The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-03-26
CULTURE Of NATERhELONS
BestVarieties For Shipping North
and For Local Market,
CULTURE UNDER TWO GLASSES
The Last Thing Usually Considered is
the Eating Quality. Thoroughly
Rotted Stable Refuse the Best
Fertilizer. Points About
Varieties and Flavor.

Watermelon culture may be placed
nnder two heads-for local markets and
for northern shipment. In a crop for
shipment the principal points in variety
and culture are earliness and shipping
qualities. The last thing usually con
Sidered is tho eating quality. For local
markets the table quality should be the
first thing considered. <olb's Gem has
been considered tho only variety for
shipment, but it is probably tho poorest
Cor eating of any. Florida Fruit Grow
OF, authority for the following, consid.
ers the Long Dixie rs tho host standard
variety for shipment The original strain
of Dixie, as introduced, was ~ cross bu.
Sween Kolbs Gem and Mountain Sweet
aud has reverted to Kolb's Com again
so that 1t is no bettor than its parent
Tho Long Dixie is y selection that holds
the good quality of the Mountain Sweet
Florida Faverite, Rattlesnake and Jones
are all good shippers.
The watermelon does best OH loose
sandy soil and better on newly cleared
land. Thorough blowing and cutivating
1s necessary. We advise planting in
hills by l. feet and leave but single
plant to each hill. Three or four plants
should be allowed to grow until ready
to run and then thin out to the strongest
plant We arc aware of the fact that
most growers plant s by s or 10 by 10
feet and have two or three plants to
each hill. Our theory, borne out by OK,
perienoe, is that single plant obtaining
all tho plant food; from well MANFRED
hill will produce all largo melons and
four or five to each plant This is q dis
tinot gain to the shipper. rs the loss
from small sized melons is reduced to a
minimum.
We believe that there is nothing bet.
ter for melons than two large shoyels of
thoroughly rotted stable manure in each
hill Under no circumstances use fresh
manure. In case of tho uso of cotton
seed meal it should DO put in the hill
from two TO three weeks before planting
the seed. Our observation has been I'M
favorable toward cottonseed meal rs q
melon fertilizer, as we motto that the crop
is more liable to rot. We beliovo. where
manure is not obtainablc, that it is best
TO use the special brands of fertilizers
for vine crops mado by most Of the re-
liable fertilizers manufacturers, mt the
rate of half ton per acre Several SOW
1ngS OF seeds should DO made III the hills
at intervals of ten days Nothing is
gained by too early planting, and tho
grower must be guided in his time of
planting by the liability of his location
20 frost. As soon as seven or eight mel
ons have set we advise pinching off all
other bloom and the ends of tho vines.
This throws all strength in tho melons
already set, making earlier and larger
MELONS.
In cultivation of melons for local
markets the same general cultivation is
necessary. Most Of the southern markets
cannot handle round melons of any va.
Tiety except the Jones. The hest settlers
arc tia Rattlesnake, Florida Favorite,
Seminole. Pinching of the ends Of the
vines is necessary in home market oul-
ture. Last year a now melon was intro.
duoed which We believe will take the
place of all others as shipping variety.
We refer to the Lagonda, which COM
Dimes perfect shipping and eating quail
lies.