The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-08-20
ELo FROM POsEY.
Shipments North Aggregate Over
1.SOO Carloada Each Seaaon.

1,OOO (0ElOa0S E<acn Sea8On.
Poseyville Qnd.) Special to Chicago Record
The Indiana watermelon harvest has be.
gun. Between this and Sept 20 from 1.5e
to 1900 carloads OF melons will be shipped
out of the Indiana watermelon belt" while
from the newer Illinois fields, which lie On
: the other side of the Wabash. Very few
the extensiveness Of this comparatively new
industry. Even a smaller per cent. know
that the best melons in the world are now
raised In Indiana and on the markets they
The great Indiana melon belt has two CEN
ters-Poseyvflle and Decker. 1t extends
however, from Vincennes to Mount Vernon,
though the profitable fields for commercial
raising are limited to the northern part OF
Posey and Il: southern part OF Gibson coun~
ty and bordering on the Wabash river.
Though the melon has a great deal Of water
IN It's makeup, II requires a sandy soil for
fore, found within six or seven miles from
the river. Poseyville is now probably the
greatest WateTmelon shipping point In the
ran as high as 101 carloads OF melons a day
and for a week there were ninety carloads
kets. The shipments from Decker. the GEN.
ter of the Gibson county field, run about
two-thirds OF the Poseyyille billings. Other
ana, Cypress, Duncan, Emison, Hyatt, Oak
town, -Owensville, Patoka, Plainville. Plum
Purcells. and Fort Branch. The shipments
from Poseyville and Decker, however. are
over half Of the total. Last year the ship
ments ran from 1,5O to LOCO carloads from
the district.
1t costs about $50 a carload on an average
footed up to about $1,000. The Industry Ia:
become so great during seasons OF the year
that the z. & T. H. which moves most OF
them, has become known as the water
Watermelon raising has been reduced to Q
science. In the vicinity of Poseyville there
are over 2,o00 acres in melons. BY scientific
growing they run hundreds to the acre. and
their weight has been gradually worked up
seventy Ry'N or @ eighty 'H pounds nH~ In The .n largest sssae. one ne
brought into Decker last year weighed
eighty-seven pounds.
On shipping into Chicago this reduces the
rate to about 8 cents a melon. There has
a as ar q compose mPsn ,b beVG SpS,etr IN x sas n naw ms
growers shipped the melons. As a result,
many of them wound up the season In debt.
The freight service was not as perfect as IL
is to-day, and before the melons arrived at
their destination they were, in many cases,
defective. The railway companies. handling
small consignments for individuals, did not
give the traffic the care and attention they
now do. Now the melons are sold on the
f E5pq before s ihs melons ne 5ns S Sesin to s5i form S1n.raf Tss
price paid is gagged by the crop and the
demand. This year 1t is ruling fair, and the
of their crops. The shippers sell the con
signments for about SIS In Chicago. which
makes good melons run about u cents
dBAtLts IL W "a ~
shipped out of this section this year, IL Is
a conservative estimate that the Indiana
growers win be 10000 ahead. The shippers
Watermelon specials are run out every
day and the local c-onsignments are taken
out by the through freights. The
East are now being made in refrigerator
cars and the melons can be laid down fresh
In New York. Most of the Indiana melons,
however, go 70 Illinois. Ohio. eastern Penn
West virginia. Kentucky. Louisiana and
Tennessee.
Poseyville is a town Of about 800 TO 800
people. When the melons are ripe IL Is one
Of the busiest railway shipping points In
the State. Every wagon and wheeled vehicle
within reach Is in service, moving the mel
ons to the railway stations. Loading plat
forms are improvised and are crowded with
melon handlers There is always a new
crop to be taken In every morning. II Is
estimated that watermelons will run almost
one carload to the acre. which means about
1t takes about two acres of nutmegs can
taloupes or gems" TO NIL an ordinary car,
which will hold about 5000 Of them. They
are packed In crates
watermelon land has TO be handled care
fully 1t IL sowed In wheat one year and
in melons the next: IT has been found that
watermelon ground, however, Is good for
nothing else II IL plowed m the usual man
ner and laid OF IN hills ten feet apart. The
furrow and then the hills are converted into
mounds about two feet In diameter. The
seeding il generally done in May. or as soon
as the ground Is warm enough 10 justify IT,
The greatest work then Is 10 keep up a con-
slant running fight against worms and bugs.
There are as many insect enemies 10 water
melons as can be found arrayed against any
thing about melon culture is that an extra
wet season has a bad rather than a good
effect The melons mature just as quickly
and look as well on the ground. but the