r 
36 BULLETIN 401, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
negligible compared to the damage caused by improper picking and 
packing. 
Early market conditions probably were never more indicative of 
good returns for Colorado melons than they were during 1915. The 
season opened with the eastern markets almost entirely bare of 
muskmelons and with the public appetite for western melons whetted 
by the generally satisfactory quality of those from Turlock. In 
addition, the weather was abnormally hot and favorable to the con- 
sumption of melons in all of the eastern markets in the early part of 
September. The result was a strong demand for melons seldom 
equaled at that time of the year. For the first 10 days that Rocky 
Ford melons were upon the market, September 8 to 18, they sold at 
as good or better prices than the melons from Turlock, Cal. Nor- 
mally, this state of affairs should have continued, for the California 
season was nearing its end and the quality of the melons was deterior- 
ating, while the Colorado melons should have been at their very best. 
f However, on account of the danger of frost and the eagerness of 
Colorado growers to take advantage of the prevailing high prices, 
many of them picked all melons that were even fairly netted, whether 
they were matured or not . The situation was aggravated by the fact 
that certain cash buyers paid high prices for the first few cars of 
melons, although these were green. - 
I After the public had bought Rocky Ford melons for a week with 
constant disappointment because of poor flavor, prices began to 
drop, and on September 17 Rocky Ford melons sold in Chicago at 75 
cents per crate less than Turlocks, and in New York at $1 to $1.25 
less. Up to that date prices for muskmelons from both sections had 
been identical. Prices of Colorados continued to decline rapidly and 
on September 23 standard crates sold as low as 50 cents each in 
Chicago and 75 cents each in New York, these prices being less than 
the cost of the freight itself. Later they sold even lower, and several 
( instances were reported where entire cars were hauled to the dump 
and emptied. In some cities cars were condemned by the local 
health officials as being too green to be fit for food. The market 
prices of Colorado and Turlock melons in Chicago and New York 
from September 8 to September 21 are shown in Table 17. 
i 
