744 
thus conserve the soil moisture, to enable 
a more thorough harrowing to complete 
the preparation. Preparing the land some 
time before planting is advisable, as the 
soil becomes settled and the seed will 
germinate more readily and a more uni- 
form stand will be secured. The soil 
should also be harrowed after cold spring 
rains to check evaporation, which will 
tend to aid in warming up the soil. Be- 
fore laying out the rows to plant, while 
the surface of the soil is dry, the field 
should be carefully leveled with a land 
leveler (see Plate No. 4), removing all the 
high points and filling the hollows and 
dead furrows so that in irrigating the 
water will run uniformly without flood- 
ing the rows, or oversoaking any of the 
hills. 
About planting time the field is laid off 
with a marker in rows five to six feet 
apart, in the opposite direction to the 
rows to be planted, which are laid off 
with the irrigation furrows in the best 
direction for water to run. The irrigation 
rows are usually made about the same dis- 
tance apart, usually six feet; these fur- 
rows can be made with a single shovel 
plow or a two-row marker or furrower. 
In the non-irrigated regions these fur- 
rows could serve for surface drainage 
after heavy rains. 
Planting and Securing a Stand 
The first requisite in planting canta- 
loupes is to have the weather warm, for 
warmth and moisture are the two essen- 
tials in seed germination. Many growers 
make the mistake of planting while the 
ground is yet cold with freezing temper- 
ature occurring every few nights. If 
perchance the days are warm enough to 
germinate the seed, the plants are stunted 
and make a slow, tantalizing growth, 
should they be so fortunate as to escape 
these late frosts of spring. 
As a general rule, a few days before 
the latest freeze may be expected, is as 
early as is safe to plant. It is common 
for cantaloupes planted as early as the 
tenth of May to begin to ripen as soon 
as the earlier planted seed, so as a rule 
it is not to much advantage to plant 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
very early; the grower must be the judge 
in regard to his soil and climate. 
There are two systems of planting can- 
taloupes—the drill-row and in hills. In 
the hill system the field is check-rowed 
like corn, to permit cultivating in each 
direction, the rows usually being laid off 
five to six feet apart, and the hills about 
the same distance in the rows. By drop- 
ping eight to ten seed to the hill, it will 
require about a pound of seed to plant 
an acre. It is advisable to plant plenty 
of seed in order to secure a good stand, 
allowing for the attacks of the cutworms 
and other destructive agencies. 
There are two methods of planting 
cantaloupes in hills—with a hoe, and with 
a hand planter, commonly called a “snap- 
per.” The rotary type of this form of 
planter is usually the most satisfactory, 
but some modifications are usually neces- 
sary to fit it for dropping cantaloup 
seed. 
By filling the holes of one of the reg: 
ular corn-dropping plates with lead, then 
by boring out with a three-eighths drill 
Plate No. 5. Planting Cantaloupes with 
Garden Drill. 
bit and by testing and enlarging the 
holes it can be regulated to drop quite 
well; the seed box will also need close 
fitting, to prevent the thin flat seed from 
leaking out. A block or stop should be 
attached to the blades at about the depth 
to plant, about one and a half inches; 
this will insure uniform depth, which is 
essential. Great care should be exercised 
to have the depression or hole formed in 
the soil by the thrust of the planter filled 
or leveled with the foot; otherwise the 
seed will dry out, field mice will more 
