TWENTY-NINTH FRUIT-GROWERS' CONVENTION. 



Ill 



digging those holes for?" "To plant grapevines." "Whose land is 

 this?" "Russ Stephens's." "I thought Stephens was discouraging 

 planting vineyards and fruit trees?" "Oh, that is convention talk!" 

 (Laughter and applause.) 



Xow, I don't advise my neighbors to plant trees or vines, but I will 

 plant them whenever I get time. I am very well satisfied with my 

 work in planting trees. I have not had much to do with railroads, 

 because I usually sell my fruit at home and make a living by it. I 

 have enough now to live on, and I have been at it for a good many 

 years, but I am still trying to get a little more land and I am planting 

 a few more vines and a few more trees, just the same as Mr. Stephens 

 is. I am perhaps assisting in the alleged overproduction, but I have 

 not yet found the overproduction. I have always found sale for every 

 pound of good fruit I could raise. 



MR. STEPHENS. Mr. President, I want to reply to the gentleman, 

 because what he has said places me in a rather awkward position, if 

 not met with an explanation. You will remember that three years ago 

 we made an effort, on the lines of the report and recommendation of 

 the transportation committee, which was adopted by the Convention, 

 that we appeal to the Southern Pacific Company not to enter into any 

 new contract with any refrigerator car line. Up to the last minute 

 everything indicated that the Southern Pacific Company was going to 

 put its own car line on and eliminate the private car line. I had an 

 opportunity to buy a piece of land for about thirty per cent of what 

 was asked for it a few years before. That shows great prosperity there. 

 It is good land, as good land as there is in that locality. If the car 

 line was going to be eliminated from the service I felt safe in making 

 that investment, and I purchased the land and planted the grapevines, 

 before it was announced by the Southern Pacific Company that it had 

 entered into a contract with the Armour Company. I tell you, fellow 

 delegates, that had I known that that contract was to be renewed I 

 would not have invested one dollar in the purchase of that land and I 

 would not have planted out one grapevine, although it is in the very 

 center of the best table-grape-growing land in the world. Why ? 

 Because I would have regarded it as without value, as subject, in a 

 great degree, to the control of the car line. I only say this in explana- 

 tion of the reason why I bought the land and set it out to vines. Now, 

 that land had upon it 7-| acres of deciduous fruit trees, of the best 

 varieties. I tried one year to make something out of those trees, and I 

 lost money on every box of fruit. I dug them out, they are out yet and 

 the land is idle. It cost me about $150 to dig out those trees. I made 

 money by it and the land stands there, and if Mr. Hartranft or any 

 one else wants to plant it he can do it. I didn't even plant it in grape- 

 vines. I was afraid of the result. 



