216 



HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK. 



but in giving addresses of many persons whom tliej' believed might assist me. 

 These addresses were again written, referring me in turn to still others. 



It has been interesting in accumulating this data to get the ideas of 

 growers as regards the development of this fruit. Some seem to think there 

 is nothing grown to-day that begins to compare with the olden time varieties, 

 while others see vast improvements. 



All authorities seem to agree that the muskmelon doubtless originated in 

 the Orient, and even to-day it forms a staple article among the peoples of 

 Persia, Italy and Egypt. 



The muskmelon is very easily susceptible of mixing where varieties are 

 adjacent, and through this means many strains and types have been brought 

 out. The evolution of the cultivated American muskmelon is interesting. 

 One writer claim.s that Columbus brought the first seed to this country. There 

 are very few instances on record of direct introduction of varieties in earlier 

 times. In recent years the U. S. Department of Agriculture has introduced 

 many which may have a marked influence in the future. The famous 

 Cassaba or Persian variety is said to have been introduced directly from 

 Smyrna to the light soils of lower New Jersey, where it has flourished and 

 become noted for its sweetness and fine flavor. It is believed that most of our 

 thin skinned, finely netted and highly flavored varieties are of Persian origin. 

 The rougher or hard skinned varieties, like those so commonly grown in 

 France, Italy and other European countries and known in this country as 

 cantaloupes or rock melons, may have had a simihir origin, but have been 

 developed differently. 



The muskmelon most commonly known to Americans is, I Ijelieve, of 

 the Persian type. While some cantaloupes are grown, and there are now and 

 then varieties showing the cantaloupe characteristics, the_v nevertheless do not 

 meet with as great success. 



There has been more attention given to breeding the nuiskinelon during 

 the past ten years than ever before. While many of the earlier varieties are 

 still standard, new ones are rapidly taking their places. .\.s with other 

 Evn^opean fruits, conditions have so changed under the new environment in 

 this country that our present cultivated muskmelons are what may be termed 

 strictly an American product. 



After much correspondence the data at hand seem very inadequate. It 

 was thought that a large number of our varieties would be found to be of 

 krown origin, but they are not. \"ery few varieties arc of known parentage. 

 The varieties are largely chance seedlings or strains of well known varieties. 



Much general information was obtained through the two large wholesale 

 seed firms of Chauncey P. Coy & Son, proprietors of the Elkhorn Valley Seed 

 Gardens, and Frank T. Emerson, general manager of the Western Seed and 

 Irrigation Company, both of Waterloo, Nebraska. These firms are large 

 wholesale growers of muskmelon seeds, and largely supply these seeds for our 

 large seed houses. When any of the seed firms have obtained or originated 

 a new variety, they turn the same over to these firms for future supplies. 



The writer is unable to tabulate the data as completely as possible, but 

 offers the following as a beginning toward that end ; 



