Rocky Ford enterprise., 1898-08-25
COMMISSION HOUSES
vs.
THE ASSOCIATION
A Disinterested Farty Makes
q Plea for Fair Play,

A Disinterested farty Makes
a Plea for Fair Play.
To the Editor Of the Enterprise:
In n recent issue of the Denver
News appeared an article prepared
with the intent to injure the
standing and good reputation of
Mr.. WetZel and to cause rupture
in the ranks of the Melongrowers'
association if they could possibly
do so. The writer crosses him.
self many times. For instance in
the beginning he says that the
commission men Of Denver have
declared boycott against the
Rocky Ford association and will
have none of their melons. Then
further along in the item he says
"The association has appointed an
agent i'll Denver who is trying to
handle its products here, but the
commission men are now securing
heavy supplies from the valley and
from Rocky Ford and the shut out
is beginning to count against the
Rocky Ford association. Note
the above contradiction, viz: they
had boycotted them and would
have none of their melons, and
next that they are receiving a
heavy supply from the valley and
from Rocky Ford.
Next, the News item says, "a
few years ago the fame of the
Rocky Ford cantaloupes was con-
fined principally to the state and
last year for the first time an eff
fort was made to find a broader
market, and gentleman known
as Nat Wetzel, president of a
small concern in st. Louis known
as the Western Poultry g. Game
Co., was given n contract to handle
the fruit east of the Mo. river and
is said to have made $50. 900 out of
it." Further that he operated in
dependent of the usual fruit chan
nels and the demand for the fruit
became SO strong that he (Mr.
WetzeD was able to sell many
more than he had contracted for.
Now note further along in the
same News article it says, "Last'
year Mr.. Wetzel was unable to
take all the cantaloupes offered
him, and it is an open secret that
right in the middle of the season
when the demand was the strong
est, five car loads of the fruit was
dumped to the hogs. Note the
business ability of the contracting
firms and Mr.. Wetzel first. Viz:
1t was only a small concern and
the first year that any one had at
tempted to introduce the melons
outside of Colorado and still "that
little man" and that "small con-
cern" created demand and ad-
verified the melons to the extent
that he couldn't get enough to fill
the demand. A pretty good small
concern and pretty we'll managed
1 should say. If Wetzel could
manage it SO as to make $4,000
out Of 1t for himself and at the
same time give the growers double
what they had ever received before,
he will some day be president of a
large concern.
Again the News item says: Mr..
Wetzel paid the growers rs cents
a crate last year, and that it was
good price, and made the crop very
profitable, and that this year he
is paying them 97a cents crate.''
Now if the crop was very protita-
BILE last year at rs cents crate
wont it be still better for the
grower this year at 973 cents a
crate, and still the News item
further on speaks of this years
contract with Mr.. Wetzet as "a
ridiculous contract the associa-
ton has entered into"
The item further states that
there is a big demand for the can
taloupe in the east? The item
says last year was the fret year
that an effort was made to intro
duce the fruit outside of Colorado,
and "a little man-president of a
small concern in st. Louis, known
as Nat Wetzel' was given the con-
tract east OF the Missouri river.
Then, isn't it absolutely plain that