Wateemelon Cultueb. 145 



more. I find it profitable to pull off all young melons in 

 excess of two or three to the vine up to the time that these 

 two- or three melons are nearly grown. In pruning of 

 course all ill-shaped melons; or lop-sided melons should be 

 clipped off in every instance even if none are left on the 

 vines. This applies to round melons as we have mainly 

 lop-sided melons of this variety. 



All long melons that have long necks like a gourd should 

 be pulled off as such melons never pay to ship and I be- 

 lieve the industry suffers every year by the fact that some 

 farmers will persist in loading such melons. 



The yield of one good melon per vine is about an aver- 

 age crop and will make about one carload of melons to ev- 

 ery two acres. Occasionally we get a yield of a car per 

 acre which is about two melons per vine depending of 

 course upon the size of the melons ; however, it is very rare 

 that the yield is this good. 



The trade now demands cars containing about 30,000 

 pounds of mtelons and of round melons a good average 

 size is about 30 pounds each f or Kolb Gems and 35 pounds 

 each for Triumphs or round blues. 



Of the long varieties a good average size is 25 pounds 

 for Rattle Snakes and 30 pounds for Watsons. This lat- 

 ter variety is a long blue melon and is at this time a 

 most popular shipping variety, being a most excellent "cut- 

 ter" asi the round varieties are not such good "cutters." 

 The term "cutter" applies to the quality of the melon for 

 eating. 



One of the most important things in shipping melons is 

 the proper handling and loading of the melons into the 



