Emerald Gem is unequaled. Dark green skin, not netted; salmon flesh. Ripens close to the skin leaving almost no rind 
The Vital Points of Melon Culture—By E. D. Darlington, 2%, 
SWEET, AROMATIC MUSKMELONS CAN BE RAISED IN THE HOME GARDEN, EVEN IN THE COLDER SECTIONS 
IF THE RIGHT VARIETIES ARE SELECTED AND THE SOIL PROPERLY PREPARED —HOW TO TELL A GOOD ONE 
ee it is a generally accepted 
idea that muskmelons can be grown 
only on warm, sandy soils, I will show you 
how fruits of the finest quality can be raised 
under quite different conditions in your own 
garden. A little extra care in the prepara- 
tions for planting and a proper selection 
of varieties will accomplish wonders. 
The melons offered in our markets during 
the summer months and which have been 
grown on the warm, sandy soil of the coast 
line are notoriously poor in quality and 
deficient in flavor, contrasting strongly 
with the fine flavored and aromatic fruits 
which come from the Far West and from 
cooler locations in September. This lack 
of flavor is due partly to the planting of 
hardy, extra early sorts, and partly to the 
efforts made to get them to market at the 
earliest possible date. I have eaten much 
finer melons in Northern New York than 
any I have ever found on the warm, sandy 
soils of South Jersey or the Delaware Penin- 
sula. But a melon ripened on the vine and 
eaten where it is grown, is very much superior 
even on these warm, light soils to anything 
you can find in the city markets. 
As a general rule the green-fleshed sorts are 
firmer in flesh than those having the salmon 
or orange-colored meat. Therefore choose 
green-fleshed sorts for warm, light soils. 
On the other hand, the salmon or orange 
fleshed sorts are much richer in flavor and 
aroma. These quickly become over-ripe, 
soft and mushy when grown on warm soils, 
but are very near perfection in muskmelons 
when grown in a cool location. There is 
an exception to this rule in the variety Ford- 
hook Salmon-fleshed, which originated in 
southern New Jersey, and resists heat, has 
firm skin and flesh and the spicy flavor 
of Emerald Gem. I have seen a fully 
ripened fruit thrown on the ground from a 
height of five feet without breaking open. 
The quality of the melon on the table 
depends largely on the good judgment of 
the person gathering the fruits. Experi- 
ence, after all, is the best teacher, but the 
knowledge is easily acquired. Many vari- 
eties become heavily netted and change 
color slightly as they ripen, but the novice 
must be guided chiefly by the stem where 
the fruit joins the vine, for as the melon 
begins to ripen the fruit cracks away from 
the stem and quite frequently there is a 
drop or two of reddish juice exuded at the 
edge of this crack. If a fruit is suspected 
of ripeness give it a gentle pull or twist, 
and if ripe it will separate readily from the 
stem; but if still firmly attached it is too 
green for use. A melon which has to be 
cut from the vine and which has a portion 
of the stem attached (as in the early ship- 
ments from the South) can never be ripened 
into a palatable fruit. 
After the fruits have been gathered from 
the vine, the best test for the critical stage 
of ripeness and flavor is the sense of smell, 
as the aroma given off by a properly ripened 
melon is a sure indication of its flavor; con- 
versely no aroma means no flavor. 
In warm sections or hot weather gather the 
fruits as soon as they will separate from the 
vine and finish the ripening by storing 
them in a cool, well aired room away from 
the sun; in cool weather let them remain 
on the vine until fully ripened. 
The difference of flavor between first- 
222 
class melons is not so very great provided 
well-grown and perfectly ripened specimens 
of each are compared. There are, however, 
marked differences in season. The very 
earliest of all is the orange-fleshed Emerald 
Gem, and it also has the advantage of being 
the finest flavored. Netted Gem (or Rocky 
Ford as it is sometimes called) is the 
earliest of the green-fleshed melons, maturing 
perhaps about a week later. Jenny Lind, 
(green-fleshed) is earlier than Netted Gem, 
but is not otherwise so good, being smaller 
and not quite so highly flavored. 
As the season advances there are several 
varieties which may be selected according 
to one’s fancy, and their respective merits 
may be easily grasped by a study of the 
table herewith. 
The earliest varieties are a week to ten 
days earlier than the mid-season sorts and a 
like period elapses between the mid-season 
and late varieties. That is, from plantings 
made at the same time, the ripening of the 
first and latest fruits would be from two to 
three weeks apart under average conditions. 
The small-fruited, early sorts will ripen off 
the whole crop more quickly than stronger- 
growing, later sorts, where the vines are not 
cut off by blight. The average time from 
planting is about three months. 
Melons do best on a soil well drained, 
but containing a good supply of decayed 
vegetable matter or humus. A warm, sunny 
slope or southern exposure is preferable, but 
not essential, if other conditions are favorable. 
Excellent melons can be grown on a sloping 
hillside, no matter what the exposure; but 
the crop will be earlier with the greater 
amount of sunshine. Low, wet ground 
