The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1894-03-07
TO MELON GROWERS.
A PAPER WHICH WILL BE READ
WITH INTEREST.
State Chemist Payne Exhaustively Treats
the Planting and Raising OF the Luz
ciOus Melon.

ciOus Melon.
The fact that melons cannot be raised
on the same land second or third year
successfully is we'll known in Terrell
Our melon growers have learned this
lesson well, and some have paid dearly
for this learning.
The following paper, read by the State
Chemist before the State Agricultural
Society, will be read with interest and
profit by our melon growers:
DIR. Payne began by saying that his at
tention was called to statement eth ut
watermelons cannot be grown success
fully second or third season upon the
same land, even with the aid of fer
tilizers.
There was a belief, he said, by sew, raj
growers, that if the vines of watermelOns
were not allowed to wither and decay in
the fields good crop could easily be
raised the second season, but even if the
drainage water from the fields of decay
ing vines and melons runs over land as
yet implanted in watermelons the land
SO impregnated twill fail to produce a
crop If planted in melons the succeeding
year.
On reading these statements DR.. Payne
came to the conclusion that there was a
deficiency in some particular fertilizing
material which was quickly exhausted
from most soils by watermelons.
BURNING A WATERMELON.
In order to learn whether or not this
was true he decided to reduce water
melon to ashes-toburn it.
In describing his work on this line he
said:
Burning large watermelon to ashes
would not be an easy job ulder any cir
cumstances, but when it must be done
in dish holding only small cnpful,
and not drop of juice, not v single
seed nor piece of rind must be lost and
not particle OF foreign matter must &c }
into the ashes from any source, it be-
comes indeed quite an arduous matter.
"a fine, handsome, lucious watermel.
on is a very tempting article when sliced
wide open on hot day in July, but not
particle of it was tasted. The juice
was evaporated to syrup and the syrup
evaporated to dryness and the residue
burned to ashes. The rinds were heated
until thoroughly dry, when they would
take fire and burn like so much wood.
The juice, pulp, rind and seed were fin
ally reduced to ashes and these ashes
thoroughly mixed.
BIG RATTLEsNAKE FELLOW.
eThe melon selected weighed 254
pounds, and was handsome fellow Of
the Augusta or Rattlesnake variety.
The ashes taken from this large melon
would make more than two good heap
ing tea spoonfuls. They weighed lit
tie less than two ounces. Over twenty
five pounds, or the bulk of the water
melon consisted of the materials extract
ed from the air and soil and water"
A COMPARISON MADE.
DR.. Payne then proceeded % make a
comparison between the food taken from
the soil by different crops.
A common yield of an acre in cotton,
he said, is 600 pounds of seed cotton, 10
bushels of corn per acre and half car
load of watermelons.
''Supposing," he continued, "that the
cotton, cotton seed, corn and melons
only are removed from the feds, and that
the remaining parts of the plants are
plowed under. Six hundred pounds Of
cotton carry from an acre of land At
pounds of phosphoric acid, and half a
car load of watermelons carry away from
an acre of land 81 pounds of phosphoric
acid. The cotton carries away 6 pounds
of potash, the corn carries away 81 lbs.
and the watermelon carry away 174
pounds"
wATERMEIcfTs LOVE POTASH.
DR.. Payne then declared that the wa
termelons would remove from the soil as
much potash as three crops OF cotton
and five crops of of corn. If the cotton
seed were returned to the soil and only
the lint sold, over thirteen crops of lint
cotton would be required TO remove as
much potash from the soil as one crop of
watermelons.
The juice of the watermelon consul
tutes about one half of the melon, and
the seed are a very small proportion.
WHAT THE WATERMELON EATS.
The watermelon eats many things to
make it grow, and o.. Payne suggested
as a good food for fertilizer for it, the
following formula for an acre in water
melons:
Acid phosphate, 100 pounds; Sulphate
~ ,.ofaah H(l nonnds. Dried hIoOd *