FERTILIZERS FOR MELONS .3.! 



with the soil, there will not be any trouble about 

 securing a stand of clover in the regular rotation. 



It must be borne in mind, however, that, like 

 everything else, this may be overdone and the soil 

 become so rich in vegetable matter that the vines 

 will produce a fruit that is overgrown ; too large for 

 the variety, and of poor quality, as well as being 

 later in ripening. We must remember that there 

 are two contending forces at work in a plant; viz., 

 the vegetative and the reproductive. In some the 

 vegetative is most prominent, while in others the 

 reproductive character seems to be strongest. 



Melon plants that have a tendency to produce a 

 large amount of vine and foliage are usually low 

 in their fruit-producing capacity, and vice versa. 

 This, however, may be remedied to a great extent, 

 by careful attention to the kinds and amounts of 

 fertilizers used. If the tendency is to produce too 

 much growth of vine at the expense of fruit, then 

 the nitrogenous elements in the fertilizer should be 

 reduced and more of the fruit-producing elements 

 added. On the other hand, if the plant is weak in 

 vegetation, it should be stimulated by adding more 

 of the nitrogenous compounds. The successful 

 commercial melon grower, therefore, will see to it 

 that his soil is in first-class condition, not only to 

 enable it to produce a large crop of fine-looking 

 melons, but melons of the highest quality. This 

 will require a balancing up of the elements of plant 

 food, but the best way to do it will have to be 

 studied by each individual grower. (See Fig. 6.) 



In his book on fertilizers, 1 Voorhees makes the 

 following statements concerning the needs of these 



1 "Fertilizers," Voorhres. 



