The Penn's Grove record., 1920-08-20
LUSCIOUS JERSEY MELONS
MISSED
Fewer Canteloupes and Water Melons
Grown Here. Farm Produce
Low in Prices
Wilmington Every Evening

Wilmington Every Evening
A friend of Every Evening who re-
members the good old days." of fine
things to eat at reasonable prices,
wants to inquire what has gone with
the Jenny Lind cantaloupes that were
so plentiful in Wilmington years ago.
He declare that no other product of
the cantaloupe patch could touch the
Jenny Lind and that in comparison
Rocky Ford is a "piker' when it
comes to real showdown of sweet
goodness. Our informant recalls this
real, unadulterated melon was called
for the great singer after it had gone
unnamed for many years until sweet
ness and delicious flavor might be
symbolized appropriately, as it was by
selecting the cognomen of the famous
diva.
The most of these splendid melons
came from Penns Grove, but they
grew to perfection just as we'll in Del
aware, and were reared and ripened
in that section of New Jersey. They
we're small, about the size of ones
double fists, and there was a little
characteristic dome on the top, an OBJ
trusion as if nature had started to
make it a twin but changed her plans.
The meat was delicate; almost the en-
tire interior vas fit-even far more
that ft-to eat.
Probably because the Jenny Lind
was small she was relegated to OBJ
security by the commercialism that
prefers larger yields in pounds and
numbers. The Rocky Ford, which
came in place of the disappearing Jen-
ny Lind, while larger, has won good
report, but our reminiscent friend says
that were there specimens of the two
varieties side by side, the Colorad
tree would be left unsold to rot and
go to the garbage can.
The Jenny Lind, undoubtedly was a
mighty good melon, but perhaps the
lapse of time and the remembrance of
u keen enjoyments of the "things
our mothers made" or served is to eat
is more sweet and deliciously favored
than were these admirable cantaloupes
that came from Penns Grove by boat
loads and from the lower counties OF
Delaware.
Luscious Jersey Melons Missed
The above article from a Whining
ton paper deplores the loss of the lus-
cious Jersey Jenny Lind canteloupe
and may as well include the Jersey
water melons. Jerseymen also miss
the abundant melons which use to be
grown by the hundreds of thousands
and sent by many boat loads daily to
Wilmington and Philadelphia. Enough
are not now grown for home con-
sumption.
The Jenny Linds with an oval bulge
on the end and a luscious pulp on the
inside have almost been abandoned for
the harder kind with a pumpkin pulp
and color, because they will stand
shipping better and last longer before
becoming UNBEATABLE. Very few water
melons are grown. The variety most
popular now is the Tom Watson,
which is fair in quality but will not
compare with the Heckley Sweets and
Icings. Home folks miss the luscious
canteloupes and melons as well as the
elderly Wilmington folks with their
old tastes cultivated to better f1avors
than grown now less abundantly.
Thirty years ago boats left daily in
this region for Wilmington and car
ried from 5000 to 10000 melons, and
canteloupes. Boats were loaded at
Dolbow's Landing, two miles above
Penns Grove one or more at BARRIERS
wharf, at Penns Grove wharf, the
Cove wharf, Carneys Point, Church
Landing, Lower Canal Bridge wharf,
Biddle's Landing, and Courses Land
ing. Now there is not a boat running
to either Philadelphia or Wilmington.
The small amount of produce sent to
Wilmington goes by horse drawn
wagons and motor trucks.
One reason there is not so much
grown is the shortage of labor and its
high price. Another is the appetites
in these cities have been appeased
mostly by c%anteloupes and melons
grown in the South a few weeks
earlier.
The old appetites in Penns Grove
crave for the old luscious Jenny Lind
canteloupe and Icing melon as much
as do the old folks in Wilmington.
Jenny Lind