Florida Favorite is an open-pollinated variety that was bred in 1911 (parents being Bradford and Georgia Rattlesnake), and it was in circulation at least until 1948. The breeder doesn't assume that Florida Favorite was F1 because he is trying to stabilize the watermelon he crossed.
I am not even sure if there was one strain of Florida Favorite or not. In the scan above, seeds are described to be white whereas in one seed package it was illustrated white and in another one, black. There may even be two strains (or the black seeded illustration may be a mistake).
Breeder's new melon will probably get really close to the original variety and they will probably look identical but what he will have in the end will still be a different variety and for the sake of leaving accurate historical information for future generations, it should be re-named.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjc
IF...and this is a big if...the variety in question IS an F1 (a real first generation cross and has not been worked to the point of being open-pollinated), then it is possible to recreate by finding/remaking the cross. So they could be assuming (most likely incorrectly) that Florida Favorite was an F1 hybrid!
Also for some things, you can get pretty darn close...close enough that only 'purists' and breeders would really care.
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