﻿JANUARY 
  1 
  TO 
  MARCH 
  31, 
  1912. 
  91 
  

  

  33272 
  to 
  33277— 
  Continued. 
  

   33275 
  to 
  33277— 
  Continued. 
  

  

  greater 
  part 
  of 
  Europe. 
  Small 
  shipments 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  recent 
  

   years 
  to 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  Boston, 
  but 
  the 
  total 
  lack 
  of 
  cold-storage 
  facilities 
  

   in 
  ships 
  visiting 
  this 
  coast 
  and 
  the 
  consequent 
  very 
  large 
  percentage 
  of 
  

   deterioration 
  in 
  transportation 
  has 
  generally 
  rendered 
  such 
  experiments 
  

   unprofitable. 
  

  

  "The 
  Valencia 
  system 
  of 
  melon 
  raising 
  requires 
  seed 
  beds 
  and 
  trans- 
  

   planting. 
  The 
  seeds 
  are 
  planted 
  in 
  the 
  former 
  in 
  clusters 
  of 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  

   on 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  animal 
  manure 
  wrought 
  into 
  a 
  thick 
  paste 
  with 
  the 
  addition 
  

   of 
  water, 
  each 
  cluster 
  being 
  deposited 
  in 
  slight 
  depressions 
  in 
  the 
  surface 
  

   about 
  8 
  or 
  9 
  inches 
  apart. 
  The 
  bed 
  is 
  then 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  light 
  sprinkling 
  

   of 
  dry, 
  pulverized 
  manure 
  which 
  is 
  kept 
  moist 
  by 
  occasional 
  spraying 
  

   with 
  water. 
  Transplanting 
  takes 
  place 
  when 
  the 
  two 
  lateral 
  branches 
  

   of 
  the 
  plant 
  are 
  thrown 
  out 
  and 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  central 
  growth 
  is 
  just 
  

   appearing. 
  The 
  more 
  delicate 
  plants 
  are 
  discarded 
  and 
  only 
  the 
  health- 
  

   iest 
  and 
  most 
  vigorous 
  utilized. 
  

  

  "In 
  preparing 
  the 
  soil 
  for 
  transplanting, 
  the 
  desired 
  porousness 
  is 
  

   attained 
  here 
  by 
  mixing 
  with 
  it 
  the 
  sea 
  sand 
  used 
  as 
  hog 
  bedding, 
  to 
  

   which 
  is 
  added 
  fertilizer 
  in 
  the 
  proportion 
  of 
  1 
  sack 
  of 
  ammonia 
  sulphate, 
  

   the 
  favorite 
  nitrogenous 
  fertilizer 
  in 
  this 
  region, 
  to 
  10 
  sacks 
  of 
  the 
  sand 
  

   bedding. 
  The 
  rows 
  are 
  separated 
  from 
  6 
  to 
  7 
  feet, 
  and 
  the 
  distance 
  

   between 
  each 
  plant 
  is 
  30 
  to 
  36 
  inches. 
  Irrigation 
  in 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  rain 
  is 
  

   given 
  at 
  8-day 
  intervals. 
  

  

  "In 
  the 
  Alicante 
  district, 
  a 
  little 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  this, 
  the 
  seed 
  are 
  

   planted 
  definitely 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  in 
  pits 
  about 
  a 
  yard 
  apart 
  in 
  which 
  organic 
  

   manure 
  has 
  been 
  mixed 
  with 
  the 
  soil. 
  

  

  "It 
  is 
  very 
  difficult 
  to 
  obtain 
  selected 
  melon 
  seed 
  true 
  to 
  variety 
  on 
  

   the 
  open 
  market 
  in 
  this 
  country. 
  Each 
  farmer 
  reserves 
  his 
  own 
  seed 
  

   by 
  a 
  very 
  practical 
  method 
  of 
  selection, 
  as 
  only 
  the 
  seeds 
  of 
  fruit 
  dis- 
  

   tinguished 
  at 
  the 
  family 
  table 
  by 
  its 
  sweetness, 
  flavor, 
  and 
  thickness 
  of 
  

   pulp 
  are 
  set 
  apart 
  for 
  future 
  planting 
  or 
  exchange 
  with 
  neighboring 
  

   farmers. 
  This 
  process 
  of 
  selection 
  continued 
  through 
  a 
  succession 
  of 
  

   years 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  remarkably 
  successful, 
  attaining 
  such 
  uniformity 
  

   and 
  high 
  quality 
  of 
  product 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  unusual 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  whole 
  planta- 
  

   tion 
  without 
  a 
  single 
  flavorless 
  specimen 
  among 
  its 
  crop. 
  The 
  smallness 
  

   of 
  Valencia 
  farms, 
  however, 
  occasionally 
  proves 
  an 
  obstacle 
  in 
  selecting 
  

   and 
  preserving 
  the 
  purity 
  of 
  varieties, 
  as 
  the 
  proximity 
  of 
  inferior 
  stock 
  

   may 
  easily 
  nullify 
  the 
  care 
  and 
  labor 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  intelligent 
  farmer 
  in 
  

   melon 
  raising. 
  

  

  "Winter 
  melons 
  are 
  harvested 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  fall 
  and 
  are 
  suspended 
  in 
  

   loops 
  of 
  esparto 
  cordage 
  from 
  nails 
  in 
  the 
  beams 
  of 
  roofs 
  and 
  lofts, 
  where 
  

   they 
  keep 
  with 
  but 
  little 
  deterioration 
  for 
  six 
  months 
  or 
  more." 
  

  

  33278. 
  Clematis 
  sp. 
  

  

  From 
  Tangier, 
  Morocco. 
  Procured 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Walter 
  T. 
  Swingle, 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  

  

  Plant 
  Industry, 
  from 
  Mr. 
  T. 
  Goffart, 
  of 
  Tangier. 
  Received 
  March 
  25, 
  1912. 
  

  

  "Seeds 
  of 
  an 
  interesting 
  species 
  growing 
  abundantly 
  in 
  Mr. 
  Qoffart's 
  garden. 
  I 
  

  

  think 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  interesting 
  for 
  trial 
  in 
  Florida 
  and 
  California 
  and 
  perhaps 
  with 
  

  

  protection 
  even 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  Washington." 
  {Swingle.) 
  

  

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