MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION OF WESTERN MUSKMELONS. 11 
large cavity. The cavity of the Early Waters was so large as to have 
a decided effect on the average weight per crate. The figures shown 
in Table 3 were furnished by the official weighing bureau of the South- 
ern Pacific Co., and represent the average weight per crate of the 
entire shipments of various distributors taken on the days indicated. 
While some of the differences in weights are due to the varying 
skill of different packers, the results taken as a whole indicate quite 
clearly that the Early Waters is not as solid or heavy a melon as the 
other varieties. Sales in the market show that it is regarded as 
decidedly inferior to other melons from this district. 
Table 3. — Average weight per crate of certain shipments of mushnelons from the Imperial 
Valley. 
Variety. 
Dates. 
Standard. 
Ponv. 
Flats. 
All Eden Gems 
Do 
Mostly Eden Gems 
All Eden Gems 
All Eden Gems and Pollock. . . 
All Eden Gems 
Eden Gems and Early Waters 
Mostly Early Waters 
Early Waters and Eden Gems 
Mostly Early Waters 
Do 
1915 
June 
June 
June 
June 
June 
June 
June 
June 
8-15 
10 
7,10 
8,15 
7 
7,8 
7,8 
7 
June 10,11 
June 7 
June 11 
Pounds. 
69.00 
Pounds. 
60.70 
66.20 
66.00 
66.00 
65.64 
65.00 
64.83 
64.66 
64.47 
64.30 
59.00 
57. 30 
57.95 
57.26 
58.00 
55. 64 
55.76 
57.8 
55.38 
Pounds. 
28. 45 
29.90 
26.65 
25.5 
27.8 
28.50 
25.00 
Percentage of ponies. — Because of generally unprofitable returns 
from ponies, good marketing practice makes it desirable to reduce 
their number as much as possible. The proportion of ponies to 
standards depends on the fertility of the land, the care taken in 
growing, and the variety. The Early Waters produced a higher 
percentage of ponies than any other variety largely grown in 1915. 
Because of conditions not entirely understood, the proportion 
of ponies in the entire crop of 1915 was excessive, amounting to 
74.7 per cent of the total number of crates shipped, according to 
actual count made on June 3, 4, and 5. After this date many of 
the pony melons were not packed. 
As every pony-sized melon lost is an economic waste, an excess 
should not be produced. That the proportion of ponies to standards 
can be controlled to some extent by the variety planted is indicated 
by the figures in Table 4, showing the percentage of ponies to stand- 
ards shipped on certain days. Shippers A, B, and C were shipping 
only Eden Gem melons, while the others were shipping varying 
proportions of Early Waters. The Eden Gem produced at least 
50 per cent or more of standards, while shipper K, who had a very 
large percentage of Early Waters, could secure only 13 per cent of 
standards. 
