CANTALOUPE MARKETING IN THE LARGER CITIES. 7 



depressed by the constant receipt of melons which are overripe, 

 immature, or diseased. The channels of distribution become choked 

 with this poor stock, which to be moved at all must be sold at prices 

 which leave little or nothing for the grower. Even the better grades 

 of cantaloupes do not bring their full value under these conditions, 

 for the large quantities of melons of low quality and price give the 

 buyer a lever to force down the price level for good stock. The dis- 

 appointment resulting from purchasing poor cantaloupes so dulls the 

 demand that the movement for the rest of the season is adversely 

 affected. 



While a great deal of stock evidences poor quality or condition 

 when it arrives in the market, these disadvantages are greatly aggra- 

 vated by the deterioration which takes place while the cantaloupes 

 are in the hands of the dealer. There is a harmful tendency on the 

 part of many cantaloupe receivers in the markets to encourage the 

 shipment of greater supplies than they can handle promptly. Each 

 day their surplus stock is held it becomes harder to sell, and in an 

 endeavor to move it before it becomes a total loss the fresher receipts 

 are often held back and begin to deteriorate in turn. If conditions 

 arc to be satisfactory to producer, distributor, and consumer it is 

 essential that the supply of a fruit as highly perishable as canta- 

 loupes be gauged to meet the consuming demands of a market, so that 

 fresh stock may be received daily and distributed throughout a city 

 without delay. It is just as important that the average receipts be 

 of a quality calculated to stimulate the demand. Before this condi- 

 tion can be met there must be great improvement both in regard to 

 eating qualities and soundness of the average run of cantaloupes 

 shipped. 



CANTALOUPE PACKAGES. 



The containers in use undoubtedly have an influence upon the 

 sale of cantaloupes. The most common packages are the " jumbo," 

 "standard," "two-thirds," "pony," and "flat" crates. Different 

 producing sections have their own ideas as to just what packages 

 -hould be used, and as a result an assortment of types and sizes is 

 found on most markets. 



While this may not have been a large factor in determining 1914 

 cantaloupe prices, it is believed that more uniformity in the packages 

 used would eliminate a good deal of the confusion noticed in the 

 quoting and selling of the melons by wholesalers and jobbers, and 

 would make possible desirable economies in their handling and ship- 

 ping. 



1 n seasons of heavy production the most active demand is for melons 

 which are uniformly graded and packed, of standard size, and. put 



