The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1902-08-05
CANTELOUPE GROWING
in THE TERRITORY
Abundant Crop Of Luscious
Melons Is Being
Marketed

Wellston, Okls The Okla.
homa-Indian territory canteloupe dis
trict is marketing its first crop. The
local centers are Chandler. Shawnee.
Tulsa and Catousa The combined
acreage is close to LOO, Tdlsa lead
ing with l 200 acres, including the Rad
Fork fields, while Catousa has 25O.
Chandler 250 and Shawnee seventy
five acres. The Chandler crop is en-
tirely the product of local growers.
Elsewhere the seed and Gratis we're
supplied by a Chicago commission
firm, which is buying the crop Of the
entire district
On July it was estimated that the
total yield of canteloupes would be
100000 crates. The melon louise. un-
fortunately, entered the fields and
caused such irreparable damage that
there will be a 80 per cent shortage.
The quality of the melons was much
impaired. The fields at Tulsa and Ca.
tousa suffered more than the Oklaho-
me fields. Had conditions been favor
able in every way this season, the
acreage would have been vastly in
creased next year. The damage from
the louise, however, will tend to dis
courage the India nterritory growers.
II was found that vines on new ground
we're scarcely molested but on ground
that had been cultivated for several
years the lice appeared in large num-
bers. It was impossible to destroy
them with profit by spraying The
pest exhausted the strength of the
vines and caused the melons to ripen
before netting. The appearance of the
melon louise is not limited to Oklaho-
ma this year but has been general
Throughout the Southwest
Buyers, after furnishing crates, are
paying ffty-fve cents a crate at this
place. This would have distributed
about $4,000 among the growers had
they produced 100000 crates. They
viii be lucky now to get $4,000 for
the entire crop. An acre of ground
should yield 100 crates under favor
able conditions, or s55 in cash at this
years price. J. w, Dunkesen, who IS
buying the crop says that the cost Of
producing an acre OF canteloupes and
delivering them should not exceed SIS.
Even with their shortage. growers
should realize a reasonable profit this
year
The promoters Of the canteloupe in
dustry in the oklahoma-Indian terri
tory district planned to make 1t a com
petitor Of the Rocky Ford fields of
Colorado. At Shawnee the fields arc
ir the fertile valley of the North Can
adian river and at Tulsa and Red
Fork the soil is enriched by the Ar.
kansas. the same river tributary to
the Rocky Ford region Seed was
brought direct from Rocky Ford last
spring and wherever the vines escap
ed the ravages of the louse the can.
teloupes were not inferior in flavor
to the melons of Rocky Ford. The
melons here were better than the best
grown in the Lawrie district, near
Guthrie. which, heretofore, has been
the largest single melon producing
district in Oklahoma.
The crop here Is earlier than the
Rocky Ford crop, later than the exas
crop and ripens about the same time
as the Arkansas melon, giving a mar
ket with practically no competition.
Persons familiar with the growing
! OF canteloupes advise that seed he
brought from Rocky Ford each year,
as this will come nearer maintaining
the highest standard Of excellence
than if seed grown locally should be
planted II is not known that there
would be any difference In he seed,
but this plan is advised as a safe
guard against questionable expert
ments- Rocky Ford seed cost about
81 a pound and one pound viii plant an
acre of ground. The inexperience Of
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