CHAPTER IX 

 FORCING MELONS 



Forcing melons is a highly specialized branch of 

 the melon business which is seldom practiced in this 

 country, except by the rich, or near large cities 

 where there is demand for unseasonable fruits and 

 vegetables, which, of course, implies that there are 

 people who are able and willing to pay the price. 

 The expense involved in the proper equipment and 

 care of the house and the necessity for great care 

 in looking after all the details concerning the re- 

 quirements of these crops, is much greater than is 

 necessary for outdoor culture ; hence, the prices that 

 must be received for the fruit must be correspond- 

 ingly high, and this limits the market to compara- 

 tively few buyers. And yet there is a field for this 

 kind of work, just as there is a field for the forcing 

 of tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce, which may also 

 be classed as winter luxuries. 



The writer has had some experience in forcing 

 melons, and from that experience he is able to give 

 the following advice to anyone contemplating going 

 into the forcing business. In the first place, it re- 

 quires capital to build greenhouses and to keep 

 them in repair; hence, one should have some money 

 to start with. It also requires much experience in 

 the management of greenhouses, and so one should 

 not attempt it on his own account until he has 

 served an apprenticeship in the business, and then 

 only in a small way at first. It requires a good 



