The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-02-28
MELON THREsHINo TIME.
A New Industry Among the Farm
ers on the Kansas Plains.


From the Kansas City Star.
This is watermelon year in Kansas.
The fields that seem good for nothing
in ordinary seasons are producing
great, luscious melons that are the
wonder of the local newspapers, and
furnish more refreshment than the
gatherings on the rear steps of the
court house can dispose Of. Prices.
which early in the season were "25
cents straight" have gone down and
down as the melons grew larger and
more numerous, until they have be-
come 1.-TWO for a Nickel" or anything
that the buyer would give. The mel
ons have attained to an enormous size.
tCo. Whole wagon loads, in which the
melons average fifty pounds in weight.
are common In the central and western
towns, while the king melon, raised at
Clifton and carefully shipped to the
st. Louis market, Is said to have
weighed 107 pounds.
The sand hills that are found in
many Kansas counties have been the
best producers. These sections are
worthless for corn. and make only
fair farm lands under the best of cir
cumstances. But when melons are
planted there Is almost no end to the
number that will be produced.
Ranking along with the sand hills
are the level plains out on the Ar
kansas river. through Kearney and
Finny counties. The soil is light and
free from injurious grasses. Irrigation
is possible from the bitches fed from
the river. These bitches are near
oh hn al A. iss~-
of the water that flows by the Colora-
do irrigators. but Is lost before it
reaches the lower counties in central
Kansas. The melon raising industry
here has taken new form. There are
not enough people to eat a hundredth
| part Of the number that is grown, but
the farmers raise them for the seed.
The men who raise melons for the
seed find 1t a very profitable under
| taking. They utilize the wide level
fields and get from a few acres as
| much as ordinarily they could from a
, quarter section by the usual course of
farming. The object of the crop being
to secure seed, they do not give the
tillage necessary in producing melons
for market. but nevertheless have enor-
nous yields. The crop is planted from
the middle Of May to June 20, and is,
after being cultivated. we'll irrigated
twice-in dry season three times. As
the season progresses. the melons
! grow so large that there is no possi-
bility Of horse cultivation. and the far
mer simply waits for the ripening,
which comes in the latter part Of Aug
ust up to September 20.
| During this month Ia the threshing--
a unique experience on the plains. Two
kinds of machines are used, both OF
the same principle-One run by hand
and the other by horse power The
latter Is more common. and may be
! seen in operation on any Of the melon
! patches. The thresher has for it's basis
large cylinder. from the surface of
which project many small iron spikes
intended to tear and break the melon
This cylinder Is set at the bottom of a
| hopper, into which the melons are
thrown from wagons. Leading from
the cylinder Is a large sieve-bottomed
inclined carrier. over which the
mingled melon pulp and rinds are
worked, the finer portion, with the
seeds, passing through and falling tc
the ground, the rinds and pieces OF
vines being shoveled out to a heap AZ
refuse.
The melons are cut several days be
fore the threshing. and are allowed tc
begin to decay. so that they may b.
more easily broken and the seeds come
out with less difficulty. The pulp
which comes through the sieve. 1.
placed in vat or tank. where water |!
added and the whole mass is left tc
ferment. In this process the seeds sinh
to the bottom. and the pulp. which re
mains on top, IL ladled out, the seed.
washed. then spread on sheets in thu
sun to dry. The pile of rinds. when 4
becomes too large for comfort, Is no
moved-the threshing machine l.
changed to a new location. The ma
chine is run easily by two horses with
tumbling rod attachment.
The hand machine Is a simple affair
1t Is hauled around the field where tn,
melons have been previously cut ant
placed in piles for its coming. Tht
feeder, as ir the case of the large ma
chine. throws the half-rotten melons
against the distractions In the hopper