CHAPTER VI 

 STARTING THE PLANTS 



Planting in the^Open Ground. — In the more 

 southern portion of "the ' country, where the season 

 is long and there is Very little danger from frost, 

 the common practice is to plant the seeds in the 

 open ground where the plants are to grow. This, 

 of course, is a great advantage where it can be done 

 without endangering the crop by frost, as it saves a 

 large expense of handling and transferring the 

 plants. The melon does not take kindly to having 

 its roots disturbed; hence, great care is necessary 

 in transferring them from the seed bed to the field. 

 Southern growers, therefore, usually practice the 

 simplest and cheapest methods of getting the crop 

 started. 



But even in the South, the commercial melon 

 growers wish to get their crops on to the market 

 as early as possible in order to catch the highest 

 prices ; so it often happens that the ground is made 

 ready and the seed planted before the season has 

 become very far advanced ; and if cold weather 

 threatens, all that is necessary is to cover the hills 

 with some kind of litter until the soil and air are 

 warm enough to insure safety. This method applies 

 more especially to the muskmelon than to the wa- 

 termelon. As the melon is not a deep feeder, but 

 rather spreads out its root system near the surface, 

 following after the manner of growth common to 

 the vine above ground, it is not considered necessary 



