Imperial Valley press., 1908-06-13
WARM WEATHER RlPENS CROP AND KEEPS PACKERS AND
 SHIPPERS ON THE JUMP.
TRAINLOADS GOING EAST
One Hundred and Forty-one Cars Sent Out of Valley so far and Shipping Season is but Just opened-Com- parison With Last Year

Forty-seven carloads of luscious, fragrant Imperial Valley cantaloupes rolled out of the valley packing sheds for the Coast and Eastern markets yesterday. The melon shipments thus far this season total Al carloads, be- sides the heavy express shipments of small lots made during the first of the season.
 Seven carloads were sent out from El Centro yesterday. The prospect is that the El Centro Cantaloupe Grow CTS Association will send out at least three cars per day for the ensuing week, and their shipments may reach four or five cars per day by the last of the ensuing week. This associa- tion sent out it's first full carload on the Eth inst; another on the 8th; two on the 9th two on the 10th, and three on the 11th inst.
 This is the original melon associa- tion of El Centro and is composed of experienced melon growers who have $40 acres of cantaloupes pronounced irst-class by the field inspectors. Not more than one-half of the members have begun their shipments yet; but within another week the entire acre age will be sending it's melons to the El Centro packing sheds.
 The El Centro Fancy Melon Grow CTS Association at this early stage of the season has sent out four-ffths as many cantaloupes as were handled by it for the entire season last year. Its first carload. out of the valley was sent out June 2. Last years season shipments from Fl Centro amounted to 40 cars, with twenty-four cars sent here from the Holtville district. This year the El Centro Fancy Melon Grow CTS Association will have the crop from 1904 acres of first class melons to handle.
 Tomorrow morning regular melon train will be established to run out of the valley daily from Brawley. Switch engines will gather up the cars from the various points and haul them to Brawley, where the melon train will be made up.
 The Holton Power Company during the week just closing has iced seventy cars, and fifteen cars were iced for melons previous to the opening of this week. This is notable increase over the business of last season. Then, the first icing of melon cars was done on June 10, and three or four were iced by the 18th of June. At present the Holton Power Company is sending large consignments of ice to Brawley, although no cars have yet been iced here for that point.
 The labor situation is gradually ad justing itself. A large number of men and boys have found work in the fields and sheds during the past four days; some of the men went back to Los An geles; while others are awaiting em- ployment. There is a class of con- siderable size which works a few days and then is contented to loaf until the money thus earned is expended.
 Frank Little is the first shipper of water melons from the valley this sea- son. He sent out a shipment of melons to Los Angeles Wednesday. and will send out carload lots during the ensuing week. Shipments will al so be made from the ranch of Are kelian Brothers, who have a field of eighty acres planted to watermelons.