NETTED GEM OR ROCKY FORD (x 3/5) 



HISTORY — A native of Southern Asia, cultivated from a very remote 

 period of antiquity, perhaps having come from the oblong fruit of the 

 Persian melon, the date of its first culture being unknown. It is con- 

 sidered to be as old as any of the alimentary vegetables. That the 

 Egyptians knew and grew melons seems to be well established by certain 

 well-known verses in the eleventh chapter of tJie Book of Numbers of the 

 Bible. The Romans and Greeks were familiar with it in its cultured 

 form, as it appears to have been brought from Persia at least before the 

 first century. Pliny speaks of it at length, describing tfie difficulties of 

 obtaining ?nelons for the Emperor Tiberius all months of the year. 

 There are many and various classes of melons, one of the oldest and best 

 being the cantalouppi, which, according to M. Jacquin, derives its name 

 from Cantaloupe, a seat belonging to the Pope near Rome, where this 

 sort, brought from Armenia by the missionaries, was first cultivated. 

 De Serries and Gerard describe melons in their respective countries in 

 the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Although perhaps grown at 

 their best in Egypt and in the warm sunshine of the Orient, they are 

 now known tlie world over. American varieties have developed rapidly 

 in the past forty years, New Jersey, Michigan, and Colorado perhaps 

 ■offering more new varieties of merit than any other states. 



No. 514 — Netted Gem or Rocky Ford (Green) 



Days to Maturity, 95. Offered by Burpee in 1881 under the name 

 of Netted Gem. There are a number of distinct strains of the 

 Netted Gem type offered under such names as Watter's Sohd Net, 

 Eden Gem, Netted Rock, Rust-resistant Rocky Ford, etc., etc. 

 This melon has now become the standard shipping variety for the 

 United States, thousands of cars annually being filled either with 

 Netted Gem or with varieties which have been selected from or 

 hybridized with the old original. In 1895 Mr. William S. Ross of 

 Alma, Illinois, started an industry in his district which within 

 fifteen years developed into one of considerable importance. In 

 1900 two hundred and fifty-three carloads were shipped from there. 

 To Dr. W. W. Tracy, now of the Department of Argiculture, the 

 credit belongs for having really established the industry in the now 

 world-famous Rocky Ford district in Colorado. Because of the 

 vast proportions which the industry assumed within a few years, 

 the name Rocky Ford Cantaloupe in some districts superseded 

 the original name Netted Gem. It is, therefore, offered in the 

 double form at present. In 1905 the Imperial Valley of Southern 

 California came into prominence as a melon growing region, this 

 through the introduction of irrigation water. In the- year 1914 

 alone 4,446 carloads of melons were shipped from the Imperial 

 Valley, the warm climate making it possible to commence 

 shipments as early as May. This does not conflict in any way 

 with the season of the Rocky Ford growers, which is much later. 



The stock of Netted Gem or Rocky Ford which we offer is the 

 result of several years' experimental work, leading toward a type 

 which was completely netted, the cross sectors having been entirely 

 eliminated. The flesh is light green, the seed cavity small and 

 the quality superb. Rust-resistance has also been a factor in the 

 selection of our stock and it will be found to be as near blight-proof 

 as is possible. It is the standard crating melon, ru nnin g from forty- 

 five to thirty-six to the crate. For growers whose markets demand 

 a green-fleshed crating melon this variety is highly recommended. 

 Pkt. 10c, oz. 25c, M lb. 75c, 1 lb. $2.00, postpaid. 



No. 516 — Montreal Market (Green) 



Dats to Maturity, 110. This is the largest green-fleshed melon 

 under cultivation. It is quite well netted, very shallow ribbed and 

 in all general appearances highly attractive. It is grown profitably 

 near Montreal, P. Q., under a most interesting method. The seed 

 is sown in green-houses or hot beds and the plants are later set in 

 sash-covered frames which offer appropriate shelter until the crop 

 is nearly grown, glass being removed as the temperature allows and 

 the fruit then develops in the open. Montreal Market Melons 

 are shipped in large wicker baskets, holding one dozen each and 

 commanding high prices on some of the eastern markets. This 

 method of melon growing might be tried with success on the Honey 

 Dew, which scarcely ever develops to maturity in the latitude of 

 New Jersey. See special suggestions under that variety. Pkt. 10c, 

 oz. 25c, M lb. 75c, 1 lb. $2.00, postpaid. 



No. 522— Salmon-Tinted Pollock No. 25 



Days to Maturity, 95. As noted above the Netted Gem was the 

 original variety used to develop the Rocky Ford Cantaloupe in- 

 dustry. From this variety, as also noted, there have been a number 

 of important types developed by selection and by hybridization. 

 This includes the Pollock which has been renamed the Eden Gem, 

 Netted Rock, Rust-Resistant, Rocky Ford, etc. From the original 

 Pollock, which was the result of hybridization, there ran two funda- 

 mental colors, green and salmon-tinted, with their various com- 

 binations. By individual plant selection on the part of the Rocky 

 Ford Cantaloupe Seed Breeders' Association, offered about 1909, 

 the Salmon-Tinted strain has been well isolated and the stock 

 that we offer will be found uniform, well netted and almost solidly 

 salmon-fleshed. The flavor is distinctly better than the green- 

 fleshed type. The stock has been also selected for disease resistance. 

 Melons will average four and three-quarter inches in length by three 

 and one-quarter in breadth. They will mature one week after the 

 earliest varieties. As a shipping sort our stock is highly recom- 

 mended. Pkt. 10c, oz. 25c, y± lb. 75c, 1 lb. $2.00, postpaid. 



42 



The tables on page 3 should be of special value in making variety selections of melons 



