The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-05-21

Hundred Million Bananas-Thirty.
I'VE MILLION Oranges and Twenty MIL.
lion lemons.

Hundred MILLION Hananas-Thlrty.
I'VE million Oranges and Twenty NIL.
lion Lemons.
Philadelphia Record Of Saturday.
Less than eight years agoGll the tropical
fruit consumed in this country entered by
way Of New York, aud the entries at this
port were next to nothing. To-day two
million bananas are stored in one ware
house on Delaware avenue. Halt q mil.
lion cocoanuts are on the wharyes. So far
this year thirty.tive million oranges and
twenty million lemons have been landed
here from the Mediterranean, while the
contracts for the next six weeks show that
over one hundred million bananas, two
million pine apples and one and half
million coCoanuts will be received here
from the tropics during the season.
Eighteen fast sailing vessels are regular
ly plying between the Delaware and the
tropics, and this number will in q few
weeks be increased to twenty.three, nego.
tiations having been completed by which
five vessels are to be added to the feet.
Two steamships have also been secured
for the same trade, one Of which Is now
undergoing the necessary alterations, and
will leave this port for the Bahamas in
about fortnight. Some idea OF the ex.
tent 10 which the trade Is moving from
New York to this city may be gained from
the fact that one local firm claims to re.
Ceive more West India fruit weekly than
any four other houses in the United
States.
The tropical fruit season has now fairly
opened, and the wharves on the Delaware
present u busy scene. Bananas are pour
ing III at a lively rate. Under contracts
already effected, from ten TO fifteen thou.
sand punches will arrive weekly in this
port until the first week in August, o total
Of over one hundred million bananas
during the season. The schooner Man.
uelita Is hourly due with two thousand
punches, and the Ethel A. Merritt will ar.
rive on Saturday with $500 punches add.
tional, making the fourth cargo within q
week. A North Delaware avenue import.
ing house has three floors occupied with
1000 punches OF bananas, each bunch
standing from two and a half to three feet
in heigLth and averaging $50 bananas to a
bunch. This fruit goes from Philadelphia
to extreme points West and East.
I No less than two hundred thousand
pineapples are booked to arrive weekly
until the middle Of July. According q
present calculations the.receipts forthe sea.
sou will average 1000, 900 "a larger uuan.
tity than has ever before been landed at
the port in a single season. This fruit
comes from the Bahamas. OF the vessels
now on their way, the Baracao has a cargo
Of 5000, and the Mary Z. Douglas G0,O00.
The same vessels also carry a total OF 100.
900 conch shells, which are in large de.
mand for ornamenting garden walks, as
well as for decorating mantels and making
hanging baskets.
The cocoanut season lasts till the end OF
next month, and the nuts are arriving at
quick time. Atotal Of $4,000 werelanded
last week, and fully half a million nuts
are either ashore or on vessels bound for
this port. Fully an additional million
will arrive in the course OF the next six
weeks. Jamaica, Ruatan, in the Spanish
Main, and the Bahamas are the places de.
pended upon for the supply.
The Mediterranean fruit season NAV
now be considered as closed. Acouple Of
sailing vessels have arrived during the past
week, but, owing to delays caused by
storms and adverse winds, fifty per cent
Of their cargoes were damaged. Importers
say that the experiment Of a steamship
line from the Mediterranean, which has
just closed, was not a success. A rough
calculation shows THAT since,January /,
1850 0 boxes Of oranges, with an average
Of $50 to a box, or more than S5,OOO,O0O
oranges and 5000 cases lemons, each con.
tanning about $50, q total Of over 10000.
900 lemons, have been landed by steamers
from the Mediterranean. As a result Of
this glut prices fell to q point never before
reached, which made the venture an un.
profitable one. Most OF the dealers, how.
ever, have large stocks on hand, and cal.
culate that a few days OF warm weather
will advance prices one hundred per cent,
In this way they hope to make up their
losses to some extent.