Imperial Valley press., 1921-07-25
CAN TAL0UPE
CIR D P 1921
LARGEST
EVER
Figures of Melon Season
Just Closed Show Valley
Marketed 10000 Carloads
from 22,652, Acres Planted

State and Federal market bureau
| officials, railroad men and shippers
have been engaged this week in pre-
pairing reports of their activities ~
| connection with the cantaloupe season
just closing in Imperial Valley, srd
graphic pictures of the important posi-
ton among Valley industries are fur
| nished by some Of the figures COM
piled. Shipping of melons was prac-
tically concluded Saturday, with
slightly more than 1O,6OO carloads as
the seasons output for the valley.
c. W. Runge, district freight. and
passenger agent of the Southern Pa
cific company, has figured it out that
all the ears of cantaloupes, if placed
! end to end, would make train mere
than 100 miles long. This would make
total of 210 full trains. The first
carload was sent out of the valley on
May 18, and the last on July %. which
means that all the shipments. were
made within 65 days, and Is per cent
of the trains went forward in the last
30 days of the season. According to
reports received by the local office Of
the company, not a single train was
late at its destination in the east, and
practically every railroad system car
ried several of the cars some time
during the season.
Figures furnished by F. w. Waite
county horticultural commissioner.
show that the total official acreage of
cantaloupes in Imperial Valley this
year was 22,652 acres. The average
production to the acre was ITS crates
until later in the season, when the
inroads of the melon aphis cut down
production materially. Organized
work of determination prevented SER
ious loss.
According to Commissioner Waite,
the average number of cantalOupes
in standard crate is As, with an av-
erage of 1886 crates to car of $4,000
pounds. This would give the total
number of melons shipped as 160,272,-
900. Each melon is handled a m mi
mum of there times in process of pick
ing, packing and loading and probably
three times again before reaching the
eastern breakfast tables. Calculating
the weight of the cantaloupes shipped
from Imperial Valley this season and
most eaten by residents of California,
and the rest of the United States, the
| figures show that they amounted to
233, 200. 900 pounds, or 10000 tons.
equal to two modern superdread-
naughts in weight, with small fleet
of destroyers thrown in. The horti-
cultural commissioner also says that
in addition to the melons shipped,
there is usually about 25 per cent loss
in those actually grown, due to vari-
Gus causes, including failure to pick
on time, to get cars to ship them in
and because of the activities of the
melon aphis. This means that the
above figures to show the actual melon
production, should be increased by
one third.
Rigid inspection was made by the
commissioner, with 35 assistants. ano
in this work the distributors contribr-
ted close cooperation. In few cases,
Japanese growers were caught at
etmpting to ship green melons but the
season on the whole according to Com
missioner Waite, proved that the ma
jority of growers and shippers desile
to comply with the law and maintain
the high standard of the valley melons.
A total of 20.131 crates of melons
failed to pass inspection in June and
were condemned and destroyed. This
represented more than 65 carloads.
The first crate Of cantaloupes was
sent out this year on May 3, six days
earlier than last season, and the first
carload beat last years record by there
days.
, Returns from eastern commission
men indicate that the average price
brought by melons this year was 1925
crate, although many sold for less
than this figure and many for more.
The prices ranged from So to $40 a
crate during the season, with the first
shipments selling at $40 crats. In
spite of the prices received. growers
Continued on page four.)