Arizona republican., 1909-09-11
MESA
VALLEY CROPS IN A
RACE FOR SUPREMACY
Will the Sugar Beets Drive Out the
Cantaloupes7

Since the active campaign for 1000
acres Of Mesa land to be planted to
sugar beets this coming fall there has
been ne little speculation as to Just
what would become of the cantaloupe
industry in the Mesa section. Here
tofore Mesa has been looked forward
to as the section where cantaloupes
were grown and grown successfully. a
melon growers association shipping
out some years as high as two hun
dred carloads to eastern markets has
been in existence for upwards OF ten
years. and IL has done much to reduce
the industry to a science. But the
cantaIoupe growers had their troubles.
They had no trouble in producing, for
year in and year out they continued
to harvest bumper crops. Their trou-
bles came from afar. from the eastern
commission men, telling them that the
market was over crowded or that their
melons were low grade. but greater
number of times telling them nothing.
Cantaloupe growing is hard work. 1t
comes at that time of the year when
help is scarce and the sun shines hot,
DuI IL lStu " pay anu fAioe -
kept many men at il until they used
up a good deal Of their profits for off
years, when the market was no good
Then came the sugar beet proposi-
ton as the balm of Gilead, and the
ranchers planted and harvested large
crops, but again they were disap-
pointed in the market and again can
taloupes came in favor. For long
time the factory at Glendale remained
idle and the ranchers who had to pass
that way could not look in its dlrec-
ton without a thought of the manner
i'm which they had been duped. But
all that is ancient history now, for
the sugar beet industry has been born
again. Fresh, new money came IN
from the middle west and the factory
began showing signs of life. An act
i've campaign was begun and ranchers
were urged to plant beets, but they
could not so soon forget the year or
two previous. when they had planted
their land to sugar beets, and as re-
suit there was a late crop. The beets
were planted late last year and the
harvest time was practically along
with the cantalOupes. The market
was all right, but the beets did not
produce. The ranchers knew why
their crops were short and the sugar
beet company management knew why
the crops were shOrt, and it was imme-
diately decided to profit L. the prac-
teal lesson of late planting. That
is why the sugar beet campaign is on
at this time. X. L. Mumford has been
interested in the sugar beet industry
since its incipiency in this place I'M
der the new management, and now
George Badell, who has always been
recognized as the foremost and most
successful cantalOupe man in the val
ley. is also engaged in securing con-
tracts for sugar beet planting.
The cantaloupe industry brings in
new money from the east. The money
is spent at hOme-two splendid con-
ditions. but the sugar beet industry
does the same. During good Years
small fortunes are made from canta-
loupes. but the good years apparent
~ got farther apart. The sugar beet
is not necessarily n surer crop, but
the market is surer. The sugar beet
when water is plentiful, help plenti-
full, and the weather cool and agree
able for harvesting. The cantalOupe
industry is not dead. but how long
it will survive probably depends upon
the success OF the sugar beet.