Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1870-04-27
Culture of Melons.

ALTRAMoNT, GRUMPY Co., Tenn, CUM
BERLAND MOUNTAINS, April 4.-Noticing
in the agricultural columns of the Gazette
letter of inquiry relative to the best
method of raising melons, l take pleasure
in sending you n statement of the mOdus
operdndi as practiced by myself. / select
light sandy soil, and plow deeply. This
done, L furrow ii out eight feet apart both
ways, and fill the places made at the crosses
with hog manure; well rotted barn-yard or
hog manure is the best. Cover these piles
of manure with about two inches of earth.
Now drop the seeds, and cover with another
inch of soil.
/ would caution the cultivator against
planting too scanty a supply of seeds, as it
is easier to pull out surplus plants than to
| replant.
As soon as the young plants are fairly
above ground, the work of cultivating and
| hoeing should begin and this should be
attended to throughout the forepart of the
season.
The amateur may attain surprising re-
suits in the growth of his melons, by pinch
ing off the vine just beyond the young set.
The Mountain Sweet " is probably I'M
rivaled both rs to size and quality.
FRED. ID. PARKER.
We add to this also an exceedingly in
teresting statement in regard to melon cul-
| ture made two or three weeks ago before
the Cincinnati Horticultural Society which
was published at the time in the Daily
| Gazette, but inadvertently omitted in the
| Weekly and Semi-WeelIly editions:
Mr.. John Mixer spoke, giving his per-
sonal experience in raising melons. He
has cultivated melons for market about
| twelve Years, commencing with 1854, and
| had been successful in having good crops
| every year but one. His soil was an up
land, clayey loan; while in forest the
beech had been the prevailing timber.
/ 1nL L
| good crops without using any manure.
| But generally he manured with barn-yard
manure and rather heavily. He applied
| from ten 10 twenty tons manure to the
acre, according to the degree of fertility the
soil may have. He prefers manuring broad
cast and in the hill. That scattered broad
| cast is mixed with the soil by blowing in ;
| bushel is put in with a layer of earth be-
| tween, leaving two or three inches of earth
above the last layer of manure. He has
| had equal success i'll using fresh and rotten
barn-yard manure. He plows deeply, say
eight or ten inches, and does this when the
| soil Is dry, and gives two or three plowings
| before planting time, If possible. 1t is well
that the first blowing should be done in the
fall previous, If the lay of ground is not
| such as to produce washing. A loose and
thoroughly pulverized soil of eight inches
| in depth, at least, with manure commingled
| uhereWlth, IL one OF tne requisites Tor sue
cess.
Having good seeds another very impor-
| tant item. He saved his own seed, always
selecting the very best melons to supply
him with seed. He WAS not particular
| whether the seed was one year, or even
four or FIVE years old. Some recommended
old seed. He found fresh seed did Just AZ
well with him. If the season was early
heEsometimes planted athe last5of April
with some risk, however, because there
might be cold nights in May, thus giving
him puny plants-plants that had been
| checked in their growth by the cold. And
If such should be the result, ii was better
to plant again, even IL ~ late as the first
| of June, as 1t was quite essential 10 have
continued warm growing weather after
the plants started to grow.
He put seven or eight seeds to the hill
and planted nine by ten feet apart. When
| the plants were up he thinned from time