Rocky Ford enterprise., 1899-03-30

the careless seed collector, and it's weak
tendencies are transmitted to the product
grown from tho seed. The cnll pile ia no
place to save seed Of first quality and no
other quality should be- saved. The
care OF selection which developed the
wild type OF melons to the present Net
ted Gem must be continued to maintain
it's quality. In this climate where mel.
ons from eastern seeds are transformed
in one season it ia reasonable to suppose
that with careful selection a great i'm.
provement cOnld be made over our pres.
ent Rocky Ford melon.
No system Of selection can be too
careful even ii one 10 unable to save
several hundred pounds Of seed. An
ideal plan for seed selection would be ns
follows: Mark or label in some way to
choose for seed, the most vigorous vines,
prolific in sets that develop nettel mel
ons When ripe enough for market they
should be set aside a day or two to test
their long keeping qualities. W hen
they show signs OF softening melons
should be cut and final judgement
pissed ns to color, taste, thickness aud
texture Of flesh. Saving for seed only
the BEST melons grown in yOnr patch il
the only way for improvement.
Tho cantaloupe is warm climate
plant and it is necessary it should hnve
warm weather from the start to finish.
Seed plnnted in April may escape frost
vigor as when planted after settled warm
weather.
Any one familiar with the cultivation
Of plunts realizes that u plant can not be
checked by cold weather or any other
cause aud still rench the highest state Of
development.
How to prevent or cure q checked
growth, u diseased plant, or an injury
from any cause, are among tho hardest
problems in growing cantaloupes.
The shades Of night have hardly fallen
across our work OF planting seed, when
the ground squirrel aud field mouse are
busy undolng the work. But a little
strychniue soaked into the seed before
planting, putting a good many seed to
the Hill aud leaving u few on the surface
or in their holes will soou put an end to
their ucpretlatiOns.
No sooner has the soil cracked by the
uplifting seedlings when the cucumber
beetles enter the cracks and commence
to sap the plant and deposit eggs ut the
roots that nre soon to hatch into little
larvae or worms, that add their efforts
III destroying tue plnnts. So fur no per-
feet preventive or remedy has besH
found for this insect. Yet u number OF
very useful precautions and Treatments
may bs exercised us palliative measures.
sion is undoubtedly the most practical
30 far known, yet it is hard to accomplish
only partial results. Valuable precau.
tions nre us follows: Planting an excess
Of seed to moderate tho destructive Of
fects, or the planting Of u trap crop, such
as beans, before the melons are up saud
then spray the bean plants after the
beetles have collected on them; and fall
pluwiug or raking aud burning all vines
III eariy spring as the insect passes the
winter under such cover. Among the
repelIant remedies, turpentine, kerosene,
tOOacco dust, SCOT, nshes, road dust, lime
and Paris green are sOwn around aud
over the hills with good results. Driving
by sowing with the wind ashes or lime.is
often rcsortel tn for temporary relief.
The next formidable enemy is found
in the plant louse. Its Wide range OF
food plants. makes it common every
where. The grower, who with clean and
thorough cultivation, keeps his plants
in vigorous growing condition need
have little fear Of plant lice as it is n
weak starved growth that most readily
snccumbs to, aud invites it's attacks.
On tirst appearance OF colony it should
be exterminated if possible by burning
straw or trash over the infested hills, or
spraying with kerosene emulsion, al
though it is difficult to spray the under
side, Of all the leaves, Plant lice are
only strong arguments for fall plowing,
Cantaloupe Kust or Blight is new and
all We might offer as remedies are rota-
tion OF crops, good care in cultivation
and avoid letting the vines have too
much water. As with other forms OF
rust some seasons are more favorable to
their growth than others and usually it
ID the wet years that We suffer most.
The subject Of sufficient moisture and
its relation to cultivation in cantaloupe
growing can hardly be overestimated.
There ls II wide range OF opinion rs to
the amount Of water needed to grow
crop Of melons and to what extent culti-
vation will substitute irrigation. 1t is
most potent question for careful series
Of experiments, one that is Of vital inter-
est to the question OF irrigation and the
supply of water. As to the mechanical
effect OF cultivation on the soil, to effect
the plant, none could respond more
favorable to the work than cantnloupes.
For n good yield Of first class melons
clean cultivation seems Imperative.
A little patch well titled aud carefully
tended ID the essence OF what we should
do with cantaloupes. It il crop that
will return unto yon void il you attempt
to neglect, or use the methods employed
in rilising corn and alfalfa.
The discussion which followed empha-
sized the fuct that it WIS ull.important to
select seed from the very best melons
grown.
A question as to how long cantaloppes
would keep. brought out n variety OF
opinons. Chas. Lane and X. l.. Num-
Omaha were found to be in good eating
condition % days after picking. (But
the weather was unusually COOL
c. P. Randall of Manzanola asked il
the transfer from a dry to moist eli