Rocky Ford enterprise., 1905-08-11
CANTAL0UPE SEASON
FAIRLY, COMMENCED.
Next Week Will See Large Shipments of Sup
erior Stock-Growers and Shippers Real
izing Necessity for Close Inspection.

acceptable quality. This Is scarcely
practicable. but It Is evident that some
thing should bs done to prevent the ship
ment Of stuff which tends TO knock our
reputation higher than kite.
Tho Rocky Ford Association has open
ed for business in tho same Office as last
year. one door west Of 4. c. Sloan's Of
fee. President Bailey has entered on
his auxiliary duties Of bookkespsr.
Mrs. Letta A. Smith reports the sale OF
her first basket through Fish & Co. for
$40. She says that she might easily
have had the first crate had she bssn
willing TO ship green stun. but she de-
elinsd. believing that there is hsreaftsr
-eantaloupsieall ~ well a. theological
ly. Mrs. Smiths small field has bssn the
Mecca Of shippers wanting the earliest
eants.
p. x. B1lsa has So0e Seggsstioss
Whieh, u A1oDes1. wla Bsisg
0ag Msssy.
The reputation Of the Rocky Ford can't
aloups was made bsfors the days Of
large ssrsagss and The shipment Of green
eantaloupsa. Il was the salsoea. swost.
seiey 6avos Of he Rocky Fosds Ia con-
1ass with The nat tastsIsss eontaloups Of
othss sections that made The hit On the
market and won fame for Rocky Ford.
The fact that the quality of the Rocky
Ford eaataioups b not a. uniformly
geod ~ Il was few ysars ago demands
The attention 1t svsry grower and com
mission man who wishes 10 80 the In
dustTy continue psospssoasiy.
Several Influences have caused the do
tsnosatioa Of the quality. and some Of the
elements that impair our eansaioupss arc
bsyond the farmers control: but the ship
msnt Of eareisssiy packed crates and
sussed vines are the chief elements that
effect the quality. ard are certainly with
IN the power Of control.
Tho commission mans sxpefienee IN
handling oranges. lemons. tomatoes. bar-
anas and many ether fruits which will
fipsn to good quality after baing picked
quite green. leads him TO reason iha, the
eansaioopss were no; picked green orough
~hsn he receives . eonsignmeni Of over
ripe eantaloupss. and he Immediately
wires TO get them more green" IN spi,s
Of the fact that he has expss;sneed melon
man 10 inspect the shipments. Every
grower known. and will admit To him self.
that . eantaloups picked before h b
sweet inside will never b . ean'aloaps
ht 10 eat.
Without question Il 10 . skillfai trek 10
pick eantaloups On the green limit and
get rips. Il b dangerous line. u grow
err are picking - green as their isds-
msnt tells them. 70 have . general order
given 70 "p;ek erssasr." The result is
that nearly every crate has some green
eantaloupes h Il and some less critical
growers ~ill % far sxessd the iimi, that
large percent Of his crates are too green
70 ever make edible eantaioupss. And. On
tro, with hired help and large acreage.
Il b strong argument for The ss,s. ED
well TILED and we'll marketed. The safe
line 70 pick eantaiaupss IN Colorado 10 10
have them Slip" as Il b termed. ~hsn
the esntaloops easily separates from The
vine. This b natures hrss hint that The
eantAioups b sweet inside. n the stem
or eantaloups 10 broken the quality has
not reached ts bsst and Is sure 10 disap-
point the customer. The looks Of a can't
sloupe and . slight pull on the ssem are
the tests that practical man will use.
II the melon Is showing tint Of yellow 4
must come Of. II II appears as IL !. ought
TO slip and yet not yellow the slight pres
sure on the stem Is used. and here Is
where good iudgmen, is required not 10
force the slip. The ean,aioupe picker
that has TO pick lot Of green ean.aloupss
in order to get some Just right is Of no
more value in eantaloupe field than .
tramp with q knife who plugs sis or
eight green wasernelons 10 find a ripe
one.
There seems 10 be too little Judgment
used at the beginning Of the season when
growers and commission men striving
to ship the frst eantaloopes will ship for
nearly a week before there is ripe can't
aioupe. as was the case in 1904. II the
growers would pick and pack as IL they
! were the ones who were TO consume the
melons quality would improve to the best
possible. and the returns from the eanta-
loupcs would not be like those in 1904.
PIX. BLlNN.
Wednesday Marshal Baldwin arrested
w. L. Sutton who is wanted at Florence