Milford chronicle., 1888-01-06
Fruit Growers Loss.
s., 900 PER WEEK FROM LATE ARRIVAL OF
TRAINS.

At the recent annual meeting of the New
Jersey Horticultural Society the Com mittee
on Transportation made the following report
which is Of special interest to Delaware peo-
pie. It was adopted and ordered printed
The transportation of fruits and produce
is a subject that has been too long neglected
by our growers, and the result is that our
transportation companies have done Just
about as they pleased, regardless of the in
terest Of the shippers. The quantity of fruit
grown is so large that prices average low, and
but little profit can be realized from the
growing of them under the most favorable
circumstances. When transportation COM
panies fail to protect or deliver the fruit on
time, loss follows the want of care or-early
delivery.
When the loss on sales of berries amounts
to a half cent per quart it seems like triAe,
but in the aggregate amounts to a large sum
on the whole.
The loss from thefts are notso large as for
merly,yet there is room for improvement in
this feature, aud on some lines there is a de-
cided improvement in the delivery, while
others retain the old system ofstudying their
own convenience instead of the interest of
their patrons
Among the latter class is the Pennsylvania |
Railroad, with its branches extending through |
parts Of our own State and down through
the great fruit-producing peninsula of Mary
land and Delaware; and it is remarkable
how little interest the fruit growers Of this
section have taken in this subject, although
not one year passes but they lose tens of
thousands of dollars from the neglect of this
In addition to this loss there is a feature
in the rules of this company that is very an
loying to the dealers in New York, and one
hat no other makes to them, viz they must
10 one of two thiugs-enter into bonds to
he company for the payment of freights
rom Maryland and Delaware, so as to get it |
It once on arrival in their yard at Jersey
,ity, or pay the freight at the station before \
leaves When the truck begins to arrive r
rom the South this line competes with the
I'D Dominion Steamship Company from
'orfolk, Va, and carries freight for the same +
rice, u cents per barrel, while on the same
rticles shipped from So to 100 miles nearer Il
lew York they charge 40 cents per barrel. n
As fruit-carrying line we do not hesitate
} state that it is the most unreliable one
with the city of New York, for
tie arrivals are the ruic, not the exception.
nd more money is lest by shippers on this Q
ad than any other. ii
Now this loss can be avoided by placing -
e management of the running of these Il
nit trains in the hands of men who will /
tend to their duty instead of going home to -
ID and leaving the trains in the hands of n
ose running them who know that their
lures to arrive on time will not be re-
'rted. al
During the past season a merchant in New
'rk kept a record of the arrivals of the al
inns on this road, and the loss on sales OH nj
lit sent from Maryland and Delaware. a
etch of which we present. On Friday.
ay ~, the train was late, but owing to cool n,
'ather and heavy demand for shipping
loss was estimated at only one cent per tn
art The next day the train did not reach IL
yard until 3.45 a. III. The receipts being
&c and the demand on that day only cI'
al one, the loss was estimated from two to !
ee cents per quart. SI
IN the 3Ist, the Maryland section arrived to
time, and the fruit in it sold for good
ces, but the Delaware section did not Cl'
ch the yard until a. III , and the loss of
N two to three cents per quart followed
IN June 3rd the same thing occurred and M
niilar loss, averaging two and a-half cents 80,
owed. These few items of loss we CON
It sufficient to show the result of late on
walls.
ow let us look at the final result of these "
arrivals. Estimating train to contain or
600 quarts, which would figure 6,2so +b.
hel crates, the loss at two cents per quart 'ii'
Id be $4,000, and the same thing occur
twice week would make a loss of
90. As the season averages about three NC
ks, the total loss at that rate would w
unit to S24, 600, rather large sum for Al
Vers to loose without remonstrance. Your LIN
mittee consider that a slight reduction rim
le rate of freight is small matter COM
d with prompt arrivals, and this point
Id always be the leading feature of COM
ees when they ask for reduction; for
'ers will soon realize that a reduction in
ht is too often followed by careIessness
lie part of the company.