220 THE VINE CROPS 



themselves. The under sides of the leaves must therefore be 

 sprayed. This is accomplished by using a nozzle that is set at an 

 angle on a short spray rod. High pressure should be used so that 

 an exceedingly fine, mist-like spray will be produced. The spraying 

 should be done when the lice first appear, and before the leaves 

 become badly curled. The modern method of training musk- 

 melons and cucumber vines in " windrows " makes it possible to 

 do the spraying much more readily than if the vines are allowed 

 to spread promiscuously over the ground. The spraying of water- 

 melon vines is more difficult, especially if spraying becomes neces- 

 sary late in the season after the vines are large. 



MUSKMELONS 



Two types of muskmelons are widely grown under field condi- 

 tions in America: The large fruited and the small fruited. The 

 large-fruited sorts are grown chiefly by market gardeners for local 

 trade and in private gardens, while the small-fruited sorts are 

 grown much more extensively in trucking regions for shipment 

 to distant markets. There are green-fleshed and salmon-fleshed 

 varieties in both types. The green-fleshed sorts are usually more 

 delicately flavored than the salmon-fleshed, the latter having a 

 more pronounced " musky " flavor. 



The soil for muskmelons must be well drained and contain 

 an abundance of humus and readily available plant food. If 

 these conditions are met, it matters little what the particular 

 type of soil may be. The crop may be successfully grown (Fig. 

 131) on the light sandy soils of watermelon regions, on thin 

 gray and yellow silt loams, and on the deep prairie soil of the corn 

 belt. 



A knoll or ridge sloping gently to the south and protected by 

 timber on the north and west furnishes an ideal site for melons. 

 Such a location will usually produce earlier melons than a north 

 or west slope and is better than a level area because the soil dries 

 out more quickly after a rain, thus permitting more timely tillage 

 in a wet season, and resulting in the production of melons of better 

 flavor. It is only in dry seasons that low, flat lands, unless thor- 

 oughly tile-drained, produce good melons. 



The condition of the soil in reference to its supply of humus 

 has a marked influence upon the welfare of the melon crop. Be- 

 cause of its abundance of humus, newly-cleared timber land is 

 well adapted to melon culture, but is difficult to work on account 



