Stuffing for forty melons

Half a pound of race ginger
one pound of scraped horseradish
one pound of white mustard seed
one pound of chopped onion
one ounce of ground mace
one ounce of grated nutmeg
half a coffeecupful ofblack pepper grains
one tablespoonful of celery seed
a quarter of a pound of ground mustard
two ounces of turmeric

Select the melons a size larger than a goose egg; pour boiling salt and water on them, and let them stand one night. The next morning make a slit from the stem to the blossom end and take out all the seeds with great care; return them to the brine and let them remain six days,then put them in the best cider vinegar and let them remain for ten days. wipe out the insides and stuff in the following manner:mix the above ingredients to paste,with a pint of the best salad oil;fill each melon well with it,putting in each a small clove of garlic,tie tightly,pack them in a stone jar,and put a little of the stuffing over each layer; also a piece of alum the size of a hickory nut,and keep well covered,with the best cider vinegar.

from : "The Kentucky Housewife, a collection of recipes for Cooking" by Mrs. Peter A. White (1885)
Hey Shoe, how big is your melon patch?