Finding a Better Way TOME, one of the most encouraging aspects of our recent general staff meeting was the evidence that here and there our traffic and operating men had approached some old, nagging problem from a new angle and found <l solution. The determination to find a better way not only proved successful in these instances but is in keeping with the whole history of progress. Railroads grew from an amusing experiment to a powerful basic in­ dustry not by blind devotion to the old but by a never­ ending search for the new-new time saving methodE, more productive use of facilities at hand, more fruitful cooperation between people and departments. Survival has, in fact, demanded improvement. Every day each of us looks at his particular part of The Milwaukee Road: the locomotives, the track, the typewriter and letters on the desk, the stock to be stored, the records to be prepared-the day's stint laid out and ready. But as we work with these things do we keep our minds open to the possibilities of improve­ ment, of finding a better way? Ours will be a better railroad and the individual's work will take on added interest if we all ask ourselves that question and wait for an honest answer. ~ ..... J. T. Gillick, retired operat ing vice presidenl THE J. T. GILLICK SCHOLARSHIP -,-~LTHOUGH the railroad's sponsor­ ship of the J. T. Gillick scholarship for sons of Milwaukee Road employes has been previously announced, a brief re­ yiew of the major points of the schol­ arship program is presented here for following recognized individuals in the scholarship will receive the award for the information of those who may not field of education: a year at a time, subject to renewal for be familiar with the details. Chairman: Carl Kuehnert, secretary, succeeding years up to a maximum of University Scholarship Committee, four years of undergraduate work if Northwestern University. Members: the recipient of the scholarship main­ WHO IS ELIGIBLE? Charles C. Caveny, dean, Chicago Un­ tains a satisfactory scholastic record and Any high school graduate who is the dergraduate Division, University of Ill­ if the parent remains in the employ of son of a Milwaukee Road employe who inois; William K. Selden, director of the railroad. has been in continuous service for two admissions, Northwestern University; years is eligible to apply, provided the and Robert Strozier, dean of students, WHAT DOES THE employe's compensation from the rail­ University of Chicago. SCHOLARSHIP COYER? road in the past 12 months was not in excess of $6,000. The annual award of $600 is intend­ HOW ARE APPLICANTS JUDGED? Also eligible are sons of deceased or ed to cover full tuition in any under­ retired employes whose last employ­ Applicants will be judged principally graduate school at a university or coL ment was continuously with The Mil­ according to academic achievements, as lege of the student's choice. The sum waukee Road for not less than two years revealed in the application forms (see will be paid to the university and any and whose income from this source did instructions for acquiring forms at bot­ amount in excess of the charge for tu­ not exceed $6,000. tom of page). The individual's general ition may be applied toward meeting certain incidental expenses, at the dis­ To qualify for consideration an ap­ character and financial need will also cretion of the school. plicant must be rated scholastically in be taken into account. the upper 25 per cent of his high school graduating class. HOW TO APPLY HOW MANY SCHOLARSHIPS WILL BE AWARDED? Requests for application forms should be addressed to: The first scholarship is offered for WHO SELECTS THE WINNERS? the school year beginning in the fall Carl Kuehnert, Chairman The role of the railroads in this pro­ of 1951, and a new one will be offered J. T. Gillick Scholarship Committee gram is coniined to the payment of the every year for each of the three suc­ 356 Union Station Building sum specified and the establishment of ceeding years until a total of four annual 516 West Jackson Boulevard the terms governing the award. The awards, each in the amount of $600, Chicago 6, Illinois screening of applicants and selection of has been made. Thereafter a total of All applications must be completely a successful candidate is being handled four awards will be in effect every year, filled out and in the hands of the by a scholarship board consisting of the including renewals. The winner of a scholarship committee by Aug. 1, 1951. july, 1951 3 DOLLAR BERRY by Evan W. Hall Agricultural Agent, Spokane, Wash N Lynden, Wash" recently, a visiting berry acreage is grown in Whatcom I official of the Swedish strawberry County, of which Lynden is one of growing industry was being introduced the most important processing centers, to a sample of the locally grown prod­ This is a long step forward from the uct, The civic committee attending him first commercial production by Oscar L awaited the outcome with buoyant con­ Sheets in 1914, on two acres of newly fidence, The verdict, when it came, cleared land, At the turn of the century couldn't bave been sweeter: "Yumpin' strawberries were grown on a small scale Yimminy, but they're g08d," marveled for local markets and Mr. Sheets bought the foreign expert. "This America, it's his plants from Chap Bayes, one of the !" early growers, As early as 1906 M[, wonderful The broad expanse of sandy soil lying between Bayes had recognized the region's possi­ A two million dollar berry with pros­ the Cascade Mountains and Puget Sound in bilities for growing berries and, with the northwestern Washington has been found ideal pects for even greater returns in the financial support of Lynden business­ for the growing of delicious strawberries, The years to come--that is the status of the above scene shows a strawberry farm near men, had tested 108 varieties, The Lynden, Marshall strawberry grown in the Lyn­ Marshall berry, which he found growing den-Bellingham area, Berry growing has locally, was superior to all others, and in become an industry of first importance in one year demonstrated its value, The this territory, and the chief source of plant is known to have been bred in income is the luscious red MarshalL 1890 in Marshfield Hills, Mass" from a In 1 9 5 0, ship­ chance seedling, but it is yet to be dis­ ments out of Lyn­ covered how it came west from its origi­ By 1932 he had acquired four acres, In den and Bellingham nal home, that year he rented an additional 271h on The Milwaukee The history of the Marshall straw­ acres and dropped his other farm opera­ R a a d totaled 100 berry is Lynden's story and possibly that tions to specialize in stra'wberries, cars of strawberries of Oscar L Sheets, the community's The depression years were a setback, ( p Ius another 50 leading grower. Mr. Sheets, who is cred­ In 1933 the sale of berries did not even cars of raspberries) ited with being the first commercial pro­ pay the rent, but the land owners had and it is expected ducer, came from Missouri to this ex­ confidence in Mr. Sheets and told him to that the cur r e n t treme northwestern corner of \"1Vashing­ go ahead, In 1934 the total acreage in yield will entail at ton looking for an agricultural opening, the county was 66, of which 33 acres I e a s t as large a He sold his first harvest on the fresh were being cultivated by Mr. Sheets, movement. Evan W, Hall, author berry market in 1915, In 1918, when The berries were pzocecs,::d by freeZing One third of the of "The Two Million there were too many berries for the local in Bellingham, whee 2.11 old brewery Washington straw- Dollar Berry". trade, he began selling to the canneries, h,ld been converted if.lto a cold storage 4 The Milwaukee Road Magazine ----' under as many as three green manure crops before planting a new stand of berries. The fields are generally renewed after two or three crops to maintain good yields. One of the biggest items in connection with the strawberry growing industry is the housing and feeding of pickers. At the height of the season several thousand from outside the county must be accom­ modated. This transient labor is supple­ mented by help from town residents and school children. Growers have spent thousands of dollars for living quarters. These range from individual cabins to the large Quonset type dormitory mess hall with modern equipped kitchen. W. L. Dodson, one of the large growers, employs only women, for whom he pro­ vides a comfortable, well equipped dor­ mitory with an attractive dining room. Many of the women return each year to the Dodson farm, thereby proving the worth of good living quarters as a means of securing dependable help. The problems of soil fertility, mainte­ nance of quality, disease control, labor supply, housing and methods of market­ ing are studied by the growers' own or­ ganization, the Whatcom County Straw­ Strawberries, the $2,000,000 fruit which found its real home in Washington. berry Growers, Inc. This organization works closely with the Western Wash­ ington Experiment St~tion, the Agricul­ tural Extension Service, and any com­ mercial organization which can aid the advancement of the industry. and freezing plant. County production right type of soil. The Western Washington Experiment started from here and built to 600 acres L.