The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-06-04


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THE WEST INDIA FRUIT TRADE.
Pineapples, Bananas and C0coanuts-Statis-
tics Of the Spring Trade-The Facts and
Figures Of the Season.
The spring trade in West India fruits which is now
at its Climax bids fair to double that OF last spring
in quantity imported, Notwithstanding which there
has been slight advance in prices The pineapple
crop was finer than it has been this year,
though most Of the cargOes yet landed have been
composed OF Overripe fruit-fruit too thoroughly
rpened to be Kept on hand for any length of time.
The season in this fruit has just commenced and
ranges from June !, when the first cutting begins
to arrive, to the middle. Of August when the
second cutting is exhausted. The quality of the
fruit this is unusually fine and affords good
pineapples for hucksters as ordinarily sold at
the Broadway stores; which deal almost solely in
selected fruits at fancy prices. The number Of
goes thus far received has been eighteen, most Of
which have hailed from BaracOa, KarbOr Island and
Nassau cargoes generally averaging ranging from
1900 to 5000 dozens. The average OF this season
thus far has been about 1000 dozens per cargo yield
ing for the whole number OF cargoes some $4,000
dozens $4,000 separate cuttings. The price at
wholesale varies so exceedingly as from s13 to $40
per hundred from thirteen to twenty cents apiece
at the wharf, where the fruit Is always sold by the
hundred, sometimes in assorted lots and sometimes
trade run as high as s5 or $50 per hundred for cut
ting, which are sold sngly at the Broadway stores
for from fifty to seventyfv cents. Very fine cut
tngs have been sold for 81 apiece this season, and
even last week the Broadway price for extra
sorted was as high as seventyve cents. The statis
tics of the trade Tor this season are very easily made
up, a detail from the Custom House having the or
dering Of the fruit trade as department and keeping
accurate figures OF arrivals from day to day.
prOxlmate table from these records STANDS as fol-
lows
Number OF cargOes to date. Is
Average per cargo tdozensl. :............. 1000
Whole quantity imported thus far (dozens).. 1900
Or (hundreds) Observation-Disclosures. s,64O
Value per hundred Observation-Disclosures. SIS
Aggregate value OF importation. s13s, 24O
Average retail price per cutting (cents).... 40
the percentage Of rot tins season, owing to the
exceeding ripeness OF the fruit, has been greater
than ssna having appr;oXimated to fifteen per cent
mart for this fruit, and jobbers mart, too for that
matter, is Washington Market, by the denizens OF
which the greater part OF the fruit inn
ported is bought up. The city retail trade espe
ciay is mostly supplied at this market, where
ing OF the fruit is DONE The barreling boxing OF
the fruit Is almost exclusively a New York business
though but very small proportion of the whole sup
ply-viz. that which is intended Tor shippmg-s ever
barreled or boxed The average arrivals during the
three or four cargoes per day, though
sometimes many eight cargoes have been
moOred at Burling slip during single day. The
largest daily arrival ever known was eighteen car
goes, with an average OF 1850 dozens per cargo
This was IN the middle OF the summer OF 1867, and as
prices were about the same then as now give the
suhloned budget OF statistics:-
Total cargoes Tor one day. Observation-Disclosures. Is
Total NUMBER OF dozens. $4,000
Total number OF hundreds. ................ 10,s00
Value, at $i5 per hundred. $1I2, 500
which represents the aggregate valuation at whole
sale of largest importation ON record for single
I.arv fNtlat
in the orange trade that island Is the great source or
supply.
Bananas are mostly from Baracoa, the trade with
which win be about fifty cargoes for this season.
Arrivals begin little before the first OF April and
are filtered along through the spring and summer
three thousand 10 six thousand stems, averaging
generally about five thousand stems per vessel
One arrival OF yesterday gave 5,6S5 stems
This fruit is packed and sold at wholesale by the
bin, the vessel being divided into compartments
holding from thirty TO two hundred stems. Less
than bin Is never sold by the importer, though the
hid Of the buyer, who is permitted to inspect the
fruit on board the vessel il always certain price
per STEM which varies from IS cents to S., according
10 the bidders impressions OF the quality or the
fruit. Bad stems-n market phrase "porgies'-are
not excepted, the bidder, having once named his
price, beng expected 20 take the whole bins, ''por
ges and ali ut the valuation agreed upon. Thus
lar the arrivals have run up to some twenty-five
cargoes, which, with an average OF 81 so per stem,
yield the following statistics OF the trade thus far:
Average number Of stems per cargo......... 5000
Average price per stem. Observation-Disclosures. 81
Aggregate wholesale value per cargO....... $1,000
Aggregate value or all arrivals. thus far $3.50 900
Value OF trade FOR the season ending in the
Bananas as should never be rpcned in the sum a. ~
very common practice, but always IN the shade and
by simple atmospheric processes. The sunshine
burns or Injuries The quality OF the fruit besides
rendering liable 20 rot during he process Of rpen-
ing
From April TO July all banana vessels bring from
$4,000 10 $4,000 cocOanuts, the nuts being packed
under the bins The trade in this fruit, therefore,
is mostly with Baracoa, though some few cargoes
yearly shipped from the coast of South America.
Cocoanuts are shipped either with husks husks
of-the former selling at an average Of about 500
per thousand and the latter at an average OF $40
per thousand. The number OF cargoes which have
arrived thus far this season has been some twenty
two, the tabular statistics of the to date
standing az follows:--
Total number Of cargoes. %
Total number OF cuttings at 600 per cargo 100 900
Total value, at an average of 500 per thou
1t will be easy by massng these figures TO estimate
the wholesale valuation thus far OF the three great
staples OF the West India fruit trade for the spring
season OF 1865, table OF which stands as foows:-
Pineappes, s64 600 cuttings S13s,2i0
BaDanas, l2o,0OO stems. ESQ., 900
Cocoanuts 100000 cuttings. ............ 10000
Total. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. s4es24o
Proximate total for the season of 1861 ISL 0Ooo
II is worth the while to add, in conclusion, that
the trade In these fruits has more than trebed within
the past three years, and il one that now employs
from fifty 10 sixty vessels during the whole season
from April to August and later It IL a depart-
ment Of business attended with exceeding risk,
especially In the season Of oranges which are ex-
ceedingy liable To rot tp dHsttu. apropos of which
IL may be stated In passing, that I'm one case during
the last orange season only fortyiour barrels or
sound fruit realized from an entire cargo to the
imminent bankruptcy OF the importer.
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olD JACOB BARKER Ann HS cpEnlI0Rs