The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-07-29
GROWERS GOT ALL WAS LEFT.
REFRIGERATION CAR LINES AND
RAILWAYS TOOK PEACH PRO-
FITS, THEY SAY.

tics TO Show How the Money Goes.
Meeting of State horticultural
Society at Dublin VIII Discuss
Conditions Which Surround the
Industry in This state.
The Georgia peach season is virtually at
an end and, despite the glowing prognos-
tioations that were made by growers and
railroad people alike before the crop had
reached maturity it would require the
temperament of the most confirmed OPP
timist TO pronounce the year successful.
The railroads. the growers say, have
had their usual and accustomed rake-off
the proprietors of the lines OF refrigera-
tor cars have made good money, the COM
mission merchants in the cities in which
the crop is handled have received value
at least for their services and the growers
have added materially to their stock of
experience. Some of them have even added
a little to their bank accounts, but
strange to say not even these are alto
gether pleased and contented with their
lot.
A glance at statistics may perhaps show
the cause of their lack of enthusiasm at
the conditions that now surround fruit
growing in Georgia. For the purposes of
the case it will be fair to take an average
carload Of peaches containing $40 carriers
of fruit, shipped from Triton to New York
and sold at the rate of 81 per carrier
The freight rate on peaches from Triton
TO New York is 80 cents per 100 pounds
and the carload of peaches would be esti-
mated to weigh 10000 pounds; the rate for
refrigeration is 1913 cents per carrier the
combined cost of freight and refrigeration
from Triton to New York would be, there
fore. $251.25. The commissions of the mer-
chant by whom the peaches were sold
would amount to $40 additional. The cost
of the packages in which the fruit is
shipped would be about $40 and the cost
of gathering, sorting, packing and loading
a carload of peaches about $40
The expense to which the grower would
be put would be $25l %. for transporta-
ton and refrigeration, $40 for commits
sions, $50 for packages, and $40 for gath
ering. sorting, packing and loading, a
grand total of 1886 25. If the peaches
sold, therefore, at 81 per carrier, the grow
err would receive $l94.25, or about 1872 cents
per carrier.
This is the net result to him, deducting
only the items of expense incurred from
the time the fruit is picked from the
trees until it is sold. These figures do
not show the interest on his original in
vestment, the expense of keeping up the
orchards throughout the year. taxes, in
surance or many other items that would
have to be deducted from the credit side
of the account
1t is clear, the growers think. that the
only people who are getting rich through
the peach crop in Georgia are the owners
of railroad stocks and bonds. The price
taken as an illustration, as that at which
peaches were sold. 81 per carrier, is "A
fair average one. and though many cars
were sold for much more money, there
were many others, which, by reason of
the unsatisfactory condition in which they
reached New York or other poincs were
sold for very much less. The share paid
to the railroads and refrigerator car lines
amounts to more than half the amount of
the gross sales.
The annual meeting of the Georgia State
Horticultural Society will be held at Dub
lin on Aug. and 3, and will be attended
by the prominent peach growers from
every section of the state The conditions
by which the industry is surrounded in
Georgia at the present time will come
in for large share of the discussion of
ways and means, that will be among the
features of the meeting
At the last meeting of the society there
was committee appointed to confer
with similar committees from the State
Agricultural Society and the Georgia
Fruit Growers Association. The joint
committee, representing these three o.
CARNATIONS, met and organized at Macon
and has endeavored, during the year. Il
obtain from the railroads some reduction
in che existing scale of freight and re-
frlgerating rates on peaches. Nothing
however, has been accomplished.
The report of this committee will be
rendered at the Dublin meeting, and it is
promised thst 1t will make interesting
reading. The fruit growers say that the
healthy expansion of the industry in
Georgia is crippled and the industry it.
self. as ID exists at present, is menaced
by the present scale of freight rates and
rates for refrigeration, which are very
much higher than those obtaining from
other peach sections to the markets OF
the North and East.
The committee of the Horticultural So
ciety has included in its labors nc COM
pilation of table of statistics, showing
rates from the various fruit-growing sec
lions of the country 10 the markets in
which the fruit is sold. 1t Is asserted
doubt or question that the growers in This
state are not being treated with the JUS
tice or consideration to which they are
entitled
1t is said that the railroads and refrig-
orator car lines have received from peach
growers in this state during the present
season nearly half a mi lion of dollars.
and the crop was not as large as it was
expected to be by fully 1000 cars Had
the full crop been matured. gathered and
shipped another quarter of a million would
have been added 10 the charges and re-
ceipts for transportation and refrigera-
ton.
The initial lines in the state say they
are not responsible for the freight rates
that obtain and have always contended
that they would gladly consent to re-
duction II the connecting Northern lines
would agree to it,
Maj. G.. NJ. Ryals has returned recently
from the orchards of the Ryals Peach
Company, at Ty Ty. where he has been
directing the shipment of the company's
crop. He Is among those who are thor
oughly convinced thar a revision of the
rates is necessary to the success of the
industry and that 1t cannot take its right
full place among the important industries
of the state until a decide reduction has
b. en- made
Maj. Ryals says that the thing that has
done the crop of this year more harm than
anything else Is the hamboyant reports
as to its size that were distributed
throughout the country This report
once beaten into the heads of Northern
BUYERS they were convinced ALWAYS ~, .