Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-06-30


II Pulled Before they Have Properly
Good MelOn-A Preventive Of Chills
and Fevcrs-A New Remedy for Chffls
and Fevers.
To the Editor Of THE EVENING Stan:
As the melon season ia close at hand will
for the benefit Of the inexperienced, offer some
suggestions relative to selecting and using this
most excellent fruit, and thus enable them to
discard green ones, as well as those that have
been pulled before ripe, both of which are alike
unfit for use. High prices are great induce
ment for getting them to market early, conse-
quently they, are generally pulled several days
too soon. 1t is true they afterwards ripen, but
they are never so good. The pulp becomes
tough, ana II eaten In any considerable guam
tity Is liable to produce cholera morbus. once
knew person who had to send for physician
double quick in consequence OF having eaten
melon that had doubtless been pulled before
not be swallowed, but merely chewed fpr the
water 1t contains. Many people having no GER
| tain way OF telling when melons are ripe have
them plugged. II they contain red meat land
. along when, in all probability they were, when
pulled, las green as geurds." humping can.
| not be relied on for selecting good melon, for
they are frequently pulled and left several
days In the sun to wilt and ripen before being
carried to market. They thus acquire the
necessary dead sound when thunped such as
Will deceive the best of judges. As the growers
OF melons appear to resort to every article for
| palming of their unripe fruit, will now give
some simple rules for selecting good melon,
general observance Of which would doubtless
result in compelling them to permit their
melons to remain on the vines until they have
| properly matured.
HOW TO SELECT GOOD MELON.
| The rinds of melons, when left on the vines
| to mature. generally become hard and the pulp
brittle. If the melon be gently borne on and
you hear the inside crack or give way it may be
regarded as sure sign that the melon mat ured
on the vine. and consequently is good One
Another good plan for selecting melon is to
examine the side that lay on the ground. If the
melon remained on the vine until properly ma
tured this portion will be found to have changed
from white to pale yellow, and, upon close
examination, numerous small pimples some
what like the measles. as 1t were, will be no.
tced On said surface, particularly near the outer
edge. These pimples may be regarded as a sure
indication that the melon remained on the vine
until mature, as they never appear on those
that have been prematurely pulled. Sometimes
the desirable pale yellow is produced prema-
turely by turning this portion of the melon
TO the sun for day OF two: In this
case the yellow is apt to be too deep. This fact.
| In connection with the absence of pmples, will
was produced.
MELONS A PREVENTIVE OF CHILLs AND FEvERs.
Melons are mild aperient, and If eaten pro-
perry will keep the bowels free and regular.
thus preventing chills and fevers generally.
But, to insure these results, the melons should
DE OF good quality and be eaten regularly say
twice daily, at such hours as will least interfere
with meals. For few days at the first of the
season they should be partaken OF sparingly,
gradually increasing the quantity. If partaken
OF too freely at the start they are apt to de-
range the bowels; but if you will stick to them,
eating for while sparingy, you will soon be-
come acclimated, as it were, and will thence
forth be all right for the remainder of the sea-
son. provided they are eaten regularly. But if
eaten irregularly, say freely for several days
and then none for several days the DO wells will
be apt to undergo corresponding changes from
an aperient to cOstiye state, and disease may
be the result. OF course, it would all be laid to
the melons. when it was merely attributable to
the irregular manner in which they had been
eaten. To prove that melons, when regularly
eaten VIII not produce sickness, especially chills
and fever which are SO often laid to their charge,
Will cite case where they were actually In
strumental in effecting cure:
A NEW REMEDY FOR CHILLs AND FEVER
Some years ago was in q mining town in
California during the melon season. As melons
and fruits generally had to be hauled in wagons
distance Of some twenty miles, could not
procure them with the usual regularity Upon
one occasion my supply of melons gave out and
l remarked to an acquaintance that as a result
expected would have chill. Sure enough,
one day While engaged In q mine was taken
with q very severe chill. / spread out in the
sun with all the extra coats that could be gath
cred around piled on, but Of course could not
keep warm. just about this time supply of
melons arrived and l at once commenced eating
them heartily. 1 had craving appetite for
oysters and vinegar but little or no appetite for
anything else except melons. procured from
an adjacent store some Baltimore canned oys-
| tiers and consumed about three cans daily.
served with strong vinegar, and between meals
ate heartily of melons Strange as it NAV seem.
| these two remedies combined, without any medi-
cine whatever, cured the chifls as thoroughly as
could have been done by means Of quinine or
any other remedy. had only one chill The
The melons reopened the bowels, which had
probably become cOstive, and the oysters being
strong diet. strengthened nature thus ena-
bling her to throw of the disease and restore
the system to Its normal condition. The fact
that the chills were completely eradicated while
| using melons must be conclusive proof that
they will not produce chills, il eaten regularly
afterwards spent much of my time during
several melon seasons in Marysville, city much
addicted to chills. by reason of adjacent swamps
and low lands. ate melons regularly
and had no chills. whilst many who
were afraid OF them had chills.
l have never been in any place where chills ap-
peared to be SO prevalent as in Marysville. and
will give 1t as my opinion that melons, regu-
larry eaten. would do more to eradicate them
than any other means that could be devised.
| They would doubtless be cheaper than doctors
bills. to sag nothing of the comforts incident to
avoiding sickness.
After person becomes accustomed to eating
melons they may be used to the fullest extent,
even becoming substitute for water for weeks
at time without producing the least Injurious
effect. In fact, if used regularly to this extent,
feyers generally would be consigned to the back
ground. At the close Of the melon season fruits.
such as apples, should be eaten freely to keep
the bowels regular until the time for chills pass
The principal danger of sickness occurs after the
melons have given out, and in order to success
fully pass this point it will be necessary to exer-
else considerable care, especially in regard to
diet HYGIExE.
stAppOmatiOx'' Again.
To the Editor OF The EVENING STAR:
1t is of interest to certain class of your read
| ers that matter to which referred in an arti-
| Gle headed "AppOmattox" in last Saturdays is
sue should be cleared up. Capt. W.. w. VIM
| ship writes q letter to you On Tuesday last In