102 Southern Gardener^s Practical Manual 



sold on the local market realized $500 per acre after 

 supplying a large family for forty -five days. In 1894, 

 half the stock of seed planted on a commercial scale in 

 March was killed by a severe freeze on the 20th. The 

 other half was then planted and, after the plants were in 

 bloom, a heavy frost on May 19 destroyed the entire 

 crop. Thus I lost stock of seed that could not have been 

 bought at ten dollars per pound. The red or yellow-fleshed 

 varieties never have the true characteristic cantaloupe 

 flavor, though sweet and palatable. I plant only the 

 green-fleshed varieties. Cantaloupes for home use should 

 be gathered early in the morning and stored in a cool 

 place to mellow — usually for twenty -four hours. They 

 should not remain on the vines until yellow, but should 

 be plucked as soon as the stem will separate readily from 

 the melon under slight pressure to one side. Maturity 

 is usually indicated by a slight exudation of juice 

 around the base of the stem. If gathered too early, they 

 wilt and toughen before mellowing. If allowed to ripen 

 on the vine, they lose in flavor. 



Cantaloupes bear the male and female organs of repro- 

 duction in different flowers, and cross readily if different 

 varieties are planted near each other and hybridize with 

 other species of the melon family. This is especially true 

 of the cucumber. In 1880, I planted four rows with 

 seed of a supposed new and superior variety bought 

 for distribution by the Georgia State Department of 

 Agriculture. These were planted in a two -acre patch of 

 my selected seed. Some vines produced cucumbers, but 

 a large majority were true hybrids and no more fit to be 

 eaten than green gourds. Of course, no seed could be 



