The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-07-04
Cultivation OF Melons.

If the ridges upon which melons
have been planted have been thrown up
by closing two or four burrows together,
the cultivation may be cheaply per-
formed. This ridging will furnish
ample moisture for the plants until
weeds appear. When this is the case,
horse hoe may be used to throw
little earth to the plants, and the re-
mainder of the land then plowed.
The after cultivation will consist in
simply keeping down the weeds, and
this cultivation may be both ways if the
hills are in squares as they should be.
When the plants have begun to run
pretty strong, the last cultivation
should be given by taking rake han.
die and running it under one side of
the vines and laying them over; go
up one row, and back the next, and
pillow to the hills, throwing the
earth as closely as possible without
covering. With the rake-handle lay
the runners back, and SO proceed until
the whole field is gone over. This
gives deep, moist bed of earth, for
the roots and the plants will thus stand
drought far better than with flat cult
walton. Even upon dry sand we have
always found this plan the best. The
same rule will apply to the whole gourd
family, including the cucumber and
squash. Do not be afraid of injuring
he vines with the rake.
So in cultivating sweet potatoes; if
necessary the vines may be laid over,
and the spaces gone over with horse
hoe or other scraping implement, and
much time and labor saved. Even
when vines are cultivated in gardens,
the same rule will apply if the long-row
system is adopted.
If leaf-eating insects make their APP
pearance, the vines may be sprinkled
with Paris-green and water, but made
much weaker than for potatoes, since
it sometimes Injuries the foliage if too
strong. The use of Paris-green, how
ever, is not really to be commended, on
vines, or, indeed, upon any plants when
in fruit, or such as bear their fruit
above ground. A solution of whale-oil
soap, in which very small quantity of
kerosene is mixed, say a quart of ker0-
sene to a barrel of suds, or a suds of
chrysalic soap may be used. 1t is en-
tirely innocent and is generally effectual.
A row of musk-melons, 12O feet long,
will, well cared for, furnish an ample
supply for a good-sized family. The
same lengths Of row will suffice for Gu
cumbers for pickles, water-melons and
winter squashes.
The hills in which all the melon fam
ily are planted should be made rich
with good compost manure; in fact,
except in the case of watermelons, the
land can hardly be made too rich. And
here again, let us say, we have never
raised finer watermelons than in soil
where cattle had been yarded the pre-
vious season.
Cut worms are particularly destruc-
tive to all the melon family. The only
remedy is hunting for them before sun
rise or soon after, finding their trail
and killing them. There are number
of related families in this insect all more
or less nocturnal. The most common
are those which come to the surface
and even climb upon the plant to feed.
The most destructive, however, are
those which feed below the surface,
since single insect may utterly de-
stroy an entire hill of six to eight plants
in a single night. -Prairie Farmer.