The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-04-26
MELON RAISING IN SOUTHEAST
MISSOUkl.
.,OOe 90 a. O0O Car Loads To he shipped
This Year-PrOfits of the Business.

a,OOo 20 3, 900 Car Loads TO he shipped
This Year-PrOflts of the Business.
Correspondence st. Louis Republican.
In response to your inquiry in regard to
the melon crop of Southeast Missouri fol
this year, l will say: There will be planted
and shipped from Dehlstait 1000 acres
from Ostner's Switch 400 acres, from Blod,
gett 400 acres, and from Morley 800. These
are all from Scott county. From Mississippi
county, a new station called "Melcn Station
Quilt for the purpose of shipping
melons exclusively, there will be
planted and shipped 700 acres, and
from Bertrand 600 acres, making the aggre-
gate from both counties $500 acres. These
melons are generally bought by commission
merchants from st. Louis and Chicago, who
ship to Chicago via the Cairo u Wins
cennes ant Illinois Central railroads, in fruit
cars properly ventilated for that purpose.
From Chicago the melons are distributed to
all the lake cities as far east as New York.
Philadelphia and Baltimore, and in the lat
ter part of the season they are shipped to
New Orleans, Memphis and Texas, where
they are said, by eminent southern physi'
clans, to be excellent preventives of the fever.
Our melon fields are tar superior to the
famous melon patches of Georgia, the east
ern shores of Maryland and Deal Island, New
Jersey.
The above named stations are situated in
the only sections of the Iron Mountain rail-
road at which melons can be successfully
raised. The popularity of the soil for raising
melons Is, that it is Of rich, sandy loan,
and only ten feet TO water, the melon there
fore supplying its own moisture in csse of
drouth. We raise on an average 1000
melons per acre, which is equivalent to car
load. This is a new enterprise for our
country, having been introduced only five
years ago by shipping twenty car load'. Last
year Dielstadt alone shipped 439 car loads
There we're 800 car loads shipped in all from
the different stations. This year we expect
to ship from 1000 to 5000 Car loads. Last
year the first car load of melons was shipped
on the 9Th day of July,snd sold at the station
for the sum Of $165.
Our farmers are now preparing their
ground for melons, and will commence
planting about the first of April. Melons
are planted sixteen feet apart each way, len
seeds in each hill, at two different paintings,
and then tbinned out; this double planting
being to insure stand. From three to four
pounds of stable manure are put in eacn hill.
The melons are shipped in the month of
July, thus making the time consumed in
growing, gathering and selling the crop some
four months. Commission merchants come
from all parts of the country, but principally
from ST. Louis and Chicago, and buy the
melons as soon as they are loaded in the cars.
The city of Charleston being only three
miles from the melon country, has had as
many as twenty commission merchants in
her hotels at one time, for the purpose of
purchasing melons. The soil surrounding
the city OF Charleston for distance of three
miles being Of black, sandy prairie, is not
we'll adapted to melons. Melons sra easily
raised, any one man can cultivate thirty acres
without difficulty. Estimating the crop this
year at five cents per melon, the net income
Of our farmers from this source alone will be
something near $4,000.