The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-15
THE HOME OF THE MELON.
The First Watermelon Shipped from
Wilmington Island in 1882

The First Watermelon Shipped from
Wilmington Island in 1852.
The question having arisen as TO what
section Of the south was the pioneer in
/ shipments Of watermelons TO northern
markets. Dr. A. Oemler, in an interview
with a MORNING NEWS reporter, submits
some data that will be Of general interest.
/ DR.. Oemler says that prior to 1852 few
| melons may have been sent 10 New YORK
| by Savannah fruiterers 10 fill an occasional
| order, but no large c5nsignments had ever
| been made on Commission, nor had crop
! been grown in Georgia OF in the south ex-
] pressly for the northern markets.
| DR.. Oemler says that in ISL half dozen
/ Of his relatives who took passage on the
| steamship Isaac Mead for the north were
/ furnished by Mr.. Z. B. Barstow. also a
/ relative, with fifty melons grown on Viii
mington island, but as the passage was
snort the party was unable TO consume the
melons, ard they presented those remaining
! 70 the captain Of the vessel, but had he been
willing 10 have 5 I'D them he could have
/ commanded enough to have paid for the
passage Of half the party. When this was
| brought to Mr.. Barstow's attention, on the
return of the steamer, he conceived the idea
| OF growing melons exclusively for the north
ern market, and in 1852 he shipped the first
melons TO the north. and while
there were several serious drawbacks
the returns were so satisfactory
after two or three years that other
cotton planters followed suit, among whom
were r. T. Gibson OF Whitmarsh Island,
and w. r. Pritchard Of Skidaway Island,
and Mr.. Pritchard had sixty acres of melons
in the year the war broke out, which of
course was loss, as he was unable, on
account Of interrupted communications, to
market them.
D.: Oemler says the stealages Of melons
on shipboard in the early days of melon
shipments were 50 great that growers had
to place their melons under the protection
If the captain or pgrser, taking them into
copartnership and dividing with them the
net proceeds, and as the melons often COM
manded 81 eac1, the profit was then most
satisfactory.
DR.. Oemler says that shortly after the
planters on the islands about Savannah be-
gan to grow melons for the northern mar
kets Charleston followed suit. Burke and
Richmond counties were next to raise
melons for the north. In South Georgia,
George K. McRee, near Naldosta, and W.
r. Tally of Ousley station began to grow
melons for the northern market in 1876,
since which time Brooks and Lowndes
counties have been largely devoted to the
melon industry.
years successful melon grower, and is
careful to ship none but the best melons,
and in good condition. He says that up to
the time of large crops aloug the line of the
Savannah, Florida and Western rail way he
was the largest melon grower in Georgia,
having annually from forty to fifty acres
planted, and selling the seed to northern
firms, and he says that in one ssason he
sold twenty-four bushels of ssed Co one
northern firm.
The varieties that used to be grown for
the northern market were the ''rattle-
snake" the mountain sweet" the 'Pear-
SON." the ''scaly arsn aud the Cuban
queen" but the "Kolb gem" is the princi-
pal variety that has been shipped the past
year or two.
The melon industry has now grown to
such large proportions that it requires
almost as much attention from the rail
roads aud steamers as the orange crop of
Florida