The Ordway new era., 1916-03-10
Essential Points
In Cantaloupes

where the production of cantaloupes
is an important industry are suggest
ed in a new Farmers Bulletin, No.
707. as promising means of solving
some of the problems of the canta-
loupe grower. About one-half of the
trouble in marketing cantaloupes,
says this bulletin, appears to arise
from the difficulty Of securing
steady and properly prepared output
of uniform grade. quality and appear
ance. This difficulty would be over
come to a large extent IL individual
growers in any community produced
crops of the same variety and quality,
handled them in the same way, and
were both competent and willing to
grade and pack them correctly. AS
long, however, as each grower packs
and ships his own fruit, a uniform
standard of quality and appearance is
hardly possible.
In recent years the production Of
cantaloupes has increased greatly
and, as a result, competition on the
market has become much keener. On
ithe other hand, states the bulletin,
years Of observation warrant the
statement that markets are rarely
glutted with fruits or vegetables of
first class quality. Even when the
market is overstocked, well-graded
and well-packed products will be TAX
en- and the mediocre stock left on the
n no 1oru h nd tn txril
loupe grower, therefore, will profit
by seeing that his product is as at
tractive as that OF any of his competi-
tors. Further, the entire cantaloupe
industry will profit by improving the
quality and the appearance of the
melons grown for market 1t is al
ways possible for the consumer to
turn from cantaloupes to some other
fruit. and the demand is almost GER
tain to vary directly with the quality
of the product.
very important factor in securing
the desired attractiveness is uniform
ity. Under the present system, grad
ing and packing are frequently done
by the same man. This, in the opin-
ion Of specialists in the department,
is mistake. Whenever. possible the
packer should be left free to give his
attention to securing a pack Of stan
dard count which Is both tight and at
tractive. The grader should have
thrown out beforehand all undesir-
able fruit and also should have grad
ed the cantaloupes according to their
ripeness.I The latter is an important
point, for experience has shown that
cantaloupes produced in the West are
often marketed in green condition
in nearby cities, while other ship
ments reach the large eastern mar
kets in an overripe condition. Fruit
designed for long journeys should be
packed when less mature than that
intended for marketing near at hand.
The packing of cantaloupes would
be simplif1ed and the packages made
more attractive by the use of much
smaller variety of containers. The
full-sized standard crate and stan
dard fiat crate meet most of the
demand of the market and should be
used whenever practicable. The stan
dard cantaloupe crate is the one in
which the bulk of the crop is now
shipped from. California, New Mexi-
CO, Florida, Utah, Colorado, Texas,
Georgia, the Carolinas, Delaware,
Maryland and several other states.
1T consists of two ends, 12 inches
square. connected by twelve slals
23h to "a inches long. Such crate
should contain 45 melons. The "stan-
;dard fiat" crate used in Colorado
measures ~ by 13 by 23 inches.
! Whatever type OF crate is used, 1t
is important that the melons in each
container should be of the same size.
This in insisted upon by dealers who
supply large restaurants, hotels, rail-
way dining cars, and similar institu-
tions. In consequence, the market
discriminates against crates in which
large and small cantaloupes are pack
ed together.
( Central packing houses in which
the grading and packing Of the fruit
could be conducted according to q
permanent and fixed standard would
greatly facilitate the adoption of the
desired reforms. In sections where
melons are now marketed through
growers' cooperative marketing or
ganisations It should not be difncult
TO extend the associations activities
so the management of such houses.
"A