32 MARKET NURSERY WORK 



put in position, and a new plant planted. As the melons attain 

 full size, the watering of the plant must be greatly modified, 

 and only enough given to keep the foliage from suffering. 

 When the foot stalks of the fruits show signs of leaving the parent, 

 by cracking all round, it is nearly time to cut them and place 

 them on a shelf in the fruit-room to mellow, or pack them straight 

 away to market. 



The melon is not without its enemies. Too aridly grown it 

 quickly falls a prey to those twin pests, red spider and thrip, 

 and these once established are extremely difficult to eradicate. 

 The fact is, they must not be permitted to come, for once estab- 

 lished they will stand as much syringing as the plants. They 

 can be prevented by systematic syringing, mostly with clean 

 water and occasionally with an insecticide. Really there is 

 no excuse for their appearance save faulty treatment. Too 

 much water is an enemy it causes root rot. The melon has 

 not the huge area of water-using foliage that the cucumber 

 has to carry off the unwanted moisture it is not a bog plant, 

 but a good, honest, healthy, warm-growing subject, demanding 

 a certain amount of moisture but abhorring too much. Watch 

 that, then, most carefully. 



It loves a certain supply of warm fresh air ; see that it gets it. 



A wireworm will kill a plant in a night. Be as sure as you 

 can be that your soil is free from this destructive maggot ; 

 but make assurance doubly sure by setting traps to catch it. 

 Portions of potato and carrot are very good traps. 



Club root is another terrible bane which ought to be forestalled 

 by sterilisation of the soil before being brought into the house. 

 Follow this up by the use of a soil insecticide there are plenty 

 of them. Also trap millipedes and woodlice, destructive beggars 

 working like thieves hi the night. Do not consider any precaution 

 too trivial or unimportant, for after raising and growing the 

 plants on, it is terribly wasteful to lose them afterwards for lack 

 of effort to secure their safety. 



Feed your plants when the fruits are about one-third grown 

 and afterwards. It is almost incredible the amount of energy 

 these fruits use up which the roots alone can supply. The size 

 and quality will be greatly enhanced if judiciously fed. For 



