Arizona republican., 1912-08-04
UNION IF THE
 TRUCK GROWERS
It Is Proposed to Organize M ark ct Gardeners So Carload Lots of Produce Can Be Assured for Needy Northern States

The idea of business cooperation has been planted in the breasts of every class of enterprisng inhabit-
 ants of this valley The very latest move in the direction is that of the truck growers, who are being organ ized into a Vegetable Growers Union by Walter Strong, president of the Arizona Producers association, Secretary Durfee, C. M. Spellman of the city market and many others, 1 business men, farmers and truck gardeners.
 The initial meeting of the proposed organization was held at the Water Users building several days ago The next assemblage of farmers will be called during the next week, and the members are requested to watch these columns for notice of the meeting The union is designed to work in close touch with the Arizona Pro- ducers company. Members will be expected to sign up their acreage just as they do in other lines, water melons. cotton. alfalfa, etc. and in this way the full amount of the con- tracted material can be secured Car l load lots of OniOns lettuce, cabbage and caulifloWer will be shipped on orders from all over the north. Utah and Colorado commission merchants
 have already made known their will ingness to take cars of the above
 named truck. From as far east as New York have come inquiries into
 the product possibilities of this region,
 and that sion iS certaiTIN couraging one to the growers of vege~ tables.
 Agent Goldsworthy of the Santa Fe has assured the members of the union
 that there is every possibility of a
 lowered rate on carload lots of truck out of the Salt river valley This would mean that Arizona will be able to compete with California and Texas. which states now get all the business that should be divided up. The ship ment of carloads of mixed or straight vegetables from the valley wo,lld mean not only the increase in re- venue. from the lands under cultiva
 tion but would tend to put Arizona still higher on the map of the real producing states. To hear the name Arizona after the fame of the new
  forth, would be to bring to mind, not a barren waste punctuated with mines and hot cattle ranges. but picture of wide green fields, tree lined canals; and busy farmers loading up the auto trucks with wealth producing Vege tables for shipment to more arid lands.
 A successful truck farmer told a representative of The Republican yes terday, There are immense possibili ties in this scheme. All we need is the assurance of a reduced freight rate, then we can do some business. | know I can pick 10000 salable heads of lettuce from an acre of my
 land, and at the price, 17hc a dozen, there is wealth in it. A low estimate of the possibilities of an acre of white Bermuda onions is $120 and the same holds good with all kinds of truck. Next month will be the time to start planting the onion crop for the early spring trade. At that time California will have no onions on the market, and we might just as well do the sup plying At certain times of the year Phoenix must be supplied from the neighbOr state, but in the spring there is a chance for us to get back some of the $3,00O a week that is now going to Californians from this same city for garden truck, beans, peas. etc, that we are not able to raise now"