Cantaloupe growing, as developed since its origin near Rockyford,
Colorado, in 1885, requires unusual judgment and cultural skill on
the part of the farmer. Co-operative organization and good business
management are also essential, for only by these means can the crop be
properly timed and prepared for shipment, and necessary arrangements
made with transportation and selling agencies.
_Seed._--Seed should be most carefully selected with reference to
flavor and appearance of the fruit; to good shipping characters,
including small cavities and heavy netting; and to a tendency to
produce melons of standard size. Early strains are desired for some
situations; but in Arizona rust resistance is not a necessary character
as this class of diseases is little to be feared under the arid
conditions. Seed should be purchased only from most reliable sources.
Rockyford growers are at present the principal means of supply.
_Soil._--Experience has proven that a sandy loam is the soil best
suited for cantaloupes, and that its condition of tilth and the
available fertility are the prime essentials in bringing cantaloupes
to quick maturity. The secret of getting soil in that ashy, mellow
condition so desirable for cantaloupes is largely one of experience,
for hardly two farms can be handled the same. In general, there must
be moisture in the soil over winter to get the disintegrating effect
of frost, and plowing should not be done until the ground is dry
enough to pulverize mellow. Barnyard manure has long been the means of
supplying fertility to force cantaloupes to early maturity. Old alfalfa
ground is most excellent for cantaloupe culture. Bermuda sod plowed
up and exposed to the sun without irrigation the preceding summer
makes excellent cantaloupe ground, the intensive cultivation necessary
serving both to benefit the crop and to restrain this formidable weed.
_Planting._--The first requisite aside from moisture for a good start
is warm weather, as cantaloupe seed cannot germinate when the ground
is cold and freezing; and if perchance the days are warm enough
to germinate the seed that is planted in March or April, the cold
nights that are sure to follow will offset the advantage of early
planting. If there is a secret in getting early cantaloupes it is
in growing the crop from start to finish with a uniform unchecked
growth; the cantaloupe does not seem to have the power to rally from
a check in growth or an injury from an insect and still makes its
normal development. The back-set not only cuts off the production of
early cantaloupes but seriously affects the size and quality of the
melon. There are numerous instances where unfavorable conditions of
growth have produced a large quantity of pony melons, while under
more favorably growing conditions the same seed and soil have yielded
standard sized cantaloupes. One of the first signs of promise for early
cantaloupes is a quick germination and rapid development of large
cotyledons. Seed that germinates slowly with small, yellow appearing
seed leaves has never made early cantaloupes.
_Irrigation._--Moisture for the cantaloupe hill is generally supplied
by the irrigation furrow. It should always reach the seed or plant
by soaking through the soil. Irrigation should never be allowed to
over-soak or flood the ground, as the soil will then become hard and
not permit a good growth. The relation of irrigation to an early
set of cantaloupes is a somewhat mooted question. There are growers
who argue the use of frequent irrigations during the setting period
to secure a good set, and there are others who prefer to keep the
vines rather dry and even letting them show the need of water before
they will irrigate during the setting stage. There have been results
that seemed to support both theories, yet close observation would
not warrant following either plan to an extreme, but rather a medium
course of supplying enough moisture for an even, healthy growth, which
seems to be the essential condition all the way through. An excess of
irrigation during the hot weather in July will doubtless tend to grow
vines at the expense of early fruit; but the most disastrous result of
too much water--having the ground so soaked that the surface is nearly
all wet, and affording the moist, dewy condition which is favorable to
its development--is in the development of rust. The rust problem is a
serious one in cantaloupe culture in Colorado. Controlling it by proper
application of irrigation is only a palliative measure, yet a marked
contrast is often seen in two portions of a field; one over-irrigated,
and the other comparatively dry, aside from the moisture necessary
to the growth of the vines. Rainy weather and dewy nights afford the
proper conditions for the growth of the rust spore, and while the
farmer cannot change climatic conditions, yet by careful attention
in the application of water, having the rows well ditched, and with
adequate waste laterals to prevent over-soaking and flooding, the
surface of the ground will dry rapidly after a rain or an irrigation.
Thus the dews at night will be less, and in a measure alleviate the
effects of rust.--(U. Ariz. Cir. 77; Ag. Col. Colo. 62, 85, 95 and 108.)