Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-04-07
TREMENDOUS INCREASE
IN CANTALOUPE CROP
OVER THOUSAND CARS FROM
VALLEY THIS SEASON.
Imperial Acreage Reduced and Grow
ers Look Forward to ReceiV-
ing Good Prices.

over 1000 carloads of cantalOupes
win be shipped out of the Salt river
valley this season, as against $50
last summer The acreage planted To
cantaloupes is 1876, an increase OF
1000 acres over last year.
According TO the most accurate es-
Inmates obtainable, between 500 and
coo cars Will be shipped from Mesa;
about I25 or $50 viii go from Phoenix
and 375 from Glendale.
In the Mesa district, ! 200 acres are
planted To the little ribbed melons.
Crop conditions are ideal and the
growers are now making their pre-
parations to handle the pick. Load
ing sheds are being erected and nego-
tiations with refrigerator car men
have been concluded. Every assur-
ance has been given that plenty of
cars and plenty of ice to transport
the melons TO eastern markets will be
supplied.
The Mutual Distributors have 500
acres of the Glendale cantaloupe land
signed up, while the Gibson Fruit
company of Chicago and John Nix *
Co of New York have 200 acres
apiece.
Crop conditions are also ideal about
Glendale and Phoenix. The growers
in this immediate vicinity who are
members of the Phoenix Canteloupe
Growers association, have planted
800 acres. The entire crop has been
contracted for by the Gibson Fruit
company
Crutchfield & voolfolk of Pittsburg.
viii again handle the Glendale crop.
This firm has given good satisfaction
To the growers of the Glendale asso-
citation. always securing top prices for
the melons Last July only 225
acres were planted TO cantaloupes
about Glendale but this year the acre
age has been increased to S75.
1t is usually estimated that a lit
tie more than two acres will produce
a carload of cantaloupes. Glendale
land has been found extraordinarily
productive, however, so a forecast of
375 cars for the SIS acres is regarded
as conservative.
Last year there were $50 acres of
cantaloupes around Mesa and 6S cars
were shipped Glendale shipped about
120 cars from 225 acres. The Phoe-
nix farmers did not plant cantalOupes
at all last season.
Indications are that good prices will
be received for cantaloupes this year.
The Salt river valley growers have
increased their acreage at an auspic-
ious time, for the Imperial valley farm
ers have greatly decreased their acre
age in order to plant cotton The
cantaloupe crop Of Imperial will be
considerably less than last year.
Both railroads will give better ser
vice than ever before, so that the
cantaloupes will reach the market in
better condition. Last year the Santa
Re handled cantaloupe shipments be-
tween Glendale and Chicago in a lit
tie over six days. This year ii VIII
clip eighteen hours from its former
time. making the shipment in five and
a half days Cars viii be hauled out
the evening after loading
The most successful year the valley
cantaloupe producers have had was
1908. In that year the Mesa growers
received $I.20 a crate net on $4,000
crates They can make a profit on
81 a crate.
No accurate estimates of the value
Of this years crop for the entire val
ley can be made but the returns TO
the growers are likely to total S15O.OO0
OF more. If this year is successful, as
il seems certain to be, the farmers are
sure to plant even more land to canta-
loupes next season.