Early Cantaloupes. 
7 
done, for careless hoeing is a common error; if the seed has been 
properly planted in mellow soil and the irrigation properly applied, 
there is no reason for deep hoeing in and close to the hill, as it 
only disturbs the plants and dries out the soil; weeds can be de¬ 
stroyed by shallow hoeing. 
The dry, cloddy soil on the surface should be removed from 
the hill by hand and replaced with fine, moist, mallow soil, hill¬ 
ing up the plants as far as possible, which will protect the plants 
from wind and insects in a large measure; but the most important 
feature of this process is the holding of the moisture well upon 
the neck or stem and affording the best conditions for a long base 
and an early growth of the main root system. If, on the other 
hand, the soil in the hill is loosened up with the hoe and only 
hilled up by drawing the loosened soil to the plant with the hoe, 
the hill will usually dry out, and only a short portion of the stem 
be in moist soil, consequently it has but a short base for the pro¬ 
duction of its root system. 
Cultivation .—A thorough preparation of the soil before it is 
planted to cantaloupes will very much lessen the necessity for so 
much cultivating afterwards, but a great deal depends on frequent 
and thorough cultivation during the early stages in the growth of 
cantaloupes; at first it should be deep and thorough, but not close 
enough to disturb the plants; the cultivations should be more 
shallow and further from the hills as the plants develop. The 
grower who cultivates deep and close to the hill because the vines 
do not prevent him, is cutting off one source of early cantaloupes. 
He should study the growth of the roots, for they form the coun¬ 
terpart of the vines on the surface, only they ramify the soil more 
thoroughly and to a greater distance than the length of the vines. 
Plates 3 and 4 will give a conception of the root system which 
must exist to produce such an increase of growth in so short a 
time; the first was taken July 2 , 1904 , and represents the growth 
of about eight weeks, while the second was taken at the same 
point two weeks later. 
Irrigation .—Moisture for the cantaloupe hill is generally sup¬ 
plied by the irrigation furrow. It should always reach the seed or 
plant by soaking through the soil. Irrigation should never be 
allowed to over-soak or flood the ground, as the soil will then be¬ 
come hard and not permit a good growth. 
The relation of irrigation to an early set of cantaloupes is a 
somewhat mooted question. There are growers who argue the use 
of frequent irrigations during the setting period to secure a good 
set, and there are others who prefer to keep the vines rather dry 
and even letting them show the need of water before they will ir¬ 
rigate during the setting stage. 
There have been results that seemed to support both theories, 
