'V 



]^ti4i{KETING AXD DISTEIBUTIOJST OF WESTEEN MUSKMELOlSrS. 23 



Muskmelons have been grown commercially since 1908, but ship- 

 ments have not increased appreciably since 1911, as is shown by the 

 following record of total output. 



Table 8. — Total shipments of musTcmelons from Salt River Valley district, 1908-1915. 



Year. 



Mesa. 



Glendale. 



Total. 



190S 



Cars. 



276 



101 



66 



472 



Cars. 



56 

 121 



49 

 240 



Cars. 

 332 

 282 

 115 

 712 



1909 



1910 



1911 





Year. 



1912 

 1913 

 1914 

 1915 



Mesa. 



Cars. 

 161 

 113 

 342 

 320 



Glendale. 



Cars. 

 223 

 220 

 163 

 145 



Total. 



Cars. 



384 

 333 

 505 

 465 



Growers generally do not specialize in the production of melons, 

 but grow only a few acres, as part of a scheme of diversified farming. 

 The muskmelon fields are usually much smaller than in the Imperial 

 Valley, varying from 2 to 40 acres, there being only one field of 

 "pink meats" as large as 75 acres in 1915. The average patch m the 

 Salt River Valley is under 10 acres. This is forcibly illustrated by 

 the fact that the largest distributor, who shipped about 200 cars, 

 had contracts with over 80 growers. 



The varieties grown include both the green-meated melon (princi- 

 pally the Eden Gem) and the pink-meated or Burrell Gem, the 

 acreage being about evenly divided between the two. The growers 

 surrounding Glendale specialize in ''pink meats." 



MARKETING ARRANGEMENTS. 



Marketing arrangements are much the same as in the Imperial 

 Valley, the grower entering into a contract with a distributor to 

 market all of his muskmelons through the distributor at a commission 

 of 15 per cent. 



Tlie contracts differ from those in the Imperial Valley in only a 

 few particulars, the general language being much the same. For 

 instance, advances are made on a basis of a certain amount per crate, 

 plus the crate material, which is technically furnished by the dis- 

 tributor as an added item, the cost being afterwards deducted from 

 the returns. This difference is one of form rather than of substance. 

 In 1915 the advance on green-meated melons ranged from 25 to 50 

 cents per standard crate, from 15 to 30 cents per pony crate, and 

 from 30 to 40 cents per jumbo crate, the average being 35 cents for 

 standards, 22^ cents for ponies, and 35 cents for jumbos, the crate 

 being furnished in addition. The advances on pink-meated musk- 

 melons ranged from 12 to 15 cents per flat crate, depending on the 

 size and pack of the melons. In addition to the per-crate advance, 

 a SIO per-acre loan usually is made to growers, payable in two or 



