The indicator., 1897-11-20
WATERMELON THRASHING.
The Melons Raised for the Seed
In Kansas.
An Indastry That IL Peculiar to That
state and I. Growing More
Profitable Than Any
Other Crop.

The watermelon harvest is on in
Kearney county. and for a month there
will be such scenes in this prairie re-
gion as would make colored folks groan
in mental anguish to witness. Possibly
they might groan in bodily anguish
were they there, for If they chose TO ill
themselves to the groaning point there
would be none TO say them nay-pro-
vided they saved the seeds. For the
seeds are the crop and all else is waste,
TO dispose Of which is the trial OF the
seed farmers life.
Melons are grown in Kearney county
as corn is grown in corn couuties-by
the hundred acres. The settlers AT tiIst
tried to grow corn and failed because
ii wau.du't rain when rain WAS needed
Frost and chinchbugs killed the wheat
and grasshoppers ate up the gard, ms
and alfalfa. Half the people became
discouraged and went back east to
"Wife's folks" in "Illenuy." "NIiz2ourn"
or "Ioway." Before all had gone il &C.
CURED 10 a big eastern seed firm that
western Kansas was just the place to
grow melon seed \ representative was
sent to Kearney county to make con
tracts with farmers. Only Il few were
so nearly submerged in the depths of
despair that they could be induced to
grasp at SO frail a straw, but those who
did have not regretted it.
ParadoXical as it may seem, it was
discovered that a country which is so
dry that it won't raise an average half
ton of corn to the acre, even in the
best years, will produce from 20 to 80
tons of melons, which scientists tell US
are more than % per cent. water, and
do it with certainty that makes the
best agricultural sections of the east
blush for their shortcomings.
From small beginnings the industry
has grown until now good portion OF
the farmers in Kearney county. and
some in the neighboriug counties, are
engaged in it. and nearly all the melon
seed used in the United States comes
from this semi-arid region. One farm
er last year had $50 acres in melons. and
numbers had more or less than 100
acres.
The cost Of growing an acre of mel
ous is little more than that of growing
an acre of corn. and the cost of harvest
ing is greater chiefly because there is
usually little corn to harvest in the
county. while the melon yield is always
bouutiful. The profits are from two to
five times greater than could he realized
from any other crop that the treacher
Gus climate of western Kansas will per-
init 10 grow.
u. Il
is an Interesting process. 1t is done by
"threshing," but not with the ordinary
threshing machine. \ special machine
is built having a huge hopper. at the
bottom Of which is a cylinder armed
with stout sharp spikes. The cylinder
is run at high speed by means Of an or
dinaTy sweep horse power with ;um-
bling rod connection. The melons are
thrown heavily into the hopper. so That
they break as they fall, and in a twink
ling the cylinder teeth have torn them
to pieces, releasing the seed-bearing
pulp. The hopper discharges into
great cylindrical screen, set at a slight
incline, in which long arms revolve on
an axis, stirring up the mass of rinds
and pulps and seeds, and continually
pusLing the seeds and pulp througl the
screen into vat as the mass moves
from the hopper down tho iucline. By
the time the mass reaches the lowe end
Of the incline it has lost all the pulp and
seeds and consists only of rinds, hich
are thrown with scoop onto the aste
pile. When the pile of riEds becomes so /
large as to be troublesome it is not
moved. simply because II is much e. sier
TO move the threshing machine When
threshing machine runs steadily it is
necessary to move it at least every third
day,
The seeds and pulp which come
through the threshing machine toCeth-
er are stored in great watts or tanks.
water is added and the whole is left for
two or three days to ferment. In the
process of fermentation the pulp sep
arates from the seeds, which sink to
the bottom of the tank. The pulp is
then ladled out, while the seeds are
washed several times with water and
spread out on sheets in the sun TO dry.
After that all that remains is TO sack
the seeds, ship them to the New York,
Philadelphia or Detroit seed house for
which they were grown, and study up
ways Of spending the money which they
will bring.-Topeka Capital