The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-27
GREAT YEAR FOR MELONS
FAILURE OF ORANGE AND PEACH
CROPS ONE CAUSE OF 1T.

Some of the Early Productions Realized
From 5000 to $4,000 an Acre-Mau
| Looking for Gold Found n Richer Melon
Prizo-The Rocky Ford Canteloupc
This il the reigning year OF the melon. Al
though the season is still young more canto
loupes and watermelons have reached the north
ern markets than ever before in the history Of
tho commission In the last week Of July,
carloads Of melons were 10 be had for the asking
| In Jersey City. Other carloads al Washington
| stood open TO the longing Of the passing darkcy
! boy. The melon belt, which reaches from Otero
county in Colorado In a broad band sagging
somewhat southwark and finally touching the
southern Atlantic coast, has borne fruitfully
| throughout its entire length.
This year the acreage, for two reasons, has
| been vastly increased. During the winter OF
1893 and 1899 from sixty 10 seventy per cent of
| the peach trees OF Georgia, Alabama and, indeed,
| of tho entire Gulf region, with the exception Of
! Texas, killed by the FROST In Florida a
considerable proportion Of the orange, trees which
| had not suffered in previous winters were lost.
| thereby throwing a large number Of fruit grow
| ers out their regular lines Of planting. As a
| result thousands Of acres formerly devoted TO
| peach and orange growing were planted 10 cante-
loupes and watermelons In most sections Of
| the South the season was favorable for melon
| growth and the result was a great overwhelming
| Of the market And yet the experienced grower.
with the wisdom which comes of many paintings
has not been so seriously injured by over-pro-
duction as many Of the newer melon growers.
He understood the science Of securing early
crop and Of rushing IL through well-established
channels into the markets Of the North
As a result the first carloads Of cantcloupes
to reach New York brought from IS TO S. so a
crate That means 81. 100 and 800 for sin
gle carload Of from 1000 10 10 600 melons II
is not al all unusual to raise in parts OF Georgia
and Alabama from two to three carloads 10 the
acre This would mean money yield Of from
81 200 TO 81, 500 to the acre. provided the melons
could all be harvested early in the season When
this is compared TO the yield TO the acre of wheat
or almost any other known crop the profits would
appear enormous Certain II is that a number
Of the most advanced growers have been aston
ishingly successful with their ventures in the
South.
Watermelons have been only step behind
the canieloupes In the size and marketing sue
cess of the crop About 1000 melons are CON
sidered a carload. During the last two OF three
years these melons have averaged full thirty
pounds weight and some Of them have gone be-
yond sixty pounds, while few prize melons
weighing 100 pounds and over have crept into
the shipments. The earliest watermelons bring
all manner Of fancy prices BY August
the price has usually dropped from $500 10 $3.50
carload That would mean cost Of from two TO
three and half cents for a thirty pound melon
about as cheap dessert, even after the middle
mans charges have been added the average
American family could desire As the season
advances the price decreases still further until
II frequently happens that The shipper is willing
TO give his product 10 anyone who will be kind
enough 10 pay the r,ight The earlier melons
nearly all come by express and spend from two
frt 10, 81.
est product REQUIRES nearly three davis or from
four TO five DAYS nv freight New York can rom,
fortably consume from twenty to forty carloads
every day.
One curious DEVELOPMENT of the melon cron
chiefly during the p,esent season has beep The
growing sale Of cantelo,pes in the me,tst bvn.r,.
A few y,ars ago A musk melon was n ,n,st,,.,on
The only difference Of designation ,ver, IN. eli.
mentary designations. good and bad" " A
Taylor assistant pomoloeist Of the United states
department. of agriculture. told how the musk
melon happened TO become the canteloupe
In the north, he said. "tbe muskmeion ia still
the muskmelon; canteloupe is a southern name
and from tho fact that the canteoupe s,pplv comes
largely from below the Mason and Dixon line the
name has gradually invaded northern MARKETS
until at present the ordinary CITY man would not
think for a moment Of asking for A mustme,on
when he goes to a restaurant
The average marketer has begun To distinguish
variet,es NJ IN, c.,t.,ou,. u.Lno,u a. go,
Rocky Ford melon from the Usage and III. pei
Rose and he thinks he can d,ati,gu;sb !, tor, ,h.
old fashioned Melted Gem The Rocry Eord
melon is perhaps the most famous of ,nv in IN.
market Il Il grown in Otcro county r., n..r
Rocky Ford on the Arkansas liver where tho tcr-
perature Ia hot the soil Ia 0bt and the land can he
supplied by means of irrigation with an unlimited
quantity of wate, AT inst the time 1vhe, thu ,,.,
plants are most in need If Il Ot.,o count, 4. In
deed the hot bed Of Colorado Tho Rocly Eo,d
melon is of medium size and roughly melted With
green lines II was first sbinned in ,u.n,,,;.
from Colorado TO Chicago about three vsars 400
Here its fame grew with mushroom Y,n,ditv 7,
WAS sweet and Of exccIlspt dave, and Chi...o
having poasod f.vorably unor a IN. .,,nu,.,',o
reached farther n tho .astvard until N. po.,,
Ford melon Ia now the most nonula, c,nt.,o,,n.i,
tho markets Of Pbiladelpbia. New york and po.
ton. This success has LARGELY hon du. 10 IN.
action of the growers themselves ,rh.v ,.v.
worked top,tber lils . t,ust Th.ir shi,,,a,,s