The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1886-11-25
SOME BIG ~WATERMELoNs.
A BaItimore Dealer Says the Mary
land Fruit Is the Best.

A Baltimore Dealer Says the Mary
land Fruit Is the Best.
How big was the largest water
melon I ever SAW Well, now, let me
see. | have been in the business s:nce
1850" said MI. Hanson P. Barnes. the
commission merchant, '.and l have
seen melons on this wharf which
weighed as high as seyenty-five pounds,
but there have been authentic reports
OF some which went as high as eighty
pounds. The largest melons are not
always the best. For instance, the
most popular variety is the icing OF,
as they are generally called, Ice Kinds,
which do not grow as large s the
"Cobb's Gem the Pride of Georgia,
and the Blues. > 81
"The Ice Kinds were brought out
by Samuel Wall, of Dorchester county.
The first lot ever shipped was consigned
to me five years ago, and Icou;d hardly
pay anybody to take them. At an ex-
pense of $500 I distributed them
throughout the markets of Baltimore
and the state, and now they are bought
in preference to any other sort. They
are of two shades of green, and are
known as the light and dark varieties.
They do not differ in flavor. The rind
is very thin and they are all exceedingly
sweet.
The latest thing. in melons is the
'Scaly Bark This is the second season
for this melon, and it is extra fine. 1t
is OF a dark green color, with irregular
patches of a scaly appearance. It is.
said 10 be a most reliable variety and
an excellent article for shipping on &C..
count of its keeping qualities.
"Ihere are various ways of judging
a watermelon. Those who have to
handle them are educated by experience
to know a ripe melon on sight, but if
the skin breaks crisply when cut into
with the thumb nail, or a peculiar hol-
low sound is emitted when tapped with
the knuckle, Or it the meat is heard to
break with a brittle sound when the
fruit is squeezed, the melon is general
ly ripe. The 'Scaly Bark does not
respond kindly to the squeezing or tap
ping test, as a MISUNDERSTANDING man
might sit upon one without crushing
the meat; yet when cut the melon
might prove a prime n by its dark
red meat and black seed.
The general tendency in improving
the melon is to get round fruit and thin
rinds, thus obtaining a greater amount
OF meat in the space handled and OBJ
waiting crumpled fruit, which may be
ripe at n end while. the long, thin
ends are useless. The Ice Kinds fill
the bill in this respect, but tough rinds
are cultivated for shipping purposes.
The Maryland fruit is far superior to
any raised out of the state, and the
'Cobb's Gems sent from Georgia are &
said to lack the proper flavor to an ap-N
probable extent, there being a1narked
contrast between them and those raised
here. The Magothy river has now a
successful rival in the lower eastern
shore counties of Wicomico, Dorches-
ter, and others. The season, however,
is at least twenty days behind time.
THE wharves yesterday had ten
thousand melons when there should
have been seventy-tive thousand on
hand. This was caused BY the x
trcmely wet season and the GOODNESS OF
the temperature. for although the melon
is mostly composed of water it requires
a hot. dry season to mature it properly.
Besides this the early rains washed out
many of the seeds, necessitating re-
planting of patches. 1t is thought
that Maryland fruit will appear in good
quantities next week. -B0Ltimore Sun.