Watermelon may be one of the greatest things about summer. It is juicy, cool and sweet: the perfect summer treat. Summer parties and festivals often include greased watermelon games, seed spitting contests and watermelon eating contests. As much as we love watermelon, we are not quite as desperate as people in the 1800s who were willing to kill or be killed to get a taste of the sweet melon.
In 1840, Nathaniel Bradford cross-bred the Lawson variety of watermelon with the Mountain Sweet variety. The new Bradford melon had an excellent flavor and a soft rind that was good for pickling. It was also sweeter than most melons and could be made into molasses and brandy. It was so delicious, it became the most popular watermelon in the south within 20 years and also the target for thieves.
Watermelon theft became such a problem that some growers would hire armed guards to patrol their patches at night. When electricity became more widely available, farmers would run wires to the melons to electrocute potential thieves. Other growers chose to poison certain watermelons and post signs saying, “Pick at your own risk.” There was a problem though as farmers sometimes forgot which ones they poisoned and ended up sickening or even killing themselves and their families.
The Bradford watermelon fell out of favor in the early 1900s, with the last commercial crop grown in 1922. Its soft rind made it unsuitable for stacking and shipping long distances. This watermelon of once fatal desirability was forgotten and is believed to have gone extinct.
In 2012 it was discovered that the descendants of Nathaniel Bradford were still growing the melon in Sumter, South Carolina. The family has been working to revive the variety. Seeds can now be purchased online, BUT if you have a successful crop you will have to provide your own protection against watermelon-loving thieves.
Crystal Kelly is a feature writer for Bizarre Bytes with those unusual facts that you only need to know for Trivial Pursuit or Jeopardy or to stump your in-laws.
Follow KnoxTNToday on Facebook and Instagram. Get all KnoxTNToday articles in one place with our Free Newsletter.
