WOV3 0Í961

MUSKMELON

CULTURE

AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 216

Agricultural Research Service

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
MUSKMELON

CULTURE

Agriculture Handbook No. 2)6

By S. P. DOOLITTLE,

A. L TAYLOR,

L. L DANIELSON, and

L. B. REED

Agricultural Research Service

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Contents

Page

Climate and soil.. 1

Crop rotation 2

Varieties and strains. ^ 2

Choosing a variety 2

Generally adapted varieties_ _._ 3

Varieties adapted only to a hot,

dry climate 6

Seed supplies 9

Preparing and fertilizing the soil 10

Methods of planting 12

Field seeding methods 13

Hotbed and greenhouse planting 14

Use of plant covers 15

Care of growing plants 15

Chemical control of weeds 15

Thinning plants., 15

Cultivation 16

Pruning vines and thinning

fruit 16

Pollination 16

Irrigation 17

Page

Insect enemies and their control

Beet leafhopper

Leaf miners. _

Melon aphid _ 19

Cucumber beetles 19

Spider mites 21

Pickleworm and raelonworm 21

Diseases and their control 21

Damping-off 23

Downy mildew 23

Anthracncse 25

Alternaría leaf blight 27

Powdery mildew 28

Fusarium wilt 29

Bacterial wilt 30

Mosaic 30

Curly top 32

Crown blight 34

Root knot 35

Spraying and dusting 37

Harvesting and handling 39

Grading and packing 42

Local marketing 44

This publication replaces Farmers' Bulletin 1468, Muskmeions, by J. H. Beattie and

S. P. Doolittle.

Washington, D.C Issued October 1961

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Offiœ

Washington 25, D.C. - Price 25 cents
'■■ . .í-.íi', .:,.;t-'f"''ÜSKMELON

CULTURE

By S. P. DooLiTTLE, pathologist,^ A. L. TAYLOR, nematologist, and L. L, DANIELSON,

physiologist, Crops Research Division, and L. B. KEED, entomologist, Entomology

Research Division, Agricidtural Research Service

CLIMATE AND SOIL

The muskmelon originated in the

hot valleys of southwest Asia. During the early stages of growth the

plants need warm weather, ample

soil moisture, and a dry atmosphere.

Frequent rains or periods of cloudy

weather while melons are ripening

may low-er the quality of the fruit.

In humid regions the plants also are

more subject to leaf diseases than

in a dry climate. When such

diseases occur, yields are greatly

reduced and melons taken from

severely diseased vines are of poor

quality even when fully matured.

These factors make successful muskmelon culture in humid regions

more difficult than the culture of

many other vegetable crops.

Although liot, dry weather is particularly favorable to muskmelons,

they are adapted to mean montlily

temperatures of 65° to 75° F. and

can be grown successfully under a

variety of climatic conditions.

They are an economically important

crop in 25 States. However, the

favorable effect of the hot, dry

atmosphere in the West and Southwest is shown by the fact that over

60 percent of the commercial crop is

produced on irrigated land in arid

and semiarid areas of California

and Arizona. About 12 percent of

the crop is grown on irrigated lands

" Eetired Mar. 31, 1960 ; deceased Aug.

9, 1961.

in Texas, where it is more humid

than in California, Arizona, and

districts in Colorado and New

Mexico. In these four States muskmelons are grown for shipment.

The remainder of tlie commercial

crop is grown in humid areas in tlie

Central, Southern, and Atlantic

States. Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, and

South Carolina are some of the

States that lead in muskmelon production in the East, which in this

publication refers to all the region

east of the Mississippi Ri^er.

Muskmelons generally do best on

well-drained, warm, ;'sandy or silt

loam. Some fine melons come from

sandy river bottoms and from areas

of rich clay loam. The commercial

crops of Colorado, Arkansas, Texas,

Michigan, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Georgia are mostly grown

on sandy or less heavy clay loam.

Much of the commercial crop of the

Imperial Valley of California is

grown on silty clay loam.

Muskmelons are intolerant of

strongly acid soils, which may produce weak plants that do not properly mature their fruit. "\^1ien such

soils are used, apply lime in sufficient quantities to bring the soil to

a slightly acid or nearly neutral

condition. Use only the amount of

lime indicated by a reliable lime

determination, which is made according to the recommendation of
the county agricultural agent or the

State agricultural experiment

station.

The plants will not tolerate excessive water and should not l>e

grown where water stands in furrows for some time after a rain or

where the soil is easily washed away.

Any good garden soil may be used

to grow muskmelons for home use

in localities where length of season

and climate are favorable.

CROP ROTATION

Crop rotation helps to reduce loss

from diseases cau.sed by soilborne

organisms and to keep the soil in

productive condition both as to

plant nutrients and texture. A

rotation in whicli no muskmelons,

cucumbers, watermelons, or squash

are grown oftener than once in 3

years helps to reduce losses from

diseases caused by soilborne fungi

or bacteria. AVhere root knot is

prevalent, do not plant cucumbers,

watermelons, tomatoes, and other

susceptible crops in a short rotation

witli muskmelons.

VARIETIES AND STRAINS

All varieties of muskmelons

belong to the species Cucumii tnelo.

which includes several botanical

varieties. From a botanical standpoint the tenn "cantaloup" applies

only to melons with a rough, warty

surface, pronounced ribs, and a hard

rind. They belong to a botanical

variety, cantaloupenísii, which is not

grown in the United States. However, the melons with netted, green

and yellow-green rinds of the botanical varietj' ret'wiaatu¡i are called

cantaloups by the American public,

growers, and the marketing trade.

A third botanical variety, inodorous, includes the Honey Dew,

Honey Ball, Casaba, and Persian

melons. These are the .so-called

winter muskmelons, which are late

maturing, have a firm, thick fle,sh,

and can be stored for some time.

CHOOSING A VARIETY

In choosing a variety or varieties

to plant, select those known to be

adapted to the soil and climate

where tliey are to be grown and also

those that will be acceptable to the

market for which they are intended.

Muskmelons grown in California

and the Southwest for distant shipment are mainly the "cantaloup"

varieties that are only slightly

ribbed, broadly oval or round, and

heavily netted. The American

public prefers medium-sized melons,

4 to .5 inches in diameter, with thick,

uniformly deep-orange flesh. In

the East many of the netted varieties are grown for medium-distance

shipping, local markets, and roadside stands. In such markets larger

and more deeply ribl>ed melons are

often preferred and, to a limited

extent, green-flesh varieties.

The melons of the semikeeping or

so-called winter varieties require a

long growing season and are best

suited to the hot, dry, irrigated sections of the West and Southwest.

This group includes the Honey Dew

and Honey Ball, which are grown

extensively for distant shipment

and local markets, and the Persian

and Casaba, which are popular

local-market melons that can be

shipped if carefully handled.

The use of disease-resistant varieties often is essential to successful

production of muskmelons. Varieties resistant to powdery mildew are

extensively used in California and

the Southwest, where this disease is

very damaging to susceptible varieties. There are varieties with considerable resistance to downy
mildew, although no commercially

suitable varieties that are generally

adapted to the Atlantic and Gulf

States, where this disease is most

prevalent. The use of varieties

resistant to fusarium wilt has reduced losses in areas in the Eastern

and Central States, where this disease is serious.

Muskmelon varieties are so numerous that a complete listing here

would be impractical. Those in

most demand for commercial and

home-garden planting are briefly

described. They have been grouped

into generally adapted varieties and

late-maturing varieties adapted

only to a hot, dry climate.

GENERALLY ADAPTED

VARIETIES

Delicious 51.—About 83 days.''

Resistant to fusarium wilt. Fruit

round, about 6 inches in diameter,

with wide, prominent ribs. Rind

light creamy yellow at maturity,

solid, coarsely netted. Flesh

orange, thicker and firmer than that

of original Delicious, sweet. Popular as substitute for Delicious in

New York and other short-season

areas where wilt resistance is

desired.

Hale Best Jxmibo.—About 86

days. Fruit oval, about 7 by 6

inches," slightly ribbed. Rind firm,

heavily netted. Flesh deep salmon

orange, thick, good flavor. Popular

melon for local markets and

medium-distance shipping in

Southeastern and Northwestern

States.

Hale Best -So.—About 83 days.

Slightly smaller than original Hale

Best variety. Fruit of uniform size,

about 6 by 5l/2 inches, indistinct

ribbing. Rind very firm, heavily

netted. Flesh salmon, firm, very

thick, sweet. Small seed cavity.

" In each varietal description the number of days indicates the length oí time

from seeding to the first ripe fruit.

' In the fruit measurements, the length

is always given first.

Popular shipping and market melon

in Southeastern States.

Hearts of Gold (Hoodoo).—

About 92 days. Fruit almost round,

about 61/2 by 6 inches, shallow

ribbing. Rind deep green, with

heavy, grayish netting. Flesh deep

salmon orange, medium thick, with

sweet, aromatic flavor. Small seed

cavity. Midseason variety popular

Avith market and home gardeners in

Midwestern and Eastern States.

Honey Rock.—About 84 days.

Fruit round, about 5 by 6 inches,

faint ribbing. Rind gray green,

hard, with coarse netting (fig. 1 ).

Flesh deep salmon, medium thick,

with sweet, musky flavor.

Fusarium wilt-resistant strain has

been developed; similar to older

strain, but fruit is more heavily

netted and has thicker flesh. Relatively early variety, popular for

local markets and home-garden use

in North Central States.

Iroquois.—About 90 days. Resistant to fusarimn wilt. Fruit

round to slightly flattened, about 7

by 6 inches, prominent ribs. Rind

gray green, tough, with coarse,

prominent netting. Flesh deep

orange, thick, with fine texture and

sweet, musky flavor. Popular for

home and market gardens in Northeastern States.

Povdery MildeiD-Rcnstant Cantaloup No. iS (PMRC No. 45).—

About 88 days. Resistant to race 1

but not race 2 of powdery mildew

fungus. Fruit broadly oval, about

51/2 by 5 inches, slight ribbing (fig.

2). Rind green, yellow green at

maturity, hard, well netted. Flesh

salmon orange, thick, firm, sweet,

with excellent flavor. Seed cavity

small. Resembles Hale Best (one

of its parents). Leading variety

for long-distance shipment in longseason areas of West and Southwest

where powdery mildew is not

severe; also popular in Southeast.

Poiüdery Mildew-Resistant Cantaloup No. (?.—About 95 days. Resistant to all known races of pow-
FiGUiíE 1.—Honey Rock muskmelon.

dery mildew fungus. Fruit nearly

spherical, 51,4 by 5 inches, slightly

ribbed (fig. 3). Rind similar to

that of PMEC No. 45. Flesh light

salmon orange, thick, firm, moderately sweet. Seed cavity small.

Extensively used for distant shipment in long-season areas of Rio

Grande Valley in California and

Arizona, where PMRC No. 45 is

damaged by powdery mildew.

Powdery Mildeic-Resistant Cantaloup No. Ji.50.—About 95 days.

Resistant to race 1 of powdery

mildew fungus. Similar to PMRC

No. 45, but frtiit is larger, about 6

by 61/2 inches, more prominently

ribbed. Flesh salmon, firm, sweet.

Long-season variety for distant

shipping when large melon is

desired. Grown in California and

Southwest.

Pride of Wkcomm {Qmen of

Co?omf/o).—About 90 days. Fruit

slightly oblong, about 6 by 51/2

inches, distinct ribs. Rind light

gray, tough, with heavy, coarse

netting. Flesh bright orange, very

thick. Small seed cavity. Widely

used for short-distance shipping,

local markets, and home gardens in

North Central States.

Rio GoM.—Ahowt 90 days. Tolerant of downy mildew and some

resistance to powdery mildew.

Fruit round-oval, about 6 by SVa
FIGURE 2.—Powdery Mildew-Resistant Cantaloup No. 45.

inches, shallow ribbing. Eind mottled gray green and dark green,

yellow at maturity. Flesh orange,

thick, rather tender, excellent flavor.

New variety suitable for short- or

medium-distance shipping, local

markets, and home-garden use in

Texas and Southeastern States.

Rocky Ford (Netted Gem).—

About 90 days. Fruit nearly round,

about 51/2 by 5 inches, indistinct

ribbing. Kind firm, uniformly covered with heavy, gray netting.

Flesh green, shading to salmon at

center, thick, juicy, sweet. Old

variety still popular for local markets and home-garden use in many

sections of United States.

Schoon Hardshell.—About 90

days. Fruit oblong, about 6I/2 by

51/^ inches, deep ribs. Rind golden

yellow at maturity, hard, firm, with

coarse netting. Flesh deep salmon,

thick, sweet, with slightly musky

flavor. Hard rind and good keeping quality make it excellent variety

for shipping to nearby markets and

for home gardens. Grown in Midwestern, Southeastern, and Northeastern States.

Smith Perfect.—About 95 days.

Resistant to downy mildew. Fruit

round or slightly flattened at stem

end, about 6 inches in diameter, almost no ribs. Rind dark green,

bright greenish yellow when ripe,

firm. Flesh deep orange, medium

thick, juicy, with good flavor.
FIGURE 3.—Powdery Mildew-Eesistant Cantaloup No. 6.

Small seed cavity. Popular in certain areas of Florida for home gardens and local and distant shipping.

SR No. 91 (Sulfur Resistant).—

About 90 days. Tolerant of sulfur

applied to control powdery mildew.

Fruit short-oval, about 6I/2 by 51/2

inches, slight ribbing. Rind hard,

heavily netted. Flesh salmon, thick,

sweet. Small seed cavity. Shipping

and local-market melon for areas in

Southwest where powdery mildew

is prevalent and resistant varieties

do not meet needs of grower.

SR No. 91 (Sulfur Resistant)

Smaller Fruited Strain.—Fruit

similar to that of regular variety,

but has less ribbing. This strain

produces higher percentage of size

.% fruit.

VARIETIES ADAPTED ONLY

TO A HOT, DRY CLIMATE

Cren.'ihaw.—About 115 days.

Fruit smooth, somewhat pear

shaped, about 7 by 6 inches, without

ribs ; mature fruit remains attached

to stem. Kind dark green when

immature, yellow tan when rijœ,

thin, soft, with or without thin

netting (fig. 4). Flesh salmon

orange, thick, with distinctive

sweetness, high quality. Longseason melon of Casaba type suitable for growing in irrigated areas

of West and Southwest where powdery mildew is not prevalent.

Local-market melon primarily, but

fruit can be shipped if carefully

handled.
rioüBE 4.—Mature fruit of Crenshaw muskmelon.

OoldenBeauty {Casaba).—About

110 days. Fruit globular, pointed

stem end, about 6 to 8 inches in

diameter, without ribs; mature

fruit remains attached to stem.

Rind golden yellow during ripening, wrinkled, longitudinal corrugations, no netting (fig. 5). Flesh

white, thick, firm but juicy, sweet,

with distinctive flavor. Susceptible

to powdery mildew. Keeps for

some time if stored properly. Does

not tolerate extremely high temperature during harvest. Popular

home-garden and local-market

melon. Suitable only in long-season

areas of West and Southwest.

Honey Ball (Mel-o Gold).—About

105 days. Fruit globular, 6 inches

in diameter. Rind yellowish white,

nearly smooth, slight but even

netting. Flesh deep salmon orange,

thick, fine texture, characteristic

sweet flavor. Keeps well in storage.

Long-season melon suitable only for

areas of West and Southwest.

Withstands distant shipment if

carefully handled during harvesting, packing, and shipping.

Honey Dew.—About 115 days.

Fruit round to broadly oval, about

8 by 7 inches, smooth ; mature fruit

remains attached to stem. Rind

greenish white, creamy yellow when

ripe (fig. 6). Flesh light green,

thick, fine grained, juicy, with distinctive sweetness. When properly

ripened, can be stored for some time.

Requires long season and hot

climate; does best under semiarid

conditions with irrigation. Grown

for distant shipment and local markets in West and Southwest. Distinct type of melon. No strain particularly successful in Eastern or

Southern States.

Persian.—About 115 days. Fruit

globular, 7 to 10 inches in diameter.

598771 0--61-
FIGURE 5.—Golden Beauty (Casaba) muskmelon.

«ithout I'ibs; separates from stem

at full maturity, soon Ijecoraes overripe. Rind dark «rreeu, abundant

thin nettini; well distributed (fig.

7). Flesh bright orange, thick,

sweet, with distinctive flavor. Seed

cavit}' moderately large. Does not

do well at high temperatures during harvest. Popular local-market

melon, shipped to some extent. Best

suited to certain irrigated areas in

Southwest.

Snuill Pe/'fian.—Xhom 110 days.

Typical fruit i to 5 inches in diameter, similar to Persian in appearance, color, quality of flesh. Seed

cavity small. Adapted to same uses

and grown in same areas as Persian.

Several small-fruited strains have

been introduced.
FIGURE 6.—-Honey I>ew muskmelon.

SEED SUPPLIES

The first essential for growing a

profitable crop of muskmelons is to

use high-quality, viable seed from a

reliable source. Seed of inferior or

miknown quality may be of low

vitality or produce a liigh percentage of offtype plants and fruit.

Some viruses alïecting muskmelons

are seedborne. Care and experience on the part of the seedsman are

required to produce virus-free seed

of high quality. Ample supplies of

high-grade seed true to varietal type

are produced in areas in the West

where climatic conditions aid in

keeping the plants free from certain

disease-producing fungi, which

often are carried on the seed.

There is no foundation for the belief held by some growers that

muskmelons cross with cucumbers,

watermelons, pumpkins, or squash.

However, different varieties of

muskmelon do cross with each other.

Bees are the most common and effective pollinators of muskmelons.

For effective isolation, locate seed

plots one-half mile or more from

any otlier muskmelon planting.

When muskmelons are grown for

large-scale commercial production

of seed, they are planted and cared

for in much the same way as when

they are grown for marketing of the

fruit. However, the fields are carefully examined from time to time,

and plants that are weak, diseased,

or not true to type are discarded.

When the melons are fully ripe, they

are harvested. The seed is removed
FiGUEE 7.—Persian mnskmelon.

l)y machines that are operated in by machines shortly aiter it is taken

the fields. It is washed and dried from the fields.

PREPARING AND FERTILIZING THE SOIL

To prepare a field for successful

muskmelon growing, plow deeply'

and early enough to let the soil settle

thoroughlj- liefere planting time.

Plow in the fall or tlie winter laud

that is in sod or on which a cover

crop precedes the muskmelons, so

that plant material that has been

turned under may decay sufficiently

liefore planting.

In the Central and Eastern States

muskmelons usually are grown by

level culture. Tender normal conditions there is no advantage m

bedding up well-draijied sandy soil

for growing muskmelons, btit on low

river-bottom or alluvial soil,

bedding is necessary. Make the

beds 5 to 7 feet wide and plant one

row on each bed. In parts of the

Atlantic and Gulf regions where

excessive rains frequently occur

early in the sunmier, it is desirable

to plow the land in 5- or 6-foot beds,

with open furrows between to gi^e

l>etter drainage.

10
In the West and Southwest the

plants for the early-spring crop are

started on the south slope of beds

that run east and west. These beds

are 2 to 21/2 feet high and 5 to 7 feet

apart from center to center. The

height and shape of the beds expose

a large surface to the winter sun,

protect the young plants from the

wind, and keep the vines above the

level of the irrigation water applied

in furrows between the beds. The

summer crop usually is grown either

with no bedding and no irrigation

or with slight bedding and

irrigation.

In humid areas where plantings

are made on rolling land or where

there is danger of excessive erosion,

lay out beds or rows on the contours.

This arrangement is especially

desirable in localities where drought

is likely, because it prevents rapid

runoit of water and conserves moisture for the plants to use later.

A plan followed by many western

growers is to have field roads about

400 feet apart at right angles to the

rows. In the East a space commonly is left after every seventh to

tenth row to permit passage of

spray equipment and trucks.

After plowing the soil of level

fields, thoroughly cut it with a disk

harrow about a month before planting so that it will settle. Just before planting go over the field with

a smoothing harrow. The type of

harrow that crushes, turns, and pulverizes the soil in one operation is

excellent for this final preparation.

On extremely loose or sandy soil an

ordinary spike-tooth, smoothing

harrow is desirable. Land graded

for irrigation requires extra leveling and floating to give the desired

slope. For raised beds, give the

land the same preliminary preparation and make it into beds about

a month before planting. Then

harrow and smooth the south side of

the beds just before planting.

In growing muskmelons, the use

of manures and commercial fertilizers is governed by the locality

and the type of soil. The plants

grow best on soil well supplied with

organic matter, which can be maintained or increased by applying

manure if it is available at a reasonable cost or by plowing under

soil-improving crops, such as alfalfa, clover, cowpeas, or soybeans.

Most of the muskmelon crop is

grown without manure, but manure

is a valuable fertilizer when it can

be obtained in sufficient quantities.

It is especially valuable in the arid

interior valleys of California where

soil is low in organic matter. When

available at a moderate cost, stable

or feed-lot manure can be broadcast

in the spring before plowing at

rates of 10 to 15 tons per acre. If

applied and worked well into the

soil after plowing, smaller amounts

can be used effectivel}' by spreading

well-rotted manure in strips 4 feet

wide where the rows are to be located. The same can be done with

some bedded fields by driving the

spreader astride the bed.

Another method is to lay oiï rows

with a plow or middlebuster, to

apply well-rotted manure in the furrows in small piles accurately

spaced for the hills, and then to

use the plow or middlebuster again

to form a slight bed over the

manure. With this method, first

mark lines across the field to show

the spacing of the hills, open furrows at right angles to these lines,

and place the manure at the intersections.

Commercial fertilizers are almost always necessary for growing

muskmelons on a large scale. The

kind and quantity to be used depend on the type of soil, the use

of cover crops, and the amount of

fertilizer previously applied. Consult your State experiment station

or county agricultural agent before selecting the fertilizer and the

method of application. After fertilizing the beds, harrow and smooth

them just before planting.

11
In the East it is usually profitable to apply 600 to 1,000 pounds

per acre of a fertilizer containing

6 to 12 percent of nitrogen, 8 to 12

percent of phosphoric acid, and 6

to 12 percent of potash, although

the relative proportions vary with

the type of soil.

On fertile loam that has been

heavily fertilized or on vs-hich a

leguminous crop has been grown the

previous season, 500 to 700 pounds

of fertilizer per acre is usually sufficient. Broadcast half of this

amount before plowing and the remainder after plowing. On similar

sandy loam broadcast 500 to 800

pounds per acre after plowing. On

less fertile loam and sandy soil apply fiOO to 1,000 pounds per acre

after plowing. "\'\'liere manure has

been applied, 300 to 400 pounds per

acre of a 4-8-8 mixture can often

be profitably applied before planting.

In the Middle Atlantic States

some growers apply 500 pounds of

fertilizer per acre, either broadcast

or in a strip along each row when

they are preparing the land. During the growing season this is followed with two side dressings of

200 to .300 pounds per acre each.

The first side dressing is drilled

about a foot from the plants when

they begin to nm ; the second is applied at the last cultivation.

In the Southwest the soil generally is high in potash, but melons

require nitrogen and often respond

to phosphoric acid. The amounts

of nitrogen used vary from 60 to

150 pounds per acre depending on

the soil. If nitrogenous fertilizers

have been applied to the preceding

crop, the plants may not need additional nitrogen. l'Allen dry forms

of nitrogen are used, one-half to

two-thirds can be applied before

planting and the remainder as a

side dressing when the vines begin

to run.

Another method is to apply the

entire amount of nitrogen before

planting in either one or two bands

a few inches from the seed row and

a few inches below it. If a single

band is used, the nitrogen is placed

in the bed between the seed and

the irrigation furrow—a few inches

from the seed row and about 6

inches below it. If two bands are

used, one is placed as described and

the other about 6 inches to the opposite side of the seed row and about

8 inches below. Equivalent amounts

of liquid or gaseous nitrogen can

be applied in the irrigation water.

Phosphate is preferably applied

at or before planting in amounts

giving 60 to 120 pounds of phosphoric acid per acre. Liquid phosphate fertilizer can be applied in

equivalent amounts in the irrigation

water or in the bed in bands by

means of special equipment.

METHODS OF PLANTING

Since muskmelon seeds do not

germinate well at low temperatures

and the seedlings are very tender,

delay planting in the open until the

soil becomes warm and there is no

danger of frost. Most of the commercial crop is grown from seed

planted in the field, but in some localities the plants are started in

greenhouses, hotbeds, or sashcovered frames and transferred to

12

the field when weather conditions

become favorable. This method is

suitable for comparatively small

acreage, especially in marketgarden sections where growers wish

to mature some melons very early or

where late frosts are so severe that

paper covers do not adequately protect the plants and the frost-free

season is too short for growing a

crop from seed planted in the field.
u^mibmim

\'~wW. ^"^^ BN-13J61-X

FiGUEE 8.—^Muskmelon plants growing on raised beds between irrigation furrows.

FIELD SEEDING METHODS

Field methods of planting muskmelon seed vary according to locality and climate. In the East the

seed is drilled in rows 5, 6, or 7 feet

apart or planted in hills. In the

drill method the seed is planted in a

continuous row by machine planters. Later the plants are thinned

so as to stand 21^ to 4 feet apart in

the row. This method is commonly

used in large plantings. It is more

economical of labor than hill planting and gives a better distribution

of the plants. In the hill method

the hills are usually spaced 4 to 6

feet apart and checkrowed so that

the field can be cultivated in both

directions early in the season. The

seed is planted by hand in groups of

8 to 10 seeds per hill. Spacing

distances in either drill or hill

planting depend on the muskmelon

variety, the size of vine growth, and

the cultivation equipment.

In the irrigated areas of California and Arizona the early crop is

planted in single rows on the south

side of a bed, with the centers spaced

5, 6, 7, or 8 feet apart (tig. 8). The

row is placed just above the irrigation waterline. The seed usually

is planted in hills spaced 18 to 24

inches apart, particularly where

covers are used to protect the young

plants. Later the plants are thinned

to two in a hill. When covers are

not used, the hills are spaced 9 to 12

inches apart and one plant is left in

each hill. In districts where a later

crop is grown and the plants grow

larger than those of the early crop,

the hills usually are spaced 4 to 5

feet apart in rows 5 to 8 feet apart.

13
Later the plants are thinned to two

spaced well apart in the hill.

In the East, seed usually is

planted with a single-row planter or

in hills with a hoe. In the West,

plantings are made with a hoe, with

a hand corn planter fitted with a

shoe to control the depth of planting, or with a tractor-drawn drill.

This last method is rapid and distributes the seed evenly at a uniform depth in the soil. Drill planting is preferable where plants are

not covered. It is wasteful of seed

where covers are used, because many

seedlings are not protected by

covers and so are killed by the cold.

Plant muskmelon seed at depths

of 1/2 to 11/2 inches. The depth

depends on the type of soil, its moisture content, and the variety of

melon. Plant seed deeper in light

sandy soil than in very moist soil

or irrigated land. Seed of largeseeded varieties can be planted

deeper than that of small-seeded

ones. In the "West, seed is planted

deeper late in the season when the

soil dries rapidly than in the winter

and early spring when the soil is

moist and cool.

HOTBED AND GREENHOUSE

PLANTING

Hotbeds for starting muskmelon

plants usually are 6 feet wide with

standard 3- by 6-foot sash or plasticfilm covers. Hotbeds are heated

electrically or by flues running the

length of the bed and connected

with furnaces burning refuse wood,

coal, or oil. Manure also is sometimes used for heating where more

satisfactory methods are not possible. Since the plants are started

only after the weather becomes

moderate, not much artificial heating is required. Details of hotbed

construction are given in Farmers'

Bulletin 1743, Hotbeds and Coldframes. Plants may be grown in

small sash greenhouses or larger

conventional greenhouses.

Plant the seed about 3 to 4 weeks

before taking the plants to the field.

Plant in bands or in pots 3 to 5

inches in diameter. A good potting

soil can be made from five parts of

a fertile, friable loam mixed witli

two parts of sand and one of rotted

manure. Plant six to eight seeds in

each container and thin the seedlings to two to four plants. If clean

soil is not available, the soil can

be disinfected (p. 36). Treat the

seed with a fungicide to protect

against decay and preemergence

damping-oiï (p. 23).

Growing muskmelon plants in

hotbeds or greenhouses requires

careful attention to temperature,

watering, ventilating, and thinning.'

Maintain a temperature of 70° to

7.5° F. until the seeds germinate and

then about 6.5° to 70° during the

dav and 60° to 65° at night. Provide plenty of ventilation to keep

the plants short and stocky. When

the plants are about ready to be set

out, leave the beds uncovered most

of the time to harden the plants to

outdoor conditions. A greenhouse

is not a good place to start melon

plants unless it can be ventilated

freely and high temperatures

avoided.

Do not keep muskmelon plants in

a hotbed or greenhouse longer than

4 or 5 weeks. The time for sowing

the seed should be carefully determined with reference to the average date of the last spring frost for

the locality. Nothing is to be

gained by seeding too early, and it

is much better to set out young and

thrifty rather than overgro^-n or

overaged plants.

A warm, calm day is best for

transplanting in the field. Water

the plants several hours beforehand

and allow the foliage to dry. If

the plants are in pots, knock the

soil and root mass from the pot

without breaking the soil and set

carefully where the plants are to

stand in the field.

14
USE OF PLANT COVERS

The maturity of muskmelon fruit

is hastened by using paper covers to

increase the soil and air temperatures about the seeds and young

plants. In the southern inland

valleys of California, seed for the

early crop is planted from November 15 to February 15 and most of

it prior to January 15. These

plantings usually are protected

with paper covers over the hills.

The plants are then ready to blossom when the covers are removed

in March. These plants mature

their fruit 2 to 4 weeks earlier than

unprotected plants. In the East,

growers use covers to protect early

plantings from cold winds and to

warm the soil. Their use is especially profitable in short-season

areas and where a very early crop is

desired for market.

In California, covers are generally made from sheets of glassine

paper, 18 by 20 inches, supported

by an arch of wire or a bamboo

strip, 20 to 24 inches long, with its

ends inserted into the soil. Covers

are placed over the arch as soon

as the hill is planted, and soil is

used to hold the paper in place.

When the plants are thinned, the

covers are opened slightly on the

leeward side to provide ventilation.

As the plants become larger, the

covers are raised by lifting the

ends of the supporting arch. When

all danger of frost is past, the

covers are removed. The paper

lasts only one season, but the supports are serviceable for several

years. Growers in the East often

use similar covers and handle them

in somewhat the same way.

Rigid paper covers of several

types also are used. These are selfsupporting and can be placed more

rapidly than glassine sheets. The

covers are made of glassine, plastic,

and other transparent materials.

When rigid covers are used, some

provision must be made for ventilation on hot days, such as slitting

the side away from prevailing

winds. Some growers in the East

tear out the top for ventilation and

leave the sides for protection from

the wind.

CARE OF GROWING PLANTS

CHEMICAL CONTROL OF

WEEDS

Effective weed control is one of

the most necessary and costly operations in the production of highquality muskmelons. Herbicides

help to reduce the cost of controlling many annual weeds prevalent in this crop.

Weeds that germinate and emerge

simultaneously with the muskmelon plants can be controlled with

a preemergence application of NPA

(Â'-l-naphthylphtlialamic acid).

Use 2 to 3 pounds in 20 to 40 gallons

of water per aci-e on light sandy

soil, 3 to 4 pounds on loam, and 4 to

6 pounds on clay and muck. Apply

the herbicide immediately after

planting.

598771 0—61 8

Weeds that germinate after vine

growth prevents further close cultivation can be effectively controlled

with an application of FPA, at the

rates suggested above, 4 to 6 weeks

after the muskmelon plants emerge.

Remove established weeds by cultivation or handweeding before

applying the herbicide, because it

kills only germinating weeds.

Successful use of NPA requires

temperature and soil-moisture levels

that will insure rapid germination

of weed seed.

THINNING PLANTS

Wien seed is planted in the field,

the plants require careful thinning.

It is best to thin twice to allow for

loss of small plants from insect

15
injiu'}' or other causes. When one

or two true leaves appear between

tlie seed leaves, or cotyledons, thin

the plants in widely spaced hills to

about four in a hill. In closely

spaced hills or drill plantings, leave

only two plants. One or two weeks

after the first thinning, thin the

plants in the widely spaced hills

to two widely spaced plants in the

hill. In drill plantings growers

usually thin to single plants 2i/¿ to

i feet apart in the row.

After hotbed or greenhouse

plants are established in the field,

thin them to two in a hill. Hills

where less than two plants have survived may be i-eplanted with extra

ones grown for that purpose.

CULTIVATION

Cultii'ate niuskmelons as soon as

the rows of plants can be followed,

and keep the soil free of weeds until

the vines have spread too far to permit further working. Since the

muskmelon is a rather .shallowrooted plant and its roots often

extend farther horizontally than

the vines, cultivation must be

shallow, especially near the hills

and after the vines begin to i-un

freely.

When covers are temporarily removed for the first thinning of

plants, cultivate the hills and the

row between the hills with a hoe.

As the plants develop, hand hoeing

may be needed to remove weeds that

camiot be destroyed by machine

cultivation.

Where beds are used in the West,

the top and the north side of the

beds and the furrows are cultivated

with small walking cultivators

drawn by a tractor. Flat-land

plantings throughout the country

are cultivated with pow-er equipment as soon as the plants appear.

Checkrowed hills can be cross-cultivated for some time after vines

begin to spread.

Power cultivators can be used

near the row after the vines begin to

16

spread if vine lifters are used on the

cultivator or the vines are turned

back by hand. At this time apply

any second side dressing of fertilizer and work it into the .soil.

When lifting the vines, be careful

not to damage the stems and leaves.

Young fruit often is damaged if

dragged over the soil, and badly

shaped, unsalable melons may

result. After the last cultivation,

arrange the tips of the vines evenly

SO that their growth will cover the

entire space between the rows.

PRUNING VINES AND

THINNING FRUIT

Frequently growers ask whether

they should prune muskmelon vines

in order to increase the set of fruit

or thin out excess fruit to hasten

the development of fruit. Tests

have shown that little if anything

is to be gained by pruning muskmelon vines grown outdoors under

ordinary conditions. Reducing the

number of muskmelons on a vine

will increase the size to which the

remaining melons can grow. However, since vines of most muskmelon

varieties produce some melons too

large for a standard pack even

without thinning, this operation

may cause loss rather than gain.

POLLINATION

Inexperienced growers frequently

ask why the earliest blossoms on

their muskmelon vines do not set

fruit. Muskmelon blossoms are of

two kinds. The first to appear have

only stamens, the pollen-bearing

parts. Later come the flowers that

bear pistils and produce fruit.

Small, undeveloped melons form at

the base of the pistillate blossoms

even before the blossoms open. The

nrelons can develop only if pollen

is transferred to the pistils of these

flowers. After a vine sets a few

fruits, the demand is so heavy for

nutrients necessary to mature them
that few later pistillate flowers will

form.

Honey bees are the most effective

pollinators of muskmelon blossoms.

Fields well supplied with bees produce more fruit than those with

fewer bees. In some locations it is

necessary to provide a hive of bees

for each acre of melons. Tlie hives

should be placed in tlie shade of

trees or in some type of temporary

shade.

IRRIGATION

Muskmelon vines require abundant moisture while making their

most vigorous growth and until the

melons are full grown. However,

do not overwater just before and

during the ripening period. Deep

rooting and vigorous growth of the

vines are possible only if the plants

receive enough moisture, but the

soil must not become too wet.

Muskmelon roots may penetrate a

deep, light-to-medium soil to a

depth of 6 feet and spread 6 feet

between the rows. In semiarid regions such soil should be wet to a

depth of 6 feet after each irrigation. Muskmelon roots often do not

penetrate to this depth in heavy textured soils, which .should be wet

only to the depth reached by the

roots.

Light sandy soil and sandy loam

do not hold as much moisture as

the heavier silt and clay loams.

Under normal conditions a sandy

soil also loses moisture more rapidly than a heavier textured one.

For these reasons a sandy soil needs

more frequent irrigations and for

shorter periods than silt or clay

loams. Since the roots of large

plants take up more moisttire from

the soil than those of small, young

plants, more frequent irrigations

are usually needed on any soil as

the season advances.

In the early-crop districts of the

West, the irrigations of the preceding crop usually leave the soil in

condition for the next crop. To

prepare for a summer crop, the

fields ai6 usually laid out to permit

flood irrigation. The water is applied about 2 months before planting. After the soil is sufficiently

dry, it is worked into beds. Water

is run into the furrows between

beds to wet the soil before planting.

The beds then are allowed to dry

until the moisture content of the

soil is satisfactory for planting. In

other sections there is no preplanting irrigation.

After planting in either moist or

dry soil, the soil is irrigated to wet

it a little above the planting line.

Xo further water is needed until

the plants blossom; tliey may be

irrigated when covers are removed,

When one or two fruits are set, a

moderate amount of water is applied, and irrigations are continued

at 2- to 3-week intervals up to harvest. During extended harvest

periods light irrigations may be

made to prevent wilting of the

plants or excessive cracking of tl\e

soil.

In late-crop districts of the West

and Southwest, muskmelons sometimes can be grown without irrigation if the soil is well moistened to

the full depth of the root zone and

the surface soil is moist at the time

of planting. However, the yield of

marketable melons often can be considerably increased by applying

about 6 inches of water between

emergence of the plants and harvest, even though the soil is at its

field-capacity moisture content at

tlie time of planting. In drier soils

additional water is needed before

or just after planting, and later applications are made when tlie plants

tend to wilt during the day or cease

to grow vigorously. Most of the

late plantings are grown by flat culture, and the irrigation furrows are

made at the last cultivation.

Muskmelon growers in the Bast

are increasingly conscious of the

value of irrigation. In dry seasons

the yield of melons on light, sandy

17
soils can be greatly increased by

irrigating with overhead sprinklers

fed from a portable pipe. When

no rain occurs, young plants should

be irrigated eveiy 10 to 12 days and

every 5 to 7 days when the fruit is

growing rapidly and ripening. Irrigations of as much as 1^;^ inches

per acre may be needed on very

light soils.

INSECT ENEMIES AND THEIR CONTROL

Profitable muskmelon production

often depends on the control of insect pests. In the Southwestern

United States the insect enemies of

muskmelons include the beet leafhopper, leaf miners, the melon

aphid, cucumber beetles, and spider

mites. Information on these and

other insects is given in the U.S.

Department of Agriculture Leaflet

389, Cantaloup Insects in the

Southwest : How To Control Them.

In other parts of the country muskmelons are subject to damage by all

these insects except the beet îeafhopper, and they are controllecl in

the same manner as in the Southwest. However, in the Southeast

late muskmelon crops often are attacked by the pickleworm. Information on this nisect is given in the

Department's Leaflet 4.5.5, The Pickleworm : How To Control It on

Cucumber. Squash, Cantaloup, and

Other Cucurbits.

BEET LEAFHOPPER

The beet leafhopper (drculifer

tenelhis (Baker) ) is a sucking insect about one-eighth inch long

(fig. 9). It is gray to greenisK

yellow. It breeds on weeds in semiarid lands in the Western United

States and is carried by winds to

cultivated lands. Its only economic

importance is that it carries the

virus of curly top.

In melon fields it breeds on such

weeds as sowbane, lambsquarters.

and careless weed. Muskmelon

plants are not their favorite food,

and they do not reproduce on them.

They soon leave a field if there are

no weeds. If weeds are present, the

leafhoppers hop back and forth be18

FIGURE :

TC-7207

-Beet leafliopper.

tween the weeds and the muskmelon

plants.

Clean culture is essential in beet

leafhopper control. Weed the fields

as early as possible to protect young

plants, which are highly susceptible

to curly top. When plants begin to

send out runners, they will have developed considerable resistance to

the disease.

If beet leafhoppers move into a

field before you weed, blanket the

entire field with a suitable insecticide dust or spray. Then weed immediately. Most'of the leafhoppers

are on weeds or resting on open

ground.

LEAF MINERS

In the extreme southern United

States tiny yellow maggots of small

black and yellow flies eat irregidar,

winding, white tunnels in the melon

leaves (fig. 10). They are known

as leaf miners (Liriomyza spp.).

They also attack such plants as

peppers, tomatoes, sugar beets, and

lettuce and may cause considerable

damage. Leaf miners usually are
FIGURE 10.—Muskmelon leaf 'severely damaged by leaf miners.

controlled by tiny -vvasplike parasites.

Insecticides should not be used

unless needed, as they kill the parasites as well as the leaf miners.

MELON APHID

The melon aphid (Aphifs goaaypii Glover) is a small louselike

insect (fig. 11). It obtains its food

by sucking plant juices. It feeds

on the uncTerside oif the leaves. Its

presence often is first indicated by

a slight curling or cupping of

leaves. An infestation may start

when a few winged females fly to

melon plants, where they stait colonies tiiat may spread over the entire plant and throughout the field.

In heavy infestations the leaves

curl and lose color, and the afïected

plants die. These aphids spread

the virus of mosaic disease fi'om

plant to plant.

CUCUMBER BEETLES

There are several kinds of cucumber beetles, and they vary in

economic importance in different

parts of the country. They are

about three-sixteenths inch long

and greenish yellow, with black

stripes or spots. The striped cucumber beetle {Acalymma vitlata

(Fabricius)) has three longitudinal black stripes on the back (fig.

12). The spotted cucumber beetle

{Diabrot'tca undecinijmnctata koicrirdi Barber) has black spots (fig.

13). The other species are similar

in appearance. The strijied cucumber beetle is most abundant east

of the Rocky Mountains. The

spotted cucumber beetle sometimes

19
FIGURE 11.—Winged and wingless adults of the melon aphid. (Greatly enlarged.)

is a menace to muskmelons in the

same region. Botli species occur in

the Soutli and South^Test.

In recent years the banded cucumber beetle (Diahrotica halteatn

LeC'onte) has become an important

pest in the Soutli and Southwest.

It is sometimes more numerous

than the other two species. The

western striped cucumber beetle

[Acnlymma trivittata (Mannerheim) ) and the western spotted cucumber beetle (Dwhroticaundecivipunctata undecinipunctataMannerFlGURE 12.—striped cuciunber beetle. FIGURE 13.—Spotted cucumber beetle.

20
heim) cause injury in the KockjMountain and Pacific Coast States.

Cucumber beetles frequently attacii the jjlants as soon as tliey come

up and tliey may kill them. As tlie

plants grow, the beetles feed on the

leaves, flowers, tender shoots, and

fruit, and frequently spread bacterial wilt and mosaic disease. The

larvae feed on the roots and underground part of the stalks.

SPIDER MITES

Spider mites (Tetranychidae)

are so small that they are difficult

to see with the naked eye, but their

webbing is conspicuous when they

become numerous. They injure the

foliage by removing the chlorophyll, or green coloring, from the

leaves and thus lower the quality

of the melons. If injui-y to the

foliage is severe, the melons will be

exposed and sunburn damage will

result.

PICKLEWORM AND

MELONWORM

The pickleworm (Diaphania nitidalis (StoU)) and its close relative the melonworm (D. hycdinata

(Linnaeus)) are serious pests of

muskmelons during the summer and

fall in the Gulf and South Atlantic

States. They frequently cause considerable damage in the States adjoining the Gulf and in the South

Atlantic States and occasionally as

far west as Oklahoma and Nebraska

and as far north as Iowa and Connecticut. The insects feed on cucurbits throughout the winter in extreme southern Florida and Texas

and gradually spread northward

each year. Except in southern

Florida and Texas, their injury to

muskmelon is most serious during

the summer and fall. Spring plantings escape damage in most areas in

which the insects occur.

Young pickleworms are yellowish white, with numerous dark spots

over the entire body. These spots

disappear before the lar\'ae are full

grown. Young melonworms are

greenish yellow, with two white

lines that run the full length of

the body. These lines disappeai'

after the larvae are full grown.

Mature pickleworms and melonworms are about three-fourths inch

long.

The eggs of both insects are

laid singly or in small clusters

among the hairs on flower and leaf

buds, small fruits, and young

lea^-es. Young pickleworms feed

on the surface, where the eggs are

laid, but they soon tunnel into the

flowers (fig. 14), terminal buds,

stalks, vines, and fruits. Melonworms usually feed only on the

foliage.

DISEASES AND THEIR CONTROL

Anyone growing muskmelons

must guard against diseases that

might seriously damage or even

destroy the crop. The diseases

most commonly causing muskmelon

losses are damping-oft, downy mildew, anthracnose, alternarla leaf

blight, powdery mildew, fusarium

wilt, bacterial wilt, mosaic, curly

top, crown blight, and root knot.

They can be prevented or greatly

reduced by treating the seed with

chemicals, planting seed on clean

soil, and spraying or dusting the

plants.

Certain fungicides used to control muskmelon diseases are marketed under various trade names,'

as shown in table 1.

•Trade names are used in this publication onlj' to provide specific iniormation. Tlieii- use does not constitute

a guarantee of the products named and

does not signify that they are approved

by the U.S. Department of Agriculture

to the exclusion of others of suitable

composition.

21
TABI.H 1.—Ooniiiwii, chemical, imd trade namcfs of vaiioux fungicides used to control mu-ihniehm diseases

Common

naiiK; Chemical name Trade name

Captan

Nabam

Thiram

N-tnchloromethyll.hioI.etrahydrophthalimide.

Disodium othylenc bisdilhiocarbainate

TotraTiiethyltliiuram disiilfide

Zinc oihyl(in(! blsdithiocarbariiate.

Zinc dimethyl diUiiocarbumato^ _

Orihocide 50 Wettable, Orthocide 75 Heed Protectant, Stauffcr Captan

50-W, Stanffer Captan 75 Seed Protectant.

Chcm-Bam, Dithane D-14, Niagara Nabam Solution, Ortho Nabam

Spray, Parzale Liquid Fnngtdde.

Anisan 75, Arasan SF-X, Chijiman Thiram BF 75, Roberts Thiram,

Zineb

Ziram

Thiram 75 W.

Dithane Z-78, Ortho Zinel) 05 Wettable, Parzate C Zineb Fungicide,

Parzatc Zineb Fungicide.

Karbam White, Niagara Z-C Spray, Orchard Brand Ziram, Ortho

Ziram 70 Fungicide, Zerlate Ziram Fungicide, Zirberk.
TC-7344

FiGUEE 14.—Pickleworms feeding in

squash flower.

Caution: Chemicals used as

fungicides and soil fumigants are

injurious to man and animals if

taken internally; some are very

poisonous. Avoid getting them

into the mouth, eyes, or nose.

When used in dusts, avoid inhaling them. Wear a respirator or

mask when dusting plants in the

field or large quantities of seed.

Such protection is not needed in

treating small quantities of seed

in the open air or in a well-ventilated room. Pour out any unused

chemical spray solution. It

should sink into the ground and

not stand in puddles. Thoroughly clean all equipment used

for such sprays. Plainly label

all containers of chemicals. Keep

them out of reach of children,

pets, and livestock.

DAMPING-OFF

Description.—Damping-off, a disease of muskmelon seedlings, is

caused by various fungi, most commonly by Rhizoctonia solani

Kuelin and species of Pythium^

wliicli may be j>resent in any agricultural soil. Usually they cause

most serious losses during long

periods of wet weather. The most

common type of damping-off is a

shriveling of the stem at the ground

line that leads to quiclî collai^se and

death of tlie seedling. The fungi

that cause this also cause decay of

seed in the ground, and they kill

seedlings before they emerge from

the soil. Often when a faniaer gets

a poor stand of muskmelons and

thinks that the seed he planted

must have been inferior, these preemergence forms of damping-off

are the real cause of the trouble.

Recommendations for Control.—

Seed decay and killing of seedlings

before they emerge from the soil

usually can be prevented by dusting

the seed with certain fungicides,

such as tliiram, captan, and Semesan(hydroxymex-curichlorophenol).

Apply them at the rates recommended by the manufacturers.

When seed is to be treated, pour

it into a dusttight jar or other container until the container is about

half full, add the fungicide dust,

cover the container tightly, and

shake for 1 to 2 minutes. Screen off

excess dust, and the seed is ready

to plant.

Where plants are started in seedbeds, damping-off can be checked

by spraying the soil immediately

after planting with a suspension of

2 pounds of captan in 100 gallons

of water. Apply it at the rate of

1 gallon to each 125 square feet of

bed.

DOWNY MILDEW

Description.—Downy mildew is

one of the most common and most

destructive diseases of muskmelons

and cucumbers in the Atlantic and

Gulf Coast States. At times it

causes some damage to watermelons, squash, and pumpkins. It

23
FiGüEE 13.—Muskmelon leaf spotted and yellowed by downy mildew.

has been reported in most of the

States where these crops are commonly grown, btit it is usuallj' not

very important economically in

other regions.

This disease, wliich is caused by

the fungus Pseudope ron osporn

ruhensls (Berk. & Curt.) Eostow.,

usually appears when the vines are

beginning to set fruit. It spreads

very rapidly in w-arm, moist

weather. The first symptoms are

small, yellowish spots, not sharply

outlined, on the leaves. Leaf tissue

at the center of each spot soon turns

brown and dies (fig. 15). The

yellowed area enlarges considerably. When the spots become numerous, the leaf shrivels and dies.

The withered leaves curl upward at

the edges, a characteristic bv whicli

downy mildew can- be identified.

The oldest leaves die first, and

finally only the young leaves at the

tips of the runners remain alive.

The fruit is not attacked, but that

ripening on vines that have lost

many leaves is flat and of very poor

flavor.

The fungus causing downy mildew produces spores on the underside of leaves during moist weather.

These spores are spread to other

leaves by rain and by handlmg the

plants and also can be carried considerable distances by w i n d.

Periods of hot, dry weather tend

to check the spread" of the fungus,

but after it appears in a field, it is

likely to spread rather rapidly unless etïorts have been made to

control it.

The fungus is not carried on the

seed and apparently cannot overwinter in the soil. However, m

Florida it lives on some of its host

24
plants throughout the year. Because the fungus spores can be carried by wind, the disease gradually

moves northward during the spring

and summer, and by early August it

often appears in tlie Nortli Atlantic

States. The U.S. Department of

Agriculture, with the cooperation

of the agricultural experiment

stations of the States along the Atlantic seaboard, maintains a downy

mildew warning service. The Department receives weekly reports on

outbreaks and spread of the disease

and issues summarized reports so

that State officials can tell growers

when the disease is likely to appear

in their localities.

Becominendations for Control.—

Downy mildew is not easy to control, but losses from tills disease

can be greatly reduced by efficient

application of sprays or dusts.

Zmeb (p. 39) is effective against

downy mildew and is extensively

used for its control. The fixed copper compounds (p. 38) also are

effective and are frequently used.

However, they are not satisfactorj'

for tlie control of anthracnose

(p. 26) and may occasionally cause

some injury to muskmelon plants in

the blossoming stage. Nabam when

used with zinc sulfate gives a compound closely similar to zineb and

is used in a spray to control downy

mildew. A mixture of 2 pounds

of zineb and 4 pounds of a SO-percent fixed copper compound in 100

gallons of water also seems very

effective against downy mildew on

muskmelons. Methods of applying these fungicides are discussed

under Spraying and Dusting

(p. 37).

Apply fungicides ivhenever infection threatens and repeat at 7-

day intervals throughout harvest if

rainfall is normal. If long periods

of dry weather occur, applications

every 10 days may be sufficient.

The varieties Eio Gold, Eio

Sweet, Texas 1, Georgia 47, Smith

Perfect, Edisto, and Homegarden

are resistant but not immune to

downy mildew.

ANTHRACNOSE

Description.—A n t h r a c n o s e,

caused by the fungus Colletotrichuni lagena.rium (Pass.) Ell. &

Halst., is a common damaging leaf

.spot disease of muskmelons, cucumbers, and watermelons in the Central, Eastern, and Southern States.

This fungus attacks leaves, stems,

and fruit.

On muskmelon leaves the first

symptom is small, yellowish, watersoaked spots, irregular in shape,

W'liich often occur along the veins of

the leaf. These spots enlarge to

form reddish-brown dead patches

one-fourth to three-eighths inch

wide. Often such patches split or

are beaten out by rain, and the

leaves appear ragged.

On the stems and petioles appear

long, dai-k, sunken spots, which may

girdle the petioles and young runners. This injury may be severe

enough to defoliate the plant within

a rather short time.

Infected fruit has dark, sharply

sunken, circular spots about onehalf to three-quarters inch in diameter (fig. 16). In w-arm, moist

weather the centers of the spots

have pinkish masses of spores.

Spores are produced less abundantly on leaves and stems. Spotted fruit is usually unsalable, and

fruit from vines with badly spotted foliage is likely to be of poor

quality.

The fungus causing anthracnose

is carried on the seed and may live

for 1 or 2 years in the soil. Probably the seed is often the source of

the first infection that appears in a

field. Dater, spores produced on

diseased plants are splashed to

nearby plants by rain, carried by

surface drainage water to plants in

other parts of the field, and spread

also by cultivating or handling

' plants when they are wet with rain

or dew.

25
FIGURE 16.—Muskmelon plant affected by

antiiracnoÄe. The fungus has killetl

the leaves and spotted the fruit.

Recommendations for Control.—

To control anthracnose successfully, rotate crops and disinfect

seed. Do not grow muslimelons in

any field where they were grown

the preceding year, and do not use

a field for a cucurbit crop oftener

tlian once in 3 years.

To treat muslimelon seed for

planting, pour it into a bag of

loosely woTen fabric until the bag

is half full, then soak for 5 minutes

in a 1-1,000 solution of bichloride

of mercury (corrosive sublimate),

rinse for 10 minutes in running

water or several changes of water, and then dry. Bichloride of

mercury can be bought in most localities in the form of blue 71/2-

grain tablets. This size tablet is

convenient for treating small quantities of seed, since one tablet dissolved in a pint of water gives a

1-1,000 solution. In making larger

quantities of the solution, dissolve

1 ounce of powdered bichloride of

mercury in Ti/g gallons of hot

M-ater. Do not use the solution

more than twice, as it loses strength

with continued use. Prepare it oiily

in glass, enamel, or earthenware

26

containers, for the chemical corrodes metal containers.

This treatment effectively disinfects the surface of the seed but

does not kill the fungus if it has

penetrated within the seed. Therefore, it may not give complete protection against seed transmission of

the fungus. This treatment does

not protect against daraping-ofl.

If this protection is desired, treat

the seed as described on page 23.

Caution: Bichloride of mercury is a deadly poison. For precautions, see page 23.

Seed treatment and crop rotation

can be very effective in keeping

muskmelon fields free from anthracnose. However, at times the disease appears despite these precautions, and fungicides must be used

to control it. Ziram (p. 39) is

effective against anthracnose, and

captan (p. .38) also is used with

good results. Ziram and captan do

not seem to control downy mildew

as satisfactorily as do zine'b (p. 39)

and the fixed copper compoimds

(p. .38).

"W liere downj' mildew is prevalent, its control is of major economic

importance and usually must be

considered first in choosing a fungicide for potential control of

anthracnose. Zineb is effective

against this disease and gives good

control of downy mildew. Xabam

plus zinc sulfate (p. 39) gives fair

control of anthracnose and is effective against downy mildew. Fixed

copper compounds (p. 38) give good

control of downy mildew but are

not verv effective against anthracnose. Where the use of a fixed copper compound seems advisable for

control of downy mildew, spraying

with a mixture of 1 pound of ziram

and 2 pounds of a 50-percent fixed

copper compound in 100 gallons of

water should give fairly effective

control of both downy mildew and

anthracnose. Methods of applying

these fungicides are discussed under

Spraying and Dusting (p. 37).
^-n^^'

FIGURE 17.—Muskmelon leaf affected with alternaría leaf blight. The spots are

brown ; some have concentric ring markings.

ALTERNARíA LEAF BLIGHT

Description.—Alternaria leaf

blight, sometimes known as rust, is

a common disease of muskmelons.

It is caused by the fungus Alternaria cucumerina (Ell. & Ev.) J. A.

Elliott (synonym, Macrosporium

cucumerinum Ell. & Ev.), which

also causes a less severe leaf spot of

cucumbers, squash, and watermelons. The disease frequently

causes considerable muskmelon

losses from defoliation.

The first symptoms usually appear in midseason on the older

leaves. At first the affected leaves

show very small, round, watersoaked spots. These spots enlarge

rapidi}' until tlieir diameters range

from one-eiglith to one-half inch

(fig. 17) and may sliow concentric

ring markings. They gradually

turn brown. Often several spots

merge, forming a dead area of considerable size. In warm, moist

weather tlie disease spreads rather

rapidly and may kill much of the

foliage; thus the fruit is exposed

to sunscald injury. Overripe fruit

of severely diseased vines sometimes

has a few small, sunken spots.

Recommendations for Control.—

A o-year rotation as recommended

for anthracnose (p. 26) helps prevent outbreaks of alternarla leaf

blight. Spraying or dusting with

zineb (p. 39), ziram (p. 39),nabam

plus zinc sulfate (p. 39), or captan

(p. 38) is recommended. The mixture of ziram and a fixed copper

compound used to control antliracnose appears to reduce loss from

alternaria leaf blight. The varieties

27
FIGURE IS.—Muskmelon leaf, showing

^ayish-white fungus gruwtli characteristic of powdery mildew.

Purdue 44, Edisto, Georgia 47, and

Smith Perfect liave moderate resistance to tliis disease.

POWDERY MILDEW

Description.—Powdery mildew

afïects muskmelons, cucumbers,

squasli, and pumplcins and may occur \Ylierever tliese crops are grown.

It has caused severe losses in the

large muskmelon-producing sections in the Southwestern States

and at times is damaging to muskmelons ill some of the South Atlantic States. The disease is caused

by the fungus Erisyphe cichoraceurum DC, which has race 1 and race

2. These races pi'oduce the same

symptoms, but muskmelon varieties

resistant to race 1 may not be resistant to race 2.

The fungus grows on the surface

of the leaves and of the stems and

absorbs its nourishment by means

of minute organs, or haiistoria,

which penetrate the enidermal cells

of the host plant. The first symptom of the disease is small, white

patches on the underside of the

older leaves and on shaded parts of

the stem near the soil. The spots

soon appear on both surfaces of the

leaves and enlarge until the older

28

leaves and stems are covered with

the white, powdery growth of the

fungus (fig. 18). In cool, moist

weather infected leaves remain alive

for some weeks. However, in hot,

dry weather they soon wilt, die, and

become brown and brittle.

The killing of the leaves weakens

the plants and exposes the large

fruit to the sun. Many of the

melons become sunburned and the

others are usually of poor flavor

and texture. Fruit produced after

infection may be small and misshapen. The reduction in yield is

proportionate to the earliness and

severity of disease development.

RecowmendntioitH far Control.—

In the Southwestern States powdery mildew can be controlled by

using resistant varieties. Powdery

Mildew-Resistant Cantaloup îio. 5

and PMEC No. 6 are resistant to

both race 1 and race 2 of the fungus.

Where race 2 is not prevalent,

PMRC Xo. 45 and PMEC 'So. 450

can be grown successfully. These

varieties have been developed for

use in the Southwest, but PMEC

~So. 45 may be of value where the

disease is damaging in the Southeastern States. The varieties

Homegarden, Edisto, and Georgia

47 have moderate resistance to powdery mildew.

Powdery mildew can be effectively controlled with sulfur dusts.

However, the Southwestern States,

where this disease is severe, have

very high temperatures during

much of the growing season, and at

such temperatures sulfur dusts severely injure most kinds of muskmelons. Honey Dew and Honey

Ball melons tolerate sulfur, and the

varieties V-1 and SE No. 91 have

been developed for sulfur resistance. However, in extremely hot

weather even these varieties may be

injured bv sulfur dusts. Do not

dust PMEC Nos. 5, 6, 45, and 450

with sulfur.

Losses from powdery mildew can

be reduced by spraying with Kara-
FiGUBE 19.—Muskmelon plant affected ivlth fusarium irilt. Some leaves are brown

and withered, and some of the stems have a brown discoloration and fiifegus

growth.

thane WD (dinitro capryl phenyl

crotonate) at the rate recommended

by the manufacturer.

Caution: Do not apply Karathane to muskmelons within 7

days of harvest.

FUSARIUM WILT

Description.—Fusarium wilt of

muslcmelons, caused by the fungus

Fusarium oxysporwin Schleclit. f.

melonU (Leach & Currence)

Snyder & Hansen, has resulted in

losses in some sections of the Central and Eastern States. The fungus lives in the soil and enters the

plant through the roots. On very

young plants grown in badly infested soil, it may cause root rot

or wilting of the seedling with little

external evidence of stem injury.

On older plants the first symptom

is a wilting of one or more runners

(fig. 19). The leaves of the wilting

shoots turn brown, and brown, dead

streaks commonly develop on the

stems near the ground line. These

streaks may extend some distance,

and in moist weather they often

have salmon-pink masses of fungus

spores. Eventually all parts of the

plant wilt and it dies.

Recomm,endations for Control.—

The fungus causing fusarium wilt

can live for a long time in the soil.

Do not grow muskmelons on land

known to be heavily infested with

it. Avoid carrying fimgus-infested

soil to clean fields on cultivators or

other farm equipment. Since the

fungus enters the plant through the

roots, spraying will not control the

disease. Most of the standard

muskmelon varieties are susceptible

to fusarium wilt, but some resistant

varieties have been developed.

Those most generally used are

29
FiGUEE 20.—Muskmelon plant severely affected with bacterial wilt. The leaves droop

and wither but remain green.

Iroquois, Delicious 51, Honey Rock

Fusaritim Resistant, Spartan Rock,

and Harvest Queen.

BACTERIAL WILT

Description.—Bacterial wilt,

caused by Erwinia tracheipMla,

(E, F. Sm.) Holland, is a oonmion

disease of muskmelons, cucumbers,

and squash in the North Central,

Middle Atlantic, and North Atlantic States, where sometimes serious

losses occur in individual fields.

This disease causes some losses in

the Southeastern States, but it is

less prevalent. It is not prevalent

on muskmelons in the Southwestern

States.

Infected plants first show a

drooping of a few leaves, which remain green. The wilting gradually

extends to leaves on other runners

(fig. 20). The bacteria produce

this wilting by working downward

into the water-conducting vessels

of the stem and causing them to

become clogged. Eventually they

kill the plant. The bacteria are

spread by the cucumber beetles.

which carry them from diseased to

healthy leaves on their mouth parts

and transmit them in feeding. The

bacteria do not live in the soil or

in the seed, but they are carried

over winter by these beetles.

Recommendations for Control.—

For most effective control, use insecticides ^ early in the season to reduce the number of cucumber

beetles in the field. In small plantings remove and destroy wilted

plants infected with this disease.

MOSAIC

Description.—Mosaic is a widespread and serious disease of muskmelons. It can be caused by several

viruses, most of which are commonly spread by aphids. The

squash mosaic virus is spread only

by certain species of cucumber

beetles. All these insects carry the

virus from diseased to healthy

plants in feeding. The viruses also

' See U.S. Dept. Agr. Leaflet 389, Cantaloup Insects in the Southwest: How

To Control Them.

30
FIGURE 21.- -Toung leaves of a muskmelon plant, showing the characteristic yellowishgreen mottling caused by the common cucumber mosaic virus.

are transmitted by handling diseased and then healthy plants or

by any other means by which a

very small quantity of juice from

an infected plant is brought into

contact -n-ith a slight wound in a

healthy plant. The viruses causing muskmelon mosaic also attack

such cucurbits as cucumbers,

squash, and watermelons, and one

of them causes considerable loss of

pepper and celery. These viruses

infect several perennial and annual

weeds.

In the Eastern and North Central

States the most common form of

muskmelon mosaic is caused by the

ordinary cucumber mosaic virus.

Leaves of mosaic-aiïected muskmelon plants are mottled with light

green (fig. 21) and are often

slightly dwarfed and curled, but

usually the plants grow to almost

normal size. The young fruit is

sometimes mottled, and the size and

number of the fruit are often reduced. Fruit from severely diseased vines is usually of poor

quality.

This virus is not known to be carried in muskmelon seed and does not

overwinter in the soil. However, it

does overwinter in the roots of certain perennial weeds, such as milkweed, groundcherry, and catnip,

and it is carried in the seed of the

common wild cucumber. Aphids

feeding on these plants carry the

virus to muskmelon fields.

In the Southwestern States mosaic causes serious losses. Tlie

watermelon mosaic virus is most

prevalent, but the cucumber mosaic

virus also is common. They often

occur in the same muskmelon plant.

The squash mosaic virus also is

found in the Southwest, but it seems

to be comparatively rare in the desert areas where the early crops are

grown. The watermelon mosaic

virus, like the cucumber mosaic virus, is transmitted by aphids, and

rarely, if ever, is carried in the seed.

The squash mosaic virus is transmitted by cucumber beetles. The

comparative rarity of these insects

in muskmelon fields of the Southwest probably accounts for its being less prevalent than the viruses

spread by apliids. The squash mosaic \'irus is carried in a small percentage of the seed of fruit from

mosaic-affected muskmelon and

squash plants.

Watermelon mosaic virus affects

squash and pumpkins. It is also

found on several cultivated and

wild sj^ecies of plants outside the

31
family Cucurbitaceae. Some of

these, such as cheeseweed, sour

clover, and possibly alfalfa, may

be of economic importance as

sources of primary infection to

muskmelons in the Southwest.

Tlie relative prevalence of the watermelon and cucumber mosaic viruses in this region, when no other

cucurbit crops are present, seems to

depend on the comparative abundance of noncucurbit hosts of the

respective viruses.

In the Southwest the symptoms

of muskmelon mosaic vary with

the virus or combination of vii-uses

with which the plant is infected.

Symptoms of cucumber mosaic virus alone are usually of the same

type as described on page 31.

^Vliere watermelon mosaic virus is

present, alone or in combination

with the cucumber mosaic virus,

there may be much more severe injury to the plants. The leaves are

mottled with light-green or yellowgreen areas of irregular outline, and

some of the veins may be killed.

Leaves commonly are much stunted

and often deformed. The tips of

some runners frequently are yellowed and stunted. When plants

are severely aifected, the stem continues to grow, but only aborted

leaves are produced. This "leafless'' condition of the stem is characteristic of mosaic on muskmelon

plants in the Imperial Valley.

Flowers may appear normal,

unless closely examined, and they

produce no fruit. Fruit that is se't

is small, mottled, and malformed.

Fruit not visibly affected by the

virus often is of poor quality, and

the netting is poor on that of the

''cantaloup" ^-arieties. Losses are

severe if plants are infected when

small, but slight if infection does

not occur until shortly before

harvest.

In central and northern California there is evidence that muskmelons are most connnonly aifected

by the cucumber ancl squash

.32

mosaic viruses. Watermelon mosaic virus appears to be much less

prevalent than in the Southwestern States.

Recommendations for Control.—

No effective control measures have

been developed for muskmelon mosaic. Muskmelons should not be

grown near squash, cucumbers,

watermelons, or peppers. In the

Eastern and North Central States

destroying perennial weeds near

the muskmelon field has sometimes

given good results; in the arid

sections of the Southwest control

is more difficult. Insect control is

necessary, but it cannot be depended on to prevent spread of the

virus. Seedbome viruses can be

controlled, provided there are no

other sources of infection, by using

virus-free seed or by carefully removing infected plants at the time

of thinning. This must be done by

workers who are familiar with mosaic symptoms and are careful not

to transmit the virus by also handling healthy plants.

Xo mosaic-resistant muskmelon

varieties are available. The Honey

Dew and Honey Ball melons are

more severely affected than most of

the so-called "cantaloup" varieties.

In the Southwest, losses from mosaic can be considerably reduced

by cultural methods that promote

and maintain vigorous growth.

CURLY TOP

Description.—JIuskmelons, like

tomatoes, beans, peppers, spinach,

and certain other vegetable crops,

are susceptible to the curly top virus. This virus, which takes its

name from the disease it produces

on sugar beets, also affects several

weeds and some ornamentals. The

disease is common in commercial

muskmelon plantings in Arizona

and California. In those areas of

central Washington, eastern Oregon, and southern Idaho where

curly top is prevalent every year.
riGüKE 22.—Part of a muskmelon plant affected with curly top. Note that the distance between the leaves is shortened at the end of the runner.

the disease limits muskmelon production.

Tlie virus is not transmitted

througlt the seed or soil. The only

known means of its dissemination

is the beet leafhopper. Therefore,

the geographical distribution of

the disease is limited to the range

of this insect, which may be carried

long distances with the prevailing

winds. The leafhopper breeds in

weedy, abandoned lands and sagebrush areas west of the Continental Divide and in areas of southem New Mexico and western

Texas. Until recently curly top

had not been reported east of the

Mississippi Kiver, but the disease

is known to have occurred occasionally in the Central and Eastern

States.

The severity of curly top on

muskmelons varies with the age of

the plant at tlie time it is infected.

Seecllings infected in the cotyledon

stage usually die. Many of the

plants with two to four leaves at

the time of infection are killed or

so badly stunted that they are

valueless. The leaves are reduced

in size and bunched together because

of the shortening of the distance

between the leaves on the stem.

Plants infected in the six-leaf stage

or thereafter may show no evidence

of the disease, but occasional plants

show a bunching of the leaves at

tlie tip of the runners (fig. 22).

Even when ]5lants show no symptoms, the yield may be appreciably

reduced.

During the spring and summer

the spring broods of mature leafhoppers move to cultivated areas,

33
where the}' feed on sugar beets,

other cultivated crops, or weed

hosts. Many of the migrating insects carry tlie virus and transmit

it to any susceptible plants on which

they feed during the spring. These

hosts serve as sources of the virus

to later broods of leafhoppers,

which develop on favored crops and

weed hosts in or near the cultivated

fields.

The prevalence of curly top in

any given season depends on the

number of the insects carrying the

virus, the virulence of the strains of

the virus they carry, and the stage

of development of the crop plants

when the insects appear in the field.

Recommendations for Control.—

N"o very satisfactory method has

been developed to control curly top

on muskmelons. Certain insectieidal sprays and dusts will kill the

leafhopper and may help to reduce

spread and loss from curly top.

Certain sanitary measures will

help to reduce the number of leafhoppers feeding on muskmelons.

Weed-free fields are necessary to

protect muskmelons from the leafhopper. Clean culture at the beginning of the season removes the

weeds that are favored hosts of the

insect and reduces the number of

insects when the plants are small

and most severely clamaged by curly

top. If the leafhoppers migrate to

the fields before they are weeded,

spray or dust the entire field at

once with a suitable insecticide " and

then destroy all weeds. There are

no muskmelon varieties with marked resistance to curly top.

CROWN BLIGHT

Description.—Muskmelon crops

m the desert areas of California and

Arizona are severely damaged by

crown blight, a disea'se of unknowii

cause. It seems to be limited to

muskmelons planted in desert areas

in the M-inter and harvested during

' See footnote 5, p. .30.

34

the spring. It has not been observed

in other areas where muskmelons

are planted in the late spring or in

the summer and harvested during

the late summer and early fall.

This also is generally true of muskmelons planted in the summer in

areas where the disease damages the

winter-plantjed crops.

The characteristics and intensity

of crown blight symptoms may vary

with the locality and the cultural

practices in individual fields. The

first symptoms usually appear some

time after the plants have set fruit,

and the injury becomes increasingly

severe as the fruit approaches

maturitj' and continues to ripen.

Mature leaves at the base of the

stem develop one or more V-shaped

dead sectors, which extend inward

from the leaf margin and are

centered on the large veins. These

areas become dry and brittle. Other

leaves may be yellow at the margins

or entirely yellow. Parts of the

leaves with V-sbaped dead areas and

the leaves adjacent to them may become bronze. Leaf petioles may be

streaked with brown. In some

fields the petioles are yellow and

translucent. The affected leaves

and their petioles soon become

brown, dry, and brittle, but they remain attached to the stem.

Leaves die in succession along the

runners, but sometimes alternate

leaves die and the otliers remain

ajjparently normal. Eventually

all the leaves on most of the runners die, but those at the tip usually

last longer than those that are more

mature. Tlie death of the "crown"

leaves of severely affected plants

destroys the leaf cover of the maturing melons, and the fruit usually

becomes sunburned and unmarketable (fig. 23).

The appearance of crown blight

on the foliage is commonly accompanied by decay of the smallest

roots. This reduction in the root

system may be a factor in the premature death of the foliage during
the high temperature and low humidity that prevail at harvesttime

where the disease occurs.

Grown blight may be caused by

a combination of factors. However, extensive investigations have

seemingly eliminated a number of

suggested causes. Applications of

fungicides have little effect on the

severity of the disease in the absence of powdery mildew. Soil salinity does not seem to caitse it.

Neither excessive nor deficient nitrogen, phosphorus, or trace elements have been proved to cause it,

althougli fertilizer practices may

affect the severity of the disorder.

Irrigation practices can affect its

severity, but they do not seem to

cause it. Leaf miner injury can

cause a severe "blight" of crown

leaves of muskmelons and is often

confused with crown blight.

The severity of ci'own blight appears to be increased by high soil

and air temperatures, by the smallness and number of living roots, by

a heavy fruit load on the plants, and

by the prevalence of certain rootrotting fungi in the soil. Infection

of the plants witli mosaic viruses

also appears to be a possible factor

in the cause of crown blight.

Recommendations for Control.—

No specific recommendations can

be made for the control of crown

blight. Drought, insects, powdery

mildew, mosaic viruses, and rootrotting ftmgi all may be factors in

its development.

Drought can be controlled by

proper irrigation. Good cultural

practices seem to delay the injury

from crown blight. Powdery mildew can be controlled by using resistant varieties or applying Karathane (p. 28). Breeding for

resistance to mosaic and crown

blight is in progress, and mosaicresistant varieties may become

available for the Southwest. Powdery Mildew-Resistant Cantaloup

88 is a Honey Ball type with moderate resi.stance to crown blight.

FIGURE 23.—Muskmelon plants affected

with crown blight. Older leaves have

died and others are yellow at the margins. Recently exposed fruit is only

faintly netted but not yet sunburned.

Arizona Sunrise is a "cantaloup"

type that tends to escape crown

blight because of its early maturity,

but it is not resistant to powdery

mildew.

ROOT KNOT

Description.—Root knot of

muskmelons and of many other

plants is caused by very small eelwonns 01- nematodes (Meloixlogyne

spp.). Aboveground symptoms of

root knot are lack of vigor, dwarfing of the plants, and a tendency to

wilt during the heat of the day.

When these symptoms are seen,

some plants sliould be dug up and

the roots examined. If attacked

by nematodes, the roots will have

distinct knots or galls ranging in

size from about one-sixteenth of an

inch in diameter on the very small

roots and resembling beads on a

string to one-half inch or more in

diameter on older roots. Plants

heavily infected w-ith root knot produce a few small muskmelons, but

some plants may die before producing any finiit.

The nematodes tliat cause root

knot attack a great variety of crops.

35
'When a crop has been infected,

nematodes will remain in the soil

after it is harvested and attack the

next crop. To avoid planting on

land where root knot occurs, it is a

good practice to examine the roots

of the previous crop. If root-knot

frails are found, use another field

or fumigate tlie soil, as described

below, before planting. There is no

cure for root knot on muskmelons

after planting.

Recommendations for Gontrol.—

Nematocides, or soil fumigants, are

chemicals used to control root knot.

Three kinds are available for use

in muskmelon fields. Their active

ingredients are dichloropropene,

ethylene dibromide, and dibromochloropropane.

For muskmelons, apply these

nematocides by the "row treatment"

method. First plainly mark tlie

rows by scratching a shallow furrow or by building a low ridge.

Then place the nematocide directly

under the row at a depth of about

8 inches. Use the amount recommended by the manufacturer.

Good results can be expected only

if the nematocide is placed at the

proper depth, regardless of whether

it is a liquid, emulsifiable, or granular formulation. Applications are

quickly and easily made by using

special applicators sold for the

purpose or by various kinds of

improvised equipment. Apply nematocides at least 2 weeks before

planting and when the soil is moist

but not too wet to work well. Be

sure to plant the seed directly over

the nematocide.

Wlien using nematocides, follow

the manufacturers' directions exactly and also consult your local

county agent or State agricultural

experiment station as to the most

efficient application methods and

possible deleterious etfects under local conditions. This precaution is

necessary because variations in soil

and climate may atfect the action

of the nematocides.

36

As of March 1961, nematocides

containing dichloropropenes are

registered by the U.S. Department

of Agriculture under the Federal

Insecticide, Fungicide, and Eodenticide Act and the Miller

Amendment of the Federal Food,

Drug, and Cosmetic Act for use oil

soil to be planted to muskmelon.

This registration is on the basis that

no residue will result from using

preplanting applications of 120 t»

202 pounds of actual dichloropropene per acre on ordinary soils or

•S20 to 486 pounds per acre on mucktype soils, and that muskmelons

will not be planted until 2 to 3

weeks after soil treatment or until

the odor of the chemical has left

the soil.

When nematocides containing

ethylene dibromide or dibromochloropropane are used for soil

treatment, there is a tolerance of

75 parts per million of inorganic

bromide calculated as bromine.

Further information will be found

on the container label or can be obtained from your county agent or

the manufacturer's representative.

Caution: Handle nematocides

with extreme care. Avoid prolonged breathing of the fumes,

and do not allow the liquid to

come into contact with the skin.

If the liquid is accidentally

splashed on the clothing, including shoes or gloves, remove the

clothing at once and wash, clean,

or thoroughly air it for a day or

two. Keep nematocides away

from the mouth and eyes. If

they are splashed into the eyes,

wash out with large quantities of

water and consult a physician.

Root knot can also be controlled

by growing crops that are not attacked by the root-knot nematodes

for at least 2 years between muskmelon crops. In general, small

grains, hairy indigo, several kinds

of crotalaria, or peanuts «an be used

as rotation crops. Since the kinds

of root-knot nematodes vary ui
different parts of the country, check

with your county agent or the State

agricultural experiment station before starting a rotation.

SPRAYING AND DUSTING

IMuskmelon losses from downy

mildew, anthracnose, powdery mildew, and alternaria leaf blight can

be much reduced by efficiently applying the most effective fungicides.

However, fungicides can only protect plants from infection ; tliey

cannot cure diseased plants. Tliese

four diseases can be controlled satisfactorily, provided spraying or

dusting with a suitable fungicide is

started before the disease organism

has become established in tlie field

and provided the spray or dust

thoroughly coats the plants.

Spraying is usually more effective tlian dusting, because the spray

adheres better to the foliage.

Spraying is increasing as a general

practice in muskmelon production.

When To Apply Fungicides

Spraying or dusting can be done

most economically and effectively

if the first application of a fungicide and tlie intervals between the

later ones are determined somewliat

by the amount of rainfall. Ordinarily tlie first application need not

be made until 6 to 8 weeks after

planting, when the vines have

SDread well out into the rows.

However, where antliraenose is

prevalent, an early appearance of

this disease may make it necessar)'

to spray or dust the plants wlien

they are ratlier small. If very

rainy Aveatlier occurs early in the

growing season, it often is advisable

to start spraying or dusting earlier

than is normally necessarj^. During humid weather fungicides can

be profitably applied at 7-day intervals, but frequently a 10-day interval is sufficient for adequate protection. Spraying or dusting sliould

continue until a week before liarvest, especially in areas where

downy mildew is prevalent.

How To Apply Fungicides

In spraying or dusting muskmelons it is essential to have efficient

power macliinery to insure good

coverage of the leaves with the

fungicide. Tlie rows must be so

spaced as to permit passage of the

sprayer or duster.

Muskmelons commonly are

sprayed witli standard fixed-boom

hydraulic sprayers. The fungicide

formulations usually are applied at

the rate of 150 gallons per acre at

a pressure of about 300 pounds per

square incli (p.s.i.). This type of

application is effective if sufficient

nozzles are used per melon row and

are so arranged that both surfaces of

tlie leaves are covered with the

fungicide.

One method of application that

has given good results consists of

using six nozzles per melon row arranged so as to wliirl tlie spray.

Tliis is done by directing one of the

end nozzles forward and the other

back at a slight angle to tlie plants.

This arrangement gives a slight

"twist" to the leaves. Tlie four top

nozzles are arranged so tliat two

point slightly forward and two

slightly backward. Thus the forward-angled nozzles cover the lower

surface of the leaves and those

angled backward cover the upper

surface.

When spraying witli fixed-boom

liydraulic equipment, mix the

fungicide, sucli as ziiieb, with water

at the rate of 2 pounds per 100

gallons. Usually apply about 150

i?allons of this formulation per acre.

Tliree pounds of the fungicide applied in this way can be formulated

in as little as 40 gallons of water

and used to spray an acre with

about as good results, provided the

proper equipment is used. This

concentrated formulation in 40 gallons of water is called a "4X" concentrate, since it is approximately

37
equivalent to 8, or more accurately

21/2X3, pounds of zineb per 100

gallons of water.

This so-called low-gallonage

spraying is most commonly done

\YÍth an airblast (mist) sprayer and

is used to some extent in spraying

muskmelons. With this machine

a concentrated formulation of the

fungicide is introduced into a horizontal blast of air, which is driven

across the rows at high velocity.

Most of this airblast spraying is

done with 4X or .5X fungicidewater combinations applied at 40 or

.32 gallons per acre, respectively.

In airblast spraying the driveways must be so arranged that the

spray swath overlaps in the center

of the area between them. A machine with an air capacity of 20,000

cubic feet per minute and an outlet

velocity of 90 to 100 miles per hour

can spray a .35- to 40-foot swath

effectively. On this basis the driveways should be from 70 to 80 feet

apart.

Do not use airblast sprayers

when the wind velocity is over 7

to 8 miles per hour. Stronger

winds do not permit good coverage

of all the plants. In spraying

muskmelons the airblast must be

properly directed, particularly with

regard to the rows close to the machine, or the vines will be moved

too much when they are small.

Airblast spraying is becoming popular because it saves time, but it has

not yet been completely determined

whether this method gives fully as

good control of muskmelon diseases

as conventional hvdraulic spraying.

When fungicides are applied as

dusts, use a power machine and apply 40 to 60 oounds per acre. Machines .should be equipped with tw-o

or three nozzles that discharge

equal amounts of dust. Dust when

the air is quiet, and stop if the wind

interferes with good coverage of the

plants. Early morning and late

afternoon are usually favorable

times for dusting,

38

Fungicides for Muskmelon-Disease Control

Captan.—Captan has been used

to control anthracnose (p. 26) and

alternaría leaf blight (p. 27). Use

it at .3 pounds per acre. In highgallonage spraying add 2 pounds

of captan to 100 gallons of water

and apply 150 gallons per acre.

Captan also may be used as a dust

containing 5 to 10 percent of the

fungicide.

Fired Copper CompoiMi/h.—The

fixed copper fungicides are relatively insoluble forms of copper

that are used without the addition

of lime. They are effective against

downy mildew (p. 25), but not equal

to such fungicides as zineb (p. 39)

or ziram (p. 39) to control anthracnose (p. 26) or alternarla leaf blight

(p. 27). Several fixed copper compounds are sold under various trade

names. Their copper content varies

from 13 to 55 percent. Some of

these formulations and some of

their trade names are as follows:

Basic copper sulfates : 53 percent

of copper (Basi-Cop, Duo Copper,

Orchard Brand 530, Tennessee TriBasic Copper Sulfate) ; 26 percent

of copper (Corona "26" and Tennessee 26).

Copper oxychloride sulfate: 55

percent of copper (Niagara

C-O-C-S).

Copper calcium oxychloride: 46

percent of copper (DuPont

Copper-A Compound).

Copper hydroxysulfate: 13 percent of copper (Copper Hydro

Bordo).

As field sprays for muskmelons,

the fixed coppers are prepared to

give an equivalent of II/2 pounds of

copper, calculated as metallic copper, per 100 gallons of water,

Wien applied at 150 gallons per

acre, this is equivalent to 41/2 pounds

per acre of a compound containing

50 percent of copper.

The copper content of the different compounds is shown on the
package, and the amount of material needed can be calculated from

this percentage. For example, (5

pounds of a compound containing 25

percent of copper would be needed

to give 11/2 pounds of copper per 100

gallons of spray in the field,

whereas only 3 pounds of a compound containing 50 percent of copper would be used. Before using

the fixed copper compounds, consult your county agricultural agent

or State agricultural college as to

the compounds that have proved

most effective for field use in your

locality.

The fixed coppers also are used as

dusts, which seem to be fairly satisfactory. Dusts containing 5 percent of actual copper are recommended for use on muskmelons.

Naham.—Nabam is used in liquid

form. In making a spray for muskmelons, add 2 quarts of the commercial product to 100 gallons of

water. Then add to this solution

1 pound of zmc sulfate, which is

dissolved in water. Usually apply

at the rate of 3 quarts of nabam

plus 11/2 pounds of zinc sulfate per

acre. When this formula is followed, the reaction product is very

similar to zineb (p. 39). Nabam

plus zinc sulfate gives good control of downy mildew (p. 26), alternaría leaf blight (p. 27), and

anthracnose (p. 26).

Zineb.—Zineb is effectively used

to control downy mildew (p. 25) and

alternaría leaf blight (p. 27). It

also is fairly effective in controlling

anthracnose (p. 26). Use it at the

rate of 3 pounds per acre. In highgallonage spraying add 2 pounds

of zineb to 100 gallons of water

and apply 150 gallons per acre.

Dusts containing 5 to 8 percent of

zineb may be used for muskmelondisease control. However, spraying

is likely to give more satisfactory

results.

Ziram.—Ziram is very effective

in controlling anthracnose (p. 26),

and it also gives fairly good control of alternarla leaf blight (p. 27).

It does not control downy mildew

(p. 25). Apply ziram at 3 pounds

per acre. In high-gallonage spraying add 2 pounds of ziram to 100

gallons of water and apply 150 gallons per acre. A mixture of 1

pound of ziram and 2 pounds of a

50-percent fixed copper compound

in 100 gallons of water per acre

gives fairly good control of both

anthracnose and downy mildew.

Although spraying is preferable

to dusting, ziram may be used on

muskmelons as a dust containing

7 to 10 percent of this fungicide.

HARVESTING AND HANDLING

Successful marketing of muskmelons depends largely on careful

gathering and handling. "Where

the plants are grown in long rows

and large blocks, the vines of about

every tenth row should be laid

carefully together when ripening

begins so as to clear roadways for

use in hauling away the crop.

Where field roads run at right

angles to the rows, the pickers

work toward these roads and deposit the melons at the roadsides

to be picked up by trucks or

trailers.

Muskmelons do not attain their

finest flavor and best eating qualities unless they are harvested as

they approach maturity. At this

stage the sugar content, flavor,

and texture improve rapidly.

After the fruit is picked, its sugar

content does not increase, but the

texture may improve for a short

time after harvest. Sweetness,

flavor, and texture are best in fruit

that is harvested when its sugar

content is high. Fruit picked

when immature never develops this

high quality. Melons left too long

on the vine lose sugar and soften

while being packed and shipped.

39
FIGURE 24.—Muskmelon picked at the full-slip stage of maturity. Note tliat the stem

has pulled away from the melon, leaving a clean, cuplike hole.

Overripe fruit also is especially

subject to decay-producing bacteria and fungi. Tlie marlveting of

immature or overripe melons can

often damage later sales of liighquality fruit.

Western growers now commonly

grade the "cantaloup" types of

muskmelons into three maturity

classes. These are, in ascending order of ripeness, "hard ripe,"' "east40

ern choice,'" and "western choice.''

All of these are harvested at "full

slip,'" that is, entire separation of

the stem from the melon under

slight pressure, so that a clean

stem scar remains (fig. 24). Fullslip melons require faster and more

thorough precooling than the less

mature "part slip" fruit, which

formerly constituted part of the

shipment to eastern markets.
Transit temperatures consistently

below 4:0° F. are also essential, particularly for the eastern choice

melons. However, these full-slip

melons ripen more uniformly and

with generally better quality than

less mature melons. Muskmelons

shipped from western-producingareas are now consistently harvested

at the full-slip stage.

The distinction between hard

ripe, eastern choice, and western

choice is almost entirely based on

surface color. Hard ripe melons

are light green to yellow green at

the sutures and between the netting, whereas eastern choice fruit

has a greenish-yellow to light-yellow undercolor on substantial areas

of the surface. The western choice

melons are approaching the fullripe condition, with much strong

yellow undercolor and slight

springiness at the blossom end. As

the name implies, they are sold in

western markets and mostly within

a few lumdred miles of origin.

Experienced pickers soon learn

to recognize and are able to judge

accurately at a glance the stage of

ripeness of melons by their general

appearance—mainly by the color of

the background.

The condition known as full slip

indicates ripeness accurately only

for melons of the netted type that

are borne on healthy plants under

favorable weather conditions. Often rainy weatlier, disease, insect

infestation, and other factors cause

melons to separate from the vines

when they are still unripe and inedible, particularly in the Eastern

States.

The stem does not separate from

the fruit of Honey Dew, Honey

Ball, Crenshaw, Casaba, and Persian varieties at maturity as it does

from the "cantaloup" varieties. Maturity of these semikeeping muskmelons must be determined by a

certain yellowing of the skin and a

slight yielding of the blossom end

when lightly pressed. Considerable experience is needed to judge

the harvest maturity of these varieties. Tliey should be cut from

the vine to prevent injury to the

stem end of the fruit.

It is desirable that muskmelons

ripen on the vines. However, the

fruit should be har\-ested before

it is too soft, as it may be damaged

in handling. It is possible to overstock a market with soft melons,

particularly near the end of the

picking season. The vines should

be gone over about every other day

during the first week of the picking season and every day of the

second week. The first melons mature slowly. As the season advances, ripening becomes more

rapid. Toward the end of the season the offener the suitably ripe

melons are gathered the better.

The right way to remove a muskmelon from the vine is to press on

the stem with the thumb or slightly

lift the melon from the ground.

If the melon is ripe enough to be

picked, the stem will separate from

the fruit.

Hampers, baskets, crates, and

other types of containers are used

for gathering muskmelons. Generally the melons are hauled to the

packing shed in the picking containers. A very large part of the

crop is gathered into canvas sacks

holding about a crate of melons

each. These sacks are can-ied on

the backs of the workmen and are

emptied directly into padded trailers and trucks, which are on nearby

roadways or straddling the field

rows. The trailers may be 6 to 8

feet wide and 15 feet long. When

loaded, they are usually hauled directly into the packinghouse. Melons gathered in sacks are more

likely to be bruised than those

gathered in baskets or crates. Often no picking containers ai-e used :

the melons are merely laid in piles.

Then men on the ground toss the

melons to men on the truck, who

place them in bulk in the truck or

41
Irailer. This kind of liandling is

likely to lead to damage. Muskmelons should not be handled

roughly and preferably should be

gathered in baskets or crates.

After the melons are gathered,

no time should be lost in removing

them to the packing shed. Exposure in the field to the sun is likely

to cause them to soften very

rapidly. A load to be hauled a

considerable distance should be

protected from the sun with a canvas cover.

GRADING AND PACKING

The oldtime temporary packing

shed constructed in the muskmelon

field has verj- largely been replaced

by the permanent shed or packinghouse serving a large acreage of

muskmelons. A central packing

shed is usually located on a raihvay

siding with access to a main highway so that the melons that are

graded and packed in it can be

loaded directly into refrigerator

cars and trucks. Melons collected

at a central point, from large acreages, can be graded and packed

more unifonnly than in the field.

A saving results also from not having to haul the shipping crates to

the farm and back again. At a

central shed where skilled workers

are available and a capable foreman is in charge, more uniform

sizing and better grading can usually be obtained than when packing

is done on the farm.

In modern packinghouses muskmelons are unloaded from the padded trucks or trailers directly onto

conveyor belts, which carry them

past sorters who throw out the culls.

The melons then may pass through

a waxer, wliich coats them with waxdissolved in a petroleum-ether

solvent. Xext they pass along a

belt where they are classified on the

basis of maturity, in accorclance

with the distance to the markets to

be supplied. In the "West, where a

very large part of the commercial

muskmelon crop is produced, the

yellowish ripe melons, which are

good for local markets, are commonly graded as "local choice,"' and

melons that are full slip but not too

ripe to stand a trip to distant mar42

kets if well precooled and refrigerated are graded as "terminal

quality."

The sorters who classify the

melons as to maturity place them

in bins. The packers work from

these bins, each doing his own sizing. As the crates are packed, they

are placed on a conveyor belt and

carried to the lidder or the lidding

machine. The number of melons in

each crate is stamped on the crate.

When the crates are removed from

the conveyor, they are grouped according to melon size and maturity,

so that carlots can easily be made

up according to the distance to the

markets.

Muskmelon growers of California, Colorado, and Arizona sometimes ship their product in jumbo

crates 13 by 13 by 221/8 inches.

Often they pack the larger melons

in jumbo flat crates 5 inches deep,

1414 inches wide, and 22% inches

long. In these States the standard

muskmelon crate is 12 by 12 by 22%

inches, pony crates are usually 11

bv 11 by 22% inches, and flats are

4" by 12 by 221/3 inches or 41/2 by

131/. by 22% inches, all inside measurements. Eastern growers have

not adopted any standard crate dimensions and use crates varying

considerably from these measurements.

Until 1957 the wooden jumbo slat

crate was the accepted crate for

western muskmelons. However,

breakage of this container during

transit and physical damage to the

melons from the slat edges have

caused a definite trend to other eontainei-s. Jumbo crates of slightly

I
FIGURE 25.- -Standard muskmelon pack of 45 melons in a standard 12- by 12- by

22l^-incll crate.

larger dimensions and witli paneled

ends are replacing the old slat

crate. The new crates do not require the excessive lidding pressure

and high bulge of the old crates.

Furthermore, the combination of

paneled ends, cleated lid, and

smaller bulge of the new jiunbo

crates permit crosswise loading in

the car or truck. This in turn substantially reduces container breakage as compared with that incurred

in the lengthwise loads, which were

standard for the old crates.

In addition to modifications of

the jumbo crate, several smaller

containers are coming into use.

The most common are fiberboard

boxes and wirebound crates, which

are designed for a two- rather than

a three-layer pack and so contain

two-thirds of the quantity contained

in the jumbo crate. The outside

dimensions, except for depth, and

the pack arrangement within a

single layer are the same as those

for similar melon sizes in the larger

crates. Thus packers can convert

readily from one container to

another, and both types can easily

be handled on conveyors, hand

trucks, and other equipment.

The large markets of the United

States have come to recognize as

"standard" a pack consisting of 45

muskmelons in the standard 12- by

12- by 22y8-inch crate (fig. 25).

To make this pack, the melons must

be 4 but not over 41/2 inches in diameter. This pack has a depth of

three layers, each layer containing

three rows of five melons each. The

melons are placed end to end lengthwise in the crate and completely

fill the length oí the crate. Slightly

larger melons are often packed 36

to tlie standard crate.

Extra-large melons (over 5 inches

in diameter) are usually packed in

a jumbo crate. It consists of 36,

.33, 27, or 24 melons, according to

melon size, and the arrangement

varies according to the size and

shape of the individual melons. In

many areas the pony crate is not

used. However, small melons are

packed 54 to 60 in the standard

crate, and those so small that 60

43
would not fill a crate are generally

discarded. Flat crates are packed

9,12, or 15 melons to a crate according to the size of the individual

melons.

Growers in Maryland and Delaware use crates 12 by 12, 13 by 13,

or 14 by 1-1 inches with slats 22 to

26 inches long, usually packing 36

melons to a crate. They also use

two-third crates 10 by 15 and 91/2

by 14 inches, packing 24 melons to

a crate, and 5- by 15-, 5I/2- by I6I/2-,

and 6- by 18-inch crates with slats

22 to 30 inches long, usually packing 12 melons to a crate. The tub

bushel basket is used in Maryland

and Delaware.

North and South Carolina grow--

ers use standard crates 12 by 12 by

22 inches, two-third crates 8 by 12

by 22 inches, and also bushel

baskets.

The pack always should be snug

and so full that it bulges slightly

to allow for shrinkage in transit.

Melons that are slack packed shift

about during handling and are

likely to become bruised, with the

result that they fail to bring full

price when they reach the market.

The crates should be loaded into

refrigerator cars or upon trucks as

rapidly as they are packed and

should be sent to market in the

shortest possible time. When the

packing is done under field shelters,

the melons should be protected from

the sun at all times, especially after

they are graded and packed in the

shipping crates.

Muskmelons that are well netted,

clean, and smooth and are packed

in neat, attractive crates appear the

best on the market. Wrapping

individual melons in tissue paper

before packing them in crates for

shipment makes them attractive,

Ijut it is not advisable as the paper

interferes with the cooling of

melons in a refrigerator car and

often causes them to mold in transit. Well-designed colored labels

on the ends of the crates add materially to the appearance of the package. The color work on these

labels should not be overdone, and

the label should not misrepresent

the contents of the crate as to

variety, grade, or locality where

grown. In a few shipping sections

it is common practice to place a

small paper or plastic sticker on

each melon.

Rough handling must be avoided

all along the line.

LOCAL MARKETING

Increase in automobile travel has

created an excellent opportunity

for local production and sale of

muskmelons. By means of ti-uck

transportation, markets up to several hundred miles from the point

of origin can be supplied with vineripened melons of high quality. A

^yell-located, well-managed roadside market soon gains a patronage

that takes care of a considerable

acreage of melons. Often a market

is established temporarily on a

main highway for the sole"p"rpose

of handling a muskmelon crop,

Often, also, at a roadside market

that is rather permanent and offers

other farm products, the melons

44

can be made a ''special" during

their season.

One melon grower follows the

practice of leasing acreage suitable

for muskmelon production within

a mile of a central point on the main

highway, where he can establish his

market during the period when the

melons wull be ready for sale. This

grower plants only on land that

has not been m melons for several

years, usually on land in bluegrass

or clover sod ; he sprays regularly

and produces high-grade melons.

He hauls the melons from the fields

to the market in small motor trucks.

There he grades the melons according to size and freedom from de-
feet and displays them in bins fac- and some tliat will keep for 3 or

ing the roadway. Many of his best i days. Usually the customers

customers drive from the nearby bring baskets with them. The

city primarily to get a supply of dealer keeps a fcAv bushel baskets

flne-quahty melons, and they usu- and hampers on hand for sale, but

ally buy considerable quantities, in- otherwise he does not provide any

eluding melons that are fully ripe containers.

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTtNG OFFÍCE: 1961 O 59B771

45
Growth Through Agriculturil Progress