A New Variety Twilley’s Wilt Resii 
Twilley’s Wilt Resistant Garrison—Better Shape Than Garrison — More Solid Than Garrison — %) 
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"A GODSEND TO WATERMELON GROWERS” 
This article appeared in the November 1949 issue of “Farmers Get Set” 
and was written by the well known agricultural editor, Charles Meehan. 
In 1865 J. C. Dove was mustered out of the Confederate Army at Chattanooga, Tenn- 
essee. While waiting to go home he bought a watermelon. He liked it so much that he 
saved the seed. His Dovesville neighbors in Darlington County, S. C. liked it, as did 
the Coker Seed Company at nearby Hartsville. 
Many farmers named Garrison live in the Piedmont section. Some grew Dove's 
melon: their friends called it Garrison. Thus Garrison, Coker, Dove and Darlington 
were names of this melon seventy years before it became a leading market variety. 
The Coker or Garrison can only be grown on clean soil, as it is susceptible to wilt. 
If a wilt resistant melon with the good qualities of Garrison, and a tougher rind could be 
developed, it would be a godsend. Such a melon would do away with the need of a 
ten year rotation, and be worth millions to melon growers. 
Such a melon is available this year from Otis S. Twilley, seedsman of Salisbury, 
Md. This seed came from a chance Garrison-Hawkesbury cross. As is his practice, 
with all the seed he raises, Mr. Twilley has been selecting, testing and checking under 
varying conditions and on many soils. The Parker Road field, in watermelons the prev- 
ious year, and therefore thoroughly wilt infested, raised a perfect stand of the Twilley 
melon this year. Not one plant showed the slightest wilt injury. 
In the worst bottleneck season for many years, when Coker produced many bottle- 
necks, this field of Twilley melons, which passersby took for Coker, remained entirely free 
of misshapes, although it was never pruned. The long, even, early maturing melons have 
the wilt resistance and tougher rind of Hawkesbury. Internal quality is fully as good 
as Coker or Garrison. 
Can you get any seed? Well if you are prompt enough perhaps. This melon has 
been tested in the South, East and Midwest. Everywhere it has behaved well. Mr. 
Twilley says some seed will be available for 1950 planting, but ceriainly no where 
enough when word of this invaluable melon gets out. 
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