26 FLORA OF THE 



There are two kinds of melon, the ordinary melon 

 {Cucuinis vielo, Linn.), and the water-melon {Citnillus 

 vulgaris, Schr.). It is impossible, however, to say to 

 which kind that on the sculptures belongs. 



Of the melon proper a number of wild varieties are 

 found in India, but there are others which probably 

 belong to Africa. Prof. Alph. De Candolle says that 

 " the culture of the melon, or of different varieties of 

 the melon, may have begun separately in India and 

 Africa." 



Of the cultivated melon the varieties are innumerable, 

 both in Central Asia, in Persia, and in India, and the 

 fine kinds they have in Central Asia and in Persia 

 would indicate a cultivation of very ancient date. V. 

 Hehn ^ mentions that Marco Polo says of the country 

 west of Balkh — " Here grow the best melons in the 

 world ; that Prof. Vambery says of Khiva that it has 

 no rivals in melons ; and that at the present day in 

 Persia the melon, of which there are many varieties, 

 is a very important fruit." It is said that in Persia 

 they keep flocks of pigeons for the express purpose 

 of using their ' guano ' as manure for growing melons. 

 In Afghanistan they also have the noted 'Sarda' melon, 

 and M. Naudin, who is the great authority on the 

 Cucurbitaceae, gives ''rouges de Perse' as one of his 

 groups. 



' ' Wanderings of plants and animals,' p. 23S. 



