VOL. LIV.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., MAY 13, 1899.
NO. 19
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EXPERIENC EIN MELON CULTURE.
Soil, Planting, Bugs, Marketing;.
lot Premium.—To grow melons of the beat
flavor, rich, sandy land is required. If the
land la not rich enough it should be made so
by the application of well rotted manure.
Spread the manure evenly and work it well
Into the eoil. A small amount may be placed
under the hill in order to force the plants
along in the early stage of their growth. This
too, should be thoroughly mixed with the soil.
It is a very good plan, also, to sow rye or
crimson clover in the fall to be plowed under,
as melons thrive best in ground that contains
an abundant supply of decayed vegetable matter. Plant as soon as the danger from frosts
seems to be over. It ls a pretty good plan to
make two or three plantings a week, or so
apart. Then one planting is quite certain to
be at the right time. Of course this materially increases the expense of seed, and takes
more time for planting, but it increases the
chances for success. Watermelons should be
planted eight feet apart each way; muskmelons about eix feet apart. As to varieties,
Fordhook and Dole's Early for early, and
Cuban Queen for late watermelons can be
safely recommended. Phinney's Early and
the several varieties of Icings are between
early and late. Por muskmelons, Osage is
one of the best flavored. The Early Hacken-
sack le preferred by some. The Emerald
Oreen le also a delicious melon, but too email
for market. • From the time the vines make
their appearance above ground until they are
in the rough leaf is the critical time for melons. They are likely to be troubled by the
striped beetle, and must receive careful attention. Some recommend dusting the vines
with tobacco dust, which can be procured at
cigar stores, but I hive not always found that
satisfactory. I prefer land plaster. Sprinkle
the plaster both on the upper and under side
of the leaves while the dew is on in the morning. Fine, gritty road dust ie also recommended to be used in the same, but I never
tried lt. The ground ehould be cultivated frequently from the time the vlnee can first be
seen until they cover the ground too much
for the cultivator to pass between the rows.
After this, they should be bored occasionally
for a few weeks. Give them level cultivation
from first to last. The Planet Jr. 12 shovel,
one-horse cultivator serves well for the purpose. It Bhould not be forgotten that eternal
vigilance ie the price of a good melon crop,
whether grown on a large or email scale. Ae
to marketing, I have always managed to dispose of my melons at wholesale to eomebody
who makee a business of buying and retailing.
Some farmere about here have good success at
retailing them, but that is too tedious and disagreeable for me. B.
Northern Indiana,
2d Premium.—The best soil for watermelon
Is new ground with a sandy loam and limestone subsoil, well drained. Black swamp
land will raise larger melons, but the finest
flavored are produced on the second bottom.
Barnyard manure is the beet fertilizer before
'he ground is broken, with a fork full from
the hog pen in each hill. The ground should
oe pulverized very finely, and small Mile
wade from 7 to 8 feet apart. The teed ehould
°e Planted from the let to 15th of May. Soak
the eeed for 24 hours In milk before planting,
and It will give the vines a quicker start and
make them stronger, and will also keep the
Insects oft until they get started. For bugs
take the droppings from the hen house and
<«y and pulverize thoroughly and eprinkle the
Plants well; will drive the bugs away and fertilize the plants.   After the first hoeing do
not tend deep, as the roots are fast growers
and grow near the surface.
The best market is always the home market
and the earlier melons are the most profitable.
When the home market is overstocked, go to
some good commission man and furnish him
fresh melons every day. For the early crop
the Indiana Sweetheart is the best. It Is a
good bearer, of good flavor, solid and good
color. For the later crop the Mountain Sweet
is hard to beat, as the vines are thick growers
and keep the ground well shaded, so there is
moisture in the roots in time of drouth. They
are a good melon to market, as they are of
good color and shape and have a very fine
flavor. E. 0.
Economy.
3d Premium.—Take a sandy clover sod and
prepare It the same as for corn. Then furrow
8 to 9 feet each way. Use breaking plow the
last time, eo that furrows will be deep enough
for a good shovel full of well rotted manure in
each hill. Oover with about 3 inches of sand.
When danger of frost is past plant 8 to 10 seeds
in each hill; cover over with a little over an
inch of eand. Now be on the lookout for
bugs. Some seasons they are worse than oth
ers; If they appear prepare for a fight. The
best remedy I have found is to work the soil
in hills, and draw the eand close up under the
leaves. When danger of bugs is past and they
have third or fourth leaf, thin to two strong
plants in each hill. Cultivate at least once a
week; the oftener the better. Qlve them fr&
quent hoeings. After the melons begin to set
on, go over the patch and cut off all the bad
shaped melons, ae that gives the others a better chance and they will make larger and better melons. Don't be in too big a hurry to
get the first ripe melons and pull them when
they should have remained on the vines a
week longer, and ruin the market the first
thing. Our first melons usually bring from 10
to 20 cents apiece, in small towne. When they
begin to ripen pretty freely two or three farmers load a car and ship to cities. Here, in
Jackson county we sell a good many to haulers from adjourning counties. A good big
water mellon with all its deliciousness is
enough to make any darkey long for a slice,
Vallonia. - A Subscbiheh.
For water mellons, plant seed 1% inches
deep. Form large, well drained hills of earth
eight or ten feet apart, made very rich with
well rotted manure, which muBt be tboroughly
mixed with the eoil, for if left in a mass it
will lead to tbe plants burning out under the
hot sun. Seed may be eown when the ground
is warm and nicely settled. Plant thick, so ae
to allow for destruction of some of the plants
by insects or storms. To prevent bugs use
liquid cow manure. The vines set fruit earlier if they are pinched back before they get
too long.
For musk melon, the eoil should be nicely
enriched, but an abundance of good fruit can
be raised on almost any wood garden soil.
Plant 8 or 10 seeds in each hill, 1 to 1\% inches deep, ln rows six feet apart each way. It ie
a good plan to mix a shovelful of well rotted
manure or rich soli in each hill before planting. Rich earth is better for the young plants
than manure, but if the manure must be used
see that it is well rotted. Give frequent but
shallow cultivation, until the plants make
runners eo long that it is impracticable. For
bugs use the same ae for water melons. We
have used the liquid cow manure to keep the
bugs off of cucumbers, melons and. squashes,
and lt has always been satisfactory.
Strawton. Mrs. H.
bbvxew.
Every plant thrives best in a soil of a certain kind of fertility. Our virgin eoil would
grow anything. Butae ita flush of plant food
passed away all planta began to seek soile es
pecially adapted to their growth, What fine
melons we used to grow! It is practical now
for most any farmer to grow enough for family uee. A load of eand and one of good fine
manure, and a small patch can bo grown
most anywhere.
I have not grown melonB for awhile, and I
asked a neighbor if any good way had been
found of killing bugs. He said that "soot
and ashes sprinkled lightly over melons or cucumbers will keep them off." One man said
cow manure is not very efficient. Since much
of the worst harm is done to the stems I wonder if "Subscriber" is not right in "drawing
the sand up close around the stems and up
under the leaves." Small clods are a harbor
for them but the fine eand may protect. Some
one says to start a little fire out ln the night
and stir them up, they will fly into it like
moths. We used to put mosquito bar over a
few hills. Ie it not true that after the vines
get old enough to be fuzzy the bugs will not
bother them, unless a very bad year for bugs?
Have you ever tried areenite of ammonia?
It will kill the striped potato beetle.
One should remember that all these vine
plants are quick surface growers and root
down very little. Thie is why every one says
to make the hill very rich, and why it is necessary to cultivate often to conserve moisture.
A ripe eweet melon ie eurely a luxury. But
see how nature punishes one for growing poor
ones. The first takes the flavor out, then if
still more poorly grown ehe fills it withreal
elements of sickness. This is true in a large
sense of all her rewards. True in every crop.
If well grown it is richer and eweeter and
more wholeeome. We notice it more in melons.
Last week's Farmer made me say "spray
with one-half pound of Paris green to 50 gallons of water." It should be one-quarter
pound to 50 gallons.
No. 167, May 20.—Give your best variety of
potatoes. How do you secure vitality and a
good stand, and prevent blight and bugs?
No. 168. May 27.—A friend has a living room
in the S. E. front of a' two story house. It haB
a bay window and one other large window,
and measures 16x18x10 feet. How can she
paper it and furnish it, carpet, pictures and
all the rest? (Other rooms will match it later.)
The coet should suit a 160 acre farm.
No. 169, June 3.—Name popular mistakes ln
corn culture. Does it pay to detassel barren
Btalks? Or to plant a few late rows for pollen?
No. 170, June 10.—Tell us abouta nice farmers' picnic.   How make it lively and restful?
No. 171, June 17.—Experience In sowing rye,
beans, clover, or other feed crops in corn.
No. 172, June 24.—How beet clean rooms in
daily housework, floors, furniture, brass, pictures and the like.
No. 173, July 1.—The effect of the policy of
political expansion on American agricultural
nterests. 	
Premiums of $1 75 cents and 50 cents will be
given to let, 2d and 3d beet articles each week.
Let copy be as practicable as possible and forwarded 10 days before publication to
Oarmel. E. H. Oolllnp.
State _rzxas.
When the weeds, stalks and grass are raked
up year after year and burned the land will
gradually get less friable and more difficult to
work; lt will become more packed after the
hard rains and require more work to put in
good tilth. It is a good plan to have good,
clean fields, but the rubbish ehould be buried
by the plow just as far as It ts possible.
Grasses are soil builders and are nature's
cover for bare spots on the land. They gather nitrogen from the air, produce humue and
bring up from the subsoil potash and phosphoric acid which is stored in available form
for the use of whatever crops may follow.
A strange diseaso la killing off the horses in
the vicinity of Andereonvillo.
An electrical storm caused $1,000 damage to
the telephone plant at Rochester.
Harry Mills, near Paoli, lost his fine farm
home and other property by incendiarism.
The prospect for wheat has wonderfully Improved in Wayne county within the past ten
daya.
John Hart, leading soloist of the Decatur
Ohoral Union, died while seated at dinner.
Ho was forty-five years old and unmarried.
It ls eaid that the electric line from Greenfield to Indianapolis will not be built this
season, owing to rapid advance ln price of
material.
Unknown persons went to the barn of Marshall Pritchett, in Harrison township, Enox
county, and lynched one of his mules by hanging it to a rafter overhead.
Elizabeth Olarinda Pridemore, whose father, William Pridemore, lives near North Manchester, is thirteen years old, and weighs nearly 300 pounds. Two years ago she weighed
137 pounds. Near her is a neighbor's eon, eix
years old, who weighs 101 pounds.
Mrs Martha F. Oochran, wife of Mr. Lew
W. Oochran, one of our advertisers, died at
her home in Orawfordsville on May 1st. Mrs.
Oochran'e death removes from a sphere of
great usefulness one of the brightest Ohrlstaln
characters in Montgomery country.
William Harvey, living three miles south of
Plainfield, while plowing in his field,discovered a meteor on his rounds which had but recently fallen. It is in the ehape of a cone,
and about tho eize of a turkey egg, with blue
and rather pale red spots. The surface is
rather smooth, eomewhat resembling glass.
At the home of W. 0. Edwards, a well-known
farmer living four miles south of Hartford
Oity, le a cat caring for three small rabbits, ae
proudly ae if they were her own young, Mr.
Edwarde states the feline lost her litter and the
young rabbits were given her and she Immediately adopted them and has been caring for
ever since. She cares for them with a motherly devotion "and frequently takes one by the
neck and carries it from one place to another.
The cat haB nursed her adopted young for the
past three weeks.
During the heavy electrical etorm which
visited Dilleboro on the 1st, the old sassafras
tree, which for a half-century has stood at the
head of Lenover etreet, was struck by lightning
and knocked into smithereens, some of the
limbs being thrown 150 feet and then driven
into the ground. The trunk of the tree was
split into four pieces, the quartering being
done as evenly as If by a gigantic rip saw.
Lumber men declare that this is the first instance in their knowledge of a sassafras tree
struck by a thunderbolt.
If the land is rich enough, there Is no reason
why a crop of sweet corn can not be raised after potatoes, in central latitudes. By applying a little phosphate to the hill, even as late
ae July, a fair crop should be grown.
With a plant, ita firet growth Bhould be the
best. Keep the ground mellow and moist by
frequent cultivation; this warms the eoil,starts
the plants early, makes plant food more available, and lessens the liability to injury from
frost, drouth and Insects.
The progressive farmer is a stickler for good
seed. Even a slight loss from this source
amounts to more ln the result than we can
calculate. Let there be no stinting in either
quality or quantity.
The cow can not do her best year's work
without succulent food the eeaeon through.
Plant sugar beets or other roots for them, unless you intend to silo a part of your corn
crop.