BLACK LEAF 40 
We have the BLACK LEAF 40 in 
the liquid form only. That is what we 
use to mix our dust. 1 oz. bottle, 35c; 
5 oz. bottle, $1.05; 1 lb. bottle, $2.50; 
2 Ib. can, $4.50; 5 lb. can, $8.90, 10 lb. 
can, $13.75. All the above prices plus 
postage. 
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\CRICOTINE SULPHATE | 
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POISONS 
TO MIX THE DUST 
Mix at the rate of one pound of liquid Black 
Leaf 40 to 18 pounds of lime, using any kind of 
heavy can having an airtight lid. Place the lime 
and Black Leaf 40 in the can, in the proportion 
given, now put into the can a piece of chain or 
several pebbles the size of large marbles and 
thoroughly shake or roll the can until the lime and 
Black Leaf 40 are thoroughly mixed, as it is most 
important that the Black Leaf 40 be thoroughly 
mixed with the lime to make a uniform dust. This 
mixture will become stronger if set aside for a 
while and kept tightly sealed. Fill your Duster 
about two-thirds full of this mixture and remem- 
ber, dust your leaves from the underside for mel- 
on aphids. 
SECRET IS SIMPLE 
The secret of growing melons is quite a simple 
one, consisting of hard work and a little common 
sense together with a few rules to go by. The time 
to begin next year’s crop is this year. The land 
should first be selected, preferably good deep 
sandy loam soil, creek bottom land is better if 
high enough to keep from overflowing. If possible 
plant this land to Vetch or some other legume that 
can be turned under while green, getting it plowed 
under before frost, covering well. If you use barn- 
yard fertilizer get it out by the first of December 
if at all possible. Well rotted straw makes a very 
good fertilizer if placed in the row early enough. 
In fact almost any well rotted organic matter 
makes an excellent fertilizer if put out at the prop- 
er time. One of the most important items in grow- 
ing watermelons is a well prepared seed bed; a 
thoroughly pulverized, well cultivated, clean seed 
bed is almost half the job done in making a crop 
of melons as far as cultivation is concerned, for 
the more time spent in preparing and cultivating 
the seed bed for planting the less time that will 
have to be spent cultivating your melons after 
they are up and growing. Where your land lays 
rolling it is quite a good idea to contour your 
melon rows to the lay of the land so that each row 
will act as a terrace. Many benefits may be de- 
rived from this, as it will keep your land from 
washing during hard rains and conserve moisture 
from light rains or showers during the dryer 
times. Do not fail to cultivate shallow after the 
first plowing, care being exercised not to allow 
44 WILLHITE MELON SEED FARMS, Poolville, Texas 
the plow to run deep enough to interfere with the 
root system, which covers practically the whole 
of the area between your rows. Many times the 
feeder roots will travel a distance of twenty feet 
from the tap root in their search for food. A last 
word, cultivate often, once each week if at all 
possible, and plow just as long as you are able to 
get through the middle without injury to your 
vines. 
HOW TO GROW THE BIG ONES 
Keep all the little melons pruned off your vines 
until they attain size, after they are about eight 
feet in length, select two of the very best uniform 
shaped melons, leaving them on the vine, keep- 
ing all other melons clipped off until the two se- 
lected are full grown and begin to ripen, at which 
time two more may be selected to leave. Never 
plant melons on the same land more than one 
time in five years unless you have deep bottom 
land, and then not more than two years in suc- 
cession. 
PRUNING NECESSARY 
The greatest essential is to use the knife. The 
plant should not be called on to support more 
melons than it can mature well. At first, let two 
well-formed melons stay. When they are about 
grown, two more can be allowed to start. Never 
allow a crooked or deformed melon to stay on the 
vine. A necked melon is a sure sign that the man 
who grew it did not know his business. If it had 
been cut off when small, a straight, nice melon 
could have been set. A crooked melon is just that 
much loss as it is neither fit to eat nor fit to sell. 
The amateur grower seems to be afraid to prune 
the melons from the vine and consequently lets his 
vine attempt to bring ten to twelve melons to ma- 
turity at one time. With 300 to 350 hills to the 
acre and four to six melons to the hill during the 
season, the grower can expect from twelve to fif- 
teen hundred melons per acre when the crop is 
good. Always let a melon stay on the vine until 
it is ripe. Lots of money is lost by getting too 
anxious and cutting it before it is ripe. 
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR 
MELONS FROM SUNBURN 
Spray or sprinkle common hydrated or pow- 
dered lime over the top side of all melons as they 
near the ripening stage. Perhaps a more efficient 
but somewhat slower method is to mix the lime 
with water, using a paint brush, paint the tops of 
all your melons at the ripening period. Lime ap- 
plied in this manner has a tendency to stay on 
your melons better than if applied in the dry form. 
This pure white lime reflects the heat from the 
sun's rays thus preventing sunburn. 
Weatherford, Texas 
