CANTALOUPE MARKETING IN THE LARGER CITIES. 7 
depressed by the constant receipt of melons which are overripe, 
immature, or diseased. The channels of distribution become choked 
with this poor stock, which to be moved at all must be sold at prices 
which leave little or nothing for the grower. Even the better grades 
of cantaloupes do not bring their full value under these conditions, 
for the large quantities of melons of low quality and price give the 
buyer a lever to force down the price level for good stock. The dis- 
appointment resulting from purchasing poor cantaloupes so dulls the 
demand that the movement for the rest of the season is adversely 
affected. 
While a great deal of stock evidences poor quality or condition 
when it arrives in the market, these disadvantages are greatly aggra- 
vated by the deterioration which takes place while the cantaloupes 
are in the hands of the dealer. There is a harmful tendency on the 
part of many cantaloupe receivers in the markets to encourage the 
shipment of greater supplies than they can handle promptly. Each 
day their surplus stock is held it becomes harder to sell, and in an 
endeavor to move it before it becomes a total loss the fresher receipts 
are often held back and begin to deteriorate in turn. If conditions 
are to be satisfactory to producer, distributor, and consumer it is 
essential that the supply of a fruit as highly perishable as canta- 
loupes be gauged to meet the consuming demands of a market, so that 
fresh stock may be received daily and distributed throughout a city 
without delay. It is just as important that the average receipts be 
of a quality calculated to stimulate the demand. Before this condi- 
tion can be met there must be great improvement both in regard to 
eating qualities and soundness of the average run of cantaloupes 
shipped. 
CANTALOUPE PACKAGES. 
The containers in use undoubtedly have an influence upon the 
sale of cantaloupes. The most common packages are the " jumbo," 
" standard," " two-thirds," "pony," and "flat" crates. Different 
producing sections have their own ideas as to just what packages 
should be used, and as a result an assortment of types and sizes is 
found on most markets. 
While this may not have been a large factor in determining 1914 
cantaloupe prices, it is believed that more uniformity in the packages 
used would eliminate a good deal of the confusion noticed in the 
quoting and selling of the melons by wholesalers and jobbers, and 
would make possible desirable economies in their handling and ship- 
ping. 
In seasons of heavy production the most active demand is for melons 
which are uniformly graded and packed, of standard size, and put 
