PESTS OF THE MELON. 337 



full shovelful of mixed fine manure and night soil is used in each hill, 

 being well mixed with the soil; a liberal dusting of guano or super- 

 phosphate of lime is then scattered about the hill and six or eight 

 seeds are planted. The first planting is early in May; other plantings 

 may be continued through June. The hill is raised two or three 

 inches above the surface, and is made about two feet broad and quite 

 flat. When the plants appear above the surface they require protec- 

 tion from cut worms, which would otherwise cut the stems and destroy 

 them; and as the rough leaves appear the weaker plants are 

 thinned out and three only left. A good method of protecting the 

 plants against the cut worms is to make a ring of thick paper, about 

 a foot in diameter and three inches broad, and place this around 

 them, so as to form an obstacle over which they cannot climb. The 

 after cultivation consists of deep plowing at intervals at least 

 twice and frequent cultivation, until the vines begin to run, when the 

 terminal buds are pinched off to cause the growth of the lateral 

 branches. The main vine produces chiefly male and barren flowers, 

 and if this is left to run the laterals would not push out and there 

 would be little or no fruit. The lateral vines bear the female or 

 perfect flowers, and to encourage the growth of these is one of the 

 secrets of melon culture upon which the profits depend. The same 

 peculiarity of growth is found in all the gourd tribe, and applies to 

 squash, cucumbers and water melons, as weh 1 as to musk melons. 



The pests of the melon are lice, the striped beetle, and the squash 

 bug. The lice appear on the under side of the leaves and are diffi- 

 cult to get at, so that the simplest and most effective remedy is to 

 pinch off the affected leaves or the part of the vine and carry it away 

 and burn it. If left undisturbed the lice from one hill will quickly 

 spread over several square rods and completely destroy the crop. The 

 striped beetle is the worst enemy to deal with. It lays its eggs on 

 the stem at the ground, and the small grubs work their way to the 

 root and feed upon it. The first indication of their presence is the 

 wilting of the leaves " going down " of the vines, the growers call it 

 and vine after vine thus goes down, until at times the larger part of 

 the crop may be destroyed when the melons are half grown. The remedy 

 for this pest is to apply strong tobacco water around the stem on the 

 first appearance of the small striped beetle and repeat it in a few 

 days, and to repeat it again as soon as the wilting of the first leaf is 

 noticed. The fruit begins to " net " about two weeks before it ripens, 

 and the indications of ripeness are the fragrant scent, the softness 

 of the blossom end of the melon, and the cracking and easy parting 

 of the stem. 



