WATERMELON 



289 



with soft, grayish hairs that give it a grayish aspect. The 

 flowers are the same in general structure as those of the 

 cucumber or muskmelon. The seeds are large but vary 

 much in size, color and markings. The fruit varies in 

 color of skin from pale yellow to deep green and is often 

 mottled; the flesh varies from white to pink or yellow. 

 Some are tasteless and insipid and others are sugary and 



Fig. 128. Varietiea of watermelons; /, Iron Clad; 2, Cuban Queen; 

 3, Light Ice Rind; 4, Monte Cristo; 5, Dark Ice Rind. 



refreshing. The fruit often weighs as much as fifty pounds, 

 in good seasons when grown in favorable locations, even 

 in the extreme Northern states. 



Culture. The method of culture is the same as for 

 the cucumber and muskmelon, with the exception that the 

 vines should not be pinched, and they require rather more 



