Plant about 2 Ibs. seed per acre — 
Watermelon 4 oz. to 100 hills. 
GROWING WATERMELONS 
Select a well-drained sandy loam; new sod land is best; and 
good loamy soil which is well drained is good. 
If under irrigation run large furrows 8 feet apart and plant the 
hills well up on the border 8 to 10 feet apart. Be careful not to 
") irrigate too often. Plant to a depth of about one inch, shallower 
| early when the soil is cold and slightly deeper for late planting. 
Watermelons are lovers of drouth and the finest melons are 
grown under semi-arid conditions. 
Plow deep and harrow well to make a fine seed bed. A liberal 
coat of stable manure disced in before plowing will increase the 
size and yield. 
Cultivate shallow next to, and deeper away from the plants 
using knives or duck feet, being careful not to cut roots. 
It 1s sometimes desirable to turn the ends of the runners when 
they begin to reach out across the row and give an extra culti- 
vation. This should be done carefully so as not to damage the 
small melons. This sometimes results in a delay in the setting of 
the fruit. 
Consult your county agent or some successful local grower 
about commercial fertilizer. Here we use 12-24-12, one to two 
hundred pounds per acre, but suggest that you experiment or get 
local advice for your soil conditions. 
DO NOT plant on land where melons were grown before, even 
if four ‘or five years before, if you have other good land. The 
vines remove something from the soil not readily replaced, and 
following crops may produce deformed melons with black ends or 
shriveled ends, even from the best of seeds. Sometimes, due to 
unfavorable growing conditions, the first set will produce some 
ill shaped or blackened melons. These should be pulled from the 
vines, allowing more shapely melons to set on. Watermelons 
sometimes produce black-end fruits on ground following sor- 
ghums. 
Do not press on melons to see if they are ripe. This injures 
them and results in very poor melons, A slight thump with the 
finger, if the sound rings clear and a high tone, indicates a green 
melon; if a hollow, low tone, or rather dead tone, the melon is 
ripe. . 
Usually the curl where the melon attaches to the vine dies 
when the melon is ripe. By a little practice you can tell by the 
color. A bright, growing color indicates a green melon; a dull 
green indicates ripeness. 
DDT CAUTION. Do not dust or spray using DDT on 
beans, cucumbers, cantaloupes, or watermelons. Use Marlate In- 
secticide for control of cucumber beetles and a good nicotine dust 
for killing aphis. 
OUR WATERMELON SEED 
We have been growing Watermelon Seed since 1896 and while 
producing a large acreage at the present time practically all of it 
goes direct to commercial growers. 
Our 1904 catalogue listed the popular varieties of that day. 
Kleckley Sweet is the only one of those listed in this catalogue. 
Garrison is one of the best for local market and home garden. 
Florida Giant (Texas Giant) and Congo are now the most popular 
shipping melons. Dixie Queen is being used to some extent, also 
Blacklee. Western shippers prefer Klondike. Oregon uses the 
Striped Klondike, Blue Ribbon and California, the Early Black 
Seeded type. Burrell’s Grey is the best of the grey rind melons 
and we have not‘yet found a strain of Watson equal to our Red 
Heart Watson. New Hampshire Midget is the new muskmelon- 
sized watermelon and you will find it a valuable addition to 
our list. 
Watermelon Seed Colorado Grown 
is 
The very best when grown by Burrell. 
See pages 95 and 96 for figuring postage on not postpaid items 43 
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