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BENTON COUNTY, WASHINGTON
in the heart of the Columbia Basin

page 8, Tri-City Herald, December 4, 1960

By BURTON 0. LUM
Tri-City Pioneer

Tri-Cities First in US to Raise Casaba Melon

The casaba melon was introduced from Kasaba, near Smyrna, Asia Minor.  The Tri-City region was
 possibly the first place in the United States to grow the casaba melon.  The United States
 congressmen, in the early days, sent free samples of seeds to their farmer constituents.  The 
congressmen sent the sample seeds under their franking priviledges.  This campaigning was
 inexpensive but very effective in the frontier districts.  The pioneer farmer was always interested 
in any new crop.  He was continually experimenting to find the most profitable crop to be raised.
  A pioneer farmer in the Kennewick area received one of these free seed samples.  It was in a 
yellow envelope.  The seeds resembled cucumber seeds.  The planting, care and harvesting was
 explained in detail on the envelope.  The farmer followed the instructions explicitly.  The vines
 were well set with the melons.  The melons were picked prior to frost.  They were then stored in
 wheat straw on the earthern floor of the farmer’s cellar.  Thanksgiving day the farmer brought the
 largest melon to his wife.  She carefully cut it in half and scooped out the seeds.  The seeds were
 then dried and placed in a covered crock for safe keeping.  The melon was served with the 
Thanksgiving dinner; its lucious, juicy content was enjoyed by all.  The farmer and his family
 feasted every Sunday and holiday during the winter and spring on casaba.  Great care was 
taken in securing all the seeds from the melons that were eaten.  By spring planting time, the
 farmer had saved a goodly supply of the excellent seed.  He planted  quite a large acreage to
 casabas.  The cellar storage was greatly enlarged.  He was in the casaba raising business. 
 There were no wooden box or crate manufacturing plants in these early days.  The farmer bought
 the lumber and made his own crates.  He had grown and stored his crop of casabas.  How was
 he to sell them?  He sent sample crates to the fruit and produce houses in Seattle, Tacoma, 
Spokane, and Missoula.  The pioneer farmer of the Tri-City area had plenty of hard problems 
to solve in marketing his crops.  The fruit and produce companies of Seattle, Tacoma and
 Spokane all admited the delicious flavor of the casaba and its wonderful keeping qualities. 
 They would not, however, buy them from the farmer.  The only way they would handle them
 was on consignment, the farmer prepaying the freight.  This was a very one-sided deal.  The
 farmer would not accept this arrangement.  Fortunately he received a long letter from the owner
 of the produce company in Missoula.  He thanked the farmer for the sample casabas. 
 He had taken a great interest in the new melon.  He was extremely pleased in the wonderful
 flavor and keeping qualities of the casabas.  He saw a great future demand for this melon.  
The fact that it would keep in ordinary dry storage and maintain its flavor for more that a 
six-month period made it a melon superior to any he had ever handled.  The farmer was so
 impressed by the courteous and straightforward letter, that he consigned his entire crop to
 the Missoula concern.  A wonderful market for the casabas was developed.  The farmer 
always raised high grade melons.  The produce concern always dealt fairly to those from 
whom it bought and to whom it sold.  These transactions happened over 60 years ago.  
The farmer and the then head of the produce concern, have long gone to their final reward. 
 Casabas are still grown in the United States.  They are most often not ripened in dry 
storage as in their native Symna.  Casabas should be ripened in dry storage until all the
 juicy mellow flavor has been developed. Then placed in cold storage to hold it at this peak. 
 If you happen to be in Missoula tomorrow or the next day or the next, day, you will find
 the same Missoula concern still doing business under the same name and under the 
same old business principles.  

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