116 FAIttt-GAKDENING AND SEED-GROWING. 



the melon is still green, hence this is not a sure test. 

 Others press the melon with the hand, and if ripe the 

 flesh within cracks, which may be known by the sound 

 emitted ; but this is injurious to the fruit, and hence 

 objectionable. The surest and safest test is by sight, 

 feeling, and sounding, which, however, requires some 

 practice and experience to enable one to judge unmis- 

 takably. When ripe, the color of the skin is duller than 

 when growing, -the rind or outer flesh is spongy when 

 growing, but firm when mature, and there is a peculiar 

 sound created within the ripe fruit when smartly 

 " snapped " by the middle finger which can not be 

 described, but with which the ear soon becomes familiar 

 by practice. 



Therefore, the only way to acquire facility in this is 

 to notice the color, compare the feeling and sound between 

 known unripe and supposed ripe fruit, and determine by 

 cutting the latter. But very few trials will give the 

 requisite knowledge, and these may be made on the first 

 melons before enough are ripe to make it an object to 

 market them, and what few may be spoiled will be more 

 than paid for in the knowledge gained, which once 

 acquired can never be forgotten. 



Seed, Those intended for seed can be left until " dead- 

 ripe," and when removed to the barn they will make a 

 good job for a rainy day, when the seeds can be scraped 

 out, placed in barrels, and after fermenting three days be 

 washed out, using No. 2 sieve, and otherwise treated as 

 directed for cucumber-seed. 



Attention should be paid to selecting the best and 

 finest flavored specimens for stock seed. The seed retains 

 its vitality ten years. 



Varieties. The varieties are quite numerous, and many 

 are quite distinct. They easily mix in the blossom, hence 

 the necessity of growing different varieties at long dis- 

 tances from each other, and to avoid growing them near 



