The New York herald., 1875-10-16
THE PRODUCE MARKET.
A General Complaint that
1t Is Very "Flat."
GREAT DECLINE IN PRICES.
Timely Advice to Consumers
About Buying.

The produce market exhibits some peculiarities not
found in other lines OF food While the investigations Of
the HERALD reporters have established beyond doubt
that Ia provisions groceries and other articles Of food
there is healthy business doing in root crops and
fruit trade unusually dull and prices away down be-
low those Of last year This Of things is attributed
by experts to production and 70 the decline in
the foreign demand. There has been large ex
port business dcne but the Of orders by foreign
governments To prevent the importation Of American
farm products account Of the potato bug has
doubt affected the market extent and confined
the foreign demand exclusively to the West Indies.
Below will be found the views OF number Of houses
in the trade, together with valuable statistics to
ruling prices last week as compared with the same pc
rod last year IL will be observed that, with the
cepuon OF apples, cranberries and few minor items
that do into general consumption prices are
considerably less than last year in the wholesale
ket yet kept up by the retail dealer owing to the
fact that consumers permit themselves to be charged
nearly double what they could purchase the arti
Gle for IN bulk
VIEWS oP THE TRADE.
Visits made TO large number Of wholesale prod
dealers and commission merchants ascertain
the condition of tho market, and with two soi-
tary exceptions all agree that the season opens very
fat and little no business is doing large whole
sae and commission Arm in Washington street reports
that compared with last year. there Is no business
doinghat prices away of from the ruling rates OF
last year nearly every article that goes to mako up
the stock Of the produce dealer. This is especially
with potatoes onions cabbage, sweet potatoes, turnps
beets and celery. The potato crop reported to be i'm
and the supply greatly in excess of the demand
This firm would not venture opinion to the
of the duness OF the market, but merely uttered the
general complaint that they have an unusually duh
year. They report that there is very short crop OF
cranberries and that prices will rule from twenty to
twenty-five per higher than year ago They have
hope for increase in the sacs, unless large de-
mand be made from'th West Indies and the Southern
States for potatoes and other vegetables.
The same condition OF things found in Country
row. in Washington Market One extensive commis-
firm said business is very dull there is not much
doing except in apples which are fully 81 higher than
last year. There has been very heavy crop of pota-
toes throughout the country, Notwithstanding the re-
ported ravages Of the potato bug, and it is diff
Guilty find callers from 81 to 81 so less per barrel
than last season. Sweet potatoes from 81 10 to
So 10 or from fifteen per under prices of
1874 Peas from 81 $l4 per barrel for Duchess
against figures of last year OF IS to $l3 The only
staple articles that remain firm at advance 1874
prices seem to be apples and cranberries
Another in the same row petuantly responded to the
inquiry to how lie found business, "Dull Wendell
Phillips financial letters the speeches OF John Kelly
in tho Wgwam. Why, sir, We barely max
Ing enough to pay rent Prices in all
articles Of general demand of ex-
cept apples cranberres and carrots II is bad enough
to have little profits at present rates but when you
in addition little call for stock it is douby an
noyng. There is, indeed demand for large bulks,
only customers being retailers who buy from week
to week, in expectation Of prices dropping away e-en
Then there is another annoyance nearly as bad.
Farmers who send IN their consgnments and find that
they cannot realize moro than oneha 70 onethird of
last years rates growl fearfuy and complain bitterly
OF failure work OF the stock held Tor them for
sale commission.
Of the largest commission houses in the city had
not single buyer in whom the visit made. The
head OF the rm excaimed:''lhere is no business; II
Is simply discouraging. All will give you a similar
swer The market glutted with stuff that cannot find
a purchaser ut prices away below last years
Never before perhaps has there been a bar
OF transactions in the produce line There has been
great yield Of fruit and root crops and the only article
that really is higher than ever is cranberrles Here
you will see by my books are the