Development op Rockyeord Cantaloupe Industry. 7 
County. With the exception of a small body of men in Prowers 
County and two or three men in Otero County it comprised all 
the cantaloupe growers in the Arkansas Valley. Never before was 
there a closer organization of growers, or one in which members 
were more persistent in their determination to remain loyal to 
the organization. 
Some attempts were made to influence growers to break the 
contract and leave the organization, some men even having their 
agents meet the growers on the road to the station, and offer an 
advance over what they expected to receive through the Associa¬ 
tion, but as there was a general feeling that they had been vic¬ 
timized by such men there is no record of any grower betraying 
the Association. 
The harvest began early in August, a few crates at first which 
rapidly increased until 14 cars were loaded in a day. This jumped 
suddenly to 28 cars a day during the last week in August. Soon 
150 cars were rolling to the Eastern markets when it was realized 
that the market would be glutted before the week’s heavy ship¬ 
ment could arrive. Telegrams flashed the information and a halt 
was called, while the commission men hurried West to explain 
the situation. A largely attended mass meeting of growers met 
at the Fair Grounds in Rockyford to hear the report of market 
conditions. By telegrams, letters and able addresses, they were 
convinced that their cantaloupes were not so marketable as in the 
previous year. Over one hundred cars had been dumped in New 
York City alone and transportation charges of many thousands 
of dollars remained unpaid, which it was claimed they were re¬ 
sponsible for because the melons were not merchantable. 
The A. T. & S. F. R. R. offered to cancel the transporta¬ 
tion due them from the lost cantaloupes. The commission firm 
offered to pay $18,000 of the $48,000 then due the Association, pro¬ 
viding the latter would waive the balance and accept 75 cents per 
crate for the balance of the season. This proposition was accepted by 
the growers though it afterwards proved that the firm was un¬ 
able to meet their promises and representatives of the Association 
were sent East to investigate the disaster. They reported and 
experience has since shown that poor refrigeration was the chief 
cause of the loss of the cantaloupes, the truth of the matter being 
that the industry had out grown the then poorly developed mar¬ 
ket facilities. Experience in handling the crop had not kept pace 
with the increased production. 
As a whole the season’s results were highly unsatisfactory. 
Seemingly the Association idea had received a death blow, yet 
the co-operation idea of the Association was not abandoned, it 
simply changed form. The various shipping points of La Junta, 
