Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-08-04
THIS YEARS FIR UT CROP.


said prominent fruit importer aud
produce dealer, 'the crop of both
| foreign and domestic fruit is large, the
quantity very good and the demand
unprecedented Of course some fruit
is not as good as that imported in
former years, while the crop of another
kind is much smaller than last season,
but take the season as whole and it
will prove one Of the most prosperous
we have ever had"
The banana crop is remarkably large
and the quality unusually fine. The
importations to Philadelphia are al
ready in excess of last year by fifty
per cent, while the demand is double
that of any previous year. This in
crease in the consumption of bananas
is attributed by the importers to the
introduction of the fruit more generally
among the public than ever before and
to its cheapness as luxury. They
assert that of late the banana has been
sold in the interior country towns and
villages, where it had scarcely ever
been seen before. and at such low
rate that it become serious opposi-
tion to the sale of peaches. Although
the crop is unusually large there has
been no glut in the market, as the de-
mand has increased in proportion to
the supply.
THE BANANA, PINEAPPLE AND COCOA
NUT.
Since Friday last single firm in
this city imported 1000 punches, and
so promtp was the demand for them
that not over 5000 punches remain
unsold Those that the regular fruiter
and confectioner regard as too ripe and
not fit to keep on hand and which
must be consumed Immediately are
easily disposed of to hucksters, who
find ready sale for them at low prices
The prices during the season rauge
from 81 to "a per bunch, according to
the quantity and condition of the fruit
and to the size of the bunch. At the
present time bunch bearing ten or
twelve dozen commands $1.75. Dead
ripe fruit, which must be sold imme-
diately to avoid total loss, is sold to
hucksters for SO and IS cents per
bunch. As regards pineapples, the
crop this season was unusually light,
being only about one-third as large as
that of last season. This is due to the
prolonged drought in the West Indies,
which prevented second and third
cutting of the fruit To those who
are not posted upon the development
of the pineapple it may be better to ex-
plain this state of its growth. The
fruit grows upon low bushes and each
bush usually bears three apples, one
being in the centre, with the others,
one either side, on outer branches.
The centre apple ripens before the
others and is therefore cut before the
others have ripened. The drought
this season only allowed one pineapple
on each bush to ripen, and as conse-
quence there were no second or third
| cuttings. This fact of course reduced
the crop to about one-third the size of
last years The present supply is not
equal to the demand and the prices
rule good and firm. Throughout the
season the prices alternate between
$40 and IA per one hundred and at
present small but fair fruit finds ready
sale at $l2.
If such thing as a glut in cocoa
nuts were possible it would have
taken place several weeks since, for
nearly ten million of these nuts have
reached Philadelphia this season.
Such large crop was never known
before, and one firm here, which has
imported six million nuts alone, re-
marked yesterday: "We have inn
ported two hundred per cent. more
than ever before" This rapid increase
in importation is mainly due to the
increased demand for the cocoanut for
hundred different uses. Nearly
every day some new preparation, COM
posed in part of the cocoanut, appears
in the market and in nearly every in
stance commands q ready sale. Dur
ing the season the prices range from
$50 to $50 per 1000, but at present
they can be had for $50.
PEACHES, APPLES AND BERRIES.
The peach season is yet in its in
fancy, but by the middle of August a
glut in the market may be expected,
as the indications from Delaware and
Maryland point to liberal crop.
During the past two weeks South
ern fruit, from Virginia, the Carolinas
and Georgia, has been received in
small quantities, and, as is always the
case with early fruit, the leading hotels
got them at fancy prices. Since the
10Th instant small shipments of Della
ware and Maryland peaches have been
received, but the first real large con-
signment to this market will arrive to-
day. The crop is two weeks earlier
this season than usual, and the supply
will, Of course, be exhausted just that
much sooner so when the fruit has
fairly commenced to come in those
! who intend to buy had better not hold
off, for if they do they will run the
risk of not getting any. AS regards
the quality of the present years peach
it must be said that it is somewhat
small, although some dealers say the
later fruit will be up to the standard.
The crop is smaller that of 1875, but
fully twenty-five per cent larger than
that of last year. Those now arriving
will sell for one dollar per basket for
good and fifty cents for ordinary, but
in ten days time the market will be
overstocked and prices will be made
by the public.
Throughout the country the apple
crop is reported large, especially in
New York State, which supplies the
world with the largest and sweetest
apples grown. In and around Penn
sylvania the crop is very good aver
age one, being somewhat larger than
that of last season. The local crop,
however. is known as the summer ap.