The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-03
BIG YEAR FOR MELONS
ONE CAUSE OF TT TIVE FAILURE
OF THE ORANGE AND
PEACH CROP
MELONS BY THE MILLION

MELONS BY THE MILLION
Some of the Early Productions
Realized From 5000 to $4,000 an
Acre-The Man Looking for Gold
Found a Richer Melon Prize-The
Rocky Ford CantelOupe.
( This is the reigning year of the melon.
Although the year is still young, more
canteloupes and watermelons have reach
ed the Northern markets than ever before
in the history of the commission men.
In the last week Of July, carloads of mel
ons were to be had for the asking in Jer-
sey City. Other carloads at Washington
stood open to the longing of the passing
darkey boy. The melon belt. which
reaches from Otero county In Colorado In
a broad band sagging somewhat SOUTH
ward and finally touching the southern
Atlantic coast, has borne fruitfuily
throughout it's entire length, says the
New York Sun.
This year the acreage, for two reasons,
has been vastly increased. During the
winter of 1898 and 1899 from 60 to 70 per
cent of the peach trees of Georgia, i Ala
bama. and, indeed, of the entire Gulf re-
gion, with the exception of Texas, were
killed by the frost. In Florida consid-
cradle proportion of the orange trees
which had not suffered in previous win
tiers were lost, thereby throwing large
number of fruit growers out their regular
lines Of planting. AS a result, thousands
Of acres formerly devoted to peach and
orange growing were planted to cante-
loupes and watermelons. In most sec
lions of the South the season was favor
able for melon growth AMI the result was
q great overstocking of the market And
yet, the experienced grower, with the wis
dom which comes from many paintings,
has not been so seriously injured by over
production as many Of the newer melon
securing an early crop and of rushing it
through we'll established channels into
the markets of the North.
AS a result the first carloads OF eante-
loupes to reach New York brought from
% to $3.50 crate. That means $1,100 and
81 .5W- for a single carload of from 1000
to $4,000 melons. 1t is not unusual to raise
in parts of Georgia and Alabama from
two to three carloads TO the acre. This
would mean money yield of from 81 259
to $500 to the acre. provided the melons
could 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 it is that a number of the most
advanced growers have been astonish-
ingly successful with their ventures in
the South.
WatermelonS have been only a step be-
mind the canteloupes in the size and mar
ketlng success of the crop. About 1000
melons are considered a carload During
the last two or three years these melons
have averaged a full thirty pounds weight
and some of them have gone beyond six
ty pounds, while a few prize melons
weighing 100 pounds and over nave crept
INTO the shipments. The early watermel-
onS Dr1ng all manner of fancy prices By
aug L the price has usually dropped from
$500 to $3.50 a carload. That would mean
cost of from 2 to So cents for a thirty
pound mefon-about as cheap a dessert.
even after the nliddiemans charges haya
been added, as the average American
iaHiiiy could desire. AS the season adj
Fances the price decreases still further
until it frequently happens that the shin
per Is willing to give his product to any
one who will be kind enough to nav the
freight. The earlier melons nearly al,
come by, express and spend from two 70
three days On the road; from Colorado
the earliest product requires nearly three
Gays, or from four to five days by freight
.NeW York can comfortably consume from,
twenty to- forty carloads every day.
ohe curious development OF the melon
crop, chiefly during the present season
mas oeen the growing sale of eanteloupes
IN the market by name. A few years
ago muSkmelon was muskmeIon. The
only difference of designation were the
elementary designations: good and bad. .
w. "A. Iayiori assistant pomologist of
the United States department of agrfcul-
lure, told how the muskmelon happened
to become the canteioupe.
In the North, he said 1.-The musk
melon Is still the muskmelon: cantelonne
is Southern name, and from the fact
tnat the canteioupe supply comes largely
from below the Mason and Dixon line the
name has gradually invaded Northern
markets until at present the ordinary
Guy man would not think for moment
or asking for muskmelon when he goes
to restaurant"
The average marketer has begun to dis
tfEgufSh varieties of the canteIe,,ue He
knows the famous. Rocky Ford melon
from the Usage and the Paul Rose. and
he thinks he can distinguish 1t from the
old-fashioned Melted Gem The Rocky
Ford melon is perhaps the most famous
OF any in the market. 1t is grown in
Otero county Colorado near Rook1, Ford
ON the Arkansas river, where the tenn
perature is hot, the soil is light and the
land can be supplied by means of ir-
rigation with an unlimited quantity of
water at just the time when the melon
plants are most in need of it. Otero
county is indeed the hot-bed of Colorado.
The Rocky Ford melon is of medium size
and roughly netted with green lines. 1t
was first shipped in quantities from Col
orado to Chicago about three years ago.
Here It's fame grew with mushroom ra-
pidity. 1t was sweet and of excellent
flavor, and, Chicago having passed fay-
orably upon 1t, the shipments reached
farther to the eastward until the Rocky
Ford melon is now the most popular
canteloupe in the markets of Philadel-
phfa, New: York and Boston. This sue
cess has largely been due to the action
Of the growers themselves. They have
worked together Ike trust. Their Ship
ments have all been made by co-opera-
tive association. which has taken partic-
<ular- pains not to overstock any particu-
lar market. Indeed, SO popular has the
melon become that it's seeds have been
planted in many places throughout the
South, and even In Texas. and now
melons bearing the name of Rocky Ford
come from many 6fifferert places, al
thaJfoh4 fhe apIy genuine Rocky Fnrff ia n