Imperial press and farmer., 1902-04-05

ary were ready for shipment the first of May. These were the first sugar beets produced in the desert, and they seem to have demonstrated a peculiar adaptability of that locality for beet growing. The roots were long and symmetrical and ran as high as IS per cent. in sugar. The crop pro- duced was at the rate of twenty tons to the acre. Experts from Chino and | Oxnard pronounced them phenom- l enal. Wheat matured in four months from the seed. Cantaloupes, planted the last day of February, furnished fruit for shipment June 10, and the season continued until July IS. Cab bage of the very best were also grown in an unusually short time. Two and a quarter acres of watermelons pro- duced three carloads of fruit, which netted the growers $517. They were sold to w. c. Patterson & Go. of this city, and were brought in to supply the early watermelon market of Southern California. Millet sown the first of June, yielded four crops in succession. Sorghum seems in like manner to be almost a perennial
 
 from the same roots. Alfalfa may be cut every three weeks, and it yields tremendously.
 It is believed that oranges may be successfully grown on the oasis. A few seeding trees planted near the station as an experiment years ago., were not seriously injured by the heavy frosts of the present winter. They yield an exceptionally sweet and negrained fruit. It is probable also that pineapples might prove a sue cessful crop.
 Good Profit on Cautaloupes.
 The twenty-three acres planted in cantaloupes netted the growers $130 per acre. W. II. Woods of Chicago, who has made a speciality of handling cantaloupes during the past seven years, stated that the desert crop beat the record in his experience, both in marketable quality and in ear Illness. Nearly all of the crop was shipped East and large share of it was absorbed by the Waldorf-Astoria in New York and the White Star line of steamers. The first cantaloupes shipped East netted the growers $1S6 per crate.
 Quite a little colony was drawn to- gether as if by magic, and the united plantings of the first season amounted to siXty-four acres in cantaloupes and fifty-SlX acres in grain, alfalfa and other products. There were twenty seven individual growers, who formed the Coachella Producers Association for mutual assistance and protection. From the siXty-four acres in canta- loupes this association shipped twenty-three carloads of fruit. Each carload carried 360 crates, and each crate contained forty-five cantaloupes, so that the entire crop might be cal culated. if anybody takes sufficient in terest to make the figures. The sea son was short and early. the last ship ment being on the 20th of July-just about the time when the California Coast cantaloupe was beginning to show yellow streaks through it's green rind.
 The Coachella association realized top prices for it's early fruit: that goes without saying; otherwise they could not have afforded to ship by express all the way to New York City The last shipment went away July 20. as stated, and by the 27th of the same month the accounts were closed and the producers had their settlements. The express company secured $11000 out of the seasons transactions, and the growers still had $10,000 to divide among themselves. On thirteen car