59o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
August 19 
ROCKY FORD MELONS. 
The Development of a Great Trade. 
Within the past two years, the name Rocky Ford 
lias become a very familiar one throughout the coun¬ 
try. Early in September of 1897, the first car-load of 
muskmelons arrived from that far-off Colorado town. 
The eastern melon crop was short and poor because 
of excessive rains. These melons, grown under the 
cloudless Colorado skies, ripened by the constant sun¬ 
light, were of a quality that at once attracted a dis¬ 
criminating trade. They sold at high prices, and 
every buyer wanted more. About 60 car-loads were 
disposed of thqt season, and last year, the demand 
was largely increased, 268 car-loads representing the 
shipments to this market, and that in a season when 
the market was flooded with eastern-grown melons. 
Quality did it. So sanguine are the receivers here 
of the superior quality of these melons, that they 
say if the streets and stores were filled with eastern- 
grown melons, they could still sell every Rocky Ford 
melon at high prices. 
The sale of the entire receipts here is in the 
hands of one firm, The Lyon Brothers Company. 
They have a monopoly of these melons, and are thus 
able to maintain prices. This is only another ex¬ 
ample of the contention often made by The R. N.-Y. 
that scattering shipments among different receivers 
tends to lower prices. This company have all the 
genuine Rocky Ford melons, and can practically 
make the prices. Were shipments divided, and con¬ 
signments made to two or more firms, there would 
be competition to sell, and the ultimate result would 
pretty likely be lower prices. The first shipment of 
these melons for this year is due here about August 
15. About 300 car-loads are expected this year. 
The variety of these melons is the 
Netted Gem. The superior quality, how¬ 
ever, is attributed more to the clear 
skies, hot sunshine and freedom from 
rain than to the variety. It is said that, 
last year, there was rain in the melon 
district at Rocky Ford during the grow¬ 
ing season, for the first time in 30 years, 
and as a consequence, the quality of the 
melons received here was not equal to 
that of those received the previous year. 
Thus far this year, there has been no 
rain, and it is hoped by the growers that 
there will not be. In this respect, the 
farmers there differ from eastern farm¬ 
ers, who usually hope for frequent, 
rains, though it is well known that 
bright sunshine is required to give a fine 
flavor to fruits. The Colorado growers 
have a big advantage on climate. 
At Fig. 224, is shown a cut of some of 
these Rocky Ford melons. Their very 
appearance indicates good quality. No¬ 
tice the thickness of the flesh. There’s 
little waste in such melons as these. 
This season, the market has been fill¬ 
ed with so-called itocky Ford melons. 
They began coming from Florida, and 
have come from Texas, Georgia, and other southern 
States. The seedsmen last Winter advertised Rocky 
Ford melon seed. Many of these coming in were 
marked as being grown from Rocky Ford seed. It 
is simply using the name oi a reputable article to 
sell another which is likely to be of poorer quality. 
FALL PLANTING FOR FRUIT TREES. 
What Advantages are Gained by It? 
Are any advantages to be gained by planting fruit trees 
in the Fall? What kinds is it safe to plant at that sea¬ 
son? Nurserymen urge this practice, but do successful 
orchardists follow it, as a rule? h. c. c. m. 
Milford, Conn. 
SOME ADVANTAGES.—Some kinds of fruit trees 
planted in the Fall in some parts of the country have 
decided advantages over those planted in the Spring. 
Their roots become firmly set in the earth, and the 
cut places are all healed over in time to start into 
growth with the first warm Spring days. When a 
tree is transplanted, it must start new, tender, white 
rootlets before it can absorb sufficient moisture and 
nourishment to induce and sustain normal growth. 
If transplanted late in the Spring, the growth will 
be started late. If transplanted early, and the con¬ 
ditions be otherwise favorable there will be a cor¬ 
respondingly early start, if transplanted in the Fall, 
there will be a still better opportunity for an early 
start, unless the Winter has damaged the tree. The 
earlier in the Fall the transplanting is done the bet¬ 
ter, provided it is not done too early, while the leaves 
stick firmly to the tree, because the rootlets will have 
so much more time to develop before cold weather 
stops their growth. In some sections, it is necessary 
to strip off the leaves before they are quite ready to 
fall of their own weight, and it does no harm to do 
so if the new wood is well developed. It matters 
nothing whether the wind or the finger separates the 
ripened leaves from the trees. 
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS.—But there are dif¬ 
ferences in trees regarding their successful trans¬ 
planting in the Fall or Spring; and there are differ¬ 
ences in the climate of various parts of the country 
as to the effect upon Fall-planted trees. The whole 
subject resolves itself into the ability or inability of 
the tree to endure the evaporating influences of the 
time that must elapse between the time of planting 
and vigorous, normal growth. Pomaceous fruits, in¬ 
cluding the apple, pear, &c., are much more safely 
planted in the Fall than the peach, cherry and other 
stone fruits. Except in very moist and mild climates, 
I would not advise the setting of the latter at that 
time of year, but in early Spring. On the Pacific coast 
and in the Gulf States, Fall is a suitable time to 
transplant almost every kind of tree. In the Atlantic 
States, the same is sometimes true, but not always. 
In the central and northern States, it is risky for 
the stone fruits, and in the prairie States, absolutely 
dangerous for all. I have seen many excellent young 
apple trees killed outright by Fall planting in Kansas 
and Missouri. Farther north, it is still more inad¬ 
visable. The trouble is that the moisture in the wood 
and bark is so far exhausted as to damage, if not kill, 
the trees before they grow. Cold winds are especially 
hungry for moisture, and all cold air is bad on newly- 
set trees. It sometimes kills thrifty trees of many 
years’ growth. The experiences of the past Winter 
are of this character. 
THE NURSERYMEN’S SIDE.—Nurserymen are 
anxious to sell trees in the Fall, in order to get a part 
of their income at that season, just as any business 
man would want to do; and it may be that they some¬ 
times wrongly advise persons to plant, simply for 
their own benefit, and to the loss of the purchasers. 
No honest or wise nurseryman would advise his cus¬ 
tomers to plant things at a time when they would not 
do well, and few intentionally do so. Sometimes they 
are mistaken about the advisability of setting trees 
of certain kinds at certain times, and thus uninten¬ 
tionally mislead their customers. All climates are 
more or less fickle, and what will succeed one year 
will not in another. 
As to the matter of following any fixed rules in 
planting, either in Fall or Spring, in specified regions, 
it could scarcely be done wisely. The safest guide 
would be the experience of others who have tested the 
matter in the vicinity. In cases where this is not 
possible, it would be well to act on the principles just 
stated and the dictates of common sense, rather than 
on the advice of those interested in selling trees. 
They may mean well, and advise wisely, or they may 
do neither. In a general way, it may be said, plant 
the stone fruits in the Spring only, and the pome 
fruits in either Fall or Spring, except in the extreme 
North and in the prairie States. In Connecticut, this 
would be my plan to follow. Some of the largest and 
most successful orchards in the country have been 
planted in both Fall and Spring, but the more com¬ 
mon practice is to set in the Spring. The same is true 
of bush fruits and grapes. Strawberries are far bet¬ 
ter set in the Spring, or very early in the Fall in case 
a small patch is wanted for home use. 
A GOOD PLAN.—A very good plan, and one which I 
have repeatedly followed, is to buy the trees in the 
Fall, and heel them in or bury them until the first 
warm days of Spring, and then plant them. This will 
give the roots time to heal over the wounds made in 
digging them, and avoid any delay in Spring. Some¬ 
times it is impossible to get them from the nurseries 
to distant customers. There is, also, no danger from 
injury by the Winter, if the trees are properly heeled. 
Sometimes they are damaged in the nursery rows 
where they grew. I would trim both roots and tops 
as soon as received in the Fall and bury root and 
branch in the soil of some place where it is neither 
wet nor very dry. Great care should be used to untie 
the bundles and sift and pack the earth well among 
the roots. Stakes should be driven between each va¬ 
riety, and plainly write the name on each stake, well 
above the earth. Heeling in trees tied in bundles for 
any time beyond a day is dangerous, and much dam¬ 
age is often clone them ih this way. We may think, 
when they are heeled in, that they will be set in the 
orchard the hext day or very soon after, and that 
there is no need more than to cover the roots from 
sight; and it may rain, or snow, or freeze the next 
hour, or some other business may prevent their be¬ 
ing planted for a week or two, or a much longer time. 
No! do it well and run no risks. Many nurserymen 
have been accused of sending damaged trees, wnen 
the injury was done as just described. n. e. v. d. 
“SHORT” BARRELS IN NEW YORK STATE. 
Are the Old Barrels Illegal? 
Being interested in the barrel business, I have been 
carefully scanning the columns of The R. N.-Y. for 
some time, for information ancnt the subject of 
“Short barrels.” I am not surprised to learn in your 
last issue that many barrels are being sent in un¬ 
marked, in alleged violation of the law. The writer 
under the title Among the Marketmen intimates that 
commission men may take some action looking to the 
enforcement of the law, etc. I hope that 
ho hasty action may be taken in this 
direction for the following reasons: al 
W ould be a difficult matter to prove vio¬ 
lation of the law. It will be remembered 
that the apple crop was extremely light, 
consequently barrel makers throughout 
the State, and especially along the Hud¬ 
son River where the • 16%-heaa oarrel 
has been the standard size for 30 odd 
years to my personal knowledge, had 
many of the r.iflawed barrels left over 
(I have over 3,000 such). 
No doubt the intent of the Ambler 
Barrel bill was to drive out the log¬ 
head barrel, regardless of the results to 
hundreds of barrel-makers through the 
State, and to the large number of coop¬ 
erage stock manufacturers who, by such 
intent, would suffer still more than the 
coopers, as they manufacture stock usu¬ 
ally a year in advance of the demand. 
But laws with penalties attached must 
be interpreted strictly by the letter, not 
the intent only, and one of the ablest 
statutory lawyers of the State says that 
barrels made previous to the passage 
of the Ambler bill do not require any 
mark, and this opinion was confirmed by four other 
lawyers to whom the matter was submitted. A mis¬ 
take, I think, was made in not postponing the time 
when this law should take effect. One result of the 
change which fruit growers will feel when the smaller 
barrels are worked off, is an advance in the price of 
the new standard barrel, it being the same size as 
the flour barrel; an extraordinary demand for cooper¬ 
age stock of this size has sent prices up 25 per cent. 
There is no Question as to the wisdom in securing a 
uniform standard-sized barrel, and it will succeed, 
but justice to all concerned requires time and patience. 
Senator Rice, who was on the committee in charge 
of the Ambler bill, told me that had the committee 
known the facts as referred to above, the bill would 
have been amended as to time. fruit grower. 
Ulster Co., N. Y. 
There are many complaints regarding the Japan plums. 
Wickson has failed to satisfy me by reason of its lack 
of productiveness. No complaint in other respects from 
me. The Willard plum I have never indorsed, and bqj 
lieve the only good feature it has is its extreme earliness. 
The foliage has always kept healthy with me. 
Geneva, N. Y. s . d. willakd. 
False Oats.—W hy do oats fail to produce seed? 
While I cannot state positively-that my theory as to 
the cause of this failure to develop seed is the correct 
one, it is altogether probable that it is due to one or 
both of the following reasons: To the improper develop¬ 
ment of the flora] organs, or to lack of proper fertiliza¬ 
tion of the flowers. Both of these causes might be pro¬ 
duced by unfavorable climatic conditions during the 
period of bloom, or to a debilitated condition of the plant 
owing to lack of proper plant food. Assuming the fail¬ 
ure of the flowers to develop fruit, or seed, to be due 
to the lack of plant food, the remedy would be to in¬ 
crease the fertility of the soil; but if not so due, I can 
-suggest no remedy. wm, stuart, Asst. Botanist. 
Indiana Exp. Stgtioq. 
SOME GENUINE ROCKY FORD MELONS. Fig. 224. 
