mM^ketixg and distribution of western muskmeloxs. 25 



Table 9. — Average weight tests of different varieties of ■muslmclons from the Salt River 



Valley, Arizona, on one day. 





Green meats. 



Pink meats. 



Brand. 



Standard. 



Pony. 



Two- 

 thirds 

 jumbo. 



Jumbo 



flat. 



Jumbo 



flat. 



Standard 

 fiat. 



Pony flat. 



A 



Pounds. 

 68 

 69.3 



Pounds. 



PouTids. 



Pounds. 

 28.1 



Pounds. 

 26.9 



Pounds. 



Pounds. 



B 











C . 





53.5 











D 



69.5 

 70.3 



58.3 



27.2 









E 



54.1 

 56.1 



27.4 



27.2 

 31.1 



26.2 



F 







25 1 















Effects of Contract Labor. 



Some of the work of harvesting is done by contract, as in tlie Impe- 

 rial Valley, the charges for picking and packing being 8 to 10 cents 

 for flats and as high as 22 cents for standards. Where work was done 

 by contract there were often complaints and there were some rejec- 

 tions on account of poor quality. An example of losses incurred on 

 account of contract work was observed at the end of the shipping 

 season when a contractor, who was anxious to complete his job and 

 discharge his crew, entirely stripped a field of muskmelons, picking 

 them so green that 600 crates were rejected by the shipper on account 

 of immaturity and were practically a total loss to the grower. In- 

 stances of this kind did not occur where the grower did his own work. 



Quick Handling. 



The hauling of the muskmelons is done almost entirely by the 

 growers themselves. Because of warm weather there exists the same 

 necessity for quick handling as in the Imperial Valley. In a field of 

 melons under observation the inspector was seen to criticize the 

 picking early in the morning, on account of the slightly green condi- 

 tion of the melons. The packing was delayed and the melons were 

 allowed to remain exposed to the heat the entire day, not being hauled 

 to the loading shed until late in the evening, when a number of melons 

 were ovempe from undue exposure to heat. Hauling must be done 

 promptly if good quality is to be obtained. 



Inspection. 



Growers are una})le to depend upon inspectors to any great extent 

 to guide them in securing proper quality, for as a result of small and 

 scattered acreages a constant field inspection can not be mamtained 

 by the distributors. Platform inspectors generally visit various fields 



