^ol. VIII.— No. 35. 



lie Musk Melons are, generally, iiuicli the 

 St, and are of an oblon;^, oval Conn, with 

 lied, protuberant, longitudinal rilis, uliich 

 usually netted ; color yellow ; flesli yellow 

 without much flavor, or aroma, 

 he Cantelopes arc so called, from a place 

 Home, where they have been long cultivated, 

 r form is commotdy roundish, sometimes oval, 

 often flattened at the ends; the external sur- 

 is smooth, warted, ribbed, or more or less net- 

 color grey, yellowish or green ; flesh white, 

 w, orange, or green, and of a delicious flavor, 

 ich perfume. A vast number of kinds are 

 cultivated and are designated by various 

 s, as the Rock, Orange, Scarlet, Golden, 

 n, Cette, Minorca, Citron, Nutmeg, Moroc- 

 ic. &c. 



e Cucurbita Citrullus, or Water Melon,is divi- 

 to three varieties by Duchesne,— the firm, red- 

 ind white fleshed. The first is particularly 

 ;uished, in the south ofFrr.ncc, by the name 

 teijiie, and is eaten oidy in fricasses, or 

 baked with sweet wine. The two latter 



AND HOIITICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



277 



autumn, like liie St Germain and other late pears 

 and became rijie or mature, dming the winter. 

 VV'iili a view of gaining e.\act iiiforjnation, be 

 rode o;it into the country, and went into several 

 farm houses, to ascertain tlie mode of culture and 

 manner of preserving 'hem. He was told that 

 they were cidtivated like other melons, and in the 

 aiitunm suspended in the attic npartments in nets, 

 where it was dry, warm ajid airy ; and was con- 

 ducted into several of the de])ots,where he saw the 

 melons, sound and perfe'-t, and in their various 

 stales of maturity ; some were spread upon the 

 floor. 



There is an extract in the Annnles d' Horlicnl- 

 tnrt', from a conmiunication i)ublished in the An- 

 nalcs De Fromont by M. Sagaret, in which two 

 kinds of Winter Melons are named, — the one 

 Persian and the othqr Maltese, and are thus de- 

 scribed. 



Among the iniprovcmeiit.s which he has intro- 

 <luce<l, is one which has particularly interested 

 us ; it is the simple, yet ingeiiions process em- 

 ployed, in the cultine of this jirecious fruit: it is 

 from the cuttings that M. Dccoufle generally raises 

 all his melons. He finds a great economy in time 

 and in the expense of labor required in bringing 

 forward the plants, and thiidts that they are ear- 

 lier ripe, and subject to fewer accident.s. He has 

 pursued this methoil since 1811, and has experi- 

 enced the most fortunate residts. He also applies 

 it to Cucnmber.s, which he has thus cultivated 

 for about ten years. When his bed has been 

 well prepared, and is at the proper degree of 

 heat, besets 6ut the melon cuttings, at the depth 

 of about four inches ; they are covered with bell 

 or hand glasses, slightly watered, and in seven or 

 eight days they take roof. 



The following fatal circumstance induced M. 



tlicm ; the plants wither, the stems fade and shri- 

 vel, and the fruit changes color; but they are not 



e true Water Melons, so much esteemed, in j then fit to eat : they may be left on the groimd, 



t countries, for their pleasant, cool and ra- 

 ng flesh. They are considered as natives of 

 ast Indies, China and South America, 

 ere are three melons of the Cantelope 

 w'lich I believe are not much, if at all, 

 n in this coimtry, — the Sugar Melon of Cy- 

 the Chinese Melon, and the Winter Melon, 

 the Annales d'Horticidture, is a commuuica- 

 fTolIard'sin which it is state<l, that the Su- 

 lelon of Cyprus, was sent to France, from 

 and, by M. d'Grace about thirty five years 

 but had been only cultivated in the Royal 

 ;), and by a few ani:iteurs,and therefore but 

 no\vn. It is described as delicious ; ' of an 

 brin, yellow on y»ie outside and orange co- 

 within ; the skin thin and furrowed ; weighs 

 three pounds and a half; has a very fra- 

 aroma and surpasses in alimentary qualities 

 St melons ; is nourishing, refreshing and a 

 lim-atic' 



Melon of China is thus described by M. 

 et, a distinguished cultivator of this class of 



ruit long, a little bent, resembling in form 

 ulume our common Cuciunber ; skin smooth, 

 without ridges, of a deep green, which 

 imes assumes the shade of the Reine Claude, 

 3en Gage ; on ripening it acquires a yellow 

 ut without loosing, entirely, its primitive co- 

 When it has reached the period of com- 

 naturity the stem is sometimes redish. At 

 me it exhales a very distinct perfume, nliich 

 iliar to it, and differing from that of all oth- 

 ons; the flesh is of a greenish white, very 

 lelting, sugary, perfumed and has slightly 

 Ivor and odor of the Cucuinljer, especially 

 le skin, which is very thin.' 

 hink the Melon of China is worthy of great 

 on, and that it is a precious acquisition to 

 ulture.' 



I existence of a AVinter Melon was first 

 known to tiie by Com. Bai.nbridge, who 

 that while passing the winter in the har- 

 Port Mahon in the island of ftlinorca, 

 e Mediterranean fleet, under his command, 

 surprisedto see excellent Cantelopes, daily 

 ; market, and presumed they had been 

 under glass; but on inquiry, he found 

 ere a variety, which were gathered in the 



' The most of them attain, during the sum- | Decoufle to try this method. On the first of 

 nier, a kind of maturity, which .3 peculiar to j.j„„e isil, a tremendous hail storm, destroyed 



his plants, fruits and flov^ers and broke all the 

 panes in his green houses and bell-glasses. This 

 scourge, in a few minutes, injured him to the 

 amount of more than 20.000 francs. There re- 

 mained only broken bell glasses, and pciccs of 

 flower-pots. In this grievous situation the father 

 of a numerous family 'did not lose his fortitude; 

 he procured melon cuttings, among his mutilated' 

 vines, which he covered with the broken hand- 

 glasses, that weie scattered over his establish- 

 ment ; and in seven or eight days he had the hap- 

 piness to sec,that they had taken root, and on the 

 fifteentli of August, or in about two months after, 

 all his melons had come to maturitv. 



or if it is rainy and too hot, be put under cover; 

 in the latter case, it is necessary that they should 

 be placed in a dry and airy situation, until the 

 weather becomes cool, when they niiict be renio- 

 veil to one that is dry and warm, for the winter. 

 I have preserved them until spring. Their jier- 

 fect maturity is manifested by a new change of 

 color, their mellowness, and the perfume they ex- 

 hale ; but this fragrance is not perceptible, unless 

 thfy are exposed to a mild temperature.' 



The following is M. Sagaret's mode of cultiva- 

 ting all the varieties of melons. 



' To practice this culture successfully, it is 

 necessary to select a rather dry and warm, than 

 a cold and humid soil, having an inclination to 

 the south and protected as much as possible on 

 the north. Pretty deep trenches tnust be made 

 and jiartly filled with good hot manure, upon 

 which is spread six or eight inches of rich loam. 

 The seeds should be sown on these beds early 

 in May, but after the plants appear they must be 

 carefully watched and protecte<l from frosts by bell 

 gjasses. When tliey have developed four or five 

 leaves it is time to commence pinching, or pru- 

 ning them, which should be rejieated on the se- 

 condary branches to cause the vines to fruit.' 



Measures have been taken, to procure the seeds 

 of the above named new varieties of melons, for 

 distribution, among the members of the Massa- 

 chusetts Horticultural Society. 

 With sin(!ere esteem. 



Your most obedient servant, 



Brinlaj Plnre, > H. A. -S. DEARBORN. 

 March, 1830. \ 



EXTRACT -NO. VIIl. 



From the ' Annales D'llorticulturc. 

 In a very interesting Report, made by Vicomte 

 De Buouaire De Grif, on the celebrated market, 

 and flower garden of M. Decoufle, situated in 

 Paris, is the following account of his mode of cul- 

 tivating melons. 



EXTRACT NO. IX. 



From the Annales D' Horticulture. 

 .Vcic Melon Beds, by M. Fontaine. ' I have 

 tlie honor of communicutiiig a description of a 

 Melon Bed, which I have used fiir five year.a, and 

 from which I have obtained the most satisfactory 

 results. 



' 111 November or December, I collect in the 

 woods, leaves of all kinds, except .those of the 

 beech, according to the size of the bed which I 

 intend to form. These are heaped up in an ob- 

 long slack, sloping each way, to prevent the rain 

 from entering into the interior, which would rot 

 and cause them to lose, by this decomposition, a 

 part of their heat. 



' Towanls the commencement of April, if the 

 earth is dry I open a trench, three and a half feet 

 wide and of the length reipiired. I dig out the 

 earth, eight inches in depth and throw it on each 

 side, taking care to tread it down upon the bor- 

 ders, to prevent it from tumbling into the trench ; 

 by this means i obtain a depth of sixteen inches, 

 which I fill with the leaves, being |)articular in 

 spreading them, as equally as possible, and eleva- 

 ting the middle, so that they shall slope on 

 each side. My bed being thus formed, I excavate 

 with the hand, holes three feet apart, six inches 

 deep, and about as many in diameter, which I fill 

 vvitli earth. In these I transplant my melons, 

 which had been sown before, in hotbeds, for this 

 purpose. The |>lantation being thus completed, I 

 The cultivation of Melons, which, for a long prune my melons, in about a fortnight, or sooner 

 time has been an object of so much observation, Lr later according to their size, and eight days af- 

 has claimed the most assiduous attention nf M. i ter, I cover the bed, entirely, with tiles, side by 

 Decoufle ; he appears to have made it his special side, leaving only a space for the stocks of the 

 study. He has devoted about an acre to this til- j plants. After this nothing more is required, than 

 lage. to piucb ofl ths ends of the vines, cr to prune out 



