WATERMELON 



291 



that may be eaten raw, roasted or boiled. The plant is 

 seldom cultivated. An Indian species, T. bispmom, 

 bears the Singhara nut, well known in the East. It is 

 cultivated like most aquatic plants, and cannot be 

 said to come into the vegetable-garden at all. 



WATER CRESS. See Cress, Water. 



WATERMELON (Citrullus vulgaris) is a tender 

 annual plant grown for its large fruits, which are more 

 popular, and are better grown, in America than any- 

 where else in the world. Commercially, the Water- 



Fig. 140. Watermelon seedlings. One-half natural size. 



melon is grown almost exclusively in the South, although 

 in home gardens in the North its culture is not difficult, 

 especially if started early, under glass. Good soil, 

 rotation, ordinary culture, thinning of the fruit, and 

 protection against pests, are all necessary for good 



