Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-04-12

here comes in the suggested variation that
may be necessary in different soils: II
your soil is of sandy character and rich
enough for a good crop Of corn, you have
nothing to do other than plant your melon
seeds in the checks, covering them with
fine mould to the depth Of about two inches.
Ii not rich enough for a good crop Of corn
il should have been made so at the prepare
ton, and the manural agent worked well
through the soil. II stiff clay soil, you
should rake out at each check hill six or
eight inches deep and three feet in diane
ter, filling with some kind OF loose soil con-
tanning large proportion Of decomposed
vegetable matter. II the land IS good, il
makes no particular difference as TO What
the vegetable matter is, proTided, always,
that il is well rottcd. The object OF the
vegetable matter is to prevent the land
from packing around the young plants,
which always start of fcebly. II there is
any particular pack they will not be able to
push out their roots, but when once estab-
ished they will take care of themselves and
the after-culture, yet to be described, Will
SIN planting it is always best 10 put in
plenty of seeds, as watermelon seeds are
little uncertain in terminating. l would
never start with less than twelve seeds to
the hill no matter how good the seeds may
appear to be. If all come up and show
promise of thriftiness thin down to five in
the hill. When these appear to be pretty
well established thin down 70 three Of the
best plants in tbs hill, and afterwards when
about starting to run, thin down to two IN
the hill, which will be your regular stand.
IN planting it is always best to firm tbs
soil little over the seeds by patting upon
It with the back Of the hoe. This guards
against drying ont and damage while the
seeds are swelling.
Cultivation should begin so soon as the
plants are well up. Stir the soil well down
close 20 the hills, and continue going over
the patch about once in ten days until the
running vines stop you. When the vines
have arted TO run keep your cultivation
strictly outside of their reach. Never dis
turb the soil nearer the rows than the ends
of the vines, and never, under any consid-
GRAFTON, move the vines. If weeds or grass
appear inside the range of the vines remove
them with hoe or by hand. As the vines
attain to q few feet in length place small
clods upon them here and there TO prevent
their being moved By the wind. Don't, on
any account, forget that the vines must
never be moved This is, undoubtedly, one
OF the most important things in watermelon
culture. You can never get good results
from vines that have been moved. When
your culture is finished arrange SO that the
land will be left level. Leave no water
burrows between the rows, for these would
simply obstruct the passage of fine roots
which would need to pass the center be-
tween the rows.
This is all there is in watermelon cpl-
tuTe. Il has always made the crop a
splendid success with me, and with all
whom l have known to strictly follow the
same method"
OF course good seed of good varieties has
much to do with successful melon culture
Several correspondents have written asking
US to recommend the best varieties There
are now SO many good varieties before the
public that we could scarcely feel at liberty
to Recommend any particular one of them.
There is one thing, however, that We can