THE SIMPLE C.ULTURE OF A SUPERLATIVE FRUIT 
E. V. LAUGHLIN 
One of the Table’s Greatest Luxuries, Melons Are Likewise One of the Garden’s 
Most Exuberant Vegetables, Responding Amazingly to Friendly Attentions 
K I RST let me say that good melons may be grown on 
any kind of soil except that which is very stony. Many 
folks are deterred from attempting them from the 
mistaken notion that only a sandy loam is suitable. 
My experience is that any soil, except the stony, may be made 
to produce most excellent melons. Fertilizing, right prepara- 
tion of the seed bed, and judicious cultivation prac- 
tically insure success anywhere. 
But Melons will not do well on any soil that is 
deficient in humus, or which contains little plant 
food. The first thing therefore is to make the soil 
rich in these ingredients. My own practice is to 
cover the soil liberally with well-composted, un- 
leached manure. If time permits I do this several 
weeks before plowing. When I plow I make sure 
that the major part of this manure is turned to the 
bottom of the furrow where the Melon roots may 
make use of it during 
growth. What remains 
on the surface will aid 
in making a surface 
mulch. 1 plow to a 
uniform depth of eight 
inches. Just before 
planting 1 harrow un- 
til the surface is 
exceedingly fine and 
mellow. 
It is not wise to 
plant melons before 
the soil is thoroughly 
warm and the nights 
rather sultry. In the 
northern states 
the latter part 
of May is about 
the right time. 
The seed quickly 
germinates then 
and the plants 
do not receive a set- 
back from a pro- 
longed spell of cold 
weather subsequent- 
ly. Vines that are 
uninterrupted in 
their growth always 
render the best re- 
sults. Therefore do 
not be in too great 
haste to put the 
seed in the ground. 
It is poor policy 
to have Melon vines too close together or too thick. The 
area intended for Watermelons I mark off into hills eight 
feet each way; that for Muskmelons five feet. Before plant- 
ing I thoroughly pulverize the hill area to a depth of eight 
or nine inches, using the hoe for this purpose. 1 place 
seven or eight seeds in each hill, covering to a depth of about 
one inch; this done 1 press the soil with the back of the hoe 
until it is very firm. If the weather is warm the plants will 
appear in five or six days. A week or ten days later I thin 
to two or three plants per hill. This is important. And 
though it seems cruel to pull up thrifty looking plants, in the 
long run it pays. 
Cultivation is begun just as soon as the plants are two or 
three days old, and kept up until the vines have almost covered 
the ground. In cultivating the points to be remembered are 
these: not a weed or spear of 
grass must be allowed to remain; 
the soil must at all times be mel- 
low and fresh looking; a caked 
or baked surface always retards 
the growth of Melon vines. 
Especially should cultivation fol- 
low every rain. Careful and 
continuous cultivation is the 
secret of growing large, sweet, 
and juicy melons. 
1 have the best success with 
Kleckley Sweet Watermelon and 
Ford hook and Emerald Gem 
Muskmelons. And plants that 
are up by the first of June 
should produce ripe melons by 
the middle of August, continu- 
ing to produce until the vines 
are nipped by the October 
freezes. For an abun- 
dance that is almost a 
surfeit, allow twenty hills 
of Watermelons and half 
as many of Muskmelons. 
Raising good melons is 
really an astonishingly 
easy thing. Success de- 
pends purely upon using 
the principles discov- 
ered by experienced 
growers. My garden 
in Iowa for instance, 
in August and Sep- 
tember lies thick 
with big water- 
melons and mouth- 
watering muskmelons. My 
neighbor just over the fence 
raises sickly looking vines with 
equally unattractive fruit. My 
success simply lies in properly 
preparing the soil, selecting the 
right kind of seed, and in giving 
the right kind of cultivation. 
And watermelons and musk- 
melons! What delicious sum- 
mer luxuries! During the past fifteen years 1 have scarcely 
ever failed to raise all the melons that my family can use. In 
addition we have always had some for friends and relatives; 
also, quite a good many dimes and quarters have been added 
to the family exchequer from the sale of surplus fruit. When 
my wife entertains melons make an inexpensive but much 
prized dessert. In brief we find that they are profitable in 
many ways, chief of which is the saving they effect in the pur- 
chase of fruits and sweets. 
YES' ANY ONE CAN GROW REAL MELONS! 
On any soil that is not actually over burdened with stones, so long as plenty of 
humus is there to hold moisture and to keep the plant growing continuously 
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