()6 MELON CULTURE 



South, as it is of convenient size to ship well, and is early 

 in maturing. Many of the large growers look to Rocky 

 Ford, Colorado, for their seed each season, and in this 

 way are able to keep up the standard of excellence which 

 is found in this variety, for it is a well-known fact that 

 different soils and climate, together with the different 

 methods of cultivation, will often affect, not only the qual- 

 ity, but the general type of melon produced. The Rocky 

 Ford is an improved type of the Netted Gem, and when 

 well grown is very sweet and fine flavored, scarcely ex- 

 celled by any variety grown in its territory. 



Rose Gem. Said to be an improvement on the Netted Gem. 



Skillman's Netted. Fruits are oval in shape; ripens early; 

 green flesh ; sweet, with a rich perfume. 



Spicy. This is one of the larger new sorts, sometimes meas- 

 uring 9 or 10 inches in length and two-thirds as wide. 

 The fruit is very solid, with a small seed cavity ; flesh very 

 thick and of a rich salmon color, with a fine flavor. The 

 surface is smooth, except a slight netting, becoming a gray- 

 ish yellow as it approaches maturity. 



Strawberry A very nice, red-fleshed variety, with a sweet 

 strawberry flavor, weighing from six to eight pounds. 



Surprise. Fruits oblong in shape, with a rich orange flesh of 

 good quality. Ripens early. 



Sweet Air. A comparatively new variety, grown to some ex- 

 tent in Virginia. 



Syracuse. This is one of the larger melons, with good quality. 

 The surface is grayish green, with a light-green flesh. Also 

 somewhat local in character. 



Texas Cannonball. So named because of its round shape. It 

 is handsomely netted, with a green flesh, and is said to be 

 very prolific under good cultivation. 



The Grand. This is a popular variety in the middle West, 

 where it is grown quite extensively. It is too large for 

 packing in baskets or crates, and so is usually shipped in 

 bulk like watermelons. The fruit is nearly round, some- 

 what flattened at the ends, strongly ribbed, and slightly 

 netted. Flesh yellow, sweet and juicy, of high quality. 



White Japan. An early variety, with a white skin and light- 

 green flesh ; belongs in the novelty class. 



ENGLISH FRAME VARIETIES 



Grown in frames or hothouses, both in Europe and America. 

 Blenheim Orange Lord Beaconsfield 



Eclipse Red-fleshed Fresco tt 



Royal Favorite 



