l68 MAKING HORTICULTURE PAY 



said melon seed is not fit to plant until it is ten 

 years old, because the older the seed, the lower its 

 vitality, consequently it will produce less seed and 

 more flesh. It, therefore, follows that to have a 

 constant supply of seed that has been tested and 

 known to be all that is desirable is to know that 

 disappointment in regard to quality of the produc- 

 tion will be averted. Do not save your own seed, 

 that is the seedman's work. The cost is but a trifle 

 in proportion to its value. Plant a single hill from 

 a new lot each year in advance of the main planting. 



Among the popular cantaloupes of the large mar- 

 kets, writes the editor, are the Montreal Market, 

 Rocky Ford, Netted Gem, Emerald Gem, and 

 Hackensack. This last one, however, has been 

 rapidly giving place to melons of higher quality 

 ever since the Rocky Ford crusade, which was in- 

 augurated in the late '90's. The varieties men- 

 tioned are popular not only because of their ready 

 salability, but also because of their high quality. 

 They are excellent for home use. 



The Montreal Market is, perhaps, the largest 

 muskmelon of high quality grown, specimens often 

 weighing 10 pounds or more. The Rocky Ford is 

 small, weighing 2 pounds. The other varieties 

 mentioned, with the exception of the Hackensack, 

 are round-formed varieties, weighing from 3 to 6 

 pounds. All these varieties, with the exception of 

 the Emerald Gem, are green-fleshed. There are a 

 number of red or salmon-colored varieties of good 

 quality which command a ready sale in markets 

 where they are known. They are, however, not 

 quite so popular as the green-fleshed sorts. Among 

 the leading varieties are Paul Rose, Osage or Mil- 

 ler's Cream, Emerald Gem, and Banquet. 



