The New York herald., 1869-06-14
OUR WEST AyDAH FRUIT TRADE.
It's Extest-RivaI IA ues-Tho Chy's Mar
Of Tropical Luxusfea -Where They Com

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Its Extest-RivaI IA nes-The City's Mar
Of Tropical Luxusfea -Where They Come
From.
The fruit trsde proper OF rs sInetropolis is divided
between the West Indian, che Pre1ch and the Medi
terranean. The former Is estimated to 2bout double
Itself yearly; the two latter, In the Judgment OF ex
perts to nearly treble their trade annually. iQe prn
cpal mart and paradise OF the city wee Indian fruit
trade Is but few rods from Fulton ferry at the tQot
OF Buring slip. There IN that odorous net ghborhood
scented alike for half square around, ev en- IN that
hothouse OF miscellaneous odors. by the fruv stencil
Oh overrpe and still ripeuing refuse OF tropical vege
tatlon peculiarly noticeable In these warm days OF
carry June may be found MASSIVE punches, hrstN. OF
that American favorite, the LUSCIOUS tawnyskinle ed
banana, averaging some sixry.fve huge temptationV
TO the huge luscious bunch; these in turn nanEed by
great conica, stacks OF aromatic pieapples their de-
icloas, spicy perfume proclaiming their delightfully."-
near presence rods even before the longing eye and
sympathetically watering mouth turn in the direc-
ton OF their familiar russet-tinted deciousn
Then cocoanuts-great shaggy coated cocoanuts--
those standbys OF corner fruit stalls-and ruthless
endorsers of cholera insantum as wel-e there piled
up upon the bare ground and whaf by the literal
hundred thousand. And these three fruits last
enumerated are the West Indian fruits in their pres
ent summer heyday among US.
The best oranges are, most strictly speaking q
winter fruit In our midst Lemons may be found i'm
the city more or less the entire year round Few OF
these latter reach from the West Indies however
they are mostly received by the French and Medi-
terranean lines. The genuine Havana oranges be.
gin to arrive in port from about the first to the id
die Of November and are gone by the first or end of
the following March. About the middle OF Feb
ruary In fact Havanas begin to be less seen about
the fruit stalls, and the bitterer and more acid
"Messina,n or possibly the "Fayal,n too varieties
both of a smaller fruit and thinner skinned species
begin to be noticed about the markets and stands
OF the city In the vain hope of making adequate SUBJ
sttutlon for the former favorites. BY the mass of
consumers lemons are supposed to come from
Havana, with oranges This OF late years, has been
the truth, but never to any very great extent. A
few are yearly shipped from Cuba and Porto Rico.
BY far the greater number Of lemons seen in New
York and our Northern cities generally are grown
on the shores Of the Mediterranean &C., and reach
this country for the most part, via the French fruit
trade. Our dates. figs and prunes, together with
our summer oranges, &C., find their way to the
American markets BY this route aIso they being all
furnished by and grown upon the much talked OF
sunny slopes OF SPAIN Italy, Southern France
The West Indian trade has about forty vessels or
sloops engaged in 1t. Much fruit Is, however,
brought into the harb0r OF New York that is not
cuded In the regular returns by soops sailing from
the Windward Islands Dy which sloops it is assumed
for ballast. And there are few instances indeed SO
great Is the demand for West Indian fruits among
Americans, In which the venture does not hand
somey pay the protector American buyers Of fruits,
and even those OF excellent native Judgment, are
and on the Havana docks.
The Custom House returns now prove that the
trade increases yearly and imperceptiby. No regular
Custom House returns were, however, commenced
previous to last year. The Custom House officers
low, now tally everything T in % the irpt pi line line
brought into the slip. Formerly the Ap-
accordance with has statement. But this was found
on long trial to be so prolific of error and mistakes.
as also the encourager OF so much Ill WILL that 1t has
within the last lew years led to Its abandonment
and the introduction OF the separate tallyng system
In Its place. This latter Is now managed by the
senior Custom House oficer, Major James II. Bost-
wick, who introduced the system. The taiy now is
sound punches or fruits single, for which In Havana
the payment is made in gold.
The first West Indian fruit in spring which follows
rive aSont the st oS Mapcn Ry ne mHe o " % a
they begin to be very scarce, and by the 1st OF
March and July l. is5s, the hundreds Of cargoes OF
cocoanuts which were landed at Burling slip were
Inst or the varieties and namber Of fruits received Ia
The number OF single cocoanuts. ..... 1927, 712
Bananas, clusters (cargOes, 50L ......... 1854
The duties upon cOcoanuts and pineapples are rs
per cent IN gold on cost at Havana the West In
dian ports whence they are purchased
on bananas but % per cent. The loss by decay in
-
very considerable, making according to the follow.
Ing table, the loss as foows:-
On bananas, per cargo...... 1.5
Uu pines, pei stu
On cocoanutS, per cargo. O......-..............1 1-6
Owing to the fact that the pineapples are often L
times picked In the middle Of q damp and rainy
season, the loss by green and decayed fruit OF this
species Is heavier than the average overthrow any
OF the others, save In their season. oranges The L
first cutting OF pneapples in Havana costs SO cents
dozen In gold; second cutting 81 cents; thlrd
cutting, ! shilling. Pines are always entered
by the dozen. At Porto Rico they cost So 50 per
1ooo; at Havana about S5 per 1000. The winter |
orange trade Is unquestionably the heaviest OF all
the various branches OF the West Indian fruit trade.
Oranges are sold BY the barrel entered and returned
by the Thousand. The average trade Is considered |
one-third heavier than that Of the other fruits /
oranges are usually counted aud estimated about 373
TO the BARREL VI Havanas, which are larger. about
325 I'LL barrel. Few bananas come from Havana.
Baracoa is the great West Indian market.
OF late years Americans have grown very fond OF |
this tropical luxury. Some ten or twelve years since
D banana woman or man, as sl New Workers Will
was indeed novelty. Now the city cor
ners and envrons are as thoroughly laid under
for banana stands as they ever for the
display OF their tropical rival 'good, swate oranges,
fresh ana rpe." In fact bananas now share fairly |
the trade with our fruit-loving metropotans, and |
share now the honors with them OF those long