MELON 



MELON 



2029 



Colorado markets only. That year some of the growers 

 joined together and loaded ventilator cars which were 

 shipped by freight. Up to this time the melons had 

 been shipped in boxes, barrels, and home-made crates, 

 principally crates made from 12-inch boards and 

 common laths sawed in two. In 1896 the growers were 

 supplied for the first time with regular crates made at 

 a lumber mill. These crates were 12 by 12 by 22 J^ 

 inches, inside measure, practically the same as the 

 home-made crates, and have ever since been the 

 standard package for Rocky Ford melons. In this 

 year a few cars of melons were shipped as far east as 

 Kansas City and St. Louis. 



The Rocky Ford Melon Growers' Association was 

 organized in the fall of 1896 for the purpose of coopera- 

 tive marketing of Rocky Ford melons; and in 1897, 

 121 carloads were handled in eastern markets, includ- 

 ing Pittsburgh and New York. The melons met with 

 favor and sold at good prices. The next year the mem- 

 bership of the Melon Growers' Association was increased 

 to over 800, and more than 5,000 acres of melons were 

 planted. The yield was heavy, and the markets became 

 glutted with unsalable melons, due partly to poor 

 refrigeration. The outlook was discouraging, and 

 many farmers turned their attention to sugar-beets 

 the next year. However, the melon industry continued, 

 and from 1897 to 1905 inclusive, 5,999 carloads were 

 shipped from the Rocky Ford district, the largest 

 number being in 1904, when 1,182 cars were shipped. 

 Refrigeration was improved, so that the melons carried 

 safely even to Boston, a run of 150 hours. 



The success of the Rocky Ford melons on the various 

 markets stimulated the planting of melons of the same 

 type in many other parts of the country, especially in 

 the southern states, and Rocky Ford was looked to as 

 the source of seed. Today the production of melon 

 seed, as well as market melons, is an important industry 

 at Rocky Ford. A number of distinct strains of the 

 Netted Gem type of melon have been developed at 

 Rocky Ford, and the seed is sold under various names, 

 such as Watters' Solid Net, Eden Gem, Netted Rock, 

 Rust-Resistant Rocky Ford, and so on. 



The growth of the melon industry of the United 

 States from 1897 to 1905 is indicated by the fact that 

 in 1897 only about 400 carloads of muskmelons were 

 marketed, while in 1905 the shipments amounted 

 to 6,920 carloads. 



In 1905, the Imperial Valley of southern California 

 sprang into prominence as a melon-producing region. 

 This valley lies mostly below sea-level, and is situated 

 where the climate is extremely 

 hot. Until 1900 it was known 

 only as a desert. That year 

 work was commenced on a 

 canal system for conducting 

 irrigation water to the valley 

 from the Colorado River, a dis- 

 tance of about 60 miles. In 

 1905, expert growers from 

 Rocky Ford were secured to 

 organize the melon industry 

 and supervise the growing and 

 packing of the product. One 

 thousand acres were planted 

 that year, and 297 carloads of 

 melons were marketed. Pro- 

 duction has increased from year 

 to year, until the Imperial Val- 

 ley has far outstripped Rocky 

 Ford in the production of mel- 

 ons, and is now recognized as 

 the foremost melon-producing 

 region in the world. The ship- 

 ments from the Imperial Valley 

 for each year from 1905 to 1914 

 inclusive were as follows: 



Year Carloads 



1905 297 



1906 577 



1907 644 



1908 1,911 



1909 1,411 



Year Carloads 



1910 1,630 



1911 2,551 



1912 2,750 



1913 3,502 



1914 4,446 



The hot climate of the Imperial Valley makes early 

 planting possible, and carlot shipments usually begin 

 in May, and continue through June and often a large 

 part of July. These melons, due to pre-cooling and 

 otherwise perfect refrigeration, are shipped safely even 

 to the Atlantic seaboard; and thus all the large markets 

 are fully supplied with melons of uniform grade and 

 quality from four to six weeks earlier than was formerly 

 the case. 



Beginning with the California product in May, the 

 markets of the United States are supplied with melons 

 of the Netted Gem or Rocky Ford type continuously 

 until late in October. The states producing these 

 melons in sufficiently large quantities to be mentioned 

 in the general market reports in 1914 were as follows, 

 the states being named in approximately the order in 

 which their products first appeared upon the markets: 

 California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Arizona, 

 Arkansas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, North Carolina, 

 Indiana, Nevada, Maryland, Delaware, Utah, New 

 Mexico, Colorado, Tennessee, Michigan. 



Cultivation of the muskmelon. 



Statements that muskmelons demand a particular 

 type of soil are misleading, for the muskmelon can be 

 grown successfully on almost any kind of land from light 

 sandy loam to heavy clay loam, provided the land is 

 properly drained, adequately fertilized, and thoroughly 

 cultivated. Natural drainage is considered best, and 

 melons are usually planted on slopes and knolls rather 

 than on low or flat lands. The soil should be well sup- 

 plied with humus, either as a result of plowing under a 

 sod or catch-crop or an application of manure. Unless 

 the soil is naturally rich, special fertilizer treatment 

 should be given to the particular spot where each melon 

 hill is to stand. In the home garden, holes are some- 

 times dug with a spade and partially filled with rotted 

 manure, which is then covered with soil, in which the 

 seed is to be planted. In field culture, the land is 

 furrowed out both ways with a plow, and from a quart 

 to a half-peck of fine, rotted manure or compost is 

 placed at each intersection. The manure is then 

 covered with fine moist soil, and from ten to twelve 

 seeds are planted in each hill. In humid climates, the 



2352. A nutmeg melon. 



