HISTORY AND BOTANY OF THE MELON 5 



lengthwise. The name is derived from Cantalupo, 

 near Rome, a former country seat of the Pope, 

 whither this type of melon was brought from 

 Armenia. 1 In this country, as stated above, the 

 name cantaloupe is often applied to muskmelons in 

 general, no distinction being made between varie- 

 ties, whereas it should only be used in connection 

 with those having a hard, scaly rind. 



Variety Reticulatiis includes the nutmeg or netted 

 melons. Here the rind is more or less soft, netted 

 or sometimes smooth. The Emerald Gem is a good 

 example. 



Variety Flexuosus is the so-called Snake Melon or 

 Snake Cucumber. The fruits are long and slender, 

 variously curved, nearly green when ripe, some- 

 times two and one-half to three feet in length and 

 about three inches in diameter. It is sometimes 

 used by the housewife in making preserves. 



Variety Chito goes by various names: Orange 

 Melon, Mango Melon, Melon Apple, Garden Lemon, 

 Vegetable Orange, etc. It is smaller and more deli- 

 cate in vine than the common muskmelon and, as 

 the name indicates, the fruits are much the shape 

 and size of an orange, yellow in color, without 

 markings, and without the characteristic melon 

 odor. They are used only in making preserves. 



Variety Inodorous includes the winter melons. 

 The leaves are lighter in color and less hairy than 

 the ordinary melon. The fruit is mainly noted for 

 its keeping qualities, as with proper attention it 

 may be kept well into winter. This variety is not 

 very well known in the United States, where there 

 are so many superior varieties, and so its culture is 



1 "Encyclopedia of Horticulture," 



