HOME VEGETABLE GARDENING 
WATERMELONS 
HEIR soil requirements and general methods of 
cultivation differ very little from those given for 
rnuskmelons. However, watermelon hdls should be placed 
at least nine feet apart each way, since the vines grow 
as rampantly fis those of pumpkins or squashes. From 
six to ten seeds are generally placed in a hill and only 
one or two plants should be allowed to develop. Where 
melons of good size are wanted, the number of fruits 
per vine should be limited to two or three. 
Watermelon vines are exceedingly tender and resent 
being moved about, tramped upon, or bruised or injured 
in any way. They require a long season during which to 
develop and grow. For this reason, repeated plantings 
for a succession of crops are not practical excepting on the 
Pacific Coast. Rather select sorts maturing in succession. 
The best way to tell whether a melon is ripe or not 
is to knock against it with the knuckles of your fingers, 
as you would against a door. If the sound is solid, the 
melon is green. If it sounds hollow, it is apt to be all- 
right. Another test is to turn the melon over and scratch 
the lower side, which generally is yellow. If it is hard 
and cannot be scratched easily it is safe to judge it as ripe. 
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