36 BULLETIN 401^ U. S, DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTURE. 



negligible compared to the damage caused by improper picking and 

 packing. 



Early market conditions probably were never more indicative of 

 good returns for Colorado melons than they were during 1915. The 

 season opened with the eastern markets almost entirely bare of 

 muskmelons and with the public appetite for western melons whetted 

 by the generally satisfactory quality of those from Turlock. In 

 addition, the weather was abnormally hot and favorable to the con- 

 sumption of melons in all of the eastern markets in the early part of 

 September. The result was a strong demand for melons seldom 

 equaled at that time of the year. For the first 10 days that Rocky 

 Ford melons were upon the market, September 8 to 18, they sold at 

 as good or better prices than the melons from Turlock, Cal. Nor- 

 mally, this state of affairs should have continued, for the Cahfornia 

 season was nearing its end and the quality of the melons was deterior- 

 ating, while the Colorado melons should have been at their very best. 



However, on accomit of the danger of frost and the eagerness of 

 Colorado growers to take advantage of the prevaihng high prices, 

 I many of them picked all melons that were even fairly netted, whether 

 they were matured or not. The situation was aggravated by the fact 

 that certain cash buyers paid high prices for the first few cars of 

 melons, although these were green. 



I After the public had bought Rocky Ford melons for a week with 

 constant disappointment because of poor flavor, prices began to 

 drop, and on September 1 7 Rocky Ford melons sold in Chicago at 75 

 cents per crate less than Turlocks, and in New York at $1 to $1.25 

 less. Up to that date prices for muskmelons from both sections had 

 been identical. Prices of Colorados continued to dechne rapidly and 

 on September 23 standard crates sold as low as 50 cents each in 

 Chicago and 75 cents each in New York, these prices being less than 

 the cost of the freight itself. Later they sold even lower, and several 

 instances were reported where entire cars were hauled to the dump 

 and emptied. In some cities cars were condemned by the local 

 health officials as being too green to be fit for food. The market 

 prices of Colorado and Turlock melons in Chicago and New York 

 from September 8 to September 21 are shown in Table 17. 



