Watermelons require too much space for planting in a small garden. The cultivation of watermelons is practically the same as that of squashes.
The Kleckley Sweets and Florida Favorite are among the best small watermelons for home growing. The variety known as Tom Watson is the one most frequently sold on our markets.
Squashes
Two varieties of summer squashes are suited for growing in city gardens. These are the Summer Crookneck and Pattypan. The summer squashes are of bush habit of growth and do not require much space. Three to five hills of either of the kinds mentioned will supply the ordinary family. The hills should be 4 to 5 feet apart. Plant 8 or 10 seeds to a hill, covering them to a depth of an inch, and when the plants are well established thin them to three in a hill.
The Hubbard Squash and Boston Marrow form true vines and require more space than the summer bush varieties. The fruits of the summer varieties are used while they are young and tender, but those of the fall and winter varieties are allowed to get fully ripe before being gathered and stored. Four or five hills will be sufficient, and a space of 10 or 12 feet should be allowed between the hills.
The vine or running squash may be grown in a corner of the garden or on a trellis. In one instance an old peach tree formed a support for a large squash vine and the fruits were held up by slings consisting of strips of bagging.
PLAN No. 281. MAKING CLOTHING FIREPROOF
To make clothing fireproof, and thus save hundreds of precious lives, dissolve one pound of ammonium phosphate in one gallon of cold water, and in this soak for five minutes the fabric to be fireproofed. Then dry, and it will not burn. It does not harm the material. It sells for about 25 cents a pound in the drug stores. Make it up and sell it at $1 per gallon. But when the cloth is washed it is no longer fireproof, until treated with this solution again.
PLAN No. 282. MAKING PULLETS PAY
Buy pullets in the fall, give them good feed and care, and they will lay eggs all winter, making you a profit of several dollars per pullet. Sell them as hens the next spring and they will bring good prices for setting purposes, or as a table bird.