CHAPTER XIII 

 CUCUMBER. MELON. PUMPKIN. SQUASH 



Plant the seeds and use the hoe, 



Balmy be the weather; 

 Growth is sure though it be slow, 

 And the harvest time we'll know. 



LL of the crops mentioned in 

 this chapter are tender and 

 seed should not be planted in 

 the open ground in the North 

 until the weather is warm and 

 settled say about May I5th. 

 In Georgia, I am told, the 

 planting date would be about March I5th. A light 

 loamy or sandy soil is best. Put a handful of com- 

 plete fertilizer and a shovelful of well-rotted manure 

 or compost in each hill, mix well with the soil and 

 put two inches of "plain dirt" on top. I prefer low 

 hills that are very little if any above the ground level, 

 each hill about a foot in diameter. Sow plenty of 

 seed about fifteen seeds scattered all over the hill, 

 covered half an inch deep and firmed with the back 

 of a hoe. When the vines are well up, thin out half 

 of them; when the remainder begin to run, thin 

 them out so as to leave only three well spaced. Cul- 

 tivate and hoe (shallow) until the vines prevent. 

 Some growers practise nipping off the tips of lead- 

 ing shoots when three or four feet in length, to 

 force out side shoots and hasten fruiting. 



These crops especially melons and cucumbers 

 are oftentimes hurried along by planting the seed 



