THE WATERMELON. 



( Citrullus vulgaris. ) 



The word melon is derived from a 

 Greek word, signifying apple, which was 

 originally bestowed upon the fruit be- 

 cause of a fancied similarity of shape. 

 The melons belong to the natural order 

 Curcubitaceae, which embraces plants oi 

 tropical origin, many of which, however, 

 have easily adapted themselves to more 

 temperate climates. The canteloupc, 

 the citron, the musk and nutmeg mel- 

 ons have been cultivated for centur- 

 ies in India, Persia, Spain and Italy. In 

 fact the name canteloupe was given tc 

 the fruit because of its cultivation in a 

 town, so called, situated fifteen miles 

 from Rome, having been raised there 

 since the Mithridatic war. It is said that 

 the original plants were introduced by 

 Lucullus from Armenia. 



The Watermelon Citrullus vulgaris, is 

 a native of Africa. The generic name 

 Citrullus is derived from the fact that the 

 pulp of the Watermelon is sometimes 

 orange or citrus colored, the specific 

 term, vulgaris, meaning common, re- 

 ferring to its general distribution 

 in its native land. In fact Liv- 

 ingston states that in Africa large areas 

 are covered by the plants grfDwing in a 

 wild state and in New Jersey and Long 

 Island, where large fields are devoted to 

 its cultivation the plants show a marked 

 tendency to spread spontaneously. Wa- 

 termelons were familiar to the ancient 

 Egyptians and it is known that they were 

 cultivated in Asia at an early date. At 

 the beginning of the Christian era the 

 fruit was highly prized in all of the 

 Mediterranean countries and it is prob- 



able that the forms common in the Unit- 

 ed States were derived from Italy. 



The Watermelon belongs to an emi- 

 nently respectable but not a particularly 

 aristocratic family. Its near relations 

 are the gourd, the cucumber, the pump- 

 kin and the squash. There is probably 

 no country in which this fruit is so large- 

 ly cultivated as in the United States, its 

 habitat being limited, however, to the 

 southern and middle portions of North 

 America to the fourth degree of latitude. 

 The short seasons of the more northern 

 states are unfitted for the complete dc' 

 velopmenr ot the fruit. It is peculiar in 

 the fact that it yields no important by- 

 products with the exception that its sac- 

 charine matter may be converted into 

 sugar. The juices of the fruit cannot 

 be converted into wine or vinegar, and 

 unlike the cantaloupe it does not produce 

 a good brandy when distilled 



The plants are annual, trailing, slen- 

 der vines extending from eight to fifteen 

 feet. The leaves '^re five lobed, from 

 three to six inches in leiigth and in dry 

 countries the plants often supply vegeta- 

 tion when all others are dried up. The 

 leaves are possessed of an unusual per- 

 spiratory power, hence they require a 

 greater amount of moisture than the ma- 

 jority of plants, the roots often extend- 

 ing a considerable distance to reach wa- 

 ter. For mis reason the varieties grow- 

 ing in the irrigated fields of Persia, the 

 floating islands of Cashmere and the 

 springy river beds of India have long 

 been famous. 



Charles S. Raddin. 



33 



