ON FARM GARDENING. 97 
will be required. But one plant per hill is allowed to grow. 
The end of the main shoots should be pinched off, to en- 
courage branching and flowering. 
Cultivation should be thorough. Fungous diseases can 
be controlled by means of the Bordeaux mixture, except 
that it is difficult to reach the under side of the leaves. To 
prevent sunburn on melons, some growers sow buckwheat 
when the vines are in blossom, and thus secure a partial 
shade by the time the fruit is large enough to be injured by 
the sun. Generally, no protection is necessary. 
At $10 or $15 per hundred, the average wholesale price 
at Philadelphia, watermelon culture is profitable. Early 
prices are higher. 
Citron. — This small round melon is cultivated in all re- 
spects as the watermelon, but being smaller the hills may be 
closer. It is used in making preserves. The name citron is 
frequently applied to certain of the cantaloupes. 
Cantaloupes or Muskmelons It is a matter of choice 
whether the green-fleshed or red-fleshed sorts are grown; or 
whether the variety be large or small. The sorts covered 
with strongly webbed or netted markings are in high favor 
for shipoing to distant points, as they carry well. Flavor is 
in part at least a matter of temperature and sunshine. Canta- 
loupes may be nicely ripened by removing them from the 
vines and storing in dry, warm rooms. 
The usual planting distance is from 4^2 to 6 feet, in hills 
containing rotted manure. Compost, made of hen manure, 
is sometimes used in the hill, well mixed with the soil. Good 
cantaloupes are always in active demand. 
Enemies. —In addition to the fungous diseases of the 
watermelon and cantaloupe, which are best treated with 
Bordeaux mixture, all melons are sometimes badly troubled 
with an aphis called the melon louse. The remedy is whale- 
oil soap — a pound in six gallons of water; or kerosene emul- 
