Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-01-20
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.
THE PACKING ESTABLISHMENT.
Preparations for opening the Works-The
Fruit Interests.

Preparations for opening the Works-The
Fruit Interests.
The location Of the new canning establish
ment on Front, between K and l. streets,
where the buildings are being prepared by
the Capital Packing Company for opening
their business this spring, is now lively with
workmen. The two buildings upon the
grounds are being remodeled for the purposes
of the company, and second-story of brick
added to the north building, giving an addi-
tional room, 20 by 100 feet, which is to be
occupied by can-makers. This addition will
be completed the present week, and force
of six or eight men will occupy it next Mon
day, and, provided with the latest and most
approved appliances, will commence the
manufacture of tin cans, with view to having
astock made up in advance for the opening Of
the seasons business. A larger number will
be employed after few days, as the ma
cainery is put in place and the work of pro-
viding facilities is carried forward. The
work of erecting an addition, extending from
the rear walls of the present buildings to the
alley, to cover an area of forty by fifty feet,
will be commenced next week. This will be
all in one apartment, with high roof, and
used for the cook-room. The boiler for the
works is already upon the grounds. and all
the machinery for the entire establishment
has been purchased and will toon arrive and
be placed in position as fast as the buildings
can be made ready for it.
The company has already contracted for
the entire catch of salmon from eighteen fish
ing boats, and will also buy from others. The
putting up of salmon and asparagus will be
the first canning OF the season, and will COM
mence between the 1st and 18th of April.
OF course asparagus will appear long before
that time, but with this coast supplying the
Eastern market in the early part of the
spring, it is only when the season for it is SO
far advanced that it becomes very plentiful,
that the price asked for it is low enough so
that packing establishments can afford to buy
it for putting up.
Considerable interest is already being mar
ifested in the new canning establishment by
fruit men in the interior, as, in addition to its
making it probable that fruit for the Eastern
market will hereafter be principally shipped
from here, as too ripe fruit for shipping,
when assorted out in repscking can be sold
to the cannery, the same as has been done at
the Bay, and from two to three days time
can be saved in reaching the Eastern market
over that Of shipping to San Francisco from
some points that in the past have shipped to
that place.
General Bidwell, while in the city this
week, visited the premises being prepared for
the packing establishment and expressed the
belief that it would be of great benefit to the
fruit interests of the valley. He stated that
he raised on his place the past season thirteen
hundred tons of fruit. He produced one
hundred tons of dried fruit, which took eight
hundred tens of green fruit, and the balance
was sold in the market The great difficulty,
he says, with raising fruit in the upper part
of the Sacramento Valley, and why it has
not been more generally engaged in, is that
the distance from market makes the cost of
transportation SO great that it has not been,
profitable to raise fruit for shipment, and the
local demand was comparatively small. II,
however, with the canning here, an induce
ment can be made, by concession in freight,
which he thinks probable, then fruit-growing
could be made large and successful industry
in that section, and its shipment here would
be desirable for Sacramento.
Mr.. Jessup, of Hsywards, says that fruit
can be proitably raised and sold for two
cents per pound. and that it is worth two
cents per pound for cutting and drying.
Therefore it is argued that fruit-rsisers can
not be oppressed by combinations of packing
establishments and shippers, if such should
ever be attempted, as the producer, if he car
not get paying rate for his fruit, is sure Of
profitable return, by drying it. The immense
planting of fruit trees and vines, in this vicin-
ity and quite generally throughout the inte-
rior, indicates a prominent advance in the
estimation placed upon the future of the
frait-growing industry.