D. V. Burrell Seed Growers Co., Rocky Ford, Colo. 
GROWING CANTA¬ 
LOUPES 
The land should be a sandy loam, avoiding both too sandy and 
too heavy soil. 
If possible, do not plant where cantaloupes were grown pre¬ 
viously within three or four years. 
A heavy oat stubble plowed under is one of the first locations. 
Bean land is usually very good. The first year after alfalfa or clover 
is not good as a rule. The melons grow too soft and are irregular 
in size, shape, netting and quality. The second year after alfalfa 
or clover is usually very good. 
Fall plowing is best, followed in the spring with several discings. 
If planted in hills the rows should be 5 to 6 feet apart each 
way. Cross cultivating improves the yield, quality and earliness. 
Plant ten to twelve seeds to the hill about 2 inches deep and 
thin to one or two plants when they have 5 or 6 leaves. 
If drilled in rows 5 to 6 feet apart thin to one plant every 3 
or 4 feet. 
Hoe carefully around the plants; keep free from weeds and culti¬ 
vate often. 
We have found 8 or 10 cultivations at least should be given and 
more would be better. 
We experimented upon a small area in the center of a large 
field, cultivating it some twenty times and the cantaloupes began 
ripening a week earlier, were of better quality and yielded much 
heavier. 
Cultivate shallow close to the plants and deeper farther away. 
The main spread of roots is on the harder ground under the 
plowed ground. If you plow only 3 or 4 inches deep that will 
determine the depth to the main spreading roots and very shallow 
cultivating will be necessary or the crop will be ruined, while if you 
plow 7 or 8 inches deep you can cultivate 5 or 6 inches deep to good 
advantage. Don’t expect an average good crop from too shallow 
plowing. 
In other words: Prepare a deep, well settled and finely pulverized 
seed bed. 
If under irrigation Cantaloupes should be watered regularly 
about every two weeks. Be sure the water runs long enough to 
moisten the ground to the opposite side of the plants from the fur¬ 
row. Do not allow the water to remain in the furrows too long so 
that the soil becomes water-logged. Continue irrigating through 
the ripening season to keep the vines thrifty. 
Many do not irrigate during the ripening season with the result 
that after a couple of weeks the melons ripen prematurely and are 
of poor quality. 
Striped Cucumber Beetles. These insects often appear as soon 
as the melons come up. They are not only very destructive at that 
time but their larva is the small grub or borer which works into 
the roots of the vines, more especially in pumpkins and squashes, 
but to some extent in melons. 
Dust to kill these Striped Beetles with Aphicide No. 10 or Aphi- 
cide No. 21.—See page 19. 
Attach the discharge of your duster to a funnel-shaped cone 
which you can set down quickly over the plants and blow one blast 
of Aphicide, then wait four or five seconds and a second hard blast 
should be sufficient to kill all the beetles on the plant or hiding 
under the plants. 
If the rows to be dusted have been drilled make a light trough 
3 or 4 feet long which can be drawn along over the row. Blow the 
Aphicide into the trough at the front end and it will be confined 
under the trough long enough to get the bugs. 
It is very necessary to kill the Striped Beetles to control the 
borers later. 
Aphis or Plant Lice. These very small insects often cause much 
damage. They increase very rapidly and while at first they remain 
on only a few plants and do not seem to spread, if not destroyed 
then they later may spread over the whole field within a few days. 
We go over our fields every few days looking for them. We 
also carry stakes on our cultivators and when we find a plant with 
aphis on it we mark it and see that it is dusted thoroughly at once 
with Aphicide No. 10. This dust is blown under the plants as the 
Aphids stay on the under side of the leaves and the Aphicide must 
come into contact with them to kill them. Dust not only the plants 
on which the Aphids are found but also all plants within ten to 
fifteen feet of the infested plants. Go back the next day and if you 
find any live Aphids dust them. If not remove the stakes. 
We have never lost melons from attacks of Aphids since we 
began the use of Aphicide No. 10 to control them.—(See page 19.) 
Nearly the entire cantaloupe crop of the country is marketed by 
specialists who distribute to the different markets, keeping close 
wire connections with all. To be able to place the melons where 
there is greatest distribution is a very important factor, but the 
quality of the pack has most to do with the success of the grower. 
If the melons are right, they always sell quickly and command top 
prices. 
Raise early melons by the use of Hotcaps. We sell them. 
