The Glenwood post., 1917-10-20
oo1oRADo,s ABUNDANT CROPS
Mesa, Delta and Montrose county

they were month ago, the result of
the marketing of the. peach crop, the
first of this years Colorado crops to
be completely harvested and sold. The
movement of the peach crop from the
orchards to the consumer required Tie
use of l,773 refrigerator cars.
Many others of Colorado's big crops
are now being shipped, including po-
tatoes, onions, beets, apples and mixed
fruits and some grain, but the fore
going are the first figures for the 1917
season showing definitely the volume
OF any single crop and the financial
return to the producers. They have
been compiled upon daily reports to
the Public Utilities commission from
its inspectors in the field, together
with car movement figures of the ral.-
roads.
The $l,366,9sO paid for Colorado
peaches represents the return received
by the growers in the Palisade, Clifton
and Grand Junction districts of the
Grand valley and by the growers in
the Paonia, Hotchkiss, Austin and
other districts of the North Fork coun
try, with relatively small part to
orchardists in the Montrose district
From the Grand valley 10 ears of
peaches were handled over the Denver
& Rio Grande railroad and 1928 by the
Colorado Midland, total of 1,O3S
ears, while 735 cars were shipped over
the Denver & Rio Grande from tue
North Fork and Montrose districts,
When the first peach shipments be-
gan to move out of the Grand valley
month ago, two inspectors were as.
signed by the Public Utilities commits
sion to assist both the shippers and the
railroads: Acting in this capacity, the
duties of the commission IS inspectors
are multifarious seeing that the rail
roads furnished the necessary supply of
cars, adjusting grievances of shippers,
and generally serving as umpire or in
termediary between the shipper and
the railroad. During the rush season
the inspector is usually required to re.
main on the job from clock in the
morning until 10 or II clock at night
Daily reports by long g-distance tele.
phone from the inspectors to the com.
mission in Denver keep that body in
close touch with the situation and en-.
ables the commission to handle with
out delay the crop movement problems
which the inspector cannot settle on
the ground.
The peach crop movement out of tne
North Fork country Immediately fol-
lowed the Grand valley shipping sea
son, and was handled by utilities corn
mission inspectors in like manner The
same two inspectors are now represent
ing the commission in the movement
of the apple, potato and other crops
from the western SLOPE, covering ter
ritory of which the principal points
are Grand Junction, Montrose, Delta
and Paonia. f "T -rn.
A third inspector for the last mouth
has been supervising the shipment os
potatoes from the San Luis valley,
where record crop of approximately
1000 carloads is being harvested. An
other inspector is now being assigned
to northern Colorado, where the ship
ping season is just assuming real pro-
portions and bringing with it the an
ticipated calls for increased car supply.
An average of 25 carloads of potatoes
a day has been coming out of the San
Luis valley, but this average will now
be increased to about 40 cars per day
as a result of recommendations made
to the railroads by. the utilities com
mission upon reports received from its
ispector in that territory. The in.
crease in daily shipments is made nes-
essary to prevent loss on account of
cold weather, which is expected to sot
in the final week Of the month.
Labor shortage, effecting both the
railroads and the farmers is a problem
equally serious as that of car supply.
Despite the labor shortage, the diff
Guilty of obtaining cars and the defie
iency of motive power which several
Of the Colorado roads are experiencing
the Colorado peach crop-one Of the
most perishable Of all crops-has been
moved with practically no loss.
Heavier and spedier loading offreight
cars, the elimination Of numerous de
lays in the handling Of freight for
which in other years both the shippers
and the railroads have been responsible
and in every way closer cooperation
between shippers and railroads, were
L..1la h1,