Stacy, you are welcome, but I'm having a ball! It's more fun than I've had since I was a Freshman and sent a letter to some researcher who relied to "Dr. Corey"!
But I sure hope that someone in your family has some seeds in a trunk or coffee can somewhere!
Wilhite and Hollar Seeds said "no". Wilhite was a big disappointment, since they are as much "Mr. Melon" as Baker Creek is.
Dr. Carle at Hollar Seeds is a real class act. He gave me some tips about the well-hidden USDA / ARS / NCGRP / PGRCU seed collection in Griffin, Georgia. From there, you have to guess that the good stuff is hidden in "Multistate Research Project S-009". Then of course, they don't want to come right out and TELL you anything about what's in their collection, other than specializing in plants of importance to US agriculture, especially in the Southern region.
"The S-9 germplasm collection has grown to more than 90,000 accessions representing 257 genera and 1,553 taxa of 1,436 species"
So I sent an email to the Research Leader/Coordinator of "USDA, ARS Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit", hoping that he would hand it to a grad student to answer.
GRIN MUST have more than 15 entries in the entire genus Citrullus! And more than four in the species lanatus!
I'll ask someone who KNOWS GRIN how I should have searched.
I'm not really stubborn! I just don't like giving up while any leaves remain unturned.
