CHAPTER XIX 
MUSKMELON 
Importance.—In England the muskmelon is one of the 
most important forcing crops, being grown on a large 
commercial scale both in frames and in greenhouses. It 
is produced most largely as a spring and an early summer 
crop. While the cool, dull, cloudy weather of England 
is not at all favorable to the culture of this vegetable, 
which revels in heat and sunshine, the English gardeners 
have become so skillful, and such excellent varieties have 
been developed, that they succeed in spite of adverse 
climatic conditions. Melons have been grown in the 
greenhouses of the wealthy in the United States for many 
years, and private gardeners in America have given much 
more attention to the crop than they did only a few years 
ago. A host of people are extremely fond of melons, and 
it is not surprising that private gardeners are urged to 
give the crop greater consideration. The quality of well- 
grown greenhouse melons cannot be equaled by melons 
produced out of doors under the very best conditions. 
As a commercial proposition in the United States the 
industry has made very little progress. A greenhouse 
man here and there has tried small plantings, and some- 
times with fair success, but they have not been sufficiently 
encouraged to plant large areas for market purposes. It 
is possible that our growers have not given the crop 
enough attention to fully understand and master every 
detail in its culture, as they have in the growing of let- 
tuce, ctcumbers and tomatoes. It is an acknowledged 
fact, however, that the melon is much more difficult to 
grow than the other crops just mentioned, and that fancy 
prices must be obtained in order to realize a profit. The 
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