The mirror., 1921-09-15
STORY OF THE CANTALOUPE

The muskmelons that our fathers knew
and grew in their gardens have left an
indelible stamp upon our memories of their
peculiarly rich favor which time cannot
efface, not even by the constant reasonable
supply of cantaloupes given us which
carry a richer flavor than the old musk
melons of ancestral days. But the old
Muskmelons our father grew will alway
have a welcome place in our memory, for
they were our bon bons of the field III
summertime, and always came in at the
proper time to help us entertain our visit
ing friends.
If we do our part in looking after the
welfare of any certain food-producing
plant, nature may always be depended
on to recompense US with a superior pro-
duct each time we employ our hands and
brains in taking advantage of the oppor-
tunties that lie at our feet. And this is
what has taken place in the vegetable
kingdom. Plants that mature fruit the
same year from seed when given proper
attention, make fast strides toward the
goal of perfection. So the melon family,
being a favorite of the human family on
every side of the globe, has made its ad
vancement along with civilizations
The introduction of the cantaloupe was
a decided upward climb in muskmellon-
dom, and during the last few years we
have lived to see many improved varieties
introduced, whose fragrance alone from
the ripening fruit is enough to lure the
most busy man away from his work.
Today, when we think of the horrible
massacres of men, women, and children
which have lately been carried on in
Armenia by Turks, we pause long enough
to receive one pleasant thought, and that
to thank the country of Armenia for pro-
ducing the seed of that variety of musk
melon which in America has assumed such
enormous proportions within the last few
years-the cantaloupe. For Armenia is
accredited with producing the seeds which
were taken to Marca d'Ancona, Italy, and
there planted, from which was produced
a melon which was christened "Canta-
loupe," after the castle of Cantaloupa,
situated in that country. And thus we
have the beginning of this highly-prized
sweet-heshed and aromatic fruit of the
vine.
But when the cantaloupe was first in
troduced in America, it meant lot of
hard work for those who were to become
its followers. 1t demanded the breeding
of seeds, not only to keep up healthy
strain, but for the development of new
varieties and varieties suited to various
localities. Like the breeding of many other
plants, there is a tendency in the canta-
loupe to revert to an undesirable ancestor.
But this ever-present tendency to deter
iorate is checked by constant watchful-
ness exercised in the selection of seed.
This is best accomplished by selecting the
seed from the best individual fruits,
planted in plots and the seed saved from
the best melons, and these again planted.
By this systematic breeding, and by the
exercise of great care in the selection OF
the seed, the cantaloupe industry in the
United States has grown until it numbers
among the great industries of this country.
AS general rule, the sweetest melons are
those whose bodies are covered with the
densest network, and cantaloupe growers
always maintain keen eye for the melon
that carries this dense network on the
outer skim. This is not always safe rule,
for the new melon called the Honey Dew
rarely ever has any such markings, yet
when properly ripened it is favorite
among thousands of people today.
This melon, which, when unripe, tastes
like a bar of laundry soap, may be laid
up on the mantel, placed in the cellar or
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