276 VEGETABLE GARDENING 



sometimes used. Bushel and half-bushel baskets are 

 also popular in some sections for local sales. In ah 

 types of packages, the melons should be packed firmly, 

 so they will not bruise or be injured in transit. 



^8. Yields.— Nearly 34S standard crates of musk- 

 melons an acre were produced at the Arizona station. 

 It is not unusual for growers to harvest over 200 crates 

 to the acre. In New Jersey 150 crates an acre is re- 

 garded a good yield, and 100 crates is considered a satis- 

 factory crop in Georgia. 



519. Insect enemies.— The striped cucumber beetle is 

 one of the most destructive insect pests. (See Cucum- 

 bers.) The melon louse is a serious enemy in some 

 seasons. Infested plants should be destroyed as soon as 

 discovered. The usual insecticides for aphides may also 

 be employed, but the spraying of a field of melons when 

 the plants have attained considerable size is not easy 

 to accomplish. It is doubly difficult to kill the lice, be- 

 cause they feed on the underside of the leaves. 



520. Diseases. — Bacterial wilt (Bacillus tracheiphiliis) 

 may appear at any time during the season. The dis- 

 ease is dreaded because no means has been discovered 

 to combat it successfully. It spreads sometimes rapidly, 

 while at other times the infection is very slow. Wilting 

 is caused by the germs of the disease filling up the wa- 

 ter ducts, and preventing circulation in the plants. 



Rust or blight annually causes heavy losses in vari- 

 ous parts of the country. It is most likely to be de- 

 structive in warm, showery weather at low altitudes and 

 where there is little circulation of the air. The disease 

 may be controlled by spraying with bordeaux mixture. 

 The first application should be made when the plants 

 begin to vine, with subsequent treatments to keep the 

 plants well armored against the disease spores. 



521. The Montreal melons. — It is believed that the 

 Montreal muskmelons could be grown in various parts 



