
D. H. Gilbert, Monticello, Florida 5 
ers, 150,000 by market gardeners who plant 
one acre or less, 92,000 to small garden patches, 
and 8,000 for seeding purposes. 
The commercial production is largely con- 
fined to the region to which the long-!2af pine 
is naturally distributed. This region includes 
the States bordering the Atlantic, from Vir- 
ginia southward, also those States bordering 
the Gulf. Other States also outside this ter- 
ritory which grow Watermelons on a com- 
mercial scale. 
The value of the commercial crop of Water- 
melons in the United States, taking the years 
1917 to 1933, was approximately $5,000,000 an- 
nually. The industry in the southeastern and 
southern sections returned for the crop 
$3,500,000, the southwestern section $1,000,000, 
and all other sections $500,000. 
The above figures do not include the value 
of the seed product. 
In comparison with oth2r vegetable crops, 
the Watermelon stands sixth in value, in order 
named; Irish Potatoes, Tomatoes, Onions, Cab- 
bage, and Sweet Potatoes. 
Until about 1890 the production of Water- 
melon seed was largely confined to Kansas and 
Oklahoma, or the Arkansas Valley, but for 
various causes, principally the low cost of pro- 
duction of quality seed, the users of the seed 
have turned their attention to the southeast 
and largely in the northern section of Florida, 
where, according to references and best infor- 
-mation the Watermelon originated, and was 
first known in the United States. 
