Muskmelon

a member of the gourd family allied to the cucumber. Muskmelons of fine flavor are raised from Italy and Egypt to Persia, but the summers of Germany and England are too cool to ripen them. In this country New Jersey is the banner muskmelon state. Entire farms are given to their culture for the markets of the large Atlantic cities. Two types are in general cultivation--the cantaloupe, with hard, furrowed rind and yellow flesh; and the nutmeg, with softer, netted rind and greenish-yellow flesh. Of late, muskmelons have been shipped long distances in crates. In 1904, 1,182 cars of crated cantaloupes were shipped eastward from Rocky Ford, Colorado. For the total American yield of muskmelons, see VEGETABLES. See also CANTALOUPE.