1935 SPRING AND FALL ^ THE HOUSE OF GURNEY, INC. ^ YANKTON, SOUTH DAKOTA 
WATERMELONS (Continued) 
Earliest and Sweetest 
Almost as far back as I can remember we have 
urged everyone to plant Cole’s Early for the 
earliest watermelons, but the earliest and sweet¬ 
est, a cross of Mountain Sweet and Cole’s Early, 
combining the best qualities of both, is nearly 
one week earlier than Cole’s Early, three to five 
pounds heavier, does not break as easily when 
handled, and the facts are that when the two 
melons ripening together are placed before you, 
you will always eat the earliest and sweetest. 
The average weight of this melon would prob¬ 
ably be from 12 to 15 lbs., flesh scarlet, very fine 
grained, and the flavor is delicious. The seeds 
are white. Vines producing wonderful crops, 
often producing eight to twelve melons to the 
vine. We wish to say to our Northern customers 
that this Earliest and Sweetest melon is the one 
they should plant. There is but little use in 
planting the large late varieties in your locality. 
They are only a disappointment, nearly ripe 
when the frost comes. You will always get under 
the wire with the Earliest and the Sweetest. 
Pkt., 7c; 1 oz., 15c; 'A lb., 30c; 1 lb., 85c; 5 
lbs., $3.50. 
Fordhook Early 
Without a rival. This is the earliest large- 
fruited melon in cultivation. We secured a good 
number of fine large melons before any other 
varieties ripened, with the exception only of the 
small Cole’s Early. These fruits are of good size, 
rather short and blocky in form, with large 
diameter; skin dark green, occasionally with 
faint stripes of lighter green; flesh bright red, 
crisp, sweet, and of splendid quality; rind quite 
thin, but skin tough; makes an excellent ship¬ 
ping variety. Pkt., 5c; oz., 10c; ] A lb., 25c; 
1 lb., 75c; 5 lbs., $3.10. 
Round Light Icing 
Fruit medium sized, nearly round, greenish 
white, slightly veined or dotted with light green. 
The flesh is light red, sweet and crisp, seed white. 
A very early melon producing remarkable crops. 
1 advised that it was too late to plant any water¬ 
melon, but he insisted on planting and I recom¬ 
mended some earlier varieties; but he still insisted 
on Round Light Icing, and he marketed from that 
field dozens of carloads about as early as the 
earliest varieties, and received top prices for 
them. Pkt., 5c; 1 oz., 10c; 14 lb., 25c; Vi lb., 
40c; 1 lb., 75c; 5 lbs., $3.10. 
Wilt Resistant Watermelon 
Pride of Muscatine 
This is an improved strain of Kleckley’s 
Sweet, developed by the Iowa Agricultural 
College at Ames. 
It is bred to resist melon wilt and is the only 
melon that can be raised in many parts of Iowa, 
Wisconsin and Illinois where wilt is prevalent. 
The Pride of Muscatine is a better shipper 
than the regular strain of Kleckley's Sweet, as 
it has a thicker rind and market gardeners 
who haul melons long distances should plant 
this variety. 
Pkt., 7c; oz., 15c; A lb., 35c; !4 lb., 60c; 1 
lb., $1.00; 5 lbs., $4.50. 
Red Seeded Hutchinson 
This is the best of the new watermelons 
developed in the last few years. Large, nearly 
round, light green with dark green stripes. A 
load of them make a very attractive appearance. 
I like watermelon and eat lots of them and this 
year Red Seeded Hutchinson is at the head of 
the list for size, appearance, and quality. They 
have been toward the end of the summer about 
the only melons on the market in the Middle 
West, and certainly the quality is hard to 
improve on. Pkt., 8c; oz., 20c; !4 lb., 60c; 
1 lb., $1.75. 
Special List of Profitable 
Watermelons for 
Market Gardens 
This list is selected to cover, as nearly as 
possible, yield, season, quality and ability to 
stand shipping or rough usage. 
Make this the most profitable acre on 
your farm. This selection of varieties will do 
it. Don Gurney. 
Collection No. 61, Enough Seed for 1 Acre 
1 lb. Fordhook Early.$0.75 
J4 lb. Kleckley’s Sweet.25 
14 lb. Earliest and Sweetest. .30 
% lb. Mastodon.65 
y 2 lb. Round Light Icing.40 
V 2 lb. Winter.55 
!4 lb. Gurney’s New Scarlet Wonder .25 
Total. $3.15 
BARGAIN PRICE.$2.65 
James Blakey says: All watermelons are 
flood but winter watermelons are the best. 
Winter Watermelon 
Yankton, S. D., has the best equipped State 
Hospital, takes better care of its patients, and 
cures more than any other in the United States. 
This is a broad statement, but I believe it is 
true. It is equipped with theatre, dance hall, 
ball ground, tennis court. You wonder what 
this has to do with winter watermelons. I am 
just coming to that. I have been on the grounds 
of the Hospital for the Insane at Yankton a 
number of times, and it was not unusual to see 
hundreds of the patients on these beautiful 
grounds among the trees and on the lawn, each 
patient, if they wanted it, eating watermelon. 
Their garden covers about thirty acres, and 
they had thousands of the winter watermelons. 
It is not only good at time of maturity of the 
ordinary melon, but can be harvested and kept 
well up to Christmas time. It is medium-sized, 
almost clear white rind, the brightest red flesh 
and small black seeds, very firm and very tough 
rind. These should be harvested when ripe, not 
overripe, placed in a cool dry cellar; or place 
them in the open in straw, seeing that the melons 
do not touch each other and covering all of 
them with sufficient straw to keep from freezing. 
Take them out as wanted and you will be well 
repaid. Pkt., 7c; oz., I5c; 14 lb., 30c; 1 lb., 
$1.00; 5 lbs., $4.20. 
Kleckley Sweet 
Or Monte Christo—Vines are strong-grow¬ 
ing, producing uniformly large-sized melons. The 
fruits are oblong. The skin is dark green. Flesh 
is bright scarlet and ripens to within one-half 
inch of the rind. The quality is very rich and 
sweet, hence its name. For the home market or 
family garden it is decidedly one of the best. 
Pkt., 5c; oz., 10c; !4 lb., 25c; 1 lb., 75c; 5 lbs., 
$3.10. 
Golden Honey Sweet 
The only desirable yellow meated melon, and 
for home use the best of all melons. Very thin 
rind, golden yellow flesh, so remarkably sweet 
and tender that they will be chosen above all 
other melons for home, not shipping purposes. 
Pkt., 7c; oz., 15c; ^4 lh., 30c; j/ 2 lb., 50c; 
1 lb., 85c. 
Tom Watson 
The Tom Watson is one of the very best ship¬ 
pers of the long melons, and one of the best 
quality. The melons will grow to a length of 
about two feet, and about one foot in diameter. 
The rind is a hard mottled green, thin, but tough 
enough to endure shipping to any distant mark¬ 
et. Of the long shaped melons it is the best 
shipper of any. The flesh is deep red and comes 
very close to the rind. We consider this for qual¬ 
ity equal to any of the melons, and it sells readily 
on the market when there is no demand for 
others. Pkt., 5c; oz., 10c; !4 lb., 25c; 1 lb., 
75c; 5 lbs., $3.10. 
Klondike Watermelon 
For genuine merit the Klondike is surpassed 
by no other kind. Deep red flesh, dark green 
rind. Very early. A long medium size melon 
suitable for the home garden or for moderate 
distance shipping. Small seeds, mixed black and 
white. When it is better known, the Klondike 
will take the place of many of the early melons, 
on account of its high quality and good appear¬ 
ance. Pkt., 7c; oz., 15c; 'A lb., 30c; 1 lb., 90c; 
5 lbs., $3.50. 
Corporal Gurney 
We offered this seven years ago, and, with the 
exception of a very few reports, it has proven 
one of the very best melons of the entire list. Its 
large size, extremely tough rind and excellent 
quality have made it a desirable market melon. 
We are offering it again with the assurance that 
this is the coming melon for the market, at least 
for that part of the country where they are 
grown in large quantities for the market. 
We have called this “Corporal Gurney” be¬ 
cause the first ripe melon was picked on the day 
he was appointed corporal. Later became ser¬ 
geant, but the melon remained "Corporal” al¬ 
though it is absolutely “General" in quality. It 
is an oblong melon, shorter and much thicker 
through than the Tom Watson and Kleckley. 
In color it is a very pleasing gray, or a very light 
green. The rind is extremely hard, making it 
best of all melons for shipping purposes. It can 
be shipped across the United States and back 
again, and be equal to any freshly picked melon. 
The quality never has been surpassed and prob¬ 
ably never will be. The rind is thin, but strong 
enough so that the heaviest man can stand on it 
without injuring it. I have rolled these melons 
off from an ordinary table to the floor without 
cracking the rind or bruising the flesh. This 
melon is not as early as the earliest, but will be 
classed as a medium early melon. Plant one 
packet of Corporal Gurney for a real melon 
patch. Pkt., 8c; oz., 15c; 'A lb., 30c; 1 lb., 
90c; 5 lbs., $3.50. 
$300.00 Income from One Acre of Watermelons Is Not Unusual 
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