Imperial Valley press., 1931-06-05
BY FRANK G. BEYSCHLAG
Farm Advisor

Recent visitors at the Farm Ad-
visors office in El Centro we're DR..
H. A. Jones, head of the division of
truck crops of the University of
California at Davis, and DR.. d. r.
Porter, plant pathologist, also of the
division of truck crops. The diyi-
I sion OF the University of California
which these men represent is active
ly engaged in working on truck
crop problems pertaining TO Impe-
rial Valley. One of DR.. Jones' spe-
cial interests is asparagus. He was
especially interested in a fine set
OF records on fertilizer and other
cultural experiments which John
Andrews, at the Tamarack ranch,
northwest of Imperial, has been
keeping for a number of years. DR..
| Porter is one of the leading authori-
ties in the United States on water
melon culture. He is particularly
interested in the disease, water
melon wilt.
This disease Is already a problem
OF major Importance to the water
melon industry of Imperial County
and will become more serious as the
years go by. Once a soil is infested
with this disease, it is impossible
to grow ordinary varieties of wa
termelons on that soil for a period
OF IL to Is years or more Fortu-
nately, watermelons are the only
crop affected by this disease, SO that
other crops can be successfully
grown on watermelon wilt infected
soil. The disease is easily and ra-
pidly spread by cultivation impIe-
mehts, irrigation water, and dust
IRON infected fields. Investigations
OF DR.. Porter show that the water
melon Wilt disease is also carried
on watermelon seed. He finds that
ghls one source of infection can be
stopped by seed treatment in a / to
lU00 solution of mercuric chloride
Tor 10 minutes. Seed treatment
however, will not lessen the damage
Ifom disease to watermelons plant
ed In wilt infected soil.
Seeks Resistant Melon
Watermelon growers in Imperial
valley nave occasionally been able
10 grow as many as two or three
crops OF Watermelons on the same
lana without experiencing apprecia-
Ole damage from the watermelon
VIII disease. Many growers. how
ever, have suffered almost total
iaIIureS III attempting to grow a
second crop of Watermelons on land
which had previously produced a
successful crop of melons. Dir. Por-
Ter is creating varieties of water
ileiohS resistant enough to water
tHeion wilt to be grown in such in
lesIeo soils. DR.. Porter began this
work IN Iowa several years ago He
| oeVeioped several wilt resistant wa
Iermelon varieties. Trials of these
| iowa varieties in Imperial Valley in
uicaVe that they are wilt resistant
mere put, unfortunately, that their
qualty Is far inferior to the Klon-
oyke, which is practically the only
| variety OF watermelon now being
grown in Imperial Valley. DR.. Por.
Ter has started to make some selec-
lions within the Klondyke variety
winch he hopes may eventually re-
SuIt IN a wilt resistant strain of
klondyke.
In addition TO his work on the
watermelon wilt problem, DR.. Porter
mas some strains of the Klondyke
variety which, while as susceptible
10 the wilt as the parent Klondyke
variety. possesses advantages in
quality, size or earliness over the
parent variety. These strains were
originally selected by the late Dr.
J. t. Rosa of the division of truck
crops. DR.. Porter is carrying on
5his fine work which DR.. Rosa start
ed. Sawdey and Hunt have a trial
plot of 10 or Is of these selections
growing in the Bonds Corner dis
trict, and Jack Bros. and McBurney
have similar planting in the West
norland section. The trial of Jack
Bros, & McBurney'S is the earliest
and the only one that has yet ma
cured melons. 1t indicates that one
Of these strains is week or 10 days
earlier than the commercial Klon-
dyke variety. Several of the other
strains appear to have advantages
in quality or size over the CONNER
cial Klondyke.
DR.. Porter plans this fall to pro-
duce quantity of seed Of these
superior strains which he will sup
oily to the leading seed growers OF
the state for foundation stock.
Another man, Mr.. Scott, of the
division of truck crOnS of the Uni