Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1902-07-17
EARLY MUSkMELONS,
Western Competition Is Shaking Up
the Eastern Industry.

the Eastern Industry.
| Eastern markets have been success
| fully invaded if not captured by re
| sOurceful western melon growers, abet-
| ted by the favorable soil and climatic
| conditions of the irrigated regions Of
| the Arkansas river. Realizing appar-
| entity that it behooyes the eastern
[ grower TO get very decided move
on himself in order to me% this com
| petition successfully, the Cornell On.
| " station offers the following infor-
| nation and advice:
The early musllmelon crop is obtain
| ed by growing the plants in hotbed or
| greenhouse In one region west Of
! Rochester glass houses have been spe-
ciaIly erected for the purpose of grow
ing the plants designed for early crop.
| These houses are of the simplest type
| They are usually even span, twelve
| feet wide, and provided with center
bench and two side benches Conical
| boilers are ordinarily employed to fur
nish heat. The houses also aid mate
| rally in growing early tomatoes. The
usual method of raising the plants is
as follows:
Specially constructed bottomless We
| necr boxes approximately 5 inches
| square and inches deep are made by
| the growers. The boxes are placed on
the bench, and into the bottom of each
| is pressed a wad of rotted barnyard
| manure, after which they are filled
with light garden loan. The soil is
| then packed down with q "tamper,"
when they are ready FOR the seed.
| About five seeds are planted in each
box and covered by sitting soil over
| them. The usual care is given in wa
| tering. The plants should have q tenn
perature of about So degrees In the
daytime and 60 to 20 degrees at night
One of the most serious difficulties
is caused by the dumping off" fun
gus. When afflicted with this trouble,
the plants wilt down during periods of
cloudy weather soon after the seed
leaves develop. Occasionally the trou-
| BILE appears before that time. The
fungus is promoted by lack of ventila-
ton and sunshine and by oyerwater-
ing. BY watering carefully, ventilat-
ing freely and keeping up the heat
during cloudy periods it is checked.
The disease may also be appreciably
prevented by spraying the plants and
soil with potassium sulphide, using
one ounce dissolved in three gallons of
water. Soil rich in vegetable matter
may be expected to encourage the dis
ease.
Melons grown under glass are started
late in April or early in May. Care
must be exercised if the seed is sown
earlier to keep the plants from becom-
ing drawn and "leggy." The house
grown plants are set on the warmest
site possible for the first crop. The site
should be chosen with due regard to
immunity from late frosts.
Ordinarily In Niagara county the
plants are set out during the third or
fourth week of May The house grown
plants are set very expeditiously. The
boxes containing the plants are distrlb-
uted by 4 man or boy and the plant set
by another In mellow soil q hole Is
made with the hand, the box quickly
torn apart and the cube of earth with
plants pressed into the prepared hill.
1t is important that the soil should have
been thoroughly titled so that the nat
ural moisture shall have been con
served. When good surface tillage has
been given, watering will be unneces
Sary.