LEADING VEGETABLE CROPS I75 



Should rains occur soon after the seeds have been 

 planted the crust should be broken by the use of a 

 rake or small hand tool of some kind. This is im- 

 portant in securing the proper germination of seed, 

 but must be done v>^ith care after germination has 

 v?ell started, on account of the danger of injuring 

 the developing stem. Horse cultivation must be 

 frequent and shallow throughout the entire season 

 until impossible to get over the land on account of 

 the running vines. Many growers go to the 

 trouble of laying the vines aside in one direction 

 in order to secure an extra cultivation or two. Fre- 

 quent hoeings should be given as long as the vines 

 will permit. 



When available markets are close at hand, melons 

 should not be harvested until approximately 

 ripe. This will be indicated in most varieties by a 

 cracking or loosening of the stem from the fruit, 

 and the characteristic grayish or yellowish colors 

 should be well pronounced. Where shipments must 

 be made to distant markets, picking must be done 

 earlier, but it is always at the expense of quality. 

 This is the point on which the local grower is able to 

 successfully compete with the growers of special 

 sections where conditions are generally considered 

 to be much more favorable. 



Melons are handled in various ways, depending 

 upon requirements of market and distance from the 

 same. When the market is within hauling distance, 

 they may be easier and more readily marketed in 

 bulk from the gardener's wagons. For more dis- 

 tant markets hampers and bushel baskets are very 

 satisfactory. The bul^c of the crop from the special 

 melon-growing sections is packed in crates usually 

 holding forty-five melons of standard grade. Some 



