March, 1919 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
91 
names and learned that the same 
common name might be applied 
to a number of different species. 
There were pinks without end, 
bunch pinks, squaw pinks, prairie 
pinks, Indian pinks and some that 
have got away from my recollec- 
tion. Blue bells and Mayflowers 
were applied indiscriminately, 
and there were snake root and 
snake weed without rest. 
Wood’s Class Book of Botany 
introduced me to a large class of 
acquaintances and a world of sat- 
isfaction. The hard names are 
not troublesome but the habit the 
botanists have of changing old es- 
tablished names is disconcerting. 
Most people have accepted a num- 
ber of botanical names as a mat- 
ter of course. Why not acquire 
knowledge of enough names to 
make the list of value in identify- 
ing such as should be old acquaint- 
ances. 
Notes on Muskmelon Culture 
By N. A. Rasmussen 
For early melons start plants 
under glass; for the main crop 
plant seeds in the open ground. 
For Wisconsin markets one-half 
the acreage should be early mel- 
ons. For the early crop plant 
seeds in hotbed four to six weeks 
in advance of time when plants 
may be safely set in open ground 
which, in central and southern 
Wisconsin, is about June 1st. 
Use “dirt-bands” for plants in- 
stead of sod. Soil for seedlings 
should be rich in plant food and 
very light in texture. 
Bands 3x3 inches should be 
used and may be either of wood or 
paper. Plant four to six seeds in 
each band and remove all but two 
plants when transplanting. 
Plants should not be transplant- 
ed until *he second pair of true or 
“rough” leaves appear. Set four 
by five feet in the field, — one or 
not more than two plants to a hill. 
Great care should be used in trans- 
planting so as to avoid loosening 
the soil about the roots.. The 
holes should be dug in advance of 
planting; slip the band into the 
hole and by pushing down with 
the thumbs, retaining hold on bot- 
tom of band with the fingers the 
plants may be removed from the 
band without disturbance of the 
roots. 
Cultivation in the field is the 
same as for cucumbers. The soil 
should be light in texture, soil 
that will not bake under ordinary 
conditions, and of course must be 
well drained. Light, sandy soil will 
produce earlier melons than heavy 
soil, but the quality is not as good. 
Milwaukee Market is one of the 
most profitable varieties to grow. 
The Plant Disease Situation in the 
State 
By R. E. Vaughan 
In reviewing the plant disease 
situation in Wisconsin for the 
season of 1918 three things stand 
out prominently: 1. The general 
good health of our crop ; 2. The 
intensive surveys that have been 
made for diseases of grains and 
potatoes ; 3. The splendid cooper- 
ation in the work between the 
United States Department of Ag- 
riculture, the state agricultural 
department, and the plant pathol- 
ogy department and extension 
service of the University. With 
180 million people facing starva- 
tion as a result of the great war 
we can be very thankful that Wis- 
consin is in a position to do her 
bit in “keeping the wolf from the 
door” of our Allies. Probably 
small amounts of our important 
horticultural crops will actually 
be shipped across the ocean, but 
they will play a part in releasing 
other food and in keeping up tin* 
morale and health of the home 
folks. 
“An apple a day 
Keeps the doctor away.” 
Remedies for the control of 
plant disease can only be intelli- 
gently appl ied when the nature 
and causes of the various diseases 
are known and the locations 
where the diseases in question are 
of economic importance. Thanks 
to the researches of Professor 
Jones, Dr. Keitt, and others we 
are accumulating a fundamental 
knowledge of the nature and 
causes of such diseases as cabbage 
yellows and cherry leaf spot or 
“shot hole”. Dr. Walker is aid- 
ing the onion growers in solving 
their problems and Messrs. Mc- 
Kinney and Richards are actively 
engaged with experiments on po- 
tato scab and Rhizoctonia. 
During the summer of 1918 
members of the plant pathology 
department traveled many hun- 
dred miles in the state observing 
the condition of the apples and 
cherries, potatoes, cabbage, and 
onion, and cereals of all kinds. 
Whenever possible, advantage was 
taken of the county agents and 
emergency food agents because of 
their intimate knowledge of the 
plant disease condition in the 
counties. 
The Plant Disease Survey of the 
U. S. Department of Agriculture 
stationed a field agent, Professor 
Wright, in Wisconsin from July 1 
to September 28 for the particular 
purpose of detecting the first evi- 
dence of any outbi*eak of late 
blight on potato. All other crop 
diseases were also reported upon 
by Mr. Wright. On August 13 a 
field showing a field of late blight 
