CULTIVATION 227 



field. They are then compact, stocky plants with about four 

 rough leaves. If allowed to remain longer in the bed they begin 

 to stretch for light and are of little value for planting, for the long, 

 naked stems, unable to support themselves and unaccustomed to 

 direct sunlight, would easily be sunburned, and the plants seriously 

 checked if not killed outright. 



When the plants are ready for the field, the bed is thoroughly 

 watered, and the bands, enclosing their masses of earth and plant 

 roots, are lifted by means of a spade (Fig. 134) and placed close 

 together on the platform of a low wagon. The wagon is then 

 driven to the field where the hills have previously been prepared 

 by mixing rotted manure with the soil as already described, 

 except that the mixture of soil and manure usually extends to 

 the surface. The hills are opened with hoes or a plow just ahead 

 of the planters. When a plow is used it may be necessary to follow 

 with hoes to remove the lumps from the bottom of the furrow at 

 the point where each plant is to be set. Five rows across the field 

 are set at a time, the team straddling the middle row. The plants 

 are lifted from the wagon either by hand or with the aid of a flat 

 trowel made for the purpose, and carefully placed in the hills, 

 band and all. Care is taken to be sure that the bottom of the mass 

 of earth ^\ithin the band is in close contact with the soil of the 

 hill. Then the band is carefully removed, and fine, moist soil is 

 drawn in about the mass of earth containing the plants. 



Cultivation. — Whether the melons are transplanted from a 

 hotbed or gro\ATi from seed planted in the field, the tillage of the 

 crop should begin as soon as the plants can be seen. In case of 

 transplanted plants, this will be the same day that they are set 

 in the field. The early tillage should be deep, and as close to the 

 plants as it is feasible to run the cultivator. The object of this 

 deep tillage is to establish a deep root system so that the plants 

 will not suffer so severely from dry weather later in the season. 

 In the case of a field-planted crop it is not feasible to cultivate so 

 close to the plants early in the season because of the danger of 

 tearing out the little plants. For this deep tillage a one-horse 

 five-shovel cultivator, often weighted with a rock, is the tool 

 most commonly used. It is customary to follow this Avith a " boat " 

 (Fig. 135) or a 14-tooth cultivator to more fully pulverize the 

 soil. Tillage is usually given after each rain or at least once 

 each week so that the soil is maintained in a loose, friable condition. 

 In addition to the cultivation with the horse, much hand hoeing 



