1914. 
THE RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
470 
GROWING THE OSAGE MELON FOR PROFIT. 
Part I. 
In order to grow and market the musk melon 
profitably there are a few essentials that enter into 
the work that are important, and first is a fertile 
soil. In the growing of the Osage this is necessary, 
and perhaps a good many of the failures are due to 
neglecting this important factor. Unlike the small¬ 
er melons of the Netted Gem or cantaloupe type, 
which will develop and reach its size on a com- 
Putting In Tiie Comfost. Fig. 183. 
paratively light soil, the Osage, in order to mature 
and develop its size must have a richer soil. As it 
is desired to ripen the melon early, a deep rich fer¬ 
tile sandy loam, which lies up high and dry and is 
naturally well-drained, makes an ideal place for the 
growing of this melon. A good clover sod plowed 
under in the Fall and then covered with barnyard 
manure in the Winter will put this soil in good 
physical condition for growing the crop. 
The preparation of the soil has much to do with 
the future of this crop. Since melons delight in a 
high state of cultivation it is important that we 
put all the work we possibly can on this field be¬ 
fore the melons are planted. Hence, in order to 
conserve all the moisture possible it is well to fit 
this field early in the Spring. If the soil has been 
top-dressed with manure it can be thoroughly 
disked and harrowed and several crops of weeds 
killed before the melons are transplanted to the 
an ax driven up close together, as shown in Fig. 
183. The compost, after being worked over thor¬ 
oughly several times (this is important, as in order 
to grow plants all alike, the soil should be alike) 
is hauled to the cold frames and thrown into the 
boxes, levelled off, and punched down firm witli a 
block of wood, or something that will fit the box. 
Some people prefer using their fist for this pur¬ 
pose, as shown in Fig. 184. After the soil is made 
firm in the box, more woods dirt or leaf mold is used 
to fill up the box, this being worked through a wire 
screen to take out all the roots, leaves, twigs and 
trash, which renders the planting of the seeds less 
troublesome. The dirt is then levelled off, and two 
seeds are sown in each box, and if these seeds can 
be sown immediately after the boxes are refilled 
the dirt will be found to be in a fine condition for 
seed, neither too wet nor too dry. The boxes are 
kept moist but not too wet, and after the plants are 
a week or 10 days old we usually thin to one plant, 
leaving the strongest, healthiest plant. As it is desir¬ 
able to grow a rather short, stocky plant, the beds 
should have as much air as the weather conditions 
will permit. Right here is where melon growers some¬ 
times encounter serious trouble by plants damping 
off. This is caused by a fungus attacking the 
plants on the stalk where drops of water have 
collected. To overcome this trouble it is necessary 
to air or ventilate the beds after watering the 
plants so as to dry off the stalks of the plants and 
to keep the water drops from collecting on the 
plant stem. 
When plants are about five or six weeks old, or 
when the danger of frost is over, they should be 
transplanted to the field. The field should be 
marked both ways, setting them about five feet 
each way. A single shovel plow is about as good 
a tool as we have found for making the furrows 
for the plants, plowing the furrows one way and 
setting the plants on the cross marks. 
Plants should be well watered before taking from 
the hotbed, and if flower pots are used a slight tap 
with one hand on the bottom of the pot will bring 
the plants out intact, but if boxes are used the 
opposite corners of the boxes should be cut with a 
knife, which will make it possible for the plant to 
be taken out without disturbing the plant or roots. 
Soil should be pressed firmly around the plant, tak¬ 
ing care not to press the box dirt or break the roots' 
of the plants any more than is necessary. 
II. B. BLANDFORD. 
“ CO-OPERATION.” 
Farmers are a very patient class of people. They 
have endured the 35-eent dollar for many years. 
They are slow to demand justice. For 35 years the 
Patrons’ Mutual Insurance Association of Logan 
County, Ohio, has given to its members insurance 
on their property against loss or damage by fire or 
lightning at a cost of $1.40 per $1,000, while stock 
Cottonseed meal, coal and spraying materials are 
among the other goods that have been purchased 
in this way. On cottonseed meal the saving was 
about $9 per ton. On coal the saving is only $1. 
It is true there are some who find fault and say 
the farmers should buy at home. If the goods were 
produced at home this argument would have some 
effect but when we know the dealers must send out 
of the community the same amount of money that 
we do, to purchase the goods from the producer 
and pockets a nice profit from every sale, the argu- 
Section of Osage Melon. Fig. 185. 
ment of buying at home has little logic in it. The 
dealer never hesitates to buy apples, potatoes, wheat, 
corn, etc., outside the home markets whenever he 
thinks he can do so to advantage. The farmer 
has the same right. We have no fight against the 
home dealer who is willing to sell us his goods at a 
reasonable margin of profit, but when he seeks to 
compel us to buy at home and pay unnecessary pro¬ 
fits on goods produced in other localities, we reserve 
the right to buy elsewhere. 
Dealers were asking 75 cents per gallon for lime 
and sulphur solution when the wholesale price was 
20 cents. Their price for arsenate of lead was 30 
cents when the wholesale price was 12 cents. Thus 
far no effort has been made to sell products through 
the cooperative organization, but if it becomes ne¬ 
cessary to do so in order to get fair prices this step 
will come in time. 
In addition to the money saving effected through 
PUTTING PLANT BOXES IN THE BEDS. Fig. 1S4. 
LEVELLING OFF THE FRAMES. Fig. 1S6. 
field, and will cut down the expense of caring for 
the crop later on. 
As it is the early melons which usually prove 
most profitable, the plants are started in hot¬ 
houses or cold frames, and can be grown in flower 
pots or plant boxes, which are made in three sizes 
for that purpose. These boxes are made 4x4x5. 
4x414x5. and 5x5x5 inches deep, the 414x414x5 
deep being the size most commonly used. A com¬ 
post is made for these boxes of about two parts 
rotted horse manure to one part rich sandy soil, 
new soil from the woods being preferred. In our 
experience we have found that the poultry droppings 
from the henhouse added to this compost, and 
thoroughly mixed proves to be very beneficial. 
The plant boxes being placed in the bed are 
packed close together by laying 2x4 down and with 
insurance companies continued to charge an average 
of $3.35 per $1,000. but there are still some farmers 
who are willing to use their hard-earned 35-cent dol¬ 
lars to pay these high rates for insurance. 
Last Spring we organized for the purchase of sup¬ 
plies and found that we could get a saving of five 
to 25 cents on fence posts by buying in carload lots. 
Agricultural lime has been selling at $5 to $0 per 
ton. Buying directly in car lots enabled us to get 
fine ground lime at 90 cents per ton, freight in¬ 
cluded. We purchased fertilizers at a saving of 
about $<» per ton on the different brands; 10% phos¬ 
phate cost $11.90, including freight, when agents 
were selling this grade at $18. Our executive com¬ 
mittee has just closed a contract for 1.000 tons for 
March delivery, and this means a saving to the pur¬ 
chasers of about $0,000. 
this organization it is teaching farmers the advan¬ 
tage of paying cash for goods. One of the most 
disagreeable of all bad habits is to run bills at all 
the stores. Merchants lose much money through the 
bad and uncollectable accounts. They must make 
profits enough off the cash buyers to make up for 
the loss sustained on the credit buyers. For this 
reason the man who pays cash cannot afford to deal 
with the merchant who sells on credit. The entire 
credit system so far as it applies to provisions, dry 
goods, clothing and farm supplies is at fault. It is 
letter to borrow money at 6% to pay for such sup¬ 
plies than to buy on time. The easiest time to 
pay for an article is when you receive it. If one 
waits till the article has been eaten or worn out 
he does not fully realize its value. 
Ohio. JOHN l. shawver. 
