REPORTS OP DISTRICT AND LOCAL SOCIETIES. 351 



all we could desire. Chicago, that marvelous city of all ages, furnishes our principle 

 market and makes a grand distributing point for the whole west and northwest and 

 being only about a ten hours' run by boat or rail, we get our fruit in market with a 

 ripeness that is hard to be found in many of the large markets of the world. Being 

 located between two opposing lines of transportation we are in position to patronize the 

 line that furnishes the best accommodations in consideration of rates charged. In look 

 ing over the years gone by, we review all the imperfections of both lines of transporta- 

 tion. The boats, owing to the condition of Saugatuck harbor, have been rather small 

 and having quite a large traffic to accommodate, had to load the fruit in the hole around 

 the boiler room and pile it up high on the deck, which prevented the necessary ventila- 

 tion of the fruit. 



They were subject to the elements and often storm or wind bound, causing the fruit 

 to be placed on the market late. Boats visiting the piers are not to be relied upon, for 

 it is only in fair weather that they will attempt to visit them and often when they are 

 able to leave the harbor they cannot reach the pier. This leaves the fruit-shipper in a 

 state of anxiety, for if the weather is pleasant when the fruit is delivered, there may a 

 storm arise before leaving time at Saugatuck and the fruit at the piers will be left. 

 Owing to a lack of appropriations by the government, during the last ten years, for the 

 Saugatuck harbor, it is a deplorable fact that the mouth of the Kalamazoo river has 

 gradually filled up with sand until there is hardly a channel passable for small boats, 

 making the harbor practically no better than a common pier. So we see that boat 

 transportation cannot be relied upon without aid from the government to improve the 

 harbor. Had the harbor been kept in proper condition, the improvement now in boats 

 used for this traffic would have furnished the shippers much better accommodations 

 than in former years. 



I look over rail transportation for twenty years back. We find in the first place the 

 American express company handling the small amount of fruit going in those days, but 

 their prices were exorbitant, being a shilling a basket for less than ten baskets and ten 

 cents a basket where more were shipped. The prices were ruinous to the fruit industry 

 and the boats were getting nearly all the trade. Then the railway company, after two 

 or three years, concluded that a portion of this traffic was really theirs and conceived 

 the idea that by taking the matter in their own hands, furnishing better accommoda 

 tions and rates corresponding to the boat, they would receive their share of the patron- 

 age. So they concluded to load the fruit here and unload it in Chicago, charging the 

 fruit-shippers five and one-half cents a basket. This was gratifying to the fruit 

 growers and they drew a large portion of their fruit to Fennville. 



The business of the railroad grew to such proportions in four or five years it incurred 

 the necessity of hiring so much extra help to load and unload the fruit which was not 

 ordinarily a part of their business, and it caused so much more work for their depot 

 agent that it made it difficult for them at all times to secure a proper man for this 

 position when needed. 



Viewing the circumstances, they concluded to turn this business over to the Ameri- 

 can express again, provided they would take it and make rates to the people that would 

 not diminish or retard the trade that had yearly been growing upon them. So the 

 proper arrangements were made and the American express had agreed to take the sole 

 charge of this fruit traffic, delivering the fruit to the commission houses, charging the 

 fruit-shippers six and one half cents for the whole service rendered. The change did 

 not seem to discommode the fruit-shippers for three or four years during years of light 

 crops, but in seasons when the yield was heavy there were many objections to their 

 system of handling. In loading they used up a great deal of unneceesary time in requir- 

 ing the fruit to all be tallied into the cars, and it was very important that this tally 

 was always correct for that was their essential guide in unloading in Chicago. This 

 was done on a very small platform which would not accommodate but one or two cars 

 at a time and the exactness they required in delivering the fruit to the commission 

 houses, not allowing any house to move their fruit until the cars were all unloaded and 

 each lot had been properly checked, making a source of great loss to the fruit-shipper 

 for it necessitated the late delivery of the fruit on South Water street, and with the 

 train late, nearly the whole day's shipment would not be on the market for sale the day 

 of arrival. Such an occurrence would damage the fruit-shipper for the immediate day 

 and for a week after, as the market once demoralized by this tardy manner of handling 

 the fruit, is hard to rally to its former prices. 



With all these objections to the American express, there was still another of equal 

 importance to the fruitgrower. There was the handling of the fruit in and out of the 

 cars, the men that they employed, having no particular interest but to get the fruit in 

 and out with as little inconvenience to themselves as possible, would handle it roughly; 

 although with often repeated protestations the fruitgrower had no redress only in the 



