Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-10-02
Success OF This Crop Is Still
Further Proof That Diver
si6cation Pays And That
North Dakota Soil Will
Raise Many Products Bet
= ter Than Those Imported.

lying SO LnlCk mat B. man must watch
his step in crossing the patch, many
this Is just a short drive. north of
Grand Forks on the Lilac Hedge farm,
owned by j. y. Bacon and Sons.
Melon raising Is no longer a pet ex-
p%erience or the farm, but a CONNER
cial project that last yea brought
$104.25 to the acre, when SIS choice
melons We're marketed at wholesale
to grocers and hotels of Grand Forks.
This year 268 melons have been sold
for a total amount Of s40.85, and the
bulk of the crop is yet in the field.
Charles Haynes, gardener of the
Lilac Hedge farm with the assistance
Of Mrs. Haynes is responsible for
making melon raising a success on the
farm. Mother Nature is very kind
II you treat her right said Mr.. Hay
mes, and his secret in gaining the good
will of Mother Nature undoubtedly
is that he seems to be very fond Of
her.
A is bushel crop Of wheat at 80
That compared to l04.25 per acre.
the gross returns on an acre Of melons
; Is very striking to say the least.s
Mr.. Haynes. began raising melons 4
| years 6 on a small scale. He was
familiar with melon culture, having
had a wide experience in all manner
Of gardening in Wisconsin, from where
he came seven years ago.
! II was skeptical In regard to how
! successful l would be with raising
melons in this so-called northern cli-
mate, but now I am convinced that
we can raise a better grade and more
luscious n meaty melon here than
the growers in more southern states
can" Mr.. Haynes commented. LAT
least the native melon is a great deal
more delicious when ripened on the
vine than the imported variety, and
as q rule they are much larger"
Sampling a specimen from the field
convinced the reporter of the excel
lent quality. n the one he took with
him weighed over IL pounds.
II find that the Usage of Millers'
Cream variety are the best all-around
melon for this section. but we also
have had marked success with a type
, that we have developed here and
which we call u. D. B's." The form
err is a large oval shaped melon, with
an unusually small seed cavity. sweet
and mealy. It's rlnd is thin. leaving
an inch and a half OF meat on the
larger melons. They ripen early. and
1 find I have little difficulty in har-
vesting all the melons that grow to
4 ~ lSk0 SAASs "a SSoA L "SS"A PtSN
ing August Is. and last ear sold mel
ons as late as October IA. If there is
danger Of frost I pick all the large
melons and them in a pile. and
when they ripen they are as sweet as
these ripened on the vine. If the
grower only has a small patch 1t is
advisable to take them into a warm
ROOM" was Mr.. Haynes advice.
ge6tsd the Emerald Gem" a small
~ ~ - ~ - o, AZ Io1po &c c1SN-
Melon Of delicate favor, but not as
we'll suited for commercial purposes
as the larger varieties.
Need Good Care. o.
III a man wants to be successful
with melons he must be. prepared to
give them a great deal Of care. In
the spring (about May 15) l prepare
my ground as I would for ordinary
garden truck. I choose a very fer
tile spot, and never plant melons on
the same ground " years in success
sion. I 'check-row" the plot. allow
Iing for hills six feet apart. At every
hill Lift 2 or 8 spadefuls of dirt max
Ing a hole about IL inches in diameter
and O trife deeper than that. / then
! place a shove!ful OF we'll rotted man
ure without foreign matter) in tho
hole. thoroughly mixing it with the
surrounding soil. I then plac. a lit.
tie soil. free from manure. on top,
and pack it firmly with the hoe. : /
then sprinkle 10 or twelve seeds. and
take. care to keep tho seed we'll scat.
tered. A halt inch OF dirt is then
placed over the seeds, gently packing
it with the hoe. @s
when the vines get we'll started;
I begin thinning, leaving three Or
four of the most thrifty plants. At
this time am on the look.ou for
the Striped beetle" the bug-a-bear
of the melon grower. These insects
can ruin a big plot in "a hours if Civ
en- the opportunity. A person should
Mt wait for the beetles to appear, but
get some standard insect powder and
sprinkle the vines at resuiat intervals.
I use lime. and find ii very effective;
Ftill on the vines is the best time II
the dAy. to do this" said Mr.. Haynes.
Cultivation OF melons Is not much
different from that Of other cultivated
crops. Z
Mr.. Haynes always uses hts own
seed and that probably accounts for
his success. The first melon that
hripens. II ID Of good type and size, he
picks n saves for seed. This prae-
Dor are picked for next years seed,
Other Activities.
Raising prize swaterIn4lons Is tuSt
one Of. the many, activities 81. Mr..
HIS ynes. His garden contalhs III man.
I'm this section, HIS onions this wear
yielded zoo bushels m q plot the sisS
! OF Atcity lot. or about 1.8 Of an acre.
1 Among his fruit trees are tame plums,
apples, cherries and all manner ct
berries. which really deserve more