Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 192, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 August 1914 — DEMAND FOR MELONS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

DEMAND FOR MELONS

HIGH rtfICES PAID FOR FRUIT IN EASTERN CITIES. Culture of Montreal Variety Confined Almost Exclusively to Small Group of Growers In Canada—Skill Required. (By WILLIAM STUART.) ' Some time ago the writer in an article on cultural studies of the Montreal market muskmelon, showed that the commercial culture of the famous Montreal melon is confined almost wholly to a small group of growers near Montreal, Canada. It was also pointed out that, while a large portion of these melons were marketed in Boston, New York, Philadelphia and other large eastern cities at extremely' remunerative prices, practically no effort was being made by American gardefiers to meet this demand. More recent observations have confirmed these statesaaents, and in addition, have shown that notwithstanding the fact that the Montreal growers have for the past few years received from ten to eighteen dollars a dozen wholesale for their melons, they have not as yet succeeded in supplying the demand. The

A Field of Montreal Melons. writer was informed five years ago by one of the best growers that he had a ten year contract with a leading New York city hotel, which agreed to take every first class melon he raised. This particular case to cited In order to display the keen demand which exists among high class hotels and restaurants for this variety of melon during the season In which It Is on the market The high prices which these mel-. ons command, and their restricted production notwithstanding the. high prices, are doubtless due to the fact that greater skill is demanded and closer attention to details* to necessary to success than when other varieties are grown. Furthermore, glass sash and frames are needed. > Then again, the Montreal grower confidently believes that this particular sort of melon can be successfully grown only on- certain types of soil on the island of Montreal. This belief seems to have this much basis in fact, that while occasionally grown elsewhere high flavored melons have not commonly been produced save by Montreal growers; indeed flavor has. usually been The crop to a remunerative one, when conditions favor. From $1,500 to $2,500 per acre are not unusual returns. Mr. U. S. Blair estimates an average crop at $2,250 per acre, with operating expenses, including interest on investment and depreciation, of SB9O. One grower Informed the writer. that his average sales from seven to eight acres was in the vicinity of $16,000. These melons vary greatly In size. The writer was Informed by one commission house that it had purchased a melon weighing 44 pounds; and he personally saw one weighing- fit pounds which had been selected by the grower for seed purposes. The average weight of No. 1 melons ranges from 8 to 15 pounds, with a mean weight of about 10 pounds; that is to say, a dozen melons, packed for shipment, will weigh on an average from. 120 to 130 pounds. There seems to be two distinct types of melons under cultivation, one of which to roundish oblate, the other more or less oblong, the first

type being slightly deeper ribbed than the latter. These two types do not seem to be separated by any of the growers; in fact when the question was put to a grower as to which type he selected for seed purposes his reply was almost invariably that he selected-from both, provided thickness and flavor of flesh were satis--factory. As none of the growers interviewed made a practise of hand fertilization of melons Intended for seed purposes. It is not at all certain that either of these types to fixed.

Montreal Melon Weighing 22.5 Pounds.