, 9, 27, 50, 53, and 

 55. Figure 4 in this bulletin contains these missing numbers 

 and also a correction of numbers 15 and 16. They should be 

 as represented in Fig. 4 of this report. 



The season of 1898 was ideal for all vines, the muskmelon 

 included. The results from this season we believe can be de- 

 pended upon to set forth the possibilities of the melon in the 

 North. Melons that did not ripen in 1898 cannot be relied 

 upon to mature in northern climates. 



The general conditions of culture, etc., as outlined in Bulle- 

 tin 52, were carried out with both crops. The land selected 

 was a lightish clay loam, which had grown a crop of onions the 

 previous year, and was therefore in good cultivation. A culti- 

 vated crop with a heavy application of barnyard manure pre- 

 ceded the onion crop, which was itself fertilized with a good 

 dressing of commercial fertilizer. In the spring the plot was 

 harrowed into a very mellow condition, marked out five by 

 six feet, and each hill received a large shovelful of rich com- 

 post and a handful of bone meal. The hills were then thor- 

 oughly mixed with this plant food and planted June 1. There 

 were at least two hills of each variety planted and ninety-five 

 in all. 



The hills were thinned to three plants each on July 12. 

 Cultivation was kept up at frequent intervals until the plants 

 covered the ground. During extremely dry times the melons 

 were irrigated from the main college water system. Xot much 

 was gained, however, as a neighboring plot, under similar con- 

 ditions but without water, was equally productive. The melon 

 appears able to withstand drouth as well as almost any garden 



