On the history of domestic melon growing in the 19th – early 20th centuries (based on materials from the Orenburg and Ufa provinces)

Based on a wide range of sources, the article analyzes the development of one of the important branches of Russian agriculture – melon growing, with an emphasis on the cultivation of watermelons in the South Urals in the 19th – early 20th centuries. It is unknown when watermelons first appeared here, but already in the 18th century melon growing existed from Orenburg to Ufa. Melon fields were kept by landowners and peasants, then by suburban summer residents, there were stable intraregional deliveries of watermelons and melons from the south to the north: to Ufa, the Ural mining plants and even to Yekaterinburg. Melon growing was highly marketable and brought good profits, so it was concentrated around cities (Ufa, Sterlitamak and others). Watermelons were grown by representatives of all the peoples of the region (Russians, Bashkirs, Tatars, Ukrainians, etc.). For citation: Rodnov M.I. On the history of domestic melon growing in the 19th – early 20th centuries (based on materials from the Orenburg and Ufa provinces). From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2025, vol.15, no.2, pp.89–120. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2025-15-2.89-120 (In Russian)