THE MELON. 221 



those who have never seen melons grown," says the author 

 of California and its Resources (published in 1858), "it 

 will seem simply absurd to say, that confident hopes are 

 entertained of realizing from 15,000 to 20,000 dollars from 

 one patch of two acres, belonging to Major Barbour, this 

 present year. But we were assured that 200 to 300 dollars' 

 worth of melons per day were sold during the first week 

 of the season." 



The distinction which assigns "Winter Melons to a se- 

 parate class seems due rather to the fruiterer than the 

 botanist, since, irrespective of other peculiarities, any 

 melon which will keep long after gathering must belong 

 as of right to this class. Melons which can be kept till 

 the winter when hung in a dry room are common in Spain, 

 and the name of one of our best winter fruits, the Green 

 Valentia, points to a Spanish origin. 



A very distinct variety, comparatively recently intro- 

 duced into Europe, is the Persian Melon, the seeds of 

 which were sent here direct from Persia by our ambas- 

 sador there, Mr. Willock, in 1824, and when sown produced 

 at once 10 different varieties. Though requiring in their 

 native country no further attention than a regular and 

 abundant supply of water, mostly obtained by irrigation, 

 the meadows in which the plants are grown being flooded 

 so that the roots are kept absolutely under water, yet 

 elsewhere they need great care. In England it is by no 

 means easy to secure the requisite combination of a wet 

 warm soil and a dry air, the covering used to confine the 

 heat tending also to cause general moisture by producing 

 evaporation ; but in spite of these difficulties, our gar- 

 deners contrive to rear them in great perfection, and as 

 some may be eaten as soon as gathered, and others must 

 be kept for months, even quite into winter, they are ob- 

 tainable during a great portion of the year. In Persia 

 they attain such magnitude that, according to Malte 

 Brun, three or four of them form as heavy a load as a 

 man can carry ; but though their dimensions here are far 

 more moderate the Sweet Melon of Ispahan, which is one 

 of the largest varieties, seldom exceeding 10 Ibs. in weight 

 their skin is so much thinner than that of other kinds 



