The Fallon standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1920-1958, 1922-10-18
Swinele Reports to
Melon Growers
Special Representative of Cantaloupe
Growers Assn Returns from East
With Interesting Data
PRAISES EFFORTS OF
N. Y. COMMISSION HOUSE
Valuable Information Gathered Re-
garding Eastern Market Require
ments; Nevada Melons Best

tion of the marketing OF the local
melon crop, has prepared his report
to the Cantaloupe Growers Associ-
alton. Mr. Swingle went east in
company with l.. W. Knowles of the
Reno National Bank, following the
financial failure of VIM. J. Hall who
had contracted with the Growers As.
sociation for practically the entire
melon crop. Following Is Mr..
Swingle's report
Replying to your request for a
statement of the results of the in
yestigation made by Mr.. Knowles
and myself, of the situation In re-
gard to further returns for this
years crop of cantaloupes and the
prospects for profitable returns for
future crops, will say that we are
both satisfied that the crop was
handled in New York and other east
ern cities TO the best possible ad-
vantage.
"A number of cars were still on
track and on the road when we were
in New York, but the condition of
llt maj was BUN Nual IL 10 b1lt
to say that final returns will be but
little more than sufficient to pay
freight and commission. A large
part of the money already paid to
growers was advanced by IL. G.
Miles & Company. who stand to lose
much more than anyone else. Their
system of bookkeeping was simple
but complete. Their record of sales
for each car was kept on a separate
sheet and showed the names of all
purchasers, the number and kind of
crates purchased, the price, the to-
tai of all sales, the total of all charg
es, such as freight, extra icing, COM
mission, etc, and the net returns or
net loss. At the close of the season
a complete report on each car is TO
be made to the Reno National Bank.
''As indicated above, the source of
our difficulties was the slump in the
market as compared with previous
years, being lower than at any time
during the past eight years. Last
year the prices we're especially high
with the result that a large acreage
was planted this year In all sections
and the season was especially favor
able SO that an extremely large crop
was produced-more than the mar
ket would absorb except at reduced
prices. All kinds of fruit was an
extremely good crop and sold at
very low prices, thus competing di-
rectly with cantaloupes. Had the
market been equal to that of last
year. Mr. Hall could have easily full
filled his contract and paid a large
bonus besides.
Our melons held up well. Those
that were properly packed arrived
in good condition after having been
eighteen to twenty days on the road.
We saw a considerable number of
spoiled melons that had evidently
been little soft when packed.
Some crates had been packed so
loosely that the melons were badly
bruised. There were also a consid-
erable number that had been picked
so green that they had not sugared
well. These did not develop sugar
after picking and were of inferior
quality; but jobbers and retailers
united in saying that this was the
best eantaloupe received in the New
York market.
miles & Company say that the
delay in transit was a benefit rather
than otherwise. since it allowed a
longer time to place the cantaloupes
without flooding the market and en-
abled them TO top the market by
25 cents to S1.00 per carte. this
higher price was partly due to good
salesmanship and personal efforts as
well as to the high quality of the
product. This fact comedies with
the experience of the Fernley grow
ers on the San Francisco market af-
ter the collapse of Mr.. Hall They
found that the first car they shipped
was not being sold by the commits
sion house One of the growers,
however, who accompanied the car
secured the use of a truck and driv-
er and succeeded in placing the can
taloupes among retailers so that the
car netted the growers approximate
ly $500. This should be a pointer to
us in regard to placing our canta-
loupes in new markets next year
Regarding the future, we must
realize that the growing of canta-
loupes like that of any other crop,
is more or less of a gamble. We
have demonstrated that we can
grow the best cantaloupe in large
quantities with practically no risk
In growing except that due to frosts
and the inexperience or inefiiciency
of the grower; that these canta-
loupes, IL properly packed will hold
up long enough to reach any market
In the United States or Canada. The
markets, however, like the markets
for all other agricultural products,
are more or less uncertain, and while
we know much more about selling
car antaloupes than we did last year,
we still have much to learn. An
other year we will have not only to
cooperate among ourselves, but we
must cooperate with other valleys
of western Nevada and eastern Cal
ifornia, or we must meet them In
competition, which may be disastr-
GUS to all concerned.
I'VE do not advise anyone to