COMPOSITION AND MATURITY OF CANTALOUPES. 7 
A more striking correlation between the sucrose content and 
maturity as judged by eating quality is shown in Table 8, indicating 
that the percentage of sucrose in the juice of the melon is a measure 
of its maturity. 
From a practical standpoint, it would not be desirable to use the 
sucrose content as a basis for judging the degree of development be- 
cause of the inconvenience of making this determination. The esti- 
mation of sucrose by the copper reduction method requires a specially 
trained worker and the saccharimetric method calls for expensive 
apparatus. 
REFRACTIVE INDEX OF JUICE. 
That a definite correlation exists between maturity and the refrac- 
tive index of juice is shown in Table 4. The melons analyzed, col- 
lected in the fields at Brawley, were carefully selected to represent 
the class in which they were placed. Hach melon was analyzed indi- 
vidually, which allowed an opportunity not only of correlating the 
refractive index with the stage of maturity, but also of noting the 
variability of each class. 
Additional evidence of the close relationship between the refractive 
index and maturity, judged by the eating quality, is given in Table 
8, in which large differences between the indexes of mature and of. 
immature melons are shown. 
Taste 4.—Refractive index of juice as an indication of maturity (Brawley, 1920). 













Stage of development | 
| 
Field ripe. Full slip. Half slip. Tmmature. | 
Melon No. 
Refrac- Starch Refrac- Starch Refrac- Starch Refrac- Starch | 
tive in tive in tive in tive in 
index. seeds.! index. seeds.! index. seeds.! index. seeds.! | 
[eee eee | 52. 2 12 63.3 A 61.0 "Ac.|™'. Ue eye |e ee ee | 
Go al eas 62.5 A 64. 0 A 48. 0 PPE 35.1} PPPPP 
So a Se aes {Ros eee pe Eee 55. 8 P Does ie VRC Nee eee ees 
ANS. Rn Gee eats 58. 1 A 59. 0 A 58. 0 A 54, 1 PP 
[5 Sire Sta 53. 1 P oles PP 56. 3 AN BOO)! eee ee 
(Base eae 60. 0 A 56. 1 BEE 57.0 | 42.4 JETEU RIEL 
lok eRe Sr cape eG BY (ti)a| Pane vis AL A 53.8 le 56. 4 
(ee Ca ae 58.9 | A 57.4 A 54, 2 ut 50. 4 PPP 
(9) ieee eet ioe 5559 P 62. 5 A 47-5: (pees oS oe 37.. O0lteeee 
71 oe eS 52. 6 | i 52. 1 P 47.1 PP 41, 3 |e eee 
ee ee ee 52. 0 i 55. 0 A 54. 5 Je 30. 3 ible 
1 at Se 60, 2 je bia3 A 54. 5 lz AGI0)|_.3 eee 
ipso Oe ie a ee 623.7. A 65.3 A 50. 0 4h 5223 Pp 
ikl = eS 64. 2 | A 61.3 A 55. 2 P aR PP 
TNE Denes teed ae Hpasull P 64. 7 A 46. 2 Tp 40.8 PP 
PGS ee eS eS 62. 3 A 59.3 A 47.6 1212) 40. 5 PPP 
117 (ec, oe a ie ee 6350s a) 63. 3 A 512 Ab | 36:2 poo >. eres 
its eels > At epee 49.1 IPE Re 58. 4 EP 57.8 A 52. 4 P 
1G) Se eee 49.5 A 58. 2 A 54: Of) See ta ee fe eee a 
CN 1S Se Sie ae DL. 2 A 58. 1 A 60. 2 A 44) 9i|) eee 
Di as ee 55. 6 A 5.8 A 58. Oi see 31.24) eee ae 
Og Oe ng he 49. 2 1B 56. 5 A 50. 4 Ie Al. 4 |. 3 eee 
Dirge eae <2 EO Suh ese a | ne spe rR ee 51.3 ie SDG PPE 
AG Ann Meer. SS 15 {1 PG) AE I ee nen A Dow A 41°. (0s) =e 
DASE Ae ee a 49.8 A 61.5 A 56, 2 A 46.3 PP 
ANG eS fs eee AS Opie ee ee 2 5S0 eee eee 15s Jer Ae bee EE ee 3826) aus See 
7 (ne A 2 ae 53. 0 fay Fs ue ee 54. 0 deel 36.6 o252 2a 
ee (Ta! [e eeeeee, ss 58 4a ee OY ee I peas © SSeS $209 Ween cee 
mee ONG 2st 0. bee O02: | 2 ae +0.94 | igseeenc an SL 
| : 


1 A, starch absent; T, trace of starch; P, starch present 
