MELON 



MELON 



2029 



Coloradi) injxrkets only. That year sorno of thp growers 

 joinod to);ethi'r and loadcil wnlilator cars wliirli wen' 

 shipiiod by iVcifilit. L'p to this tiiiu' llic melons had 

 been slii|)i)ed in boxes, barrels, and home-made erales, 

 — princi])ally erates made fi-om 12-inch boards ami 

 common laths sawed in two. In ISild the fjrowers were 

 supijlied for the first time with regular erates made at 

 a hnnber mill. These crates were 12 by 12 by 22J4 

 inches, insitle meiisure, — practically the same a-s the 

 home-made crates, — and have ever since been the 

 standiird package for Rocky Ford melons. In this 

 year a few care 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 1S90 for the iiurpose of coopera- 

 tive marketing of Rocky Ford melons; and in 1897, 

 121 c:irloads 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 SOO, and more than 5,000 acres of melons were 

 planted. The yield was heav>% and the markets became 

 glutted with unsalable melons, due partly to jioor 

 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 shii)ped. 

 Refrigeration was improved, so that the melons carried 

 safely even to Boston, a run of 150 hours. 



The success of the Rooky Ford melons on the various 

 markets stimulated the planting of melons of the same 

 tj-pe 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 Rock}' Ford. A number of chstinct 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' SoUd 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 chmate 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 plarited 

 that year, and 297 carloads of 

 melons were marketed. Pro- 

 duction has increa.sed from year 

 to year, until the Imperial Val- 

 ley has far outstripped Rocky 

 Ford in the production of mel- 

 ons, and is now recognizerl as 

 the foremost melon-producing 

 region in the world. The ship- 

 ments from the Imperi.al Valley 

 for each year from 1905 to 1914 

 inclusive were as follows: 



Year Carloads 



I'MV-, 2!I7 



l^n)il . fuT 



l'.«)7 . . M4 



I'.MI.S . . . . l.'.lll 

 lUUa 1,411 



Year Carloads 



IIUO 1,030 



1!)11 ... ...2..5.51 



1012 ... ...2,750 



19i:! .3.502 



1914 4,44G 



The hot climate of the Imperial Valley makes early 

 I)lanting possible, and carlot shipments usually begin 

 in May, antl continue through June and often a large 

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

 otherwise perfect refrigeration, arc 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 rejjorts in 1914 were as follows, 

 the states being named in appro.ximately 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. 



Cullivalion oj 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- 

 pUed 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 %vith a spade and partially filled with rotted 

 manure, which is then covered with soU, 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. 



