The Florida agriculturist., 1885-01-14
702
The Melon Shrub.


our horticultural products, a history and
description of it may not prove uninter-
esting to your readers.
During my residence in Central Amer
lea, together with my friend, Mr.. J !.
Grelck, now of Los Angeles, we both
took much interest in the native fruits
and plants of those regions, and our en-
deavor was constantly to discover any
fruits capable of being successfully culti-
waited in California. As is well known,
the Central American continent is divid-
ed into two distinct paTts-the coast,
which is absolutely tropical, and the in
terror highlands, which in climatic and
other conditions present the greatest
similarity to California. In the coast
the flora is very different from ours, and
here we will in vain search for any plants
capable of being successfully or protita-
bly, grown here. In the highlands, where
sometimes the thermometer sinks to 800
Fahr., conditions resemble ours very
much The number of beautiful fruits
grown here is very large, and it needs no
acquired taste to learn to appreciate such
of them as the jocote, the rose-apple, the
grenadillo, the banana, the aguacate,
ETC. Among all the variety cultivated,
our attention was especially attracted to
the melon shrub the spepiro,'' as the
natives call it. The plant belongs to the
Solanum family, and its scientific name
was supposed by the eminent French
botanist, NJ. Rousignon, to be jSolamttfl
mel0ngeuc, or variety of the same, des-
ignated by him as Guotemaleuse. Pro-
fessor IIilgard, however, doubts the
identity of the species, and evidently
with good reason. The true ,Sold,auna
melongena is native of Himalaya and
the highlands of Persia, and its cultiva-
ton and variation in Central America,
exclusive of intermediate countries, could
only with difficulty be explained. DR..
Behr has called attention to this fact i'll
the Academy of Sciences and noted it as
highly remarkable and OF the greatest
interest.
TIE MELON SHRUB At HOME. 4
The melon shrub as it grows III the
Central American highlands, is, as the
name defines it, a shrub. 1t reaches at
it's best two or three feet either way, but
is generally smaller, and recalls in many
respects the Chile-pepper vine, the to-
mato, or the nightshade. The flowers
resemble those OF the Chile-pepper, are
very numerous and OF q beautiful violet
color, most charming when used in floral
decorations. When planted the plants
should be set in rows four feet apart and
two feet in the rows. A month and a
half after being set out, the fruit will be-
gin to set, and in three months of the
planting the fruit will ripen and continue
to ripen until checked by the frost. The
fruit is of the size of a hen or goose egg,
or even larger, and very much of the
same shape. The color is lemon or pale
orange with streaks or waves of bright
violet, the whole making a fruit unriyal-
ed in beauty The interior of the fruit
is a solid pulp similar to thatof pear,
also of pale yellow color, and of taste
resembling that of fine musk-melon,
but which has besides most charming
acid, so wholesome and SO delicious that
when the fruit is partaken of on a very
warm day, it takes all the thirst away
for several hours.
The plant is an enormous yielder. |
have seen plants of small size, say two
by two feet, bear 80 large fruit which
from their size and weight pressed the
punches to the ground, and thus formed
most beautiful border all around the
plant.
The melon shrub can stand light frost,
but heavy frost will cut it to the ground.
The dead branches should then be cut
off, the plants covered with an inch or
so OF soil or strow, and will, if SO pro-
tected, start up in the spring as vigo-
rously as before.
Having decided upon the merits OF
this plant and its fruit, and being satis-
fed that it will become a most welcome
addition to the fruit of not only Califor-
MIA, but of all the Middle and Southern
States OF the Union, we decided to bring
the same with us to California and try it
here. After good deal of trouble, and,
| must say, no little expense and ankle
ty, we have now eminently succeeded
Mr.. Grelck in Los Angeles, and / here.
Our experience has been, we think,
most valuable to us. The melon shrub
grew in California even better than in
Central America, and the fruit is decid-
edly larger.
REQUIREMENTS OF TIE PLANT.
1t requires cool climate, such as the
coast range, the higher foothills, San
Diego, Los Angeles, the bay, etc. 1t
will grow well, with plenty of water,
even in the hot valleys; but the fruit
will not set until too late in thefall, when
the weather is cooler, to produce prof
liable crop. The plant is not tropical
one; it is one delighting in cool and
damp atmospheres, and should not be
attempted anywhere else except as a
curiosity. But where the above condi-
tons are favorable, it will prove most
valuable and interesting fruit
To finish worthily, | mail you box
with two fruits. One is fully ripe; the
other is yet green. One is from Mr..
tfrelck's place in Los Angeles, the other
from my own. Please keep the green
fruit; it will ripen in a few weeks. |
forgot to add that the shipping qualities
ofthis fruita are unexcelled. 1t will stand
: shipment from here to New York as cas-
n lily as box of apples.
IA Fresno, Cal GusTAv EtsrN