— 207 — 



some European variety during the coming season. The introduc- 

 tion of the Orange Melon into tins country appears to have been 

 recent. It was evidently first offered to the trade by Frank Finch, 

 of Clyde, N. Y., probably four or five years ago. Mr. Finch 

 writes, " I fiist obtained a sample of the vegetable orange from 

 one of my customers. * * * I offered it to the trade, and now most 

 of the seedsmen have it. I do not know how it originated." W. 

 W. Tracy, of Detroit, informs me that "the vine peach and its 

 nearly related Queen Ann's Pocket Melon are grown quite com- 

 monly by the Swedes, Norwegians and Danes in the northwest, 

 and I think that the plants have been distribnted from this 

 source." 



The Orange Melon is somewhat variable in size and shape. It 

 is commonly nearly spherical, if one may judge from descriptions, 

 but plants from one source gave us oblong fruits. The fruits 

 range from two to three inches in diameter. They possess none 

 of the common characteristics of the musk-melon fruit, but are 

 suggestive, rather, of a cucumber. The variety presents .some de- 

 sirable features, but it is over praised. 



THE CRANDAEE CURRANT. 



The Crandall currant was introduced but a couple of years ago, 

 yet it has attracted general notice from the fact that it represents 

 a species practicall)- new to the fruit garden. The originator sup- 

 posed it to be a hybrid between the Buffalo or Missouri currant 

 and the common red currant. 



Fifty plants were set upon the Experiment Station grounds in 

 the spring of 1888. The plants have grown vigorously and all 

 bore truit last season. Pl.nts have been observed in other places, 

 also, and full notes and careful tests have been made.* 



The Crandall is a simple variation of the Buffalo or Missouri 

 cuvra.nt (J?ides aiire^ini), known in yards as the " flowering cur- 

 rant." It gives no indication of hybridity. The species is well 

 known to be a variable one, and bushes occassionly appear which 



*The writer published a full account of the variety in the American Gar- 

 den, Sept. 1889, 309. 



