NOS. 326-330 S. MAIN ST., LOS ANGELES. 
3 
Field Seed Novelties. 
TSAMA OR KHAMA MELON 
New Stock Melon from South Africa. 
^"See colored illustration on fourth page of cover. 
A species of water melon from the desert regions of South Africa; of no use as an edible melon but for 
stock feed invaluable. The melons are small, round, of a dull green color, heavily mottled with light 
yellowish green and covered with small hairs. The fruits though small are produced in immense 
Product of One Vine of Pie Melon. Product of One Vine of Tsama Melon. 
quantities, the vines being literally covered with them and on poor dry land will double the weight per 
acre produced by the Pie melon, on the same land. As it will grow on poor dry soils it should be of 
great value for planting for raising stock feed in the dry regions of the Southwest. The University of 
California Agricultural Experiment Station at Berkeley in a recent Seed Bulletin speaks of this melon as 
follows: 
w African Stock-Melon. — This is the Tsama, or Khama melon, a native of the South African Karoo. 
Seed was sent out by the Division of Botany, United States Department of Agriculture, several years 
ago. It promises to be very useful as a field or stock melon, yielding much better per acre than the 
well-known "Kansas Pie Melon.” As grown at the substation near Pomona, last season, on poor, sandy, 
unirrigated land, it yielded a trifle over nineteen tons to the acre as against ten tons per acre produced 
by the pie melon. The results of three years’ tests in dry seasons, showed the superiority of the Tsama 
and have attracted attention in Arizona and New Mexico. The melons are small, round, hairy and not 
attractive, but are greedily eaten by stock.” 
The accompanying cut is reproduced from a photograph sent us by Mr. J. W. Mills in charge of Sub¬ 
station near Pomona and represents the product of one vine of the Tsama melon and one vine of Pie 
melon. Mr. Mills in his letter speaks of the Tsama melon as follows: 
"It is strictly a stock melon and produces twice what the best strain of Pie Melon will on dry land. 
I enclose a photograph of the two. The photograph shows the product of one vine of each variety, 
grown in the poorest part of our station. The soil is a mixture of coarse and fine sand, mixed with 
gravel. It was irrigated once before planting, which was done in the spring of 1899, and thereafter, no 
attention was paid the plantation. The Pie Melon produced at the rate of ten tons per acre and the 
Desert Melon a trifle over nineteen tons.” Per oz. 25c; per lb. $2.50. 
