Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-02-12
ITO be Continued.
EARLY DAYS.
"reminiscences of a San Francisco Pioneer
Fruit-dealer.

"reminiscences Of San Francisco Pioneer
Fruit-dealer.
John Piper, the theatrical manager of
Virginia, New, furnishes the Enterprise
with the following items relative to the
first introduction and sale of fruits in Cal
ifornia. Mr.. Piper was the first fruit
dealer in San Francisco, and came to that
city from New York in the steamer Ore
gon in the month of April, 1858. He 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, Or, the owners of the same
having crossed the plains in lS46, and hav-
ing brought fruit trees with them. Mr.
Piper purchased the first lot from the
agent, Mr.. King, for 50 80 per pound, and
retailed the same from 81 to 81 and even
IS apiece. The next steamer, the Column
bia, brought another box, for which Mr..
Piper offered the same price, which was
declined. He finally secured the lot for
81 l25 each, and sold them again to two
lads named Reading (now In the gunsmith
business in San Francisco for 81 379
apiece, who in turn peddled them out at
from So to So apiece.
During the winter of 1853 Mr.. Piper
and Mr.. Andrews, who was then engaged
in the hardware business on Davis street,
ordered 1000 or 5000 pounds of apples
shipped from New York city to San Fran
cisco by steamer, paying fifty cents per
pound for freight. The apples were packed
in sawdust in closed tin cars. Says our
informant, the apples when first opened
had delicious flavor but turned black in
Lie 81, do froy,, lbo a4faa% IF
the heat during the twenty days voyage.
Mr.. Piper adopted a suggestion from some
one to preserve the apples by picking them
in salt water, and sold them picked for
fifty cents apiece, at which price they were
readily disposed of. The fruit dealer no.
ticed, however, that customers after taking
one bite would generally throw away the
apple in the Plaza Portsmouth Square).
He was afterwards advised to bake the
picked apples, by way of variety, and ac-
tually sold several hundred dollars worth
baked, for half dollar apiece.
The first lot of peaches which reached
San Francisco, 1854, came from Mr.. Hills
ranch at Napa, and sold as high as 81 80
per dozen, retail. Cherries of Oregon
growth were introduced the same year.
Mr.. Piper purchased the first lot for 81 80
per pound. Putting them in a clothes
basket he retailed them on the street for
% cents apiece, and afterwards sold them
in his store for S. per pound.
Strawberries arrived from Alameda In
1854 5, and cost S4 pound wholesale, and
heaped up in French soup-bowls, holding
half pound each, were retailed for So per
bowl. Pears, which came into market
about the same time, retailed at high
figure. Mr. Piper remembers getting Sll
for single pear. The frat lot of grapes
which came from Los Angeles sold at
wholesale as high as 25 cents per pound.
In 1856 Mr. Piper bought 5000 boxes on
the steamer Senator, 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
q cargo OF watermelons, obtained from a
ranoher in Sacramento for % cents apiece,
was 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 ], 600
wholesale. Lines brought up from Aca-
pulco were $50 per 1000; bananas, $25 a
bunch.
Among Mr.. Piper's best customers while
in the fruit business were Michael Reese,
Captain Folsom and Albert Rhodes (' Cax
ton y, and a host of others whose names
we have not space to enumerate.