Cape Charles Pioneer, April 12, 1895

To the Berry Growers of Northampton Co., Va.

Fields -- Crops - StrawberriesTransportation -- Railroad - Freight

Capt. C. S. Morgan, President:

Your committee appointed at the meeting, March Court last, to interview the railroad authorities, and to obtain, if possible, from them better facilities for berry transportation, beg leave to report that on the 4th inst., by appointment, they met Mr. R. H. Nicholas, superintendent of the N. Y. P. & N. R. R. Your committee represented to Mr. Nicholas that in order to properly handle the berry crop and protect the growing interest of the railroad as well as that of the berry grower more and faster trains were needed. The reply to this was that the railroad company would do all in its power to care for and foster the growing of berries and would extend its facilities if the crop would justify it; that the berry train was started May 12, 1894, and received eight cars on that day, a part of the train being fish and other perishable products. On the 14th the train was composed of fourteen cars, which was the highest number reached during the season, and the cars decreased in number to five on the 23d; three on the 24th; four on the 25th -- the train had then discontinued. That during the week following twelve cars were received in all, six of them by express and six by freight.

Your committee answered that their small crop was due to lack of price, which caused shipments to cease; that the probabilities are that the crop will be unusually large this year, and that the prices would justify sending it forward, and that only rapid and frequent trains would suffice.

The superintendent said he would be guided by the facts as presented during the maturity of the crop, and that he did not propose to take the train off as long as there was business to justify it, though the railroad company sustained some loss on the last trains.

Your committee then asked that facilities on the night train by express be extended, so as to take all of the berries offered at the different stations.

This the superintendent said could not be complied with, because the Pennsylvania Railroad would not take the cars through, as it delayed the passenger train, and was an injustice to those travelers.

Your committee then withdrew and were satisfied that the best possible thing for us would be done; and to obtain the full benefits of this understanding with Superintendent Nicholas your committee recommended that each berry grower write a letter to Superintendent Nicholas three days before he will commence shipping berries, setting forth these facts: The number of acres in berries, what he expects his crop will yield in quarts, how many quarts he expects to ship at the commencement, and the probability of the length of the shipping season, and if the acreage is greater this year than during the year 1894. This will enable the superintendent to provide for the crop, as he expressed his determination to do so.