WATERMELONS 127 



plants are up and begin to crowd each other a few may be removed 

 if necessary. 



Good varieties are White Spine, Davis Perfect, and Emerald. 

 If an early crop is desired the plants may be started in a hotbed 

 or coldframe in pasteboard boxes or berry boxes. These are trans- 

 planted to the garden after danger of frost is over. 



After the vines begin to run they should be made to take root at a 

 number of places by covering a little with some soil. This will 

 help to control injury from vine borers. Cultivate the crop thor- 

 oughly until the vines cover the ground. Protect the plants while 

 young in the home garden with box frames covered with mosquito 

 bar. These are to keep off cucumber beetles which eat the leaves 

 and destroy the plants. These beetles may be killed by spraying 

 with arsenate of lead. After the cucumbers begin to form, continue 

 to fight the beetles by dusting the vines with tobacco dust, lime 

 dust, or by spraying with nicotine sulfate. 



Inter-cropping with snap beans of the bush varieties should be 

 practiced. Plant the snap beans as early as the cucumbers are 

 planted. As soon as the vines begin to need all of the ground these 

 beans will have produced a crop and may be removed. 



Muskmelons. — This crop should be grown some distance from 

 cucumbers and squashes. They are apt to cross-pollinate with 

 them and the fruits will be seriously injured. , 



The best varieties of the canteloupe group of muskmelons are 

 Rocky Ford, Jennie Lind, Netted Gem and Paul Rose. There are 

 many other good varieties offered in garden catalogs. (Fig. 79). 

 Muskmelons may be forced in hotbeds as described for cucumbers. 

 In the field they are given more space, the groups of plants being 

 six or seven feet apart each way. They will respond well when 

 thoroughly manured. Each group of plants should be thinned to 

 not more than four or five plants. In large fields they are planted 

 by opening furrows six feet apart. Seeds are dropped in the fur- 

 rows and covered and later the plants are thinned to about two 

 feet apart. The manure may be placed all along the furrow. 



This crop is also attacked by cucumber beetles and vine borers. 

 See remedies mentioned under the head of cucumbers. 



Watermelons. — This crop is particularly favored by rich sandy 

 loam. It thrives best in very warm climates where the moisture 

 conditions are favorable. Here the melons reach their largest size 

 and best qualities. 



Good varieties are Florida Favorite, Tom Watson, Georgia 



