Development oe Rockyford Cantaeoupe Industry. 
i3 
EARLY MARKET CONDITIONS OF CANTALOUPES ON 
THE NEW YORK MARKET. 
EYON BROTHERS COMPANY. 
Prior to 1897, the eastern markets were supplied with Anna Rundels, 
Jennie Linds and the Hackensack variety of muskmeolon; these came to 
the New York market in packages of every description, there being no 
uniformity of package or any effort to establish one. 
The melons were irregular in size, variety and quality; the flesh was 
generally thin, the seed cavity large, the flavor irregular. 
The bulk of the receipts for the New York market came from Mary¬ 
land, Delaware and New Jersey. Evidently there was no systematic or¬ 
ganization of the growers as the shipments were spasmodic; at times the 
market was glutted, at other times deficient, and the irregular conditions 
which prevailed made it impossible to give a standard market quotation. 
The melons were sold by men whose principle business was the sell¬ 
ing of vegetables and the prices realized were according to their ideas 
rather than from any regular market quotation, which today gives the 
grower accurate information of the condition of the market. 
HOW ROCKYEORDS CHANGED CONDITIONS. 
In August, 1897, Rockyford cantaloupes, packed uniformly in crates 
containing 45 cantaloupes, were received on the New York market; the 
thick flesh, small seed cavity and delicious flavor, made a sensational repu¬ 
tation for the Rockyford cantaloupe as being the very finest ever placed 
on the New York market. These melons we received from the Rockyford 
Melon Growers’ Association, and the form of crate which originated there, 
was soon adopted as the standard package for market quotations, and 
soon came into use throughout the melon growing sections of the United 
States. 
The ready sale of the Rockyfords, the organization of the growers 
which insured the uniform crates, and the fact that the melons were 
grown under irrigation and about the same quality could be produced 
every year, were facts which convinced us that the Rockyford would be¬ 
come as standard an article of trade as a barrel of apples. 
^Accordingly, we determined to make cantaloupes one of our specialties, 
and for several years were the only house in New York handling the product. 
By thorough advertising the Rockyford cantaloupe became famous in 
all the Eastern states. 
The introduction of the Rockyford cantaloupe prolonged the market 
season in New York City from about September 5 to the middle of October. 
Experiments showing that the Rockyford seed would reproduce its 
superior qualities when grown in the South or East, led to extensive plant¬ 
ing in the Southern states—700 acres being planted in these states in 
18 99. The melons from these states came on early in May, thus open¬ 
ing the market two months in advance of previous years. In 1905, the 
first crate was received from Florida on May 12, and the supply con¬ 
tinued from the various states in succession until October 2 3, making a 
period of nearly six months. 
The fact that the cantaloupe seed produced in Colorado under irri¬ 
gation, will produce earlier melons and of a superior quality, than the 
same strain when grown in other states, has been verified each year, and 
thousands of pounds are annually sent to the Southern states and Cali¬ 
fornia from Colorado. 
Owing to the development of this phase of the industry, it behooves 
the Colorado grower to use the utmost care in the selection and develop¬ 
ment of his seed, in order to maintain the trade of the United States which 
looks to him to supply a superior grade of seed. 
Every communitty of growers should organize an association which 
would make rules enforcing the planting of a strain of cantaloupe seed 
