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THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



CANTALOUPE INDUSTRY IN STANISLAUS COUNTY IS 

 HELPED BY STANDARD LAW. 



By A. L. Rutherford, County Horticultural Commissioner, Modesto, Cal. 



During 1914 the cantaloupe season opened with a good Eastern market, good 

 demand and excellent prices, but through the greed of the packers and growers 

 every kind of melon was shipped. The market was flooded with an assortment of 



melons, large and small, and ripe and green, all in 

 the same crates. The result was that one purchase 

 by the eastern consumer was enough to convince 

 him that California cantaloupes were unsatisfactory. 

 The consumer found that less than 50 per cent of the 

 melons in a crate were fit for consumption, so he 

 refused to pay more than 50 per cent of the value 

 of a good crate. The result was that after the first 

 few shipments were sold at a good price the grower 

 received a price that barely paid for the cost of 

 picking, packing and crate. 



With the advent of standardization in 1915 a 

 change was noted, conformity to regulation being 

 observed although the law did not become effective 

 until the season was nearly over. Prices were strong 

 most of the season. In 1916, the law being some- 

 what imperfect, the work of inspection was more or 

 less handicapped, but the good effect became fully 

 apparent. However, the standard pack was sn 

 limited that many large, wholesome melons could not 

 be packed in the crates on hand, and the commis- 

 sioner was advised by legal counsel that it was not advisable to carry out the law 

 as it was written, and further that the law did not provide authority for the seizure 

 of unlawfully-packed melons. Although proper inspection was thus curtailed, the 

 crop of 1916 was handled with profit. 



The 1916 season's operation demonstrated the weakness of the standardization 

 law and the 1917 legislature was able to make amendments and corrections of real 

 worth for the present law. 



In Stanislaus County the inspectors began in July to advise the growers, buyers 

 and packers. This work of instruction seemed to be bringing good results until 

 about August 10, when it became evident that a number of growers and packers 

 would not conform to the provisions of the law until forcible means were adopted. 

 Orders were issued to arrest any grower, buyer or packer who violated the law 

 after having been notified of the requirements. Four arrests were made August 

 10, and a number since that time. All the delinquents, with the exception of two, 

 pleaded guilty, paid fines and promised to observe thereafter the regulations of 

 the law. 



One of the two who refused to pay his fine has served notice of appeal to test the 

 constitutionality of the law. The law provides that each crate of cantaloupes must 

 be marked either as "standard" or "irregular," with the number of melons contained 

 therein, and the packer's or shipper's name and address. Melons must be sufficiently 

 matured, uniform in size and ripeness, fully netted and free from insect infection. 

 It was necessary to enforce all requirements of the law upon several hundred 

 growers, many of whom could not speak the English language. Many of these 

 ignored the marking entirely and paid little attention to the other requirements. 

 They were finally convinced that this neglect must stop. Even then it was found 

 that melons of uneven ripeness were packed in the center of crates, the packer 

 trying to work in all his melons. If ripe melons were bringing higher prices, green 

 melons would be found in the centers, and if green melons topped the market, 

 overripe pickings were discovered in the crate centers. Upon discovering these 

 deceptions, the packers inspectors were accused of incompetence. 



A surprising number of crates were found unfit for consumption that had passed 

 inspection of so-called "experts" employed by the packers. The official inspectors 

 were mistaken in only a few cases, and the result of their work has been the 

 rejection of hundreds of crates of green and over-ripe melons, and the repacking of 

 many crates. 



