The Melon. 305 



THE CUCURBITACEyE. 



WHAT the Cucurbits are is at once plainly realized to the 

 mind by thought of the melon, the cucumber, the gourd, 

 the vegetable-marrow, and the pompion or " pumpkin." 

 Succulent stems, running to the length of many yards, 

 and almost invariably provided with tendrils, the natural 

 tendency of the plants being to climb into trees ; large, 

 broad, rough leaves, and yellow flowers, are the prevailing 

 characteristics ; the fruits, when they arrive, are in dimen- 

 sions unapproached, and very often huge. They vary 

 considerably both in colour and in form; the qualities 

 are also various, some being inexpressibly bitter. Three 

 or four of them are not only esculent, but delightfully so, 

 and for these we have to thank the East Indies. 



The MELON (Cucumis Melo) runs wild both in British 

 India and in Beloochistan. From Asia it was conveyed 

 to Italy about the beginning of the Christian era, and 

 thence, about 1570, it was brought to England. Of all 

 the fleshy fruits, whether large or small, it is the richest 

 and the most diversified, alike in form, colour, and taste. 

 Whether or not one of the most wholesome is perhaps an 

 open question, though to be asked only in cold countries, 

 where, in any case, it is prudent to ward off any possible 

 hurt by the use of warm and stimulating food of other 

 kinds. The melons exposed for sale in the shops, in 

 quantities so vast, all through the autumn, come chiefly 

 from Spain and Portugal. 



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