MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION OF WESTERN MUSKMELONS. 23 
Muskmelons have been grown commercially since 1908, but ship- 
ments have not increased appreciably since 1911, as is shown by the 
following record of total output. 
Table 8. — Total shipments of muskmelons from Salt River Valley district, 1908-1915. 
Year. 
Mesa. 
Glenclale. 
Total. 
Year. 
Mesa. 
Glendale. 
Total. 
190S 
Cars. 
276 
161 
66 
472 
Cars. 
56 
121 
49 
240 
Cars. 
332 
282 
115 
712 
1912 
Cars. 
161 
113 
342 
320 
Cars. 
223 
220 
163 
145 
Cars. 
384 
333 
505 
465 
1909 
1913 
1910 
1914 
1911 
1915 
Growers generally do not specialize in the production of melons, 
but grow only a few acres, as part of a scheme of diversified farming. 
The muskmelon fields are usually much smaller than in the Imperial 
Valley, varying from 2 to 40 acres, there being only one field of 
"pink meats" as large as 75 acres in 1915. The average patch in the 
Salt River Valley is under 10 acres. This is forcibly illustrated by 
the fact that the largest distributor, who shipped about 200 cars, 
had contracts with over 80 growers. 
The varieties grown include both the green-meated melon (princi- 
pally the Eden Gem) and the pink-meated or Burrell Gem, the 
acreage being about evenly divided between the two. The growers 
surrounding Glendale specialize in "pink meats." 
MARKETING ARRANGEMENTS. 
Marketing arrangements are much the same as in the Imperial 
Valley, the grower entering into a contract with a distributor to 
market all of his muskmelons through the distributor at a commission 
of 15 per cent. 
The contracts differ from those in the Imperial Valley in only a 
few particulars, the general language being much the same. For 
instance, advances are made on a basis of a certain amount per crate, 
plus the crate material, which is technically furnished by the dis- 
tributor as an added item, the cost being afterwards deducted from 
the returns. This difference is one of form rather than of substance. 
In 1915 the advance on green-meated melons ranged from 25 to 50 
cents per standard crate, from 15 to 30 cents per pony crate, and 
from 30 to 40 cents per jumbo crate, the average being 35 cents for 
standards, 22J cents for ponies, and 35 cents for jumbos, the crate 
being furnished in addition. The advances on pink-meated musk- 
melons ranged from 12 to 15 cents per flat crate, depending on the 
size and pack of the melons. In addition to the per-crate advance, 
a $10 per-acre loan usually is made to growers, payable in two or 
