Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-20
LIBERAL RATES
And Good Time from Texas to Northern
Markets for Fruits and Vegetables.
This is What Texas Producers Want-When
This is Secured it VIII be of Untold
Beneft-Mr. Riggs Letter.

WICHITA FALLS, Tex, April 10, 1890.
Editor Gazette.
The following letter from Mr.. c. 81.
Rugg, published in the Chicago Prairie
Farmer of the 18th instant, is of great
interest both to the people of Texas and
the railroads Of our state. With liberal
rates and good time for fruit and vege-
tables from Texas to Northern markets,
hundreds of thousands of dollars can be
brought to the state.
Had Mr.. Rugg and his friends settled
on the line of the Fort Worth and Den
yer their experience would have been
different, as this road deals very Iiber-
ally with the gardeners and fruit raisers
in shipping their products to Colorado
markets. Some of the Wichita county
farmers made $50 per acre by raising
water melons for the Denver market last
year, and this, too, on land that only
cost So per acre. This of course could
not have been done if the road had not
given the people fair rate to carry their
products to market.
A reasonable rate on garden truck and
fruit would be the means of inducing
thousands OF people to come to Texas.
JOHN HOWARD.
am in receipt of very friendly letter from
Capt W. E. Robinson, of Coles county, re-
questing answer through your paper. I
judge from his letter that the principal point is
in regard to farming south of Mason's and Di x
on's line, by Northern farmers. In answer
have to say in the part of the country was in =.
about one hundred miles east Of Dallas, if corhs
and oats was to be the crop I would advise all
Northern farmers to stay away, but if they wish
to engage IN fruit raising melons, sweet po-
tatoes, or many other kinds of early vegetables
the climate and soil is all right; but, from ex-
perience the market is all wrong. gave away
my first picking of strawberries, but got
larger Weld from my first season IS setting than
ever grew from an experience of over twenty
years, and from an older bed 1 saw the largest
yield of the finest berries that I ever saw, and
all kinds of fruit grew in greater abundance than
I ever in any other country.
think if the land were treated with fertilizers
as is required in the Eastern states, as good
showed me the largest yield of Irish potatoes I
ever saw, from the effect of fertilizing his gar
den. OF tomatoes and early corn and cabbage,
all showed the same. But farmers there are
even more inclined to run over more acres than
to try better cultivation, than they are North,
partly on account OF the land being more easily
in regard to the portion was in.
Further west, in the black wax-land am in
formed by a brother who has farmed it four
teen years, that he can raise as many oats and
as much corn per acre as in Illinois, and he
claims better market ana land should be worth
as much; but / did not wish to raise corn and
oats, so went where 1 considered IL better
fruit country, but found obstacles in the way
1 did not look for.
was promised before went South, a rate of
fifty cents per hundred on passenger time in re-
frigerator cars to Chicago, the shipper to ice
the cars. I published this in Tyler to the fruit
growers, and said to them: ''It is all you can
ask; all you have to do is to unite and ship in
car lots and there is money in it, But when
we wanted cars 70 ship on passenger time we
referred to the express company, and from
inquiry learned the express company had leased
the right of all freight passenger time. In
consequence, two car loads of strawberries sent
to Kansas City paid ST. IS per hundred, besides
not making time, were damaged and sold at a
loss. or without paying price. Melons were
all sent in freight trains, and at price that
gave the growers little or pay.
have written the editor of the Horticultural
Journal at Denison, requesting him and all
persons interested in fruit raising in Texas, to
advocate the building of railroad by the state
of Texas, for the benefit of the state, as I un-
derstand that the state of Georgia has done. At
least would ask the legislature TO appoint |
committee to investigate the benefit Georgia has
got from the road, for Georgia, ! understand,
has got the largest melon and vegetable trade |
OF any state in the South.
For fruit for canning, Texas IS all right but |
when saw California peaches selling in Chi |
cago for So bushel, and men IN Texas with two |
weeks earlier and finer fruit saying there was no
market, and they would sell their whole orchard |
at twenty-five cents per bushel, thought some
thing was wrong: aud have not stopped think |
ing so. Those were early peaches, thought not |
ut for canning. Later peaches sold for fifty |
cents per buShel to the Gamers.
c.. H RuGa