Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-03-17
Fruit-What Fairly San
). Franciscans Paid for 1t.

l. Franciscans Paid for 1t.
For the following items relative to
the first introduction and sale of fruits
in California, says the Virginia (Nev.)
Enterprise, we are indebted to Mr.. John
Piper, themwell-known theatrical man.
ager of this city, who was the first fruit
dealer in San Francisco, and who came
to that city from New York in the
steamer Oregon in the month of April,
1858. Mr.. Piper says that the first box
of apples of Pacific Coast production
which reached San Francisco came in
the same year from the ranch of Lewis
Allen and Mr.. Meade, in the vicinity of
Portland, Ore, the owners of the same
having crossed the plains in 1916 and
having brought fruit trees with them.
Mr.. Piper purchased the first lot
from the agent, Mr.. King, for $3.50 per
pound, and retailed the same from 81
to 81 and even s. apiece. The next
steamer, the Columbia, brought another
box, for which Mr.. PiperE offered the
same price, which was declined. He
finally secured the lot for SLIP 1-2 each
and sold them again to two lads named
Keeling (now in the gunsmith business
in San Francisco) for S1.37 1-2 apiece,
who in turn peddled them out for SO to
S. apiece.
During the winter of 1854 Mr.. Piper
and Mr.. Andrews, who were then en-
gagged in the hardware business on Davis
Street, ordered four or five thousand
pounds of apples shipped from New
York City to San Francisco by steamer,
paying so cents per pound for freight.
The apples were packed in sawdust in
closed tin cans. Says our informant:
'The apples when first opened mad a
delicious flavor, but turned black in
half an hour afterward from the effect
of the heat during the twenty days. voy-
age" Mr.. Piper adopted suggestion
from some one to preserve the apples by
picking them in salt water, and sold
them picked for so cents apiece, at
which price they were readily disposed
of. The fruit dealer noticed, however,
that customers, after taking one bite,
would generally throw away the apple
in the plaza Portsmouth Square). He
was afterward advised ito bake the
picked apples, by way of variety, and
actually sold several hundred dollars
worth baked for 80 cents apiece.
The first lot of peaches which reached
San Francisco, 1854, came from Mr..
Hills ranch at Napa, and sold as high
as $3.50 per dozen, retail. Cherries of
Oregon growth were introduced the
same year. Mr.. Piper purchased the
first lot for $3.50 per pound. Putting
them in a clothes-basket he retailed
them on the street for % cents apiece,
and afterward sold them in his store for
So per pound.
Strawberries arrived from Alameda in
!, L.
and heaped up in French soup-bOwls,
for So per bowl. Pears, which came in
to market about the same time, retailed
at high figure. Mr.. Piper remembers
lot of grapes which came from Los An
geles. sold at wholesale as high as 25
cents per pound. In 1856, Mr.. Piper
bought 5000 boxes on the steamer SEN
ator, just arrived in San Francisco, and
took them to Sacramento and Marysville,
where he was compelled to dispose of
them for less than the freight charges,
the hot weather having nearly ruined
the entire lot. On the return trip
cargo of watermelons, obtained from a
rancher for % cents apiece, were sold in
San Francisco at prices ranging as high
as 81.
Oranges, which were first brought by
steamer from San Juan, the terminus of
the route of the Nicaragua steamers in
1854, brought $50 per 1000 wholesale.
Lines brought up from Acapulco were
worth $50 per 1000; pine-apples, $40
per 1000; bananas, S25 a bunch. Mr..
Piper continued in the fruit trade from
1858 to 1853. Among the retail dealers
during that period were Marco Medin
and undertaken Wilson, of this city.
Mr.. Piper, after continuing two years
longer in the grocery business in San
Francisco, took up his permanent resi-
dence in this city. Among his best GUS
toners while in the fruit business were
Michael Reese, Captain Folsom and w.
H. Rhodes C'Claxton'O, and host of
others whose names we have not space
to enumerate.