Selpcfion of Cantaloupe Seed 101 



enough to give a slight white appearance to the surface. 

 When the pL^nts show the third leaf, thin to three every 

 eighteen inches. Later take out two of these. Saturate 

 sawdust or some other absorbent with crude carbolic acid, 

 and sprinkle it around the plants to drive off insects. 

 Cultivate as already directed. By this method, I have 

 gathered from 10,000 to 13,000 merchantable melons 

 per acre. Success in growing cantaloupes depends to an 

 unusual extent upon selection of seed. Seed should be 

 saved only from melons typical of the variety and of 

 best quality, having reference to the form and external 

 netting, the color and texture of the flesh and the size of 

 the cavity. Only the green-fleshed melons possess the 

 peculiar cantaloupe flavor combined with sweetness. 

 Those in which the texture of the meat is coarse and 

 fibrous are usuallj' of higher flavor than those with fine- 

 grained, compact texture. Commencing in 1867, 1 selected 

 seed from a particular type of melon having deep green 

 flesh and good flavor, keeping only the seed that would 

 sink in water, thus securing the plump, heavy, well- 

 matured seed and those having the strongest vital- 

 ity. By taking only those which sank in water, the 

 heaviest seeds were saved. By using only such seed, 

 the principle of the "survival of the flttest" gave me 

 onl}^ those of the strongest vitality. This was continued 

 for twenty- seven years, when the melons approached 

 perfection. The flavor was uniformly "best," the color 

 of the flesh green and of ideal texture, and the cavity 

 reduced to a minimum, while the weight far exceeded 

 what the size would suggest. From this variety, in 

 1880, a yield of 13,000 per acre was realized, and those 



