10 
Bulletin 108. 
try to market green peaches, strawberries or watermelons, which 
only shrivel down and are worthless. 
Many lessons beside those mentioned have been learned in 
the last six or eight years, and they nearly all attest the merits of 
well organized co-operative efforts to secure results. 
During the coming season of 1906, the organized Associa¬ 
tions will doubtless market most of the cantaloupes from the Rocky- 
ford district, although the firm of Young & Mathis of New York, 
who are large growers themselves, and who ship for individuals 
to some extent, may be a possible exception. 
The growers in general have realized to their sorrow that 
the old adage, “Competition is the life of trade,” is a poor maxim 
when applied to the sale of cantaloupes on commission—the com¬ 
mission men fight and the growers pay the bill. This has become 
such a reality that it has produced a strong sentiment in the minds 
of many growers in favor of a cash proposition. 
As a result in recent years a cash advance of varying amounts 
has been granted in many of the contracts with the commission 
men, but there are many conditions which can not be controlled, 
such as the acreage needed to supply the market demands; the 
preventing of outside growers from selling on commission and 
thus competing with the man who pays cash, all of which seem 
to preclude the possibility of getting a cash price which would equal 
that now realized through reliable commission. 
If the element of competition on the market were eliminated 
by the complete co-operation of the growers, and if the acreage 
were not increased beyond that indicated by experience, the price 
of cantaloupes would doubtless become more uniform from year 
to year. 
The added strength of the established Associations, caused 
by the return of many of the disaffected growers; the securing 
of a uniform strain of seed for the members of these Associations, 
and the improving of market facilities are all factors which seem 
to promise better days for the cantaloupe industry and the realiza¬ 
tion of the co-operative ideal where all the interests of the canta¬ 
loupe growers become mutual. 
Having summarized the growth of the industry from the 
grower’s standpoint, the history would seem to be incomplete with¬ 
out a review of the market developments as witnessed from the 
distributing man’s point of view; for in order to make possible this 
great industry which returns to the grower several hundred thou¬ 
sands of dollars each year, joint efforts were required on the part 
of both growers and market men, and without this co-operative 
effort, the industry would still be in a chaotic condition. 
Lyons Brothers Co. of New York and M. O. Coggins Co. 
