North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Doc Lisenby" <longdistshtr@shtc.net>]

Down here where many farmers grow so many watermelons that we have a 
festival in July every year to celebrate, we can practically identify the 
farm or farmer who grew a melon.  Locally we can get some of the worst and 
the some of the best.  If the farmer is not skilled in how much fertilizer 
should be supplied to the plants and at what time to apply it, the melons 
produced will be sub-par.  You can tell whether or not the farmer adjusted 
the amount of nitrate of soda to the correct amount for his soil. Too much 
and the melon flesh will be dark red and little juice, not enough and the 
flesh will be pale and the juice will not be sweet.
The better melons are grown by experienced growers who disregard advise 
given by "experts".  Sub-standard melons and so-so melons are still sold at 
high prices just like premium melons.  The un-initiated buyers don't know 
the difference. All melons look similar as long as they are the same 
variety.  Thump, examine, listen, smell,--but the only way to determine a 
ripe good tasting sweet watermelon is to taste it.  Commercial buyers rely 
only on taste if they are buying quality melons but lousy melons are bought 
also if buyers are pressed by low yields in some areas.
I seriously doubt if a super market buyer ever ate an excellent watermelon. 
He/she will be satisfied with it if it is chilled, sweet and wet.
Doc Lisenby