Rocky Ford enterprise., 1902-12-26
A cANIAloupe KICK.
With some Qualifying Circumstances
and Explanations.
To the Editor Of the Enterprise.

h~@bs>sss@ss1"s@s
To the Editor of the Enterprise.
As E. r. Nichols & Co. have failed to
make any report Of their cantaloaps busi-
ness for the season. will make a report
for them as far as our own crop is con-
eerned. | feel as IL ! had been badly
skinned. Our 200 crates Of cantaloupes
only net,ed US about 90 cents for the sea-
SON Those cars which were sold I. o. b.
Rocky Ford did very well. but those
which were shipped by the company ate
US up in freight and charges. For ex-
ample. 81 crates sold for se2.4o. Freight.
carriage and commission cost S46.2b,
leaving me S45,Io for my share OF the
deal. This looks TO me as esorbi,ant
freight rates on carload lots. There was
more than half our crop wen, Just that
way. As far as arm concerned. VIII
endeavor 10 clear steer Of such men In
the future. II any one doubts these
statements ! have the papers 70 prove
them, J. T. MusnELL
Mr.. Mundell in his letter is no, explicit
enough In his complaint. II he shipped
most OF his ean,alOupes in August he did
no, &c, as high an average as either Mr.,
Woods or Lyons & coggins paid for their
melons. BY looking al the files Of the
eastern trade papers Of las, Angus, and
September one can easily see that prices
were quite high in the first month. while
in September the prices were consider
ably lower. In August the quoted price
a, which eantaloupes were selling in
Chicago was from s22o TO $3.50 per
standard crate: while in September the
price went as low as si,50 for frst-clsss
class goods. and grsa, many that were
too green sold for considerably less.
These figures arc taken IRON tho price
lis, OF trade papers Ike the Packer and
Frii, Trade Journal.
II the particular shipmen, which Mr..
mentions. Of O. crates the docs no: state
II they were all standards or whether
some were p0niesl which broagh, ss2.io
was shipped in August, and were first
class goods. he did no; &C; as much as
some other shippers. He does no; state
where tho shipmen, was sold. bu, iadg-
ing from the treigh, he had to pay !; WAS
sold cas-; Of Chicago. Tho freigh; rate
on carload lots SHIPPED to Chicago varies
between 30 and SO cents per standard
crate. II car Is no; loaded 10 minimum
capacity the charge will be higher per
crate than II the car Is fully loaded. The
writer states that transportation. carriage
and commission amounted TO sse.Gs. As
We understand i;. Mr.. Nichols charged
10 per cen, commission. This would
amount 20 Ss.2I for the shipment The
,eams,ers' union Of Chicago charges all
commission mon at the rate Of about 5
cents per crate for carriage. This would
ar,oun; to about si.z2 for his total ship
men;. With the commission and carriage
taken away there would remain $3.50
for transportation charges, or abou; SIS
cents per crate. This Is abou, the freight
charge TO Pi,,sburg or Cincinnati. II !; is
an exorbitan; charge. as Mr.. aundell
thinks, I, certainly cannot be the fault Of
the commission mon. as they have TO pay
whatever the transportation companies
see fit 70 charge.
As rule. cur growers do not keep
close enough watch on the prices Of the
goods in the eastern markets. and we
doub; II one in twenty knows how much
the transportation charges are to eastern
points. There are plenty Of trade papers
in the cas-; that correct their price lis;
each week on all commodities that are
sold in all Of the principal cities Of the
country. 1t would be very easy for sew
eral Of our growers 10 club together and
take one Of the eastern trade papers and
thus keep posted as to prices. The freight
rates they could obtain approximately
from the railroad officials at this end Of
this line. We say approximately. because
the charges for icing varies with the
amount Of ice used. It costs considerably
more to ice car that takes three or four
days to lead than it does car that is
sent out the same day that loading was
commenced. Again. as stated above. a
car must be loaded to the minimum or i,
will cost more per crate to get the melons
to market.
One of the reasons to be urged in favor
OF combinations Of growers is that the
associations have officers whose business
it is to see that there are not overcharges
on the part of either the commission mer
or railroad companies. The association
idea is the correct one. and it is to the
interest of growers to maintain it. A few
independent shippers can make money
but if all growers should follow their ex-
ample the bottom would be knocked out
of prices.
Mems Silver fledal Oratorical Contest
Friday. January 2, at 8 o'clock p. m
The sneakers will be: John Chalmer. P