Cantaloupe Cantaloupe Cantaloupe (muskmelon, mushmelon, rockmelon, sweet melon) or spanspek (South Africa) is a variety of the "Cucumis melo" species in the Cucurbitaceae family. Cantaloupes range in weight from . Originally, "cantaloupe" referred only to the non-netted, orange-fleshed melons of Europe, but may mean any orange-fleshed melon of "C. melo". China is the world's largest producer of cantaloupes, providing half of the global total in 2016. The name cantaloupe is derived via French "cantaloup" from Italian "Cantalupo," which was formerly a papal county seat near Rome, after the fruit's introduction there from Armenia. It was first mentioned in English literature in
George Fruits It is possible that Fruits is the son of a Revolutionary War veteran named George Fruits and that the last surviving veteran is Daniel F. Bakeman (as listed by Department of Veterans Affairs). If claimed earlier year of birth and the subsequent service record are correct George Fruits joined the militia belonging to Captain George Miars (of Washington County, Pennsylvania) as a private on November 2, 1781, aged 19. Fruits's war record indicates he received pay in 1781 and 1783 while in the Revolution. He states that he was not involved in any battles because the war was almost over