PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-SIXTH FRUIT-GROWERS* CONVENTION. 99 



heavy crop of grapes and peaches grown in the East. A conservative 

 estimate made in onr office early in August indicated an output of 

 upwards of twenty thousand car loads of peaches and grapes alone 

 from Michigan, New York, and Ohio, this fruit nearly all crowding 

 into the market between September 1st and October 15th. As there were 

 also great quantities of apples, pears, plums, etc., coming in at the same 

 time, making an enormous aggregate of probably more than one 

 thousand car loads per day, it is not to be wondered at that California 

 growers, handicapped by the high cost of labor and transportation, 

 have no profit to show for these late shipments. 



APPLES. 



Apples are not handled by this organization, so that no report on 

 this crop, which was fine and profitable, will be made here. 



SERVICE. 



The refrigerator-car service maintained by the Southern Pacific Rail- 

 road Company has proven very satisfactory. The management is in 

 able and experienced hands, and we have found hearty cooperation in 

 all endeavors for the benefit of the service. The only blot on the other- 

 wise splendid record of the Refrigerator Car Company was the car 

 shortage, which came in the height of the season. While disposed to 

 criticise severely at the time, and criticism was certainly due some one, 

 for adequate provision was not made even for the estimated shipment, 

 still we must admit that most of the trouble was caused by the excep- 

 tionally large offerings, and we must give credit, too, for untiring 

 exertions on the part of the company to remedy these conditions as soon 

 as they realized the necessity for so doing. 



RAILWAY SERVICE. 



Local railway service from shipping point to Roseville, where 

 through trains for the East are made up, was very unsatisfactory, 

 owing to a number of causes unimportant in themselves and which we 

 hope will be overcome another season. From Roseville to the East 

 service has been almost uniformly good, although we contend that the 

 running time between here and the East should be cut down from 

 160 hours, present schedule, to 147 hours, thus enabling fruit to be 

 sold on the seventh morning in Chicago. A very slight increase in the 

 speed of trains would make this gain possible, and it is one of the 

 many betterments that the California Fruit Distributors are making a 

 strenuous fight to obtain. The Santa Fe Railroad proved a good friend 

 to the fruit men this year, not only loaning to the Southern Pacific 

 Company all the refrigerator cars that could be spared from their own 

 business, but putting into the Sacramento River service their fine 

 steamer, making it possible for the Southern Pacific Company to handle 

 expeditiously the exceedingly heavy pear and plum business of the 

 river section during the month of July. 



A very considerable amount of fruit was shipped East over the Santa 

 Fe lines during the season, and the service was the best ever received 

 for California fruit, their running time from Fresno to Chicago being 



