[nctomatoman]

I typically jump to the tomato section of old seed catalogs, but there are other areas that are nearly as interesting. Both muskmelons and watermelons are pretty fascinating to read through, as many catalogs carried quite a selection back in the 1880-1920 period - again, gardeners back then seemed to have a pretty good array to choose from. Perhaps because melons are not self pollinating, crossing was much more prevalent, so we seem to have fewer of the older varieties around these days - though I was pleased to see so many historic varieties carried in the SSE catalog.

For the heck of it, here are muskmelon entries from the 1886 Ferry seed catalog - along with flesh color:

Pineapple (pale yellow)
Skillmans Netted (green)
Jenny Lind (green)
Improved Nutmeg (green)
Small Green Nutmeg (green)
Improved Green Cantaloupe (green)
Bay View (green)
Casaba or Persian (green)
Japan Coral Flesh (salmon)

Note that the vast majority of melons were green fleshed cantaloupes - NOT Honeydews - like the Galia or Passport melons we know today.

Then, from the 1894 Henderson:

The following were all green fleshed: Newport, Early Hackensack, Hackensack, Montreal Market, Skillman's Netted, Netted Gem or Rocky Ford, Jenny Lind, Improved Nutmeg, Baltimore or Acme - 10 green fleshed.

These are orange or salmon fleshed: Perfected Delmonico, Banquet, Pineapple, Emerald Gem, Improved Christiana, and Miller's Cream or Osage or Princess - 6 salmon fleshed.

Note that today orange or salmon fleshed melons typically far outnumber the green ones.

The switchover can be seen in the 1924 Burpee -

Green were Early Hackensack, Montreal Market, Netted Gem or Rocky Ford, Honey Ball, Matchless, Champion Market, Honey Dew. (7)

Salmon Fleshed ones: Emerald Gem, Osage, Fordhook, Spicy, Burrell Gem, Hearts of Gold, Salmon Tint Pollock, Bender's Surprise, Tip Top, Banana, Golen Eagle, and Milwaukee Market. (12)

Finally, in the 1946 Burpee, very few green fleshed muskmelons were carried - just Netted Gem and Acme and Honey Dew (3). The rest were orange fleshed - Hearts of Gold, Bender's Surprise, Tip Top, Delicious, Pride of Fordhook, Lake Champlain, Pride of Wisconsin, New Yorker or Schoon Hard Shell, Honey Rock or Sugar Rock, Hales Best #36, Imperial #45, and Hale's Best #936 (12)

Now look at the reduction in varieties in the 1975 Burpee -
green flesh are Fordhook Gem and Netted Gem; Salmon flesh are Hearts of Gold, Delicious 51, Hales Best 36, Honey Rock and Pride of Wisconsin.

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As for watermelon, few of those named exist any more....

From 1886 Ferry - Scaly Bark, Mammoth Iron Clad, Early Jersey, Phinney's Early, Peerless, Black Spanish, Gypsy or Rattlesnake, Mountain Sprout, Orange, The Boss, Ice Cream white seeded, Mountain Sweet, Kolb's Gem and Dark Icing.



1894 Henderson had Cole's Early or Harris Earliest, The Boss, Cuban Queen, The Jones, Florida Favorite, Green and Gold, Hungarian Honey, Ice Cream white seeded, Jordan's Gray Monarch, Kolb's Gem, Mountain Sweet, Ruby Gold, Dixie, Seminole and Volga.

1924 Burpee had Halbert Honey, Fordhook Early, Shaker Blue or White Seeded Triumpah, Sugar Stick, Irish Gray, Baby Delight, Tom Watson, Stone Mountain, Kleckley Sweets, Golden Sweet, Perfection, Sunnybrook, Cole's Early and Mammoth Iron Clad.



1947 Burpee: Halbert Honey, Fordhook Early, Tom Watson, Stone Mountain or Dixie Belle, Golden Sweet, Kleckley Improved or Wondermelon, Northern Sweet, Florida Giant, Dixie Queen, Early Kansas, Blacklee, Black Kleckley, Hawksbury and Kleckley #6.

Fast Forward to 1975 - far less variety - Charleston Grey, Congo, Crimson Sweet, Dixie Queen, New Hampshire Midget and Sugar Baby.

Just a look through the SSE yearbook reminds us of how many of these melons are gone for good....