CANTALOUP CULTURE 747 
rank growth, and such succulent growth 
is also much more liable to succumb to 
the attack of diseases and insect pests. 
Hoeing 
Hoeing the hills is of great importance, 
but it should be done with skill both as 
to the time and in the manner it is done, 
for careless hoeing is a@ common error; 
if the seed has been properly planted in 
mellow soil and the irrigation properly 
applied, there is no reason for deep hoe- 
ing in and close to the hill, as it only 
disturbs the plant and dries out the soil; 
weeds can be destroyed by rather shallow 
hoeing. 
The dry, cloddy soil on the surface of 
the hill should be removed and replaced 
with fine mellow soil drawn up from 
away from the hill, hilling up the plants 
as much as possible; even to almost cov- 
ering the two seed leaves. This will pro- 
tect the plants from wind and insects 
to a large measure; but the most impor- 
tant feature of this process is the hold- 
ing of the moisture well upon the stems, 
affording the best condition for a long 
base for the development of the roots, as 
well as supplying the plant with moisture. 
If, on the other hand, the soil in the 
hill is loosened up with the hoe and not 
hilled up by drawing the loosened soil 
to the plant with the hoe, the hill will 
usually dry out, and only a short portion 
of the stem be in moist soil to induce 
root development. 
Cultivation 
A thorough preparation of the soil be- 
fore it is planted to cantaloupes will 
very much lessen the necessity for so 
much cultivation afterwards, but a good 
deal depends on frequent and thorough 
tillage during the early stages of the 
growth of cantaloupes; at first it should 
be deep and thorough, but not close 
enough to disturb the plants; the culti- 
vations should be more shallow and fur- 
ther from the hills as the plants develop. 
The grower who cultivates deep and close 
to the hill because the vines do not pre- 
vent this, is cutting off roots, setting 
back his crop more than he is doing good. 
He should understand the growth of the 
roots, for they form the counterpart of 
the vines on the surface, only they ramify 
the soil more thoroughly and to a greater 
distance than the length of the vines, 
so it is easily possible to damage the 
crop by careless cultivation. Examina- 
tions in the soil between the rows will 
reveal the tiny rootlets very thick, four 
to five inches deep, hence surface tillage 
after the vines start should be the rule; 
in irrigated regions root pruning seems 
to be detrimental to the crop. 
In the humid areas of the South under 
heavy rain falls, experienced growers 
recommend deeper planting and deep, 
thorough cultivations. They argue that 
deep cultivation will induce a deep root 
system, so if the season is excessively 
wet, the deep stirring will dry out the 
ground faster, and the root pruning will 
have the effect of checking the too rapid 
growth of vines that usually accompanies 
wet conditions and hot weather, and when, 
on the other hand, the season proves to 
be a dry one, the heavy soil mulch will 
conserve moisture in the subsoil, and the 
deep root system will permit the plants 
to develop a good crop, while on the shal- 
low stirred soil the crop will burn up. 
Tools Used in Cantaloup Culture 
The fourteen-toothed cultivator, with a 
steel weeding knife bolted across between 
the two back teeth, so as to run just below 
the surface an inch or two, has become 
the most popular tool for cultivating on 
land clean of alfalfa roots or trash. This 
gives ideal tillage, and practically kills 
all the weeds except in the hills. 
On alfalfa sod where the crowns would 
gather on the knife it is not so pleasant 
to use, yet it will do very satisfactory 
work, but here the five-toothed cultivator 
is usually used; this tool is also used to 
furrow out rows by closing it up and 
placing a large shovel on the rear shank. 
When the cantaloupes are “laid by” (cul- 
tivated and furrowed out the last time), 
the irrigating furrows are made some- 
what larger than before and they should 
be “logged out,” so that water can make 
its way through the rows after the vines 
have covered the ditches; it is also a good 
plan to lay the vines around out of the 
furrows once, to train them as much as 
