204 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



remunerative to growers and not prohibitory to consumers. This matter 

 was taken in hand by intelligent and enterprising growers, and a rate was 

 made promptly and in the best spirit, of $300 per car in trains of 15 cars. 

 I have sought such information as to the result of this rate as I could 

 obtain, and now lay it before you. 



The California Fruit Union, through its Secretary, Mr. H. A. Fairbank, 

 reports to me a shipment, to August twentieth, of 302 cars, and he states 

 that further shipments will greatly exceed this number this year. 



W. R. Strong & Co. of Sacramento reports shipments by the Independ- 

 ent Fruit Association, of 270 cars, and that they will probably ship 150 

 cars more. 



Mr. Fairbank says it is safe to ■ say that 1,500 cars will go forward as 

 against 1,122 last year. These shipments are all from Middle California. 

 Mr. Fairbank also deals with the question of further concessions that are 

 absolutely necessary. He says we must have better time made, and fewer 

 cars in a train. I quote: 



East of the Missouri River we have no cause to complain of the speed made, as they 

 take our special trains through ahead of passenger trains. But the railroad people fail to 

 appreciate, seemingly, at this end of the route, the importance which a difference of a few 

 hours makes in the returns to the fruit grower. The Eastern people realize this thor- 

 oughly, as is evidenced by their fast "tea trains," which are run ahead of the passenger 

 trains all through the Eastern States. In fact, so great a difference does the forty-eight 

 hours make in the salable value of the fruit in the Eastern markets, that manyof our 

 members prefer to pay $000 per car which will go through on passenger time, to a $300 rate 

 on a car which takes six and a half days to reach Chicago, which is the fastest time made 

 by the "fruit trains" so far, and the actual money returns bear them out in their belief. 



Then, too, we must have concessions with regard to early shipments of fruit. Take the 

 vicinity of Winters, Solano County. Parties there this year sent some ten to fifteen cars 

 before any one else had made up a single car, and it was away along in June before a train 

 was started, while cars were started by the eighteenth of May. 



During all this time cars were going every day, but at no time could a sufficient number 

 be collected to take advantage of the railroad offer of a $4,500 rate for a train of nine cars 

 or over, the maximum being eighteen. Should we be able to get together ten, it would 

 bring the price per car to $450, but we found it impossible, and so contented ourselves as 

 best we could, and paid $000, but were determined that before another year's crop had to 

 be moved, backed by the showing of the amount of fruit handled by the Union under the 

 existing unfavorable circumstances, strenuous efforts would be put forth to reduce the 

 freight per car on early shipments, and also to divide by two the number of cars now 

 required before any reduction could be had. 



Mr. Fairbank presents many interesting facts to which I must ask your 

 attention, and therefore append his full letter to my remarks. 



Mr. L. M. Holt, of Riverside, makes the following report as to raisins 

 and oranges shipped from Southern California: 



Relative to the orange crop I would say, last year Riverside shipped 504 carloads of 315 

 boxes each; add the balance of the Southern California oranges shipped East and to San 

 Francisco, 1,700 carloads. The Riverside crop netted the grower about $2 per box on the 

 tree. Fine Riverside Navel oranges netted $4 per box on the tree during the latter part of 

 the season. 



The raisin crop of Riverside last year was 115,000 boxes, or 115 carloads. All the fruit 

 netted the grower, packed, $2 per box. The crop of the State was close to 450,000 boxes. 

 This gives this place one fourth of the crop. The coming year the Riverside crop will 

 give us 150,000 boxes, if we have no bad luck, with 200,000 boxes in the county. 



The coming orange crop is estimated variously. It will not be as heavy as was sup- 

 posed last Winter, but I think it will be a third heavier than it was last season, with fully 

 as good prices, as Florida will have less than one half its estimated crop of last year before 

 the freeze. 



Mr. C. W. Reed, of Sacramento, a large fruit grower and the pioneer 

 shipper, in a letter to me says: 



The service of the railroad company has not grown with the business of shipping 

 fruits, and this has been the worst year shippers ever had. 



