©. 
( French, MELON; Italian, POPONE; Spanish, MELON; Danish, MELON; 
German, MELONE) 
he true Muskmelons belong to the genus, Cucumis Melo. The name Muskmelon is derived 
from the word musk, this term having reference to the delicious aromatic flavor of the melon. The 
name Cantaloupe comes from a town near Rome, Italy (Cantaloupo) to which the plant was first 
brought from its native home in Armenia. 
In modern use the name cantaloupe applies primarily to those varieties with heavy netting and 
hard shell suitable for shipment to distant markets. 
Muskmelons are one fruit that is eaten only when ripe and further, it is interesting to note that 
the melons invariably separate themselves from the plant at maturity, a characteristic of, perhaps, 
no other garden vegetable. 
Columbus on his second voyage found melons “already grown, fit to eat, tho’ it was not above 
two months since the seed was put into the ground.” The first grown in the new world are to be dated 
March 29, 1494. In 1609, melons are mentioned by Hudson as found on the Hudson River. In 1683 
some melon seeds were sown by the Spaniards on the Island of California. In 1881 muskmelons from 
Montreal appeared in the Boston market. It is reported that during the Civil War many farmers in 
the southern states made molasses and sugar from muskmelons and cantaloupes. In recent years 
some success has been recorded in using the melon hulls with corn for silage purposes, which is 
relished by most farm animals. 
Muskmelons are cultivated in warm climates all over the world, but the fact that they do require 
a warm climate restricts their use somewhat. They require a warm soil and one in which their growth 
will be rapid. Muskmelons are not as susceptible as some of the other cucurbits to drought and cer¬ 
tain of the plant diseases. In America the states of California, Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Indi¬ 
ana, Arkansas and New Jersey are the leading production centers in the order named. The leading 
seed production area is in the irrigated valleys of Colorado where altitude and climate are ideal and 
where disease is not a serious problem. Harvesting is done by hand. The annual seed acreage in the 
United States is about 3000 acres, with a total seed consumption each year of about 750,000 pounds. 
From 30 to 40 melons yield a pound of seed and the return per acre is about 250 pounds. Among 
standard varieties each fruit contains an average of 450 seeds. 
Some important progress has been made in combating one of the few serious diseases which af¬ 
fects melons. Namely, powdery mildew (see Plant Diseases) has been successfully checked in the 
western shipping sections by the perfection of strains which are able to withstand this disease. The 
process of waxing and pre-cooling fully vine-ripened melons for long distance shipping has added 
much to the quality of the pack. 
Muskmelons have much the same food value as peaches and compare favorably with such table 
fruits as apples, pears and oranges. Their high water content makes them a valuable item of diet, 
as their agreeable taste and tempting appearance have a favorable effect on the appetite and digestion. 
To differentiate between the colors of flesh we describe them as either “green flesh” or “pink 
flesh” although the color shades vary to a rather marked degree. 
THIRTY-ONE 
