Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-22

o7EARLY all Americans who eat
I'M watermelon think of it as a ma
" tive of the southern part of the
United States. They cannot think of
the watermelon as an immigrant, so
thoroughly has i. become Americanized
and so harmoniously does 1t blend with
American institutions, American ideals
and American customs. 1t seems that
the watermelon must always have lived
where the Stars and Stripes fly. 1t
would be hard to think of the United
States. especially the United States in
millions of them.
melon is one of the oldest and there
fore according to some superstitious
persons. the most respectable of
American plants. They believe that 1T
can trace it's vines back to the time
long before the first families of Vir-
ginia or Massachusetts, Maryland,
Pennsylvania or New York, Rhode
Island or New Jersey came to the new
world with the hope of making a bet
ter living than they had been able to
make in their old homes. They felt
that the watermelon had as long and
ancient ancestry as the tobacco plant
and the ear of green corn and that
very likely it was used in Indian cere-
HO0lalS ana festivities on terms OF
equality with tobacco and green corn.
Biographers who have. delved into
the genealogy of the watermelon say
that Americans have tangled up a good
many fancies and fallacieS with the
watermelon vine and that by the usual
the watermelon is not an aristocrat.
This serious charge may spoil the flavor
of watermelon to a select few, but 1t
is believed that it will not damage the
0rty Ina nf fnr n6l1 n, f110
great mass of the American people.
Though some Americans may avert
their lips and noses as the watermelon
is cut, yet nearly all plain people will
bid it welcome just the same and find
satisfaction in it's sugary juice.
The American watermelon was an
immigrant and its arrival in the Unit
ed States is a matter of such obscurity
that the chances seem to be. horrible
though the thought is. that 1T did not
come over in the first cabin OF some
great sea liner.
The American watermelon is of Afrt-
can descent. 1t was wild and I'M
tutored thing in it's native land. Per-
haps some folk may say that 1t was a
weed. 1t was probably brought over
by some of the ships engaged In a
traffic with Africa which long ago was
long the watermelon has lived among
us no man knows, but it's vines were
blossoming and it's fruit was ripening
here at very early time. One may
find references to it in some OF the
early chronicles.
Presumably. it grows wild In parts
Of Africa today. In the writings OF
Livingstone the explorer. may be found
statements that large tracts OF country
were covered with wild melons. Among
the relations of the watermelon are the
gourd, the cucumber, the pumpkin and
the squash-not a very aristocratc
family, perhaps, but still, a very nu-
merous and useful one.
1t is said that the watermelon hae
found greater appreciation in the Unit
ed States than in any other land. More
melons are cultivated and eaten in
this than in any other country.
There is a good deal of sugar in
some melons and it may be recovered
Once there was a plan in Florida to
grow watermelons for the production
of sugar, and sugar of an excellent
quality was obtained. but the expert
ment seems to have cut but very
small figure in the sugar business.
There Is one peculiar thing about the
watermelon. and perhaps only a few
persons have thought of it. and this
is that, unlike nearly all other plants