MUSKMELONS 293 



several days before being inserted in the bed, since this treatment 

 will stimulate its growth after it has been placed in the bed. If 

 the manure is moderately moist and the loam is in condition to 

 induce the germination of seeds, no moisture need be added ; 

 but if the loam is very dry it should be moistened by the use 

 of a fine rose, but under no conditions should it be made wet. 

 After the lapse of six weeks, provided the temperature has not 

 fluctuated widely and the atmosphere has been moist, the crop 

 should appear. Many different kinds of beds are made. Some- 

 times the manure is placed in mounds, sometimes packed in bins 

 or boxes, and sometimes placed on board shelves, but in all cases 

 the same directions for composting, packing, and covering should 

 be followed. 



As soon as the buttons appear the harvest may begin. The size 

 of the plant will be determined by the uses to be made of it and 

 by the market requirements. The plants should be removed from 

 the bed by twisting them loose rather than by cutting. The breaks 

 in the loam made in harvesting should be carefully filled so as to 

 protect the living mycelium beneath and not destroy young plants. 

 The buttons or caps are usually marketed in wooden pans holding 

 from 2 to 6 quarts, although it is the common practice of the trade 

 to sell mushrooms by the pound. 



A few years ago one of our large native mushrooms, Agaricus 

 subrnfescens, was introduced into the garden. It is much larger 

 than Agaricus campestris and is more easily grown, but as the 

 spawn is not regularly prepared it cannot be used commercially. 



MUSKMELONS 



Because of the large number of forms and varieties of cultivated 

 muskmelons existing at the present time, and because they were 

 evidently widely scattered by the prehistoric peoples, it is difficult 

 to determine the exact origin of this plant. It has been under cul- 

 tivation since prehistoric times and is now found growing wild in 

 both India and Africa ; its original home may have been one of 

 these- countries. 1 



1 For a full description of what is known about the history of this melon, the 

 student is referred to De Candolle's " Origin of Cultivated Plants," pages 258-260. 



