The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-14
available for this purpose soon becomes

available for this purpose soon becomes
exhausted.
One of my neighbors who is quite an
extensive watermelon grower, after hav-
ing used up his own land in this manner.
mas rented from year TO year all the land
In his vicinity that he could lay hands on,
and what he will do now TO find land free
from the fungus l am unable to say. Any
way the best we can do for the present
Is wide rotation and the use of lime
After selecting the location, the land
should be we'll broken with two-horse
plow and worked down fine. Then lay OFF
the rows ten feet apart with double
nould-Doard plow, going twice in the row,
and running as deep as possible.
Prof. w. F. Massey of the North Caro-
ma Experiment Station, advocates the
practice of checking off the rows ten feet
apart each way, throwing out a wide hole
at the crossings, in which half a bushel
OF compost made from well rotted manure
ana leaf mould from the woods is placed.
RMS is to be spread evenly. and hand
fui of high grade guano worked in on the
surface, after which the hill is made up,
and the seed planted. I mean to try this
method this year. / have, however had
remarkably good success by spreading
manure the whole length of the row in
the deep burrows spoken of above, stir
ring in little soil. and then bedding by
throwing four burrows together over the
manure. 1 then check across this bed
every ten feet and plant the seed at the
crossings.
A little dab of manure in the hill is not
enough for melons, they need dots of fer
tiiizer and they need 1t spread out for a
considerable distance from the center of
the hill; for as long as the roots can
reach out and find fresh fields to conquer
the vines will continue to grow. Every
one, however, is not able to obtain manure
or compost for the melons; especially Is
this true with the large grower, and conn
Inerclal FERTILIZER IL properly applied, can
De mace TO answer very nicely. The main
advantage with compost when put deep
In the ground is. that it holds more mois-
ture for the crop during a drought.
L well remember one of the best water
melon crops l ever raised was fortified
with commercial fertilizer. This was ap-
Piled IN the drill at the rate of 300 pounds
per acre, stirred in, and two burrows put
OH 1t. then let it stand about two weeks =.
after which put 800 pounds more ferti-
lizer on each side of this list, threw two
more burrows to the bed, and planted
Inc pants came up with fine dark green,
coior and grew off well from the start
doing really better than an adjoining field
or which manure was used
Inere is certainly a great deal of labor
saved by using commercial fertilizer for
melons, and ifNthe soil is we'll and deeply
prepared and cultivated rapidly after the
Piailts start almost, II not quite, as good
results may be obtained
fertilizer for melons should contain
about ammonia, 8 per cent; phosphoric
acid, per cent, and potash per cent,
used at the rate of not less than 500
pounds per acre. Instead of that. the
Following may be used: Take nitrate of
soda, 200 pounds; cotton seed meal. ZOO
pounds, and acid phosphate, $40 pounds,
and muriate of potash, 260 pounds to make
a ton, or tanlSage @ per cent?, 625 pounds
bone meal, LOO pounds, and muriate of
potash, 275 pounds will also make a fer
tilizer with the proper ANALYSIS.
In regard to varieties, the old Georgia
Rattlesnake still holds its own with us.
whilst new variety known as the Kleck-
ley Sweet. is proving a great favorite
with many; the Jones is also popular.
and I saw carloads of Kolb Gems going
North last summer but these are too
coarse for our use, although they make
good Shipping melon