El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-09-05
100000 MELONS
CROWN IN VALLEY
Farmers and Farm Expert
Declare Cantaloupe Is
Money Making Crop
PLANT csntaloupes"

rant cdnldlOupeS-
This is the advice that farm experts
are giving to truck growers and own
ers Of young orchards in the FL Paso
valley.
About half million melons have
been grown in this district during the
present season, according to F. W.
Whitney. secretary of the Bartlett
Pear Growers association. Of Ysleta.
OF these. over 100000 have been mar
keted. being shipped either by wagon
TO FL Paso. or by cars TO more distant
points.
There are about 40 acres Of canta-
loupe land in the Ysleta district. be-
sides a number Of s-:2!Ie7 patches in
the upper valley that have not been
included in Air. Whitney's figures. The
average yield is rs per acre. although
rs high as 800 melons have been grown
on one acre. Many of these melons.
however, would not be marketable be-
cause of being Overripe or other defects
Better Than Salt River
In Mr.. Whitney's opinion, the oppor-
tunity for cantalOupe growing in the
FL Paso valley is even greater than
that in the Salt river valley OF Arizona.
where such phenomenal results have
just been reported by a !. Haltom. an
assistant engineer in the United States
reclamation service The Salt river
cautaloupe season closed on July "a
with 1900 acres under cultivation and
a total of over 10000 600 shipped 10
the eastern marekts
The soil conditions in the two dis
tricts are about the same while the
ley" said Mr. Whitney. Rotation
should be practiced in raising canta-
loupes. with the crops following al
falfa-"
Ten Times G-eafer S.-.,,a
The acreage this year is about ten
times that of last season" said A. C.
Graham county farm demonstration
Since the present season Is not vet .
over, figures as to the yield and the
net returns are not obtainabIe Among
the most successful growers are J. J.
Smith, s ). Carpenter. George Pendeu
and T. D Porcher. all of Ysleta
Most of the shipments have been
mixed pears and cantalOupes sharing g
the car about equally. The price has .
oeen about $3.50 a crate. T. o. b. the !
station at Ysleta.
Chinese Grow Melons. {
Besides these important growers a /
number OF Chinese and Mexican farm .
ers- scattered through the valley. are
devotlns good portion Of their land
TO melons. II might be safe to say that
there are about 60 acres of cantaIoupe
land under cultivation within radius
OF 20 miles from FL Paso- IN the vicin-
lty Of Las Cruces there may be another
loo acres under cultivation.
The season that IS closing has been
unusually good" continued Mr. Graham.
The melons have been ripening up uni
formly and have been of exceedingly
good quality The demand for them
has been big.
Ripen August 1.
This valley is just as good as the
salt river district for the cultivation
of cantaloupes- Our melon season be-
gins when the Salt river season is
about over-on August $50 that there
IS no competition between the two sec
tons"
The best time to plant canta!oupes
in the FL Paso valley. according to Mr..
Graham, is about the first of Nav. or
any time after the frost. when the
ground has begun to warm up Melons
need medium light soil, he SAYS
Light IrrigafiOns.
They should be given light but fire.
Quent irrigation during their blooming
and bearing time" said the expert Too
much water spells their flavor and
keeping qualities But if they do not
get enough water, big tax is laid on
the vines. and the yield is not so great
as II should be. The water should I
never be allowed TO come over the vines