COMPOSITION AND MATURITY OF CANTALOUPES. 15 
high-quality samples, 84 per cent contained 11.2 per cent solids or 
more, while of the not-marketable samples more than 75 per cent 
contained 8.8 per cent solids or less. From a total of 208 samples 
listed as either high or satisfactory in quality, 192, or 92 per cent, 
contained 10 per cent or over, while 73 per cent of the doubtful and 
not-marketable melons fell below 10 per cent. 
From the data given in Table 8, the following limits are suggested — 
as a basis upon which maturity and market quality may be judged. 
Melons having juice with a refractive index of 55 or more, with a 
sucrose content of 4.5 per cent or more, and with a Brix spindle read- 
ing of 10 (corrected for temperature) may be considered to be of 
marketable quality. In almost every case such melons would be 
satisfactory. Melons with juice having a refractive index below 50, a 
sucrose content below 3.5 per cent, and a Brix reading of 9 or less 
may be considered unsuitable for marketing. Melons with juice 
having values between these limits may be considered to be of doubt- 
ful quality. Too large a proportion of such melons in a shipment 
should be avoided. 
The values suggested applied equally well to melons harvested in 
1920 and 1921 at Brawley, Porterville, and Turlock. 
RELATION OF EXTERNAL CHARACTERISTICS TO MATURITY. 
In order to obtain information on the correlation between external 
appearance and maturity, melons were examined individually and 
notes were made on certain external characteristics. The refractive 
index of the juice of each melon was then determined and used as an 
- index of maturity, high values indicating maturity and low values 
immaturity. The results are given in Table 9. 
