There is an allusion between Sydney melon and Daqitou ancient village in Leping, a famous Chinese historical and cultural village. Daqitou Ancient Village is the former residence of Shangshu of Guangxu Military Department in Qing Dynasty, Zheng Shaozhong, the prefect of Guangdong Navy, Sizi and their families. It is said that after the demise of the Qing Dynasty, Dakoujin (Zheng Shaozhong's real name was Zheng Jin) made great contributions to the Qing Dynasty, won the respect and reuse of Cixi, and sealed General Wei Zhen. 1889, because of her mother's death, she returned to her hometown to observe filial piety, and Cixi decreed that funds should be allocated to build a mansion, which is now the ancient village of Daqitou. On the day of the celebration of the compound, officials and squires from all directions came to congratulate and gave a big banquet. After three rounds of wine, Dakoujin was slightly drunk. At this time, the clan members presented a melon to Dakoujin to relieve the hangover. Smell the whole house, the food is cool, sweet as honey, and the wine disappears. Ask the people in the same school what this is and where it came from. People in the same family replied that it is called Hami melon, melon honey course, and there is no unified title. It is a local specialty. After a little thinking, Dakoujin said, this thing is sweet and refreshing, and looks like Sydney in the north. Let's call it Sydney melon! Invited guests from all over the world to taste them one by one, and everyone was full of praise. Since then, the name of Sydney melon has spread like wildfire in the local area. Later, it was rumored that Dakoujin ordered two loads of Sydney melons to be sent to Beijing day and night for Empress Dowager Cixi to taste. Because of the long journey, it is still a great pity for Dakoujin that he failed to take this opportunity to express his loyalty.

Sydney melon (also known as melon and cantaloupe) has a long history in Leping, with a certain planting scale as early as 1970s and 1980s. After nearly 20 years of development, the production of Sydney melon has become one of the most important agricultural products in this town, and it is a well-known characteristic agriculture in this town. Especially since the middle and late 1990s, the production of Sydney melon has developed by leaps and bounds every year, and the planting area has been expanding. In 2006, the planting area exceeded 1 10,000 mu. In 2007, the planting area reached 14000 mu; About 8,000 mu was planted in the spring of 2008. It is estimated that the annual planting area will exceed18,000 mu, the total output will exceed 22,500 tons, and the output value will exceed 76.5 million yuan. Products are sold to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Foshan and other large and medium-sized cities, which are in short supply. The origin of leping town Sydney Melon is a pollution-free production base certified by the provincial level, and it mainly grows Yin Hui Sydney Melon produced by Nongyou Company. This variety is deeply loved by consumers because of its good appearance and good quality, and has been selected as a more competitive variety by farmers for many years. Sydney melons can be planted three times a year in leping town. The planting time is from the end of February to the beginning of 10 every year, and the fruit harvesting period is from the end of April to the beginning of 1 1 0. The shortest harvesting period from transplanting to fruit harvesting is only 45 days. The yield per mu is about 2,500 Jin, and the price in recent years is 1.5 yuan to 2 yuan/Jin. Sydney melon is also called cantaloupe. Sydney melon is a term that has formed a habit for many years. Both growers and consumers agree with it, forming a fixed cognition, which has been deeply rooted in people's hearts. According to the survey, the planting area of Sydney melons in leping town is the largest in the Pearl River Delta and even in the whole province. In 2006, the planting area reached 1 10,000 mu, in 200710.4 million mu, and it is expected to exceed10.8 million mu in 2008, making it the largest Sydney melon planting base in the province. Moreover, the Sydney melons produced in leping town have better taste, sweeter taste and unique flavor than the surrounding towns, districts and cities. According to the authoritative department's determination, the sugar content of seven-mature Sydney melons reached 15 degrees, and the sugar content of fully mature Sydney melons exceeded 18 degrees. The aroma and sweetness of Leping Sydney melon are due to Leping's special climate and geographical conditions (east longitude11249' 05)-

1 13 05 ",2312' 30"-23 20' 30 "north latitude), special soil environment (sandy loam soil, red hillock soil, pH 4.9-6.5) and excellent water quality (north river irrigation). At the beginning of the 20th century, In order to solve this problem, under the leadership of the town agricultural office, the district agricultural bureau and the provincial academy of agricultural sciences joined forces to win financial support for the district science and technology projects. After several years of research and practice, it is concluded that the fusarium wilt caused by continuous cropping can be completely solved by using grafting seedling technology (that is, using white melon seedlings as rootstocks and Sydney melon seedlings as scions), and the effective rate is over 95%. At the beginning of 2006, the grafting seedling technology was mature. With the vigorous promotion of the town agricultural office, more than 5,000 mu of grafted seedlings were planted that year. In 2007, the town developed four Sydney grafting nurseries, and the planting area of Sydney exceeded 14000 mu. In the spring of 2008, more than 8,000 mu of Sydney melons were planted, and it is estimated that the annual planting area will reach18,000 mu. Six grafting seedling farms of Sydney melon were developed, with an annual output of 6 million grafted seedlings of Sydney melon. The popularization of grafting seedling raising technology of Sydney melon has provided a guarantee for the sustainable development of Sydney melon planting industry in this town.