Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1911-10-16
rHE ROCKY FORD MELON


ANflf WIZ ~ FFtd oNl " iHf
Rocky Ford district about 200 car
loads Of cunialouncs this season This
vas about 200 carloads short ut the
usual crop. 1ut the growers arc we'll
satisfied The eantnlOnid Is one OF
the mains,ays ci ,ne Arkansas valley
of Colorado. and. since u IL q variety
OF rare quality. Z, always Will be so
The iaiher OF the Rocky Ford can.
taloupc vas the late &. W Swink IN.
decd. Nh SWink was the father oi H..
riEation and everything grown by ~.
riga'ion In the valley Originally. MI
Swink owning large area OF the
valley ran cattle on the native pas.
tufr lie vas prosperous and com
Portable, but he lacked garden, and
orchard, and shade ilo observed thar
water thrown from the Kitchen IN the
c9rly spring caused plants 20 spring
up aud gIow throughout the year.
Even trees took root under this
chance irrigation and IL occurred 10
hin that possibly. he might Use water
from ftc well for small eelrdeh Ao.
curdlngls one spring. he made gar.
den. irrigating II from the well But
The water was too cold To be poured
directly upon the plants. and so he
adopted the plan OF drawing q large
quantity la the evening. aud letting II
stand an the next day In the sun.
This made the water acceptable TO
the plants. ana he had a line aardsn
until late fall The next year, By Ga.
creasing the capacity VI his reservoir,
he had a larger garden Finally, 9TH
e. settlers followed his example. ana
soon camt dalHs In the Ifvet and
canals and bitches. until now one-hali
millions acres of the valley west OF
the Kansas line are under irrigation.
Before his nelghbors Joined him,
however Mr. Swink introduced the
cantaloupe IN the valley Unwilling Ia
make The experiment NTH seed TO he
obtained in the United states. he
wrote TO the United States commits
siOner OF agriculture, requesting that
quantity OF the beat seed O1tGinable
from abroad be sent 10 him. THIS
was IN the fail. and the commissioner
immediately wrote 10 United States
consul stationed on the Mediterranean
coast Tor seed Of the "cantalonpc.
which was the best melon grown In
these countries Quantitios we're for.
warded by the several cOusuls In 70.
Spouse 90 the commissioners re-.
| quest and from the loi he selected Z
seed grown In spain, and sent u small
package OF n TO Mr.. SWIM, This
seed Mr. Swink planted IN carefully
prepared ground, nourishing the young
plants with warm water and behold
Ia August melons OF the finest flavor
ever knowni
From this, the canialoupc industry
has grown Ia the valley indeed. il
was the beginning OF the industry IN
( the United States. Tor, until then
this species OF melon Ia Nnierica was
the nutmeg" which had been evolved
OF the insi bid ''mushmelon,' only q
short remove from the pumpkin Since
| then. varieties OF the canlaloupe oi
peculiarly sweet flavor rom Rocky
Ford seed have taken root In other
valleys and small districts OF the
| United States, especially, of The san
| IA Pc southwest, as MoslllS Valley
salt River valley and pecos valley
| and their melons have become famou,
i In the markets However The Rocky
\ Ford variety has lost no prestlge bs
4 the competition. one corporation
Il which grows cantaloupes for the New
Il York aud lloston markets, following
II the advance Of the season rom the
Southern Atlantic seahoard westward
II through the Carollnes, Tenueasee. ant
so on, has its largest plantation al
Rocky Ford ON tails plantation, he
sides les greatest crops Oi melons, this
corporation grows tie seed PLANTED On
all OF its farms In The United states