The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-08-02

record. Five cents for a watermelon
of n size was considered a good
price after the beginning of the sea-
son. Many and many a time l have
seen a t~wo-horse wagon load of mel
ons, the smallest in the lot weighing
over forty pounds, sell for two cents
apiece. My father stopped even at
mpt to sell them in town, say
ing it was cheaper to feed them to
the cattle. They were slch beauti-
full melons that | determined to save
the seeds and see what could be done
with them at the seed stores.
directed by my father that farm
had for years been noted for fine mel
ons; l selected only the most perfect
fruit in the fields and allowed them
to get dead ripe. Saving watermelon
seeds is by no ean an unpleasant
task, especially if you are as fond of
the melon as most SOutherners are.
There is nothing to it but washing
and drying in the shade. AS / had
nc experience in business that sum
mer while saving these seeds Quilt
all sorts of air castles on the amount
Of money l would make and what /
would do with it. knowing how few
seeds there are in a Is cen package
| felt that a bushel would bring a
small fortune. When at the end Of
the summer I found that I had five
DuShelS heaped up L was sure L was
in for a lot Of money.
There are three large iced stores
in our town, and l knew that all Of
them did a large business in water
melon seeds. Following the advice
of my father [ went to all of them.
At the first / was offered a dollar a
buShel for my seed. h scotsman
explained that he had saved as many
as he usually sold, but because [ had
tho CaoIC and hacanSa of NV fathers
reputation for raising fine melons he
would take them from me n risk
selling them. The second man said
he didn't want them, but because my
father was one of his oldest custom
ers he would take them, paying me
as much as | could get at either OF
the other stores. At the third store
the scotsman offered to take the
seeds, have them made up into par
sells and sell them, giving me nall OF
what he made on them.
He said hat was the fairest way
to handle such things, and | agreed.
From time to time in h spring and
summer l stopped in to see how my
seeds were selling. The reports al
Ways were favorable. When the sum-
mer came the scotsman explained
that though all the seeds had been
sold he couldn't cast up our account
until the regular stock taking time,
which was early IN the 1dll. WIN
such assurances of success of course
I. went ahead and saved seeds. |
even bought melons of my father,
paying only a little less thar he
would have received in town. | had
made UP my mind to save just dou-
BILE as many seeds and offer them
to the two other houses if my seeds
man thought they were more than
he could sell. Before the end OF
,o,c r bod an"cOnDlIShp0 nv OBJECT.
ten bushels of beautiful watermelon
seeds.
I'm the first week Of October | was
passing the seed store and the owner
topped out and stopped me. he sad
he had just finished taking stock. If
would step in he would pay me my
share of the profits on the watermel-
on seeds. l stepped in and he hand
ed me 5 cents, just one lone n1ckel
T can't tell you how l felt. | stared
at that money and | stared at thar