Is Schoons Hard Shell muskmelon a hybrid?
Goldman surmises that Schoon's Hard Shell is a variant of the Bender, so would have been bred from the Surprise, Irondequoit, and Tip Top, all of which were from the Sill's Hybrid.
In that sense, I suppose it's a hybrid. I'm guessing that you're asking because you want to know if you can save the seed; that is, if Schoon's Hard Shell will breed true or will lose its characters in subsequent generations.
I can't find any specific detail on that, but given that it's sold by Seed Savers Exchange, I'd guess that it is a good candidate for seed saving, as long as you make sure it's not crossing with related species in your garden. Seed to Seed has detailed info on melon seed saving.


Goldman A. 2002. Melons. Artisan Books (p. 76)

Whealy K. 2012. Seed to Seed. Chelsea Green Publishing (p. 103)