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producing cantaloupes of exceptionally high quality, 

 while southern Indiana and various sections of New 

 Jersey, Maryland and Georgia are likewise famous 

 for the production of this crop. 



The soil requirements for the muskmelon are of less 

 importance than climatic conditions. This plant is 

 extremely tender to frost and is often seriously in- 

 jured by cool weather. A comparatively long, hot 

 season is required for its best development. The 

 most desirable soils are the looser types of clay 

 loams, heavily enriched with compost. The sandier 

 types of soils are frequently preferred on account of 

 their earliness, and the greater part of the large acre- 

 ages will be found upon sandy soils primarily for 

 this reason. The heavier clays, especially when 

 improved by heavy applications of stable manures, 

 also give splendid results. The soil should be 

 plowed as early as possible and frequently har- 

 rowed until planting time, in order to conserve the 

 moisture and destroy the weeds. 



The securing of good seed is of the; greatest impor- 

 tance in connection with this crop. The common prac- 

 tice of utilizing the culls as a source of seed after the 

 marketable crop has been gathered accounts for an 

 enormous amount of the inferior seed placed upon the 

 market. The resulting vigor of the plant, its pro- 

 ductiveness and quality, together with disease- 

 resisting characters, depend directly upon the intelli- 

 gence exercised in seed selection. Many growers 

 select and save their own seed. This plan proves 

 satisfactory if done with intelligence and if 

 especial care is taken to consider the plant as a 

 whole in making selections. Only the best fruits 

 should be saved for seed and from plants especially 

 selected for the purpose. 



