MUSKMELONS 



77 



Irondequoit. Refs. 6, 15, 29, 37. 53. 54, 58, 64. 75, 95, 

 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 103, 104, 105, 109, 110, 

 112. 115. 121, 123. 128. 129, 133. 140, 141,144. 

 Syns. Famous Indiana, Improved Tip Top, 

 Indiana, Indianapolis Market. Netted Tip Top, 

 New Tip Top, New Tip Top Nutmeg, " Tip 

 Top." 

 The Irondequoit melon was for many years the 

 leading variety grown in Western New York and was 

 first offered in the 1889 catalog of James Vick, seedsman, 

 Rochester, New York. The melon had its origin in the 

 field of a prominent gardener at Irondequoit, who brought 

 his melons to the Rochester market. They were observed 

 by Mr. Vick who secured seed and after testing for a 

 few years deemed it worthy of introduction. Some con- 

 sider it an enlarged Miller's Cream, but it seems more 

 nearly like the melons in the Surprise group. 



This is a midseason variety maturing 4-6 days 

 earlier than Hale*s Best, in season with Bender's Surprise, 

 and about a week later than Delicious. It most 

 resembles Bender's Surprise but differs from that variety 

 in being more globular in shape, in having lighter and 

 more finely interlaced netting, paler yellow skin color, 

 much smaller blossom scar, a greater susceptibility to 

 cracking and consequently poorer keeping qualities. 



Plant vigorous; vines moderately coarse and heavy, branches 

 many. 



Fruit moderately large. 6' £-7 x 6 1 j inches, often larger, weight 

 5-6 pounds, often more. Shape globular; base full, slightly flattened; 

 apex even, somewhat susceptible to cracking, blossom scar small, 

 not very conspicuous; ribs moderately prominent, 1 '■■-2 inches 

 broad at the medial: furrows medium deep, medium broad and 

 smooth. Netting moderately abundant, rather finely interlaced; 

 cork medium light, distributed rather uniformly over the ribs; 

 interstices shallow. Skin color pale yellowish cream. Flesh orange, 

 moderately thick, 1 J —l S i inches; texture rather coarse and slightly 

 fibrous, soft and juicy: sweet and fair flavor, pleasantly aromatic; 

 quality very good. Cavity moderately large, 3 x 3 ' 2 inches, 

 circular in cross-section. Rind thick, ! j inch, rather weak and 

 moderately tender. 



Jenny Lind. Refs. 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 15, 22, 23, 25, 26, 29, 

 39, 44, 45, 46, 47, 49, 53, 58, 63, 75, 83, 89, 90, 91, 

 95, 96, 98, 99, 100, 101, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 

 109, 110, 125, 127, 128, 129, 133, 136, 140, 144, 146. 

 Syns. Dreamwold, Dwarf, Earliest Ripe, Early 

 Honeysweet, Early Jenny, Early Jenny Lind, 

 Eighty-eight, Extra Early Jenny Lind, Extra 

 Early Prize Jenny Lind, Extra Early Wonder, 

 Flat Jenny Lind, Improved Early Jenny Lind, 

 Improved Jenny, Improved Jenny Lind, Improved 

 Shipper's Delight, Jenny, Jenny Lind Citron, 

 Jersey Belle, Jersey Button, Large Jenny Lind, 

 Norfolk Button, Prize Jenny Lind, Roberts, 

 Round Jenny Lind, Shipper's Delight, Shipper's 

 Pride. Small Jenny Lind, True Jenny Lind. 

 According to Dr. Robert P. Harris of Philadelphia, 

 " The Center melon known on the markets of Phila- 

 delphia previous to 1840 was supposedly the progenitor 

 of the Jenny Lind named about 1846." The original 

 stock of the variety is thought to have come from Armenia 

 where green-fleshed sorts of this type are common. For 

 fifty years Jenny Lind was one of the leading early green- 



fleshed melons suitable for the home garden and for the 

 nearby market. There was the same progressive change 

 in type of the Jenny Lind as we find later in the com- 

 mercially important shipping melons grown in the west. 

 There were many named selections from this variety, 

 one of the most important being Shipper's Delight 

 introduced in 1897 by Johnson 8s Stokes. One char- 

 acteristic of the fruit was the striking appearance of the 

 blossom end which in some selections appeared as a small 

 knob. Norfolk Button and Jersey Button were sub- 

 varieties exemplitying this character. 



This is an early variety maturing 4-6 days earlier 

 than Delicious, in season with Early Prolific Nutmeg 

 and about a week later than Early Green Citron. The 

 variety is similar in shape to Fordhook, and is much more 

 oblate than Early Green Citron and Early Prolific 

 Nutmeg. The netting and degree of ribbing is much 

 like that of Early Green Citron while the flesh is brighter 

 green and contains much less yellow. 



Plant moderately weak; vines slender; branches medium in 

 number. 



Fruit small, 4-4 ' j x 5-6 inches; weight 1 1 4 — 1 3 j pounds. 

 Shape oblate, base and apex flattened and full; blossom scar con- 

 spicuous, often with rather prominent navel; ribs slightly prominent, 

 1-1 j 4 inches broad at the medial, furrows moderately narrow, rather 

 shallow and smooth. Netting moderately sparse, rather coarsely 

 interlaced; cork medium light, unevenly distributed over the ribs; 

 interstices medium deep. Skin color dull brownish orange, profusely 

 mottled with green. Flesh light green, moderately thin, 3 4 -l inch: 

 texture slightly coarse and fibrous, soft and juicy; sweet, mildly 

 flavored and lacking in aroma; quality fair to moderately good. 

 Cavity small, 2' 4 x 2 ] > inches, circular in cross-section. Rind 

 thin, } i inch, weak and tender. 



Kinsman Queen. Refs. 29, 53, 97, 99, 100, 133, 136, 

 140. 



The Joseph Harris Company, Moreton Farm, 

 Cold water, New York, introduced this variety in 1898 as 

 a new melon of considerable merit coming from a cross 

 between Emerald Gem and another variety of large 

 size. According to the catalog of L. Templin 8s Sons, 

 Calla, Ohio, it was originated by F. Banning of Kinsman, 

 Ohio. By some it was called a yellow fleshed White 

 Japan. An excellent illustration in the 1898 Harris 

 catalog shows the fruits rather deeply ribbed and flattened 

 at both ends. 



This was a moderately late variety maturing about 

 a week after Surprise and 4-6 days earlier than Giant. 

 It resembled Giant more than any other sort, although 

 many fruits were as irregularly ribbed as Surprise. It 

 was considerably smaller than Giant and had a darker 

 gray-green skin color. The flesh was more yellow than 

 that of Surprise but much the same in texture. 



Fruit medium large, 5'_>-6 x 6'j-7 inches; weight 3-3 ' 2 

 pounds. Shape somewhat oblate, flattened at the ends, blossom 

 scar large and conspicuous; ribs prominent, irregular in size; furrows 

 broad, usually rather deep, smooth. Netting practically absent, 

 occasionally slightly streaked in patches: cork very light and very 

 unevenly distributed. Skin color grayish green, becoming deep 

 yellowish cream at full maturity. Flesh deep yellow, medium 

 thick. 1 ' 4 1 ' 2 inches: texture medium fine, very slightly fibrous, 

 soft and juicy; sweet, fair flavor and mildly aromatic; quality good. 

 Cavity medium large, 2 ' j-3 x 3-3 ' 2 inches, circular in cross-section. 

 Rind medium thick, ' , inch, rather soft and tender. 



