December 1946
MELONS
A Paper For The Class In
Vegetable Gardening
BY: Joseph M. Carr
(scroll down for next
section)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
VEGETABLE CROPS By: Homer C. Thompson.
MARKETING
U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Farmer’s Bulletin No. 1468
MUSKMELON
REMINDERS Extension Bulletin No. 157
CANTALOUPE
PRODUCTION IN
MELONS
When I think of melons in general
my mind immediately turns back to a period of my younger life when it was my
own good fortune to be growing up on a farm.
Although that is now a number of years in the past, the scenes and
events associated with everyday farm life have stuck. But before I can
show the true place which melons held in my esteem, I must of necessity,
mention the cucumbers, or the “pickle patch” as we always called it. Our forty acres was roughly a square boundary
line a mile in circumference, which enclosed a rocky prominence known
throughout the country as the Stone Bluff.
The farm consisted of the lower slopes which had originally supported
little more than scrub oak, but which had degenerated to nothing more than sand
with only a small trace of humus to be found in
it. Being just a boy,
these things were merely taken for granted. The real thing to my mind was that infernal
pickle patch which lay around on the south slope. Picking cucumbers was the farthest of all
from my ambitions, but when picking season came around I would be right out
there with the rest in spite of myself, and Dad usually saw to it that I worked
on a row with him. That way there would
be the minimum amount of playing around.
This is where the melons came into the picture. The melon patch lay just to the east of the
pickles, and when the middle of the morning approached and we were all at the
shady end of our rows, Dad would tell us to rest for a while. The rest period always meant watermelons as
well. Dad, one of the neighbor boys, and
myself would bring over two or three big, green ones;
and what a feast we would all have. The
following season there would be melons growing wild all up and down the
fencerow.
Dad was always mighty proud of
his melon patch, and Mother always claimed that she could raise better melons
than anyone else in the country.
Whatever may have been the case the melons did thrive well on that sand. For some reason
there always seemed to be an ample supply of moisture on the south slope. During periods of drought when the corn was drying up all around the country there was always wet
dirt to be found on Dad’s south slope by no greater effort than a kick with the
toe. Dad had an idea that the moisture
gradually seeped out from the bluff above.
At planting time the important
item was the big load of manure. Manure
was precious stuff on a sand hill like ours, and so none of it was ever put onto the melon patch except in the hills where
the seeds were to be planted. Here it would be used in liberal amounts. A good-sized fork full would
be used on each hill. The hills
were usually well apart. Dad figured on
allowing six feet in each direction, or about two long paces.
Mother seemed to enjoy nothing more than to prepare the
seed bed for the hill of melons. She
would dig way down, four inches or more, and then fill in the hole with a
mixture of sandy soil and manure. She
was a real artist with the hoe, and the whole mixture was always perfectly pulverize when she had finished. Then she would cover it all with a layer of
sandy soil and pack the whole think with her hoe until it was quite firm. She always believed in using plenty of seed;
she would use ten or twelve seeds for every hill. After covering the seeds over and tamping the
hill some more she would move on to the next place
with all the satisfaction in the world.
Mother was plainly the queen of the melon patch. Dad was no more than a mere attendant when it
came time to plant the melons.
Our patch was comprised of approximately equal parts of
watermelons and muskmelons. We were
usually more interested in the watermelons; I guess the reason for that was because they ripened sooner.
As to varieties that was a science largely
unknown to me. When buying seeds the
only thing we ever went by was the picture on the package. A large part of our seed was usually what we
had saved from the year before. As to
the muskmelons they were usually thought of, to my
mind at least, as being of two different classes. The common class was small, and the choice
type was large. The large ones didn’t seem to do as well; only a few of them ever seemed to
make the grade. They were
commonly referred to as “Rocky Fords.”
For some reason I can’t recall now they were
always associated in my mind with the state of
When it was time for the melons to get ripe there would be
a period of anxious waiting. All over
the patch big fellows would be lifting their dark,
green bulk above the surrounding vines.
We could hardly contain ourselves as children until the first watermelon
could be eaten.
But both Dad and Mother were slow to open any
of them. The thought that one of those
fine, big specimens should be picked before it was
ripe was too much for them. Such a
tragedy could never be allowed, and so they would
wait. Time and again
Dad would go through the patch and apply a light pressure to the ones he
thought were about ready. He had no way
of being sure when they were ripe. If he heard a slight crunch inside, he
sometimes went by that. Sometimes he
would merely tap with his finger and try to tell by the sound. Again he would
observe the curlers on the vines for signs of ripening. As children we would
suggest plugging the melon, but of course such a criminal act would have been
absurd. Then one day it would
happen. Perhaps the calves would break
out. Naturally
they would head straight for the melons, the very last place we would want them
to be. In the process of getting them
corralled again there would be a sickening crash as one of them would jump
square on a “big boy.” When we arrived
at the scene there would be the melon, broken clear across the middle with one
end badly shattered. But
the pain of the experience would be gone as we beheld the beautiful, bright red
flesh of what remained. A great feast
would follow right on the spot, and one of us would run to get “Ma”. We would know then that the melons were ripe. Dad had a more foolproof
method for testing the muskmelons. He
merely rolled the one in question, and if the stem automatically fell off, it
was ready to eat. He would never pick
one any sooner than that.
What I remember is that our melons were always good. Their flavor was unsurpassed. The main purpose of our melon patch was to
provide for our own enjoyment. However there were usually far more than we or any of the
neighbors wanted, and so at various times Dad would haul out a load for
sale. They were not hard to sell. A big one would go for thirty cents, and
smaller ones were priced on down to ten or fifteen
cents. I would now give thirty cents a
pound for melons like we had then. I have been extremely disappointed in the
quality and flavor of the commercial brand with which I have had to be
satisfied since. The difference is the
greatest in muskmelons. Most of them on
the market are not worth crossing the street to get them. They are either hard,
sour, or otherwise absolutely tasteless.
One might as well try to gratify his appetite with a slice out of a
pumpkin.
Melons have been raised for a
long time. Possibly
they had their origin in the
“We remember the fish which we did eat in
From my own observation I know
that today large quantities of melons are grown in both
With such a simple background as this
I am faced with the problem of writing a paper on melons for a class in
college. As I pour over various books
and pamphlets from different experiment situations I
am about ready to throw up my hands or to put out the white flag. I did not know that an ordinary, commonplace
occurrence like a watermelon could be made to appear
so complicated to manage. Take for
example muskmelons. I had thought of
them as being of no more than two different kinds. Now I find that there are no less than dozens
of different varieties. A list of names
such as Hoodoo, Pollock 10-25, and Admiral
“The most important varieties of Muskmelon,
or cantaloupes are Hales Best, Powdery Mildew Resistant No. 45, Pollock 10-25,
Hearts of Gold, Honey Rock, Champlain, Bender, Market King, and Emerald Gem.”
It can be added that there are
other simple methods of classifying muskmelons into a few groups. The common groups can be considered as
follows: (1)those with green or white flesh, and
(2)those having a yellow-orange, or salmon colored flesh.
In Bulletin No. 373 of the Iowa State College
of Agriculture entitled: “Marketing Iowa Cantaloupes” four simple classes are given as follows:
“Banana Type - clavate
Defender Type - oblong
Hales Best Type - globular.”
It should be stated at this point that the term
“cantaloupe” is merely a trade name which covers an
extensive number of varieties. It should
never be considered as a modern term which has
superseded the old-fashioned name of “muskmelon”. Another trade name is that of “casaba”. The Honey Dew melon belongs to the same group
as the latter of the above named terms.
I find that my observations as a boy still hold good in the matter of soil.
Both watermelons and muskmelons prefer a sandy loam with plenty of
moisture and sunshine. The muskmelon
will grow on a wider variety of soils than will the watermelon, and it seems to
require more in the way of soil fertility.
The watermelon, it has been said, is one of the few vegetables
which will grow well on an acid soil.
While moisture is a necessity, it is also important to have proper
drainage for neither of these plants will grow well in a waterlogged soil. The plants are rapid growing and therefore
they require large amounts of nutrients in the soil. On a small scale where melons are grown for home use, manure is good enough if it is
available. By using it in the hills only
it can be utilized much more efficiently than where it
is broadcast. In large-scale production,
however, commercial fertilizer is probably necessary in most cases. In the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farmers
Bulletin No. 1463 entitled “MUSKMELONS” we gather the
following concerning commercial fertilizers:
“Commercial fertilizers are almost indispensable for
growing muskmelons on a large scale, the composition and quantity depending
upon the character of the soil. As a
rule, a fertilizer containing 4 to 5 percent nitrogen, 8 to 10 percent
phosphoric acid, and 4 to 6 percent potash may be profitably used in quantities
varying from 400 to 1400 pounds per acre, the composition and quality depending
largely on the previous cropping of the land.”
Spacing of the plants during planting is
recommended at about five by seven feet.
The two chief insect pests which attack
melons are the cucumber beetle and the melon aphid. The cucumber beetle can
best be thwarted by the use of some kind of artificial cover to protect
the young plants and to prevent the beetles from reaching them. Otherwise dust or
sprays may be used. The choice of the
insecticide may not be as important as their timely, frequent, and thorough
application. The melon aphid can be controlled by the use of nicotine dust. If these remarks on insects prove to be a bit
brief, I recommend to the reader page 24 of U.S. Department of Agriculture
Farmer’s Bulletin No. 1468 entitled “MUSKMELONS”:
“For further information on the control of insects injurious
to the melon crop, write to the Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine,
United States Department of Agriculture.”
Three important fungus diseases may attack
muskmelons. They are
all ordinarily called “blight”, or “leaf spot.” Their true names are (1)Anthracnose,
(2)Downey Mildew, and (3)blight. The
means of combating these diseases are (1) crop rotation, (2)seed
treatment, and (3)spraying with a bordeaux
mixture. Bacterial
wilt is carried by the cucumber beetle, so that makes two counts against
this troublesome bug. Another disease is
mosaic which is best controlled by prompt removal and
burning of infected plants and other host plants which carry the disease over
the winter. Mosaic is
characterized by a yellowing and curling of the leaves. Bacterial wilt is similar to the appearance
of wilt caused by the lack of water. It
is caused by bacteria which clog the water vessels of
the plant.
In regard to marketing melons, transportation
becomes a problem. Watermelons keep
fairly well once they have become ripe, but a ripe muskmelon is good for only
two or three days at the most. However its keeping qualities are greatly improved when it
can be kept in refrigeration. Muskmelons
picked just prior to the time they become ripe in
Muskmelons and watermelons are popular with all kinds of
people. Most of us have experienced the
invigorating effect of cold, juicy, sweet watermelon. It is one of those things
of which you can eat all you want; it will never give indigestion. Through thousands of years the melon has been
an old standby, from the days when Israel wandered over the dry desert until
the modern time when the colored boy likes a piece which will reach all the way
from ear to ear. It looks as though the
melon is here to stay.
