24 



MELON CULTURE 



merit. Individual hills grown from the same lot of 

 seeds, as we get them in the market, and given the 

 same treatment in every respect, will often vary in 

 their productive powers from 25 to 200 per cent. 

 It is often the case, however, that the unproductive 

 hill will produce fruits which are as true to the type 

 as the more productive plants ; hence, the selecting 

 of the melons for seed in the field, as they are taken 





Fig. 5. A much better type than Fig. 4. 



from the vine, where all of these characters may be 

 taken into account, becomes a matter of great im- 

 portance. (See Fig. 5.) 



Prof. P. K. Blinn of Rocky Ford, Colorado, found 

 that, by planting the seeds from a single melon 

 separately, the product of this melon was so uni- 

 form in all of its qualities that it was evident to him 

 that the individual selection must be considered an 

 essential point in breeding, not only for type, qual- 

 ity and productiveness, but in securing strains which 



