Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-02-24
MAY LEAVE BRA1TLE BoRo'

Greater Acreage Needed by the hr"''''
boro Jelly Company---lo Acres w"
,rscted for Saturday and More ""'e
nsen Secured Since.
About 40 farmers gathered at the once
of the Brattleboro Jelly company SaIuruay'
i'm response to an invitation from the con-
pany, to talk over plans for the raising y.
cucumbers to be converted into pickles az
the company's factory. The meeting nau
been called for the Monday before, DuI
owing to the severe storm on that DAY the
meeting was postponed.
A contract was submitted to the iarn.
ers by the company by the signing Oh
which the farmers agreed 10 raise cucuih-
bers for four years and to sell them to the
company at the rate of 81 per 100 POUNDS
for cucumbers less than four inches I'D
length and 30 cents per 100 pounds Tor all
cucumbers over four inches and less than
six inches in length. A sentence at the
end of the contract stated that the contract
would not be binding unless 10 acres OF
land was pledged.
During the seven years that the com
pany has done business in Brattleboro it
has been handicapped by a lack Of acreage.
the business has also increased SO that the
acreage has been insufficient to meet the
demand. Last year between 80 and 90
acres of cucumbers were raised for the
company, but the supply will be exhausted
before the next picking season. For TINS
reason the company decided to ask for 20
acres, believing that it could secure the
yield of % acres from persons who would
not bind themselves by contract, thus hav-
ing at command 100 acres, which amount
is needed to meet the company's demands
Only 1914 acres were contracted for at
the meeting, but two or three duplicate
contracts were drawn up and have been
circulated during the present week. Just
what the result has been is not now known,
but it is expected that a sufficient acreage
will be secured. On Monday of this week
the company sent the following letter to
the farmers hereabouts:
"DeHr Sir:-As the result of our meeting Of the
farmers Saturday we had only 10 Ia acres sub.
scribed to grow this season for pickles. Nov II
is necessary that we should know at once wheth-
er the farmers wish to take hold with us and
keep the business here. If the farmers do not
see it to be for their interest to encourage it in
the way we outlined to them saturday then We
do not wish TO urge them to do so. neither do we
wish to act hastily and decide to close up the
business here until the farmers have time to de
eide what they will do in regard to II, so take
the liberty to write you once more and ask that
you let US know at once whether you will tai .
hold with US on the plan submitted to you Satur-
day as we shall he obliged to decide the matter
TINS week II we do not have enough acreage
subscribed TO encourage US to remain here by
next Saturday morning we shall make move ia
another direction. We feel that We have been
more helpful to the farmers In the past than for
ourselves and that they will make very great
mistake 10 let the business 90 out OF here.
We now leave II in your hands to decide, but
repeat that II must he decided this week"
BY way of an explanation of the above
letter it may be said that the company has
received inducements to leave Brattleboro
and to locate outside of this state. Par
ties in one city have been corresponding
with the company for the past two years
with view to getting it to locate in that
city, and even now they are awaiting the
company's final answer and are expecting
1t within few days. These parties guar.
antee to furnish $50 acres for growing Gu
cumbers