STOKES SEED FARMS COMPANY 



MOORESTOWN NEW JERSEY 



Watermelon 



(Citrullus Vulgaris) 



HARRIS' EARLIEST (x 1/5) 

 grown by the late Aaron Paul waa sold as Paul's Earliest. 

 Pkt. 5ff, oz. lOi, }i lb. 30i, lb. $1.00. 



History — This vegetable is a native of Africa, and has been 

 known from a verj^ remote period. It thrives wonderfully well 

 around the warm shores of the Mediterranean. However, there is 

 probably no country in which it is more p)opular than America. 

 With us the melon-growing industry has reached enormous propor- 

 tions. The ancients classed muskmelons, watermelons and all others 

 of this famUj' under the name of melon, and for this reason we do 

 not have many of the ancient references to the more modem name 

 watermelon as we do to most of the other vegetables which have been 

 under cultivation for fifty centuries. The watermelon is very easily 

 hj'bridized, and for this reason there are a great many varying sorts. 

 American varieties have mostly developed in New Jersey, Georgia 

 and Florida. 



No. 600. Harris' Earliest. Days to MATtFRiTY, 100. This 

 melon was introduced about 1900. The fruits are quite large for a 

 variety maturing so early. They are oval in shape with irregular, 

 mottled stripes of hght and dark green. The quahty of the flesh is 

 excellent and recommends itself as a home garden sort. It is espe- 

 cially suited to culture in the more northerly latitudes. This type 

 of melon is sometimes sold under the name of Cole's Early, which is 

 a smaller melon and is not of value. For a number of j^ears a melon 

 The name, Harris' EarUest, however, we beUeve to be standard. Seed black. 



No. 604. Dark Icing. Days to Maturity, 100. A variety of 

 New Jersey origin, having been grown there prior to 1880. It has a 

 thin rind and, therefore, wiU not be a good shipping variety, but for 

 home garden purposes and for nearby markets it is especially recom- 

 mended. The fruits are oval in shape. The skin is a very dark green 

 and the flesh a deep pink and of excellent quality. 



Pkt. 5i, oz. lOi, U lb. 30ff, lb. Sl.OO. 



No. 606. Halbert Honey. Days to Maturity, 110. A melon of 

 Texas origin, having been offered by Burpee in 1902. Halbert Honey 

 is strongly recommended for general home garden pinrposes. It has a 

 thin rind, which will not stand long distance shipping, but the quality 

 of the flesh surpasses all other varieties with the possible exception of 

 Kleckley Sweet. The fruits wiU run from twenty to twenty-five 

 inches in length. Seed creamy white. 



Pkt. Sji, oz. lOfi, U lb. 30^, lb. .11.00. 



No. 608. Kleckley Sweet or Monte Cristo. Days to Maturity, 

 120. Introduced by Tnunbell & Beebee, San Francisco, Cal., 1898. A D.\RK ICING (x 1, 5) 



melon of thin rind. Its flesh is of the most delicious quahty. It is probably the leading home garden melon at the present time. 

 In 1908 Walter P. Stokes offered a hard-shelled strain of Kleckley, which allowed it to be used for shipping purposes, but we still do 

 not advocate Kleckley for shipment from the South or from Texas, as it will not hold hke the Tom Watson. Melons will average about 

 twenty inches in length and about twelve inches in diameter. The rind is a deep dark green and the flesh a bright scarlet. Highly 



recommended for home consumption. 

 Pkt. 5ji, oz. lOp, H lb. 30^, lb. $1.00. 



No. 602. Peerless or Icecream. Days 

 TO Maturity, 100. Introduced as Peerless 

 by Ferry about 1885. The name Icecream 

 was added later. This is one of the best early 

 sorts for the home garden or for truckers 

 having nearby markets. The rind is rather 

 tender and will not stand long distance ship- 

 ping. The fruits are of medium size, oval 

 but medium long, bright green and veined 

 with a darker shade. The flesh is a bright 

 scarlet, crisp and sweet. Seed white. 

 Pkt. 5!», oz. 10^, 14 lb. 30>!, lb. Jl.OO 



PEERLESS OR ICECREAM u 1/4) 



54 



Read descriptions carefully before ordering watermelon. Some are suited to eat and some to ship 



