Rocky Ford enterprise., 1898-12-01
.MEL0N GROWERS
ADJOURNED MEETING,
Full New Board Of Directors Fl
Elected,
WETZEL MAKES SETTLEMENT.
MAKES A SETTLEMENT
Another Meeting on Saturday, Dec 10.


not received a car of first-class
melons. To Mr.. Wetzsl's energies
you are indebted for the great in
crease in the demand in the east.
When President Swink called
the Melongrowers to order after
the noon recess many more were
present than at the morning ses-
sion. fItEL -tf3
L. NJ. Lyons of New York was
introduced and spoke in substance
as follows: If I had your melons
in New York I would know how
to sell them, but when it comes to
addressing such a large concourse
of intelligent men it is hard to
find words to express my senti-
ments. I still have confidence in
the future of the whole Arkansas
valley from the state line to Pue-
bio. Nat Wetzel in July '97,
wrote to me of the Rocky Ford
melons, praising them highly, and
asked me If I could not dispose Of
some of them in New York. I
thought it would be impossible to
ship them SO far and then dispose
of them at a profit. However he
sent n few as samples and WAS
surprised to find how delicious
they were. We distributed a
crate rs samples and placed the
rest on the market at 81 a crate.
Before night they were selling at
sl.50 a crate. l then told my
partner that I was going to st.
Louis to make the acquaintance
of Mr.. Wetzel and l did 80.
When l met Mr.. Wetzel told
him he had a good thing and that
VIC wonld handle the goods for
him in New York. The melons
we're first class that year and we
were able to dispose qf a great
many. At the beginning of the
season of '9S Mr.. Wetzel told us
that the output would be much
heavier than last year and wanted
to know how many we could han
die. I informed him that New
York could handle IL cars daily.
The New England States and 9TH
er cities in New York state agreed
Ito take IS cars. When the first
shipment was received they went
at Is a crate. We had orders for
four cars. When the first car ar
rived by freight We could get only
81 so for the best crates. We
wired Wetxel that the melons
were no good and we did not want
them. He replied that we must
take them; that we must stand by
the association. We told him
again we could not sell them. He
replied by telegraph that We must
stand by the association. We had
to pay from $40 to $27O car for
freight. We were receiving IA,
IL, 20 cars day. We put up
S3O,OOO for freight and then re-
fused to receive any more, The
railroad sold a large number for
freight and they did not bring
enough to pay charges. A car Of
melons would arrive in New York
Mt II p. m. BY 2 o'clock the next
morning the work would be fin
ished. Perhaps some of you
think we did not handle the busi-
ness right. There was hardly a
square foot of territory in New
England or New York that we did
not canvass thoroughly. But the
quality was absent in the melons
nnd they would not sell. The
| fault did not lie with the Western
Poultry L. Game Co. They had
; paid SIS, 900 for melons that were
almost absolutely worthless. l
think they should not have been
compelled to pay for them. You
think differently. Melons were
raised all along the Atlantic sea-
board that were better than the
Rocky Fords, and they were SELL
ing for 80 cents n barrel. How
ever l still believe in the future
of your melons. if they are prop
erly cared for and are put on the
market in first class condition.
This season out of II cars we
could get only 4 cars of fair mel.
ons. All the different localities
of the valley must have their own
associations and handle their own
goods. But they should have a
general head to market them to
prevent their goods from compet-