The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1873-04-18
Agricultural. AVa
Culture of the Nutmeg-Melon.


select a warm, sandy loan, with a /
southern exposure. New land, or sod |
land plowed in the fall, IS just the !
thing. If the fall preparation has been
get at it as soon as the spring
opens, and make deep and thorough
work Of the blowing and pulYerization.
Apply well-rotted barn-yard manure
broadcast if the soil is not naturally
rich. There viii be time enough for
two or three plowings before planting.
This is our first axiom thorough pre-
paration before planting. No one
ought to expect success without this.
The rows should be marked out both
ways, from six to eight feet apart. Our
practice is, if seed is plenty, to put fiji
teen or twenty seeds in one hill, to pro
vide against loss, but finally, when they
have taken ON the rough leaves, We thin
to about three plants to the hill. About
this time a sprinkling of guanO, or SUI
perphosphates, if you can get good
article, about the hill will cause the
plants to push rapidly, and will consid-
erably increase the product. We have
invariably found that early paintings 0
the best, although the danger Of los
ing plants is considerable; but always
having abundance of seed, we donot stop
for this, and commence planting out of
doors soon after the first of April. Our
earliest paintings, of course, are made
in the hotbed or cold frame, say three
or four weeks before it would be safe to
set out of doors. notice that MIR.
Henderson and other good authorities
recommend planting on sod. We used
to do this, but do so no more. There
are at least two other methods that
succeed better. Plant in the rich earth
of the hotbed, and when the time has
come to set them in the open ground
you are provided with the cutters, some
eight inches in diameter, with which,
after thorough watering, you cut out
the melon hills, as the housewife cuts
out her biscuit) and carry them on a
shovel to the place of setting near by.
This is far better than the sod, but
there is a better practice still Plant
ia rich earth in strawberry boxes, and
at the right time plant box and all If
you mean to grow melons for the mar
ket, it is important to start as early as
possible; but from necessity our main
planting is in open ground. After
planting, the mole is apt to pillow
through the ground and ruin the crop.
know no better way, if you can not
catch Mr.. Mole, than to pillow as closely
| to the hill as you can on each side,
throwing the furrow away from the hill.
When the. plants are up, the striped
| bug is almost sure to go for them, and
/ it takes but few hours to utterly de-
stroy every plant, when they come in
/ force, as they are accustomed to do.
parts of -four or plaster, hasnever failed
with me to stop their ravages. Years
ago we were trying all varieties; now
we plant but two sorts, and that about
in proportion of ten to one. We plant
ten acres of the Alton Nutmeg and one
of Long Persian, which is the Cl18a5a OF
the catalogues. The latter is a late
melon, and one that like to eat; but
its shape being long, it does not take in
the market except where well known.
If knew of any thing better than these
which have named, would certainly
find place for them. Our melons usu-
ally commence ripening about the last
of July, from the outdoor paintings
and I have known them to continue tc
hold on till the middle of October. ]
have grown 1000 melons to the acre
and sold them for about $500; but this
is more money than you can ordinarily
get for an acre Of melons. We ship il
two-bushel crates, holding from eigh
teen to twenty-four to a crate The
highest price we ever received was ten
dollars per crate of two dozen; the low
est price, just about nothing at all bu
ordinarily the crop pays moderately
well, and for five years has been a spe
cialty on the Hill Farm, and is Iikely
so to continue.-O. l.. Barrier in CO,t,a
try Gentleman. 2 u .#ER FEEr