CULTURAL DIRECTIONS 
371 
this is accomplished there will be little if any check in 
growth. If the plants are watered freely 5 to 10 hours 
before transplanting, the soil will hold together better 
during the transfer. The corners of berry baskets and 
dirt bands or cubes should be cut out with sharp knives 
it the hills in the field. In removing the plants from 
pots, one hand should be placed over the pot with the 
stems of the plants between the fingers, and the pot then 
inverted and tapped gently to separate soil and roots 
from the sides of the pot. When planting in the field 
the soil is simply drawn to the balls, cubes or blocks of 
earth, downward pressure being avoided because this 
would disturb the roots. 
Muskmelons are planted in both hills and drills. The 
hill system makes it possible to cultivate more thor- 
oughly and is the more popular in many of the largest 
producing sections. Drilling, however, is favored by 
many of the best growers, and doubtless provides the 
most perfect conditions to each individual plant, because 
they are not competing with each other in the struggle 
for food, moisture and sunshine. 
When in hills, the spacing distance is commonly 6x6 
feet, while some prefer 5x7, others 4x6, 4^2 x 6 ]A or 
5x7 feet. When in drills the plants may be from I to 2 
feet apart. The space between rows is seldom less than 
6 feet. Manure and fertilizers are often mixed in hills 
or furrows before planting, while some growers always 
apply broadcast. The depth of covering varies from 1 
to 2 inches, depending upon the character of the soil. It 
is best to use plenty of seed, 10 to 15 to the hill, in order 
to be certain of a good stand. From 1 to 3 pounds of 
seed are recpiired to the acre. Some growers make two 
or three plantings in the hill or the furrow at intervals 
of a few days, to insure a good stand. Frost may injure 
or destroy the first lot, but the later plantings will 
escape. 
