Medford Mail Tribune, May 10, 1929, page 6

    Medford, Ore., May 17.--Work has started on improvements to the C&E packing plant, representing an expenditure of approximately $15,000. The warehouse capacity will be increased 100 by 85 feet, and the office space increased. Room will be made for the installation of two box making machines and one box lidding machine, and a live belt system that will load and unload material and fruit. The box lidding machine will "lid" 600 boxes per hour. The box making machines will produce boxes at the rate of 250 per hour. By the live belt system, the trucking is reduced to the minimum, affecting a heavy saving in time and labor. The machines drive eight nails at one stroke. The C&E company is headed by Weldon Biddle and J. E. Edmiston.
    Finishing touches are being put on the new $100,000 ice and storage warehouse of the Medford Ice & Storage Company on South Grape [sic] Street, and the work of storing ice will commence this week. It will have a capacity of 10,000 tons, giving the plant a total ice storage capacity of 22,000 tons. The building was started March 15, setting a record for local construction. To meet the demands of the coming fruit season, the ice company will increase its car loading platform, 30 car lengths, enabling it to "spot" 65 cars at a time. Additional carrier system will also be erected. The  Southern Pacific Railroad, in the furtherance of this plan, will increase its yard facilities.
    The present outlook of the Rogue River Valley pear crop is that, barring possible unforeseen damage by frost, wind or hail, it will be another bumper one, as large, if not larger than last year, when it amounted to about 3,800 cars, breaking the valley's record, in the opinion of L. P. Wilcox, county agent, in charge of the horticultural end of the county agent's office. The normal frost danger season is about over, and therefore the chance of a severe frost damage could only come about by an unexpected freak of nature, although this has so far been an unusual weather year. However, the apple crop of the valley does not look so good, as the prediction is that the crop will amount to but from 50 to 60 percent of last year's drop, which was 600 cars, due to the fact that the Newtown variety predominates in the valley, and this is an alternate bearer. This is an off year for the Newtowns, and the valley apple crop next fall is expected to amount to only from 300 to 350 cars. The peach, apricot and cherry crops of the valley were badly damaged by frosts, hence only 50 percent of the normal crops of such fruits is looked for.
    The emergency pear freight rate of $1.60 per cwt. will be extended by the Southern Pacific Railroad to cover the 1929 movement of Rogue River Valley fruit, according to word received late [last] week by the Rogue River Traffic Association from J. H. Mulcahy, assistant freight traffic manager. The association recently petitioned the railroad for the extension. The old rate was $1.73 per cwt. The granting of the request means a saving of over $150,000 in freight rates to growers.
    The emergency pear rate was ordered by the Interstate Commerce Commission last year, when fruit growers of Oregon, Washington and Idaho asked for a parity rate with California shippers, which is now before the Interstate Commerce Commission for decision. The California case is before the United States Supreme Court on an appeal.
    The local traffic association last week asked similar organizations in the Hood River, Oregon and Wenatchee and Yakima, Washington districts to join with them in securing a continuance of the emergency rate. They opposed on the grounds the decision of the Interstate Commerce Commission in the Northwest cases would be rendered before the 1929 fruit shipments started. The local shipping season peak is a month earlier than these districts.
    The Southern Pacific Railroad must secure the permission of all carriers participating in the fruit haul before the emergency rate becomes effective again. It expired June 31 next. Under the present plan, it will be extended to December 31 next.
    The rate concessions were secured through the efforts of the traffic committee of the Traffic Association. The application for the extension was filed April 17, and through aggressive action secured quick results.
The Chicago Packer, May 18, 1929, page 33

    Medford, Ore., June 14.--The Rogue Valley does not expect to ship over 3,000 cars of pears this year. With estimates of the crop shortage ranging from 500 to over 1,000 cars, growers, buyers and shippers are agreed on only one thing--that early season hopes of another bumper crop are proving unfounded.
    A late season, frost damage and failure of fruit to pollinate properly are jointly blamed for the shortage. Pears are now dropping from the trees in many orchards.
    The Comice variety, most observers agree, has been the hardest hit, and estimates of the yield range from 60 to 75 percent of last year's 231 cars. The d'Anjou estimates range from 70 to 85 percent. Last year 781 cars were shipped. Winter Nelis is the only variety expected to equal last year's production.
    Last year's crop totaled 3,658 cars of all varieties, including 509 cars to canneries. There were 870 cars of Bartletts packed, 105 cars of Howells, 781 cars of Boscs, 946 cars of d'Anjous, 231 cars of Comice, 307 cars of Winter Nelis, five cars of Patrick Barry and four cars of Seckels.
    During the past few weeks a number of meetings of growers and shippers have been held regarding plans for the greater distribution for the Bosc pear, and at a meeting held Friday it was voted to enter Pittsburgh and Detroit as new marketing centers and an assessment of 5¢ per box of Bosc pears was voted to bear the advertising and other expenses of  the innovation. It is the plan of the committee to send an advertising expert to these two markets, this person to be thoroughly familiar with the Bosc pear. A proposal to assess 1¢ per box for all winter pear varieties for educating and advertising purposes was held in abeyance, to be considered later.
    The Pinnacle Packing Company, Inc., Raymond R. Reter, manager, has started the installation of fruit machinery in its packing house and plant on South Fir Street, entailing an expenditure of between $8,000 and $10,000. The equipment will be in operation the coming fruit season. The new machinery includes a new box lidding machine, two new box making machines, a lug box conveyor that will expedite the handling of fruit and the return of the lug boxes to the platform and the latest improvements of the Bean Sprayer Company.
    The fruit industry, in preparation for the handling of the coming crop, has expended close to $500,000 since the first of the year in new construction and addition of new equipment, as follows:
    Kimball Fruit Company, new plant on North Fir Street, $25,000.
    Medford Ice & Storage Co., completed ice storage warehouse and cold storage and pre-cooling plant to be completed by July 20, $125,000.
    Pre-cooling and cold storage plant of the Southern Oregon Sales, Inc., at Stewart Avenue and Pacific Highway, $200,000.
    C. & E. Co., additional warehouse and equipment, $15,000.
    Yard extensions and increased ice loading platforms by Southern Pacific Railroad, $50,000.

    Medford, Ore., Aug. 9.--A survey by representatives of the Rogue River Traffic Association was conducted on crop estimates last week covering the 1929 season with the following results:
    The Rogue River Traffic Association is considering a plan of marketing approximately 10 percent of the Bosc crop in the cities of Detroit and Pittsburgh under a neutral label, using only extra fancy fruit. The sales will be made by a special representative of the fruit growers in the cities named.

    Medford, Ore., Aug. 16.--Fruit growers and shippers of the Rogue River Valley, including Grants Pass district, this week began picking, packing and shipping the Bartlett crop.
    The crop is estimated at 18,000 tons, close to the figure of last season. Not less than 500 cars will be shipped to Eastern markets. The remaining 12,000 tons have been sold to Northwest and California canneries, at prices ranging from $72.50 to $80 per ton. Figuring the cannery shipments at from 20 to 25 tons to the car, the Bartlett shipments will reach a total of 1,500 cars.
    The Bartletts are now in prime condition, with ideal weather for their growth.
    Picking began in a preliminary way and is expected to gain considerable momentum by the last of this week. The peak of the Bartlett movement will be reached the last week of August and the opening days of September.
    For the handling of the 1929 fruit crop, close to $500,000 has been expended by the industry for new improvements and structures. These include the ice storage warehouse of the Medford Ice & Storage Company, now filled with 8,000 tons of ice; the pre-cooling and storage plant, built at a cost of $125,000 by the same company and ready for test runs the coming week; the $200,000 pre-cooling plant of the Southern Oregon Sales, Inc., now ready for operation, warehouse and mechanical equipment of the C.&E. Company, representing an expenditure of $20,000; the new warehouse and packing plant of the Kimball Company, costing $25,000.
    Innovations for the coming fruit season will be the printing of the word "Medford" on all pear boxes, in accordance with the wishes of Eastern buyers, who hold that the word Medford means more to buyers than Rogue Valley or Southern Oregon; and the intention of the Southern Pacific to dispatch two fruit trains daily from the local yards, during the fruit shipping season.
The Chicago Packer, August 17, 1929, page 20

    Medford, Ore., Sept. 13.--For the first time in the history of the fruit industry in the Rogue River Valley pears will be moved out of Medford daily in two shipments. The Southern Pacific Railroad Company announced that two trains a day will be started east from Medford during the peak of the fruit season. One train will leave here at 3 a.m. and the other train at 10 p.m. This added service was requested by local shippers some time ago. All fruit to be shipped on the 3 o'clock train must be ready at noon with bills of lading filed at the freight office. This service will mean a saving of seven hours on eastern fruit shipments on fruit rolling on the afternoon train.

Last revised September 5, 2023