ewhat similar to
those of the apple. Skin deep, clear-green; rind very thin; flesh
bright-red to the centre, sweet, tender, and well-flavored. It is hardy,
bears abundantly, seldom fails to ripen perfectly in the shortest
seasons, and keeps a long time after being gathered.
BLACK SPANISH.
Spanish.
Form oblong; size large; skin very dark or blackish green; rind half an
inch thick; flesh deep-red (contrasting finely with the very deep-green
color of the skin), fine-grained, very sugary, and of excellent flavor.
The variety is hardy, productive, thrives well, matures its fruit in the
Northern and Eastern States, and is decidedly one of the best for
general cultivation. Seeds dark-brown, or nearly black.
BRADFORD. _W. D. Brinckle._
The Bradford is a highly prized, South-Carolina variety; size large;
form oblong; skin dark-green, with gray, longitudinal stripes, mottled
and reticulated with green; rind not exceeding half an inch in
thickness; seed yellowish-white, slightly mottled, and with a
yellowish-brown stripe around the edge; flesh fine red to the centre;
flavor fine and sugary; quality "best."
CAROLINA.
Fruit of large size, and of an oblong form, usually somewhat swollen
towards the blossom-end; skin deep-green, variegated with pale-green or
white; flesh deep-red, not fine-grained, but crisp, sweet, and of fair
quality; fruit frequently hollow at the centre; seeds black.
This variety is extensively grown in the Southern States for exportation
to the North, where it appears in the markets about the beginning of
August, and to some extent in July. Many of the specimens are much less
marked with stripes and variegations than the true Carolina; and some
shipments consist almost entirely of fruit of a uniform deep-green
color, but of the form and quality of the Carolina.
Downing mentions a sub-variety with pale-yellow flesh and white seeds.
CITRON WATER-MELON.
Form very nearly spherical; size rather small,--average specimens
measuring six or seven inches in diameter; color pale-green, marbled
with darker shades of green; flesh white, solid, tough, seedy, and very
squashy and unpalatable in its crude state. It ripens late in the
season, and will keep until December. "It is employed in the making of
sweetmeats and preserves, by removing the rind or skin and seeds,
cutting the flesh into convenient bits, and boiling in sirup which has
been flavored with ginger, lemon, or some agreeable article
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