THE MELON. 537 



36. GREEN STRAWBERRY. Thomp. 



Green Pine. Fraisier Vert. 



Green Wood. Powdered Pine. 

 Green Alpine. 



Fruit small, roundish or depressed, whitish green, and at ma- 

 turity, tinged with reddish brown on the sunny side. Flesh 

 solid, greenish, very juicy, with a peculiar, rich, pineapple 

 flavour. Ripens late. 



Selection of the finest strawberries for a small garden. Large 

 Early Scarlet, Hovey's seedling, Ross' Phoenix, Hudson's Bay, 

 British Queen, Prolific Hautbois, Red, and White Alpine. 



Selection of sure bearing and very hardy kinds for the North. 

 Large Early Scarlet, Hovey's seedling, Ross' Phoenix, Prolific 

 Hautbois, Red Wood, White Wood. 



Varieties requiring care, but very fine in deep rich soils. Bish- 

 op's Orange, Elton, Hyatt's Pine, Old Pine, Downton. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 



Cucumis Melo, L. Cucurbit acece, of botanists. 



Melon, of the French ; Melona. German ; Meleon, Dutch ; Melone, 

 Italian ; and Melon, Spanish. 



THE Melon (or musk melon) is the richest and most luscious of 

 all herbaceous fruits. The plant which bears this fruit is a 

 trailing annual, supposed to be a native of Persia, but which 

 has been so long in cultivation in all warm climates that it is 

 quite doubtful which is its native country. 



The climate of the Middle and Southern States is remarkably 

 favourable for it indeed far more so than that of England, 

 France, or any of the temperate portions of Europe. Consequent- 

 ly melons are raised as field crops by market gardeners, and in 

 the month of August the finest citrons or green-fleshed melons 

 may be seen in the markets of New York and Philadelphia in 

 immense quantities, so abundant in most seasons as frequently 

 to be sold at half a dollar per basket, containing nearly a bushel 

 of the fruit. The warm dry soils of Long Island and New 

 Jersey are peculiarly favourable to the growth of melons, and 

 even at low prices the product is so large that this crop is one 

 of the most profitable. 



CULTURE. The culture of the melon is very easy in all, ex- 

 cept the most northern portions of the United States. Early in 

 May, a piece of rich, light soil is selected, well manured and 

 thoroughly dug, or prepared by deep ploughing and harrowing. 



