The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-18
Lonely Santa Fe Agent Planted
1t in Colorado.
Topeka OFFICERS ON TOUR
Served Melon and Investigated
1T at Once.
Worlds Famous Fruit Was
Only an Accident.


the Atchison. Topeka & Santa Fe rail-
way was penetrating the repellant
arid region of southwestern COLORADO
an agency was established at niue
out of the way station called ROCKY
Ford. An ambitious young agent, only
recently qualified to handle the tele-
graph key was sent out to take charge
of the depot. He applied to the super
intendent of telegraph at Topeka for
the position and the official smiled as
he signed the necessary transportation
that would separate the youth1ui
agent from the prosperous clV1llzed
Trains passed Rocky Ford only
few times a day and the agent found
his hands full of idle tme-ln fact,
he had much more time than anything
else. He was a single man, there were
no companions in the sleepy village
that huddled around the station, ana
the duties connected with the orders
for the daily freight and passenger
hardly kept the dust from his wooden
arm chair
AS a boy this agent was a lover OF
"mush melons," The musk melons
grown by the eastern farmers were
souashy, seedy and tasteless melons,
to be sure. but he had learned to
pluck the juicy meat" from their
rinds. Later in life he cultivated ms
taste for the musk melon by smack
ing his lips over the nutmeg melon-a
cantaloupe of slightly better taste and
far superior to his bOyhood favorlte.
Longing Tor a premium supply -
the fruit of kid remembrances, TINS
Santa Fe agent sent east for the nut
meg melon seeds and laid out a patch
100 square feet in size not far from
the boxlike station
watched patiently for the arrival OF
these seeds on the daily passenger.
Birth of Rocky Ford Melon.
Believing that he would be econom-
icaI in the use of water for irriga-
ton purposes, the Rocky Ford agent
planted his nutmeg melon seed In a
garden occupying the loafing places
of the tramps beneath the water
tank
Every day as the wheeling locomo-
tives stopped in front of the tank to
fill their thirsty boilers the waste
water from the spout dr1pped down
beneath the tower and soaked the SOIL
that covered the seeds from the east
ern nutmeg melons. In the hot dry
days he would help hlnse1 10 tns
supply in the we'll filled tower ana
keep moistened the 100 square foot
garden $3.50
The seeds sprouted, little green
shoots appeared above the ground. the
bracing Colorado atmosphere added
life to the plants and in an unusually
short time the feelers crept along
the ground and Tapped the irrigation
from the railway water tank.
The vines We're luxuriant, the bios
SONS were transformed into bullying
melons and early one evening the
proud agent tasted with delight the
first fruit of his lonely efforts
He thought that a great difference
existed between this irrigated melon
and the "mush-melon" of old but laid
aside all hopes of improvement by
the thought that the boyhood taste
and the manhood palate had varied
One day a private car carrying Of
fciaIs of the Santa Fe from Topeka
on an inspection tour passed through
Rocky Ford. The locomotive hest
tated at the water tank The cars
chef, eager to stretch his legs dropped
from the front platform and walked
a few rods down the right of way
The agent spied him, thought of the
melons ripening in the sun and has
tily picked a few of the ripest.
Take em in n Se st try to em the on chez fnf
and handed him the garden patch
product.
The chef grinned, gloried in his
chance to freshen the menu and
swung on the car with the melons in
his arms.
Discovery and Success.
The resulting details read too much
like a boys Oliver Optic or HoratiO
Aiger to ring like the truth. The stage
is all set for the poor but proud and
ambitious railway station agent. The
orchestra will follow the soft pedal as
the big official of the railway passes
by, recognizes a human wonder and
advances him to a place of position
and trust.
1t isn't recorded in the memory of
the early Santa Fe railway history in
Topeka but general officials of the
road here insist that this station agent
later became an officer of influence. At
any rate the private car chef took the
Rocky Ford melons into his kitchen
that day, cut them, threw the seeds
-
the tired and troubled Topeka officials
that evening.
The melons were solid, firm and lus-
cious. The general manager called in
the chef and asked about them. The
story of the lonely agents generosity
was told.
known the world over started ON its