WATERMELONS. 185 



HATE It MELONS. 



SOIL. 



This plant will flourish and make an excellent crop 

 on warm sandy soil. Heavy or soggy land should not 

 be chosen, nor will thirsty soil produce a good crop, 

 but this plant has a wider range of soil than any other 

 that we raise for market. The profits from raising 

 watermelons are so small usually that from inferior 

 soil they approach the vanishing point. Then, again, 

 the early shipments, as a rule, bring good returns, 

 while the lat^r ones are liable to be a loss. 



The plowing should be shallow but thorough; while 

 the roots do not penetrate deeply, they grow out for a 

 long distance from the hill, and in no case should the 

 fertilizer be so placed as to coax the roots to an unnat- 

 ural stratum. 



FERTILIZER FORMULA. 



Nitrogen 3 per cent. 



Potash 8 percent. 



Available phosphoric acid .... 8 percent. 



Use from 800 to 1200 pounds of the above formula 

 per acre. If the soil is rich in nitrogenous matter, 

 omit this element altogether. Too much nitrogen 

 makes overgrown melons, poor shippers, and a pro- 

 duct with an insipid taste. From the foregoing, it 

 should not be considered that fertilizer can produce a 

 fine crop from a poor variety, but by properly balanc- 

 ing the fertilizer we can often raise a fine crop where 

 otherwise we would fail. 



The following table gives the amounts of different 

 fertilizers that may be used to obtain as much of each 

 element as the formula calls for : 



