Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-05
wATERMELoNs FOR NEW YORK
Two Millions and q Half Eaten in
Big City Each Summer.
From the New York Sun.

New York receives in the course of the
season for consumption within the great
er city and the territory Immediately
surrounding it about 2,5OOOO water
melons. The weight of a watermelon
runs from fifteen to sixty pounds; put
ting the average at thirty pounds, New
York eats about 1850 tons of water
melons a year.
Since the Spanish-American war the
first watermelons in this market have
come from Cuba. Some melons from
Cuba come very early in the year, but
most Of them in the latter part of April
and early in May. Expensive these Cuban
watermelons are, selling for $3.50 and 81
apiece. A lot of them are bought up,
but they do not amount to much more
than a drop in the bucket as compared
with the flood that starts in little later
from the states.
The real market supply here comes first
from Florida, starting about the middle
Of May and from that on as the season
advances New York gets watermelons
from Georgia. South Carolina. North Car
DINA, Virginia. Maryland, Delaware and
New Jersey. New York now gets, also.
some early melons from Alabama, and in
the later supply some from Indiana, Hi
nois and Missouri. The very last of the
watermelons come from New York state.
the season closing about Octobc; 20.
Some of the melons from Florida,
Georgia and Virginia are brought here ~
boat. hut nine-tenths of the total receipts
come by rail A car will hold from 500
to 400 watermelons. They load water
melon cars with the melons laid on ,ne
floor in lines lengthwise OF the car, begin
ming TO load at the ends and loading
toward the center. They pile the water
melons up in this manner four or hve
tiers high. and loaded in this way they
ride all right with very little breakage.
There are solid trains of watermelons.
AS many as l25 cars Of watermelons have
come here in a day, and then there might
be a day when New York would get only
seven cars, and then there might come
forty cars or seventy. the receipts vary;
nerhans TWENTY-FIVE cars a day would be
an average through the buster month o.
the season.
such thing has been known as glut
in the market when melons were SOLO
for next to nothing or given away or
thrown away and always. of course, the
wholesale price depends on the demand
and the supply. Melons are sold at whole
sale in carload lots. a car said 10 contain
80 many melons for so much. the prices
ranging ordinarily from about Sl2o to $3.50
a car. though they might go down 10
500 or up 10 500. and the prices might
vary 500 a car within week
If there is an ovefsupply OF WatermeiOiS
here New York wholesalers and commits
sion merchants, seek to lind an outlet for
them in other places. with the CROWN
of populaticn everywhere many cities
now receive direct shipments from
points of production. but there may De
some places where at the il'olhen, ~, que
reason or another the supply actually on
hand has run low. So with more melons
here than the market will readily ABSORB
the New York merchant wires New raven.
Hartford and various other Fc.hiS AS laf
away as Boston. and If he finds places
r.hara fIev want watermelons he shoves
tha ,ars right along from here without
unloading.