The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-28
GLUT OF THE MELONS.
THE MARKETS FLOODED AND
PRICES GONE TO SMASH.

The Shipping Season Practically Over,
Although Thousands Of Melons Are
Yet in the FieIds-The Cold Spell in
the North and West Knocks Out the
Juicy Fruit - The transportation
. Companies Demanding Prepayment
of All Freights Now.
The bottom has dropped out of the melon
| business. In fact the business for this sea-
son is practically at an end, notwithstaud-
ing there are still large quantities of melons
in the fields awaiting shipment. IL has
| been brought to an end by the railroad and
steamship lines, the majority of which now
refuse to accept melons for shipment with
out the payment of freight in full to the
destination. The railroads have been forced
TO this step because the melons have not
brought enough TO pay freight for some
days past, and have proven dead loss both
to the shippers and the railroads.
THE MARKETS GLUTTED.
The northern and western markets are
glutted, and there is no demand for the
fruit.
There are several reasons for this state of
affairs, the chief reason being that the
the north has killed the demand for water
melons, which are essentially hot weather
fruit Then the quantity exported within
the last few weeks has been SO much greater
than for the same time during any previous
season in the history Of the business that
even with the most favorable conditions
Of the weather glut in the larger markets
could hardly have been avoided, and the
shippers would have had to have sold their
melons at small profit at best
THE BIGGEST SEASON KNOWN.
The Savannah, Florida and Western has
handled over 200 carloads Of melons this
season, which is about / 800 more than were
handled last season up to the same date, and
this season was about two weeks late. If
the market had held up in any sort Of con-
dltlon the shipments by this line
would have probably reached 5000
cars for the whole season, as
there are probably thousand or more cars
still in the field along its lines Tho ship
ments or the last season by the Savannah,
Florida and Western did not exceed 5000
cars, which was the heaviest season known
to the business until the present season.
The shipments by the Central railroad so
far this season exceed last seasons by about
1000 cars up to the same date. If the full
crop could be shipped, this years crop
would probably nearly double last years.
NO REASON TO FEEL BLUE.
In view of these figures the growers have
no reason to feel discouraged, as the mar
ket has consumed this year over 1000 car
loads Of melons more than during the
same time last yesr, which shows
that the demand for the Georgia water
melon has greatly increased and its field is
extending.
Another year. with judioious arrange
ment between the shippers, the commission
men and the railroads to prevent the glut-
ting of the markets and the shipment of in,
ferior melons, two things which greatly
initiate against the business If the summer
be warm and favorable to the consumption
OF the juicy product, even a larger crop
than this years may be consumed with a
profit to the growers.
The Ocean Steamship Company, which
has been shipping from $4,000 to $4,000
melons daily to New York and Boston for
the past two weeks, now requires prepay
ment of freight before accepting melon
shipments.
The company has also been compelled to
refuse as high as twenty-tour carloads of
melons a day from the Savannah, Florida
| and Western. When this was the case the
melons were shipped north by rail.