Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1906-07-20
ROGUE RIVER FARMS
PLEASE RAILROAD MAN
Agricultural Resources OF Jose
phine County a Surprise TO
S. p. Traffic Man.

II. A. Hinshaw, of Portland, the
new travelling freight agent for the
Hartman system Of Oregon lines
which embrace the Southern Pacific,
the o. r. N. and the Oregon Short
Line, was in Grants Pass Wednesday
looking up freight shiments and
familiarizing himself with the busi-
ness conditions that obtain in Rogue
River Valley.
During the forenoon Mr.. Hinshaw
called on the large shippers Of Grants
Pass and in the afternoon he made
trip of seven miles down Rogue River
Valley to interview the big fruit,
hop and melon growers in regard to
prospective tonnage and to take a
look at one of the bandsomest and
richest sections Of the famous Rogue
River Valley. He was accompanied
by q. p. Jester. the Southern Pa
cific agent for Grants Pass and by
Charles Meserve Of the Courier.
Among the farmers called on was Il.
p. Lee who has So acres to melons,
ETC., Eismann Bros, who have one of
the very finest and largest orchards
in Rogue River Valley aud will have
1900 boxes of apples and pears to
ship, and Mr.. and Mrs. John Ranzau,
whose 100 acre hop field is the lar
gest In Southern Oregon. Mr.. Lee.
who holds the honor OF being the
melon king of Rogue River Valley
and the first farmer to.grow melons in
large quantities for shipment, has his
60 acres Of land planted to diversity
Of crops. OF 1t 30 acres are to water.
melons, 10 acres in casabas, five acres
70 canteleups, 10 acres to squashes,
and two acres to tomatoes. The soil
is extraordinarily fertile and though
no irrigation is employed the melon
and squash vines and tomatoes are
making a vigorous growth and big
Yield is certain. There are quite a
unmber of other farmers raising
melons, the largest growers being ].
b. Burrough having 10 acres, Lee
Bros, five acres. II. Hubert 10 acres,
+. Caldwell 10 acres, Christie q Lar
son five acres and Mr.. Elliott 10 acres.
There are number of other farms
that have small patches of melons,
that will bring the total acreage to
melons in the Grants Pass section up
TO about 1875 acres.
The market for Rogue River Valley
melons is the Willamette Valley
towns, Portland, Seattle and Tacoma
and other northern cities. The de-
mand is very good for Rogue River
melons have gained the reputation of
being among the best in those markets
but the industry is not thriving and
the shipments this year will be about
the same as they have been each sea.
son for the past dozen years. The
reason for the stagnation of this in.
dustry that could be one of the largest
and most profitable in this Valley is
that the commission m,n have taken
such big profits that there was little
or none left for the luckless growers.
Several farmers who formerly grew
large aoreages of melons now grow
none. Mr.. Lee stated TO Mr.. Hin.
shaw that this would be his last year
in the melon business il the South
ern Pacific put into effect their
proposed rule to no longer allow the
shippers TO deliver melons from
town to town from the car until il
was emptied, at such placess rs could
not handle in car lots. MIR. Lee
stated that to crate the cost of Grating
the melons and shipping by local
freight or by express would be SO great
M to take up all the profits and to
consiRn car lots 20 the commission
men was sure financial ruin TO the
farmers The other melon growers
sre. .also of the opinion that they can
make nothing by shipping in crates or
by consignmening to the commission
dealers. MIR. Hinshaw assured them
that he would present the matter to
the railroad company and get an
equa BILE adjustment of the difficulty
The railroad men object TO the melon
peddline as they claim 1t retards their
trains and as the freight traffic has
beco me SO heavy on the. Portland and