MELONS AND THEIR CULTURE. 



and Borneo, and also to the French Cantaloupe, (^Mdon gahuz,) and Wycoff 's citron. 

 All the specimens gave positive evidence in their form and tissue, of their male parentage. 



This year plants were raised from the seeds of the cross of Iloosianee and Borneo. The 

 melons on my grounds possessed the form of the Borneo, and flesh of the Iloosianee, those 

 on Mr. Tuckkhman's grounds, under the care of Mr. Hope, exhibited the form of the 

 Iloosianee — the whole produced from the seeds of the same melon. The extreme drouth 

 of the season has interfered with trials for satisfactory conclusions, and another year will 

 be required to determine as to the important quality of adaptation to our cUmate. 



Watkr Melons. — These melons mature very freely in this locality, under orJniari/ cul- 

 ture, while the mu.skmelons, similarly treated, fail entirely. My plantations, however, 

 have been subjected to the same discipline as the muskmelon, in every respect, with this 

 exception, that the intervals from the center of the beds were increased from six to ten 

 feet. The fruit has certainly possessed the finest flavor in the estimation of no indifferent 

 tasters. The melons cultivated were " Imperial," " Florida," and " California;" the two 

 latter I have so named to designate them. 



The " Florida" was grown from seeds brought from Florida by Mr. Skally, my gar- 

 dener of last j'ear. It resembles the "Spanish," and probably is one of its varieties. 

 The fruit is oblong, of medium size; skin deep green, striate with white marbling; flesh 

 bright red, soh'd, very tender and delicious; seeds sparse and small, in diiferent samples 

 black, red or white. The largest specimen weighed 25 pounds. 



The "California" seems to be another variet}' of the Spanish, sustaining an interme- 

 diate form between it and the Imperial. It was matured from seeds received from the 

 "Auriferous tract" last year. A. G. H. 



Neu'biirgh, N. Y , Oct. 15, ISol. 



The foregoing record of a careful course of experiments in melon culture — continued 

 during three years — by our scientific neighbor Dr. IIuiX, will be read with much interest. 

 It should be borne in mind by our readers, living on the M'armer and lighter soils of New- 

 Jerse}^ and fartlier south, where fine melons are " grown with as little care, almost, as 

 cabbages," that the soil about Newburgh is a strong clay loam — naturally b}^ no means .so 

 favorable to the melon as the warm sandy loams of the former localities. It is therefore 

 necessary to take far more pains to grow a fine crop of melons here, than in other and 

 lighter soils. 



As to Dr. Hull's success, we frankly confess it surpassed all precedent here. We ex- 

 amined several times his melon patch, 40 by 180 feet, which produced the enormous num- 

 ber of sfx^cMi AujiJrctZ meZo7is, and tasted tlie products, and are bound to say that we 

 never saw so large a crop on so small a space, or tasted larger or finer melons. Looked at 

 merely as a matter of profit, the outlay of preparation would be satisfactory — though of 

 course much more was expended in the process of making the different experiments than 

 would be needful to carry any one of the modes of manuring out, on a scale suited to 

 general culture. The flavor was very distinct in the diff'erent beds — those in the beds of 

 burnt turf being to our taste the most sugary and rich, while those with the superphos- 

 phate of lime were the most juicy and melting. Ed. 



