Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-25
ruE MELoN GRowINa Rus1NEss
Some Points About the Melon Season
That is About Closing.

Some Points About the Melon Season
That is About Closing.
In an interview last week Joseph NJ.
Brown, General Freight Agent of the At
lantic and Western Road, had the follow
ing to say to correspondent Of the Au-
gusta Chronicle about this years melon
business:
seWe have handled up to date about $50
cars for the season, and hardly suppose
that we will have % cars more during the
rest of the month. Last year we handled
over 2 $50 cars. This. as you perceive, is
a verv heavy falling off in the volume of
business
ssTo what do you attribute this decrease
in the amount Of the trade, Mr.. Brown p
s'Well, sir, there are two causes, each
Of which was very potent in securing
this result. The first was that during the
first part of June we had some two weeks
Of wet weather. 1t rained heavily nearly
every day during that period; and the
nights were chilly. This caused the vines
to shed the young melons to very great
extent, and from all the reports that L
have received cut the crop short almost
one-half. The other reason was that the
Western lines forced the working of rates
which were so higl on this business that
to many of the farther points the freight
on a car load Of melons would amount TO
very nearly or quite as much as the value
of the melons. This, OF course, could
have but one result. The melon growers
are anxious to send this business into all
the West; but when it comes to paying
the entire price of a car load for freight
charges. it not only deprives the shipper
of all the profit, but also renders nugato-
~ the labor of the entire year. OR peO-
pie down here have for long time been
used to getting but small profits per acre
on their agricultural products; but when
it comes to such a figure that there Is no
profit at all and the melon shipper STANDS
in the light of raising product simply for
the purpose of giving the railroads revenue
for hauling it. the enthusiasm is very
apt to OOZe out to a pretty decided extent.
do not think we can expect any class to
stand a years work simply for the pur-
pose of letting somebody else enjoy all
the profits. This Is probably stating 1t
pretty strongly; but all the advices which
l have received from South Georgia lead
me to think that this statement is not
very far wide of the mark, particularly
on business which goes to points beyond
st. Louis and Indianapolis. 1t is proper,
however, to say that the hardship bore
more heavily on the shipments from the
line of the Savannah, Florida and Wes-
tern Railway than from those on the
Central and Georgia Railroads, mas
much as the average local rate from Sa-
vannah, Florida and Western Railway
stations to Albany or Jesup was nearly
$25 per car, and this local rate was not
added to the shipments, which originated
at points North, or, in other words, nearer
to the Western markets. Shippers at
Perry, Albany, and other points on the
line of the Southwestern Railroad, UNI
derstand, made money"
sWhat has been the extent of the busi-
ness from Augusta and points on the
South Carolina Railroad this year as COM
pared with last?"
"AlmOst an absolute collapse, sir. Last
year we received from the line of the
| South Carolina Railroad 473 cars Of melons
| for the West. This year, during August
up to date, we have received from the
South Carolina Railroad 81 car loads"
800 YOU mean to say that the crop on
| the South Carolina Railroad was cut
short to such a decided extent as these
| figures indicator
sob. no indeed! The crop was pretty
| fair one, l understand. l have been in
| formed that there were 300 acres planted
in melons on the line of the South Caro-
| lima Railroad; but the trouble with us
was that the rates to the West were very
much higher than the rates to the East
via Charleston, and the prices in the
West were scarcely as good as IN the
East.'
"BaIancing up the results of the sea-
son, do you not think that the future OF
| the melOn-growing business is not a very
| good One@
Il must confess that it is not as prom
ising as 1t once appeared to be; but at
| the same time we must give the railroad
men credit for having discerned it, as
well as people in other branches of bust
ness, and | think that their own self
| interest will lead the Western lines to
modify the very radical position which
| they took at the beginning of this season."
'By the way, this years rates were not
promulgated until after the crop was
planted, were theyW
sThere's where the Georgia lines COM
planned that bad faith was shown the
shippers. No intentional bad faith, | am
satisfied, but nevertheless, so far as re-
suits were concerned, it had the same
effect. The melon growers had planted
their crop, and the melons were
all on the vines when the demand for
higher rates was issued by the
Joint action of the Western lines. In
tact it was during the latter part Of May
when we received notice, and when, OF
course it was too late for the melon
growers to go into any other business,
and the enforcement of the high rates
worked very great hardship upon them.
| have no doubt, however, but that we
will have a meeting during the winter,
long before it is time to plant the crop,
and the rates for the season of 1885 will
doubtless be announced; and the melon
growers can then act intell;gently in re-
gard to continuing in this business any
lOngerO