SEED 'CATALOGUE of L. L. 1V T AV ^ CO., ST. PAUL, MINN. 15 
Seedsmen, Florists, Nurserymen 
— J re Hardiest For All Climes 
May's Musk Melons — Unsurpassed Values 
IN Tenderness, Productivity, Size, Flavor and Shipping Qualities 
BurrellGem 
A RED FLESHED Rocky Ford Cantaloupe. Well 
known for its superiority in every way. 
Its flavor combines the spiciness and crisp- 
iicss of the Rocky Ford with the sweetness 
'1.1 mellowness of the golden fleshed melons 
ic flesh being a warm pinkish orange in 
I, very thick and finely grained. The 
seed cavity is small and the rind very thin 
.ind tough, dark green closely netted with a 
gray mesh. In size it is about 6 inches long 
by ^]/2 in diameter, slightly elongated, and 
weighs about 2)4, pounds. It is an excellent 
shipping variety and so largely 
in demand by commis- 
si on houses that 
growers have had 
JifHculty in keep- 
ing the market 
supplied. 
When sold 
under its 
own name 
it com- 
mands a 
much 
higher 
price than 
a ny other 
variety, and 
c\'en when 
sold indiscrimi- 
nately, by its ap- 
pearance it is easily 
marked as an extraordi 
nary musk melon. The vines are vigorous, healthy and very 
IMoductive, producing early and continuously, thus making this 
the ideal fruit for either the home garden or for the market. 
Packet 10c., ounce 15c., M-pound 30c., pound $1.00. 
MAY'S AMERICAN BEAUTY 
THIS IS A NEW MELON and after a thorough 
trial we can safely recommend it as the ^ 
»:ost delicious on the market. It is very 
large, weighing from five to ten pounds, 
the flesh is a deep sunset color, very 
thick, sweet and luscious, with a spicy 
rich flavor that recommends it to the 
I onnoisseur. In size and shape it is not 
unlike the "Early Hackensack" al- 
tliough its general appearance reminds 
• nc rather of "White Japan" as it has 
a cream colored skin with deep white 
iK iting. It is peculiarly adapted to this 
climate, having been grown and tested 
here, and has been found to be the earliest of 
all the yellow fleshed melons, as well as a won- 
ch rful producer and profitable market variety. 
Remember the salient points of this melon are its 
Earliness, Productivity, Size, Flavor and Shipping 
Qualities. A prime favorite wherever used. Packet 
lOc, ounce 25c., ^-pound $1.00, pound $3.00. 
WE CAREFt;LLY Select our melon seed from 
specimen fruits and this fact insures 
the grower of May's Northern Grown 
d the finest strain of musk melons that 
.;n be produced, and the market gardener 
and trucker will find among those ofl^ered 
the very best that money can obtain. We stand 
back of every seed we sell with our guarantee. 
AMERICAN BEAUTY 
CULTURAL Directions 
FOR VERY EARLY melons the seed may be sown 
on pieces of sod, turned grass downward, in 
hotbeds, and when the weather is warm enough 
transplanted to the open ground, but for the 
general crop, plant the seed early in May 
when the ground has become warm and dry, 
in hills 5 to 6 feet apart each way. Melons 
require a moderately rich, light, warm mel- 
low loam and in wet weather do e.Kcellently 
in sandy soil. Before sowing mix a shovelful 
of well rotted manure in each hill, in which 
plant from I2 to 15 seeds, thinning out, after 
all danger of insects and 
bugs is past, to 3 or 
4 plants per hill. 
It is well to 
pinch off the 
ends of the 
vines af- 
ter they 
grow sev- 
eral feet, 
to force 
out the 
laterals 
on which 
the fruit 
is borne 
though this 
is not neces- 
sary where large 
quantities of melons 
arc grown. The fruit is 
not ripe until the stem sep- 
arates from it, but when it is to be shipped a great distance it is 
sometimes picked before it ripens. Minnesota is coming to the 
fore as a melon producing state and her melons have a pungency 
and strength of flavor lacking in the more southern varie- 
ties. Mr. Andrew Nelsoa, at Lakeland, Minnesota, 
cleared $$00 on one acre of melons last year, ship- 
ring to Superior, Duluth, Minneapolis and 
M. Paul markets. One ounce of seed will 
plant 50 hills; 2 to 3 pounds to the acre. 
ITH A HOTBED almost any kind of 
seed can be started. To prepare 
the manure for your hotbed, place the 
requisite amount in a compact heap, 
watering if dry. Let ferment a few 
days, then shake up and turn, water- 
ing again if necessary. This insures 
a uniform and active fermentation. 
Spread the manure 15 or 18 inches deep 
' on a well-drained spot. Place a cold 
frame on this, then put 3 or 4 inches of 
good soil over the surface. Bank the outer 
boards of the frame with manure or soil, to 
hold the heat. Put on the sash, and place a 
thermometer in the bed. On the third or fourth 
day, when the temperature should be about 75 
degrees, the seed may be sown with safety. After 
planting, do not allow the temperature to go above 
70 degrees nor below 50. For amateurs, it is 
better to sow seed in pots, pans or flats than 
the hotbed. If much steam, or ammonia, 
arises from hotbed leave opening for venti- 
lation for a few days, lest mould form or 
seed rot. In cold weather cover at night 
wiih matting or carpet, removing in day- 
time. On warm, pleasant days let the fresh 
air strike the bed. Transplant to open garden. 
W 
I 
