Page:How and what to grow in a kitchen garden of one acre (IA howwhattogrowin00darl).pdf/77

 prolific, and if carefully grown, the quality is very fine. Some prefer the larger melons, which fill the basket more quickly, but in my experience the small ones have been so much more prolific that the yield has been almost double in bulk on the same amount of ground. The melon rows should be gone over early every morning while ripening, as they should not be allowed to become yellow on the vines. The quality deteriorates very rapidly when allowed to ripen in the hot sun, so that they should be picked while still green. The right stage for picking can readily be told by examining the point where the stem joins the melon; as soon as the stem begins to crack away from the melon slightly, or when the little drops of red juice form round the base of the stem, it is time to pick the melon. When picked, they should be put in a cool cellar or spring house until wanted for the table.

Seed may be saved from the largest and finest-flavored melons; but if your garden is on heavy soil, or if two or three varieties are grown near together, it is best to procure fresh seed from some melon-growing district every year.

The ground between the hills should be cultivated frequently, as long as it can be done without interfering with the vine; the soil in the hills should be kept loose and drawn up around the vines with the hoe. When the vines have grown too long to allow the passage of the cultivator, the patch can be kept clean by pulling out the large weeds by hand, which can be done very quickly after a good rain. The dense shade caused by the luxuriant vines will cause