UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



BULLETIN No. 401 



contribution from the Office of Markets and Rural Organization ^'S 

 ^^^•^^^ CHARLES J. BRAND, Chief iC^^3^. 



Washington, D. C. 



October 31, 1916 



MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION OF WESTERN 

 MUSKMELONS^ IN 1915. 



By O. W. ScHLEUssNER, Assistant in Market Surveys, and C. W. Kitchen, Market 



Station Assistant. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Introduction 1 



Imperial Valley district, California 2 



History 2 



Marketing arrangements 3 



Possibilities of cooperation 8 



Quality 8 



Distribution 16 



Salt River Valley district, Arizona 22 



History 22 



Marketing arrangements 23 



Possibilities of cooperation 24 



Quality 24 



Distribution 26 



Moapa district, Nevada 28 



History 28 



Page. 



Moapa district, Nevada— Continued. 



Marketing arrangements 20 



Quality 29- 



Distribution 29 



Tiulock district, California 29 



Histor jf 29 



Marketing arrangements 30 



Quality 30 



Distribution 31 



Colorado district 31 



History 31 



Marketing arrangements 32 



Cooperation 35 



Quality 35 



DistributioJi 3S 



INTRODUCTION. 



During the season of 1914 the Department of Agriculture received 

 a great many complaints from growers in the United States with 

 reference to glutted markets and ruinous returns to all engaged m 

 the muskmelon industry. The Office of Markets and Rural Organ- 

 ization responded to the calls for assistance by sending special inves- 

 tigators to certain melon-growing sections, for the purpose of making 

 a study of marketing conditi'oiis, and the investigators of the office 



' -Mthough the term "cantaloupe" is in wide commercial use in the United States at the present time, 

 particularly in the irr)(/aled districts of the West, I he name belongs to a disi inot botanical variely of I hia 

 species and is restricted to that variety in commerciul use in countries outside of the United Stales. The 

 tflrm "muskmelon," therefore, is used in this bulletin in conformity with the language of Food Inspection 

 DecLsion No. 166, issued by the Department of Agriculture March 29, 1916. 



Note.— This bulletin is of interest to muskmelon growers in the West, sliipi)ers, dealers, transporlulioa 

 companies, and consumers, and to all engaged in the trade. 

 oZS-^l'— Dull. 401—10 1 



