Cantaloupes and Honey Dew Melons
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Bulletin 312 November, 1926 Harvesting and Marketing CANTALOUPES AND HONEY DEW MELONS In the Arkansas Valley of Colorado Seasons of 1924 and 1925 BY N. D. SANBORN COLORADO EXPERIMENT STATION FORT COLLINS, COLORADO 1926 The Colorado Agricultural College FORT COLLINS, COLORADO THE STATJ!J BOARD OF AGIULTLT]jRE J. C. BELL ................ Montrose A. A. EDWARDS, Pres .. Fort Collins JOHN F ..:\IA YES ........... Manitou J. S. CALKINS ......... Westminster \V. I. GIFFORD ........... Hesperus E. R. BLISS ................. Greeley J. B. RYAN ............. Rocky Ford "!\IARY ISHAM ............. Brighton . { GOVERNOR C. J. MORLEY E x-Offi ClO PRESIDENT CHAS. A. LORY L. l\I. TAYLOR, Secretary L. C. MOORE, Treasurer OFFICERS OF 'l'HE BXPERIME:'\"T STATION CHAS. A. LORY, .:\I.S., LL.D., D.Sc .................................... President C. P. GILLETT}J, :u.S., D.Sc .......................................... Director L. D. CRAIN, B ..:\I.E., :\I.E ........................................ Vice-Director L. :\1. TA.YLOR ...................................................... Secretary ANNA '1'. BAKER ............................................. Executive Clerk STATIO:\" STAI<~F AGIUC"L'LTL"UAL DIYISIOX C. P. GILLETTE, l\f.S., D.Sc., Director ............................ Entomologist \Vl\1. P. HEADDEN, A.:\1., Ph.D., D.Sc .................................. Chemist G. H. GLOVER, M.S., D.V.l\1. ..................................... Veterinarian \V. C. SACKETT, Ph.D................................. ....... Bacteriologist ALVIN KEZEH, A.:\I. ............................................. Agronomist GEO. E ..MORTON, B'.S., :\LL............................... Animal Husbandman E. P. SANDSTEN, :u.S., Ph.D..................................... Horticulturist B. 0. LONG YEAR, B.S., l\l.S ............................ Forestry Investigations 1. E. NEWSOl\1, B.S., D.V.S ............................. Veterinary Pathologist L. \V. DURRELL, Ph.D ............................................... Botanist RALPH L. PARSHALL, B.S ........... lJ. S. Irrig. Eng. Irrigation Investigations R. E. TRI.l\IBLI<J, B.S................... Asst. Irng-. In, estigations (.Meteorology) EARL DOUGLAS, l\I.S ................................... Associate in Chemistry P. K. BLINN, B.S., Roeky Ford ........................... Alfalfa Investigations :\IIRIAl\I A. PALMER, l\LA., l\LS ........ Delineator and Assistant in Entomology .J. \V. ADAMS, B.S .. Cneyenne Wells ...... Assistant in Agronomy, Dry Farming CHARLES R. .JONES, B.S., l\I.S ......................... Associate in Entomology GEO. l\1. LIST, B.S., l\l.S ................................ Associate in Entomology CHARLES I. BRAY, B.S., l\I.S., Ph.D ......... Assoeiate in Animal Investigations E. J. MAYNARD, H.S.A .......................... Associate Animal Husbandman \V. L. BURNJ:<""::TT ........................................ Rodent Investigation FLOYD CROSS, D.V.l\1 ......................... Assistant Veterinary Pathologist \Vl\1. H. FELDMAN, D.V.i\I ..................... Assistant Veterinary Pathologist .J. H. NE\VTON, B.S................................... Assistant in Entomology .J. L. HOERNER, B.S.................................. Assistant in Entomology .J. \V. TOBISKA, B.S., :\I.A ............................... Assistant in Chemistry C. E. VAIL, B.S., l\I.A .................................... Assistant in Chemistry C. D. LEARN, B.S., l\LA .................................... Assistant in Botany DAVID \V. ROBERTSO.:\', B.S., :M.S ...................... Associate in Agronomy I. G. KINGHORN ....................................................... Editor *R. A. ?I'IcGINTY, B.S., A . .:\1. .........•.........•....•• Associate in Hortieulture L. A. MOORHOUSE, B.S. A., :\I.S ............................... Rural Economics R. T. BURDICK, B.S., .:\LS ........................ Associate in Rural Economics CHAS. N. SHEPARDSON, B.S., :\l.S................. In Charge of Official Testing J. C. \VARD, B.S., Rocky Ford ................................... Soil Chemistry .J. \V. DEMING, B.S.A .................................. Assistant in Agronomy H. B. PINGREY, B.S ....................... Assistant in Agrieultural Economics IDA \VRAY F'ERGUSON, R.~ ......................... Assistant in Bacteriology ROSS C. THO.:\IPSON, B.S .. .\LS ....................... Assistant in Horticulture DWIGHT KOONCE, B.S................................. Assistant in Agronomy E. A. LuNGREN, B.S., .\l.S................. · ......... Assistant Plant Pathologist CHARLES F'. ROGERS, A.B., :\I.S........................... Assistant in Botany ANNA M. LU'l'E, A.B., B.Sc ....... : ............................... Seed Analyst E. L. LeCLERG, B.S., l\I.S ........................... Assistant Plant Pathologist HERBERT C. HANSON, A.B., A.M., Ph.D ................... Associate in Botany ARTHCR D. l\10INAT. B.S., l\I.S ....................... Assistant in Horticulture CARL .:\IETZGER, B.S.. l\I.S ........................... Assistant in Horticulture .\IARJORIE .J. PETERSON, B.A., :\I.S ........... Home Economics Investigations F'REDERICK B. S:\IITH, B.S. A .. :\J.S., Ph.D .............. Assoeiate in Agronomy RICHARD D. LOTT, B.S., 1\I.S ........................ ARsistant in Horticulture E~fa~EERI:'\"(; DIVISIOX L. D. CRAIN, B . .:\I.E., I\1..:\J.E.. Chairman ................ I\Iechanical Engineering E. B. HOUSE, B.S., (E.E.) I\I.S ................................ Civil Engineering 0. V. ADA.:\IS, B.S., l\I.S ........................ Associate in Civil Engineering G. A .. CUI\DliNGS, B.S ..................... Assistant in .\Iechanical Engineering- *On leave, 1926-1927. Harvesting and Marketing CANTALOUPES AND HONEY DEW MELONS IN THE Arkansas Valley of Colorado Seasons of 1924 and 1925 BY N. D. SANBORN CoLOR"mo DIRECTOR oF MARKETS UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BuREAU OF AGRICULTURAL EcoNOMICS Co-operating with THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS AND SOCIOLOGY CoLORADO ExPERIMENT STATIOX THE fiFrKRN5AS VRLL.EY MrLOti DISTRICT ~HlfFING'R>IMTSJERWH~ lf:l24-19t5. N w figoJ 1 1 Six mile~. ,, '""' RaUw~ys.~Htvers. @® ® ® Mt>.10Y Shipplng Points • • • • • Minor ~h ipying Point~. CONTENTS Page Early History of District. 7 Types of Melons Grown. 9 Acreage According to Varieties ......................... 10 Planted Acreage by Districts and Loading Points. 11 Marketing Methods and Practices-Cantaloupes. 12 Marketing Methods and Practices-Honey Dew Melons. 20 Materials Used in Marketing Melons. 24 Standardization and Inspection .......................... 25 Containers . 26 Condition of Crop. 29 Growing Season . 29 Inspection Work ..................................... 34 Inspection of Cantaloupes. 37 Inspection of Honey Dew Melons . 40 Summary of Inspection Work ......................... 42 Shippers' Business in Marketing. 43 Shippers' Operations. 46 Cost of Harvesting and Marketing Cantaloupes. 51 Cost of Harvesting and Marketing Honey Dew Melons. 55 Summary ............................................. 58 Acknowledgment . 59 PREFACE The development of the cantaloupe industry, to the birth of which this district can justly lay claim, has progressed rapidly and witnessed many changes and improvements in the past few years. As well as being the first, and continuing to be one of the leading cantaloupe-producing states, Colorado may also lay claim to originating the containers used at present, practically all the principal commercial va rieties and, largely, the harvesting and marketing methods and practices followed throuout the country. Recent years have witnessed keener competition and necessitated more careful attention to quantity production and quality shipment in order to endeavor to recover and maintain the reputation of the district as a producer of good melons. The purpose of this report is to show the harvest ing, standardization and inspection and marketing methods and practices followed in the district, the average per acre and per crate of the cost to the grower of ha.rvesting and marketing, and the average returns realized for the 1924 and 1925 crops. HARVESTING AND MARKETING OF CANTA LOUPES AND HONEY DEW MELONS IN THE ARKANSAS VALLEY OF COLORADO SEASON 1925 By N. D. SANBOR~ EARLY HISTORY OF THE DISTRICT The first melons of which there is any record were grown in the Rocky Ford District of Colorado in 1884, and muskmelons of unknown types are known to have been grown by the first settlers of the Arkansas River Valley. The first melons des tined to be of commercial value were of the Netted Gem variety, and seed selected from this stock marked the beginning of the production of cantaloupes in this district in commercial quan~ tities. Cantaloupes grown in 1885 were nearly all shipped to Lead ville, Colorado, which was then a prosperous mining town, and sold there for ten cents per pound, the equivalent of six dollars and fifty cents per crate. In the early years of commercial pro duction in Colorado, all types of containers were used, including boxes, barrels, baskets, etc., and the empties were returned to the shipper. During this period the large holdings of irrigated land in the valley became subdivided into smaller tracts suitable for more intensive crops, such as cantaloupes and sugar beets. Subsequently, this decrease in the average land holdings, coupled with the gratifying returns from L. C. L. cantaloupe shipments increased the production of cantaloupes to a point where it was necessary that additional markets be developed. One of the first evidences of this temporary over-production was the lack of boxes and barrels in which to pack the melons for shipment.