Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-08-06
OUR FRUIT MARKET.
Il Proposition to Prevent a GIut from the
Usual Production.

- A'rs'0A'itAi " AtNtAiA Il 1slui from tl6
Usual Production.
EDS. RGcoRp-UNIoY; propose with
your pcrmission) TO occupy limited space
ofyourpaper for the purpose of setting forth
what consider a remedy to prevent glut-
ting tie " fruit market First->Let the
Central Pacific Railroad Company reduce
the ireigb, 10 $lGO per carload Second
Let the railroad company inaugurate what
may be called accommodation cgrs: that is.
4 certain number Of cars ,accor.,ing to de-
mand 10 be filed with such quantities as
each grower may have ready to ship-say
from five boxes upward. These small lots
to be charged at pro rata rates, not exceed
ing that paid for carloads.
AT first sight this proposition may not
meet with favor, even from the growers
TO say nothing OF the railroad company.
However, l am not egoJistiCai at all, for if
anyone else can propose better remedy |
shalt not only stand from under" but
thank him besides.
The carload shipment IS all right
enough for the two or three commission
merchants. but ii is OF a remote benefit 10
the grower. How many growers can ship
a carload at one tiIne3 Are there more
than & dozen in the State? do not believe
there are. Thus the result Of forcing the
bulk of the crop into the hands Of u few
disinterested commission merchants must
generally result in 4 glut.
The shipping by system Of cooperation
by the fruit growers was recently proposed.
The plan sounds well theoretically, but
practically it can be carried cut success
fullyin but few instances, and that only by
combination OF harmonious neighbors
who have the utmost faith in the integ-
rity and capacity of each other and in that
of their agent. 4 promiscuous union of
interested parties for the purposes of bust
ness or profit, having unequal interests,
headed by hired manager, can, in my
judgment, expect TO find unlocked for con-
tingencies that would not always be agreed
bic, and, with few exceptions, the result
may prove anything but profitable
1t may be asked, is not the railroad COM
pany doing all it can to foster this indus
try? believe tits, bat there are times in
the history of men, and of railroad COM
panieS as well, that require efforts and ac-
tons far superior to the ordinary " best we
can do Such time has now arrived
The kind of action required nor Is not of
the everyday sOr,. 1t belongs to the
" heroic class usually undertaken by men
who can see far over the range of the ordi-
nary everyday man. ParalyZc the fruit
industry, and you increase the rate of
taxation. A grain field taxed ten dollars
an acre soon appreciates to fifty or even q
hundred dollars an acre in taxable valu-
alton, when converted into a VINEYARD or
an orchard. Is not the railroad company
taxpayer? ParaiyZe the fruit industry
and you deprecate the value of land ma
terially Is not the railroad company a
landowner? Paralyze the fruit industry
and You materially reduce the population
Of the State. Is not the railroad company
interested in keeping here our present pop
ulation and encouraging immigration
ParalyZe the fruit industry and YOU choke
the avenues Of commerce. Will that bring
q dividend to the railroad company? Par
alyze the fruit industry and you shrink
values to point of panic. VIII that ben
eft the railroad company?
Fortunately or unfortunately the leading
industry of California promises to be the
production Of perishabie goods, and here
we are from two to three thousand miles
away from our real and principal market
Only one channel IS open to the fruit
growers of California, and that is the c.. Z.
r. r., and 10 them the growers look for
relief 1t may be said that the future years
may prove to be more profitable to the.-
growers. l hope so; but let US see what
we are drifting to.
The California Pttr0ls Of August Ist CON
tains the following; Dr. kimball has
made pretty careful estimate of the prob-
able product Of the apricot orchards for the
next five years, ami if the trees planted
should be preserved, they would Weld in
the fifth year upwards of 100000 tons.
Unless some scheme of disposition should
be intelligently adopted the crop would not
be gathered. 1t would be impossible to
dispose of it i'll this loose way but at a
loss" The same results are sure to follow
with all other kinds Of fruit. unless some
scheme of disposition should be intelli-
gently adopted
The California fruit question reminds me
of story. Many years ago there lived in
Bagdad a very beautiful Princess. She was
considered So beautiful that many iIlustri-
OUS SuitOrs came to see her They were
charmed with her beauty. but, alas for the
maiden! none had the courage to " pro
pose" and SO She became an old maid, and
by degrees She lost her beauty. and so she
got left out in the cold" We send our
beautiful California fruit to New York
it is hung up in the beautiful aristocratic.
high-toned, uptown Broadway fruit store
a beautiful bunch of Tokays, with 81 tag.
is displayed in the beautiful show-window;
the citizens of New York walk by the beau
uful store and see the beautiful fruit, and
the beautiful 81 tag. Winking knowingly
to one another, they softly whisper beau
tifulh and walk on, and the beautiful
bunch of Tokays is left out in the cold"
Thus it is that the fruit is sold at loss by
the grower here and is ont Of reach of the
consumer in the East.
The reduction of the freight to 500 per
car will obyiate this state of affairs to some
extent but the accommodation cars" will
open out many thousand avenues of de-
mand that would relieve us Of all surplus.
and place this industry on a permanent
footing. 1t VIII stimulate the growers to
seek orders East by personal efforts. 1t
will encourage many hundreds of Eastern
dealers to visit California and place their
orders direct with the grower. 1t will be
the means OF introducing our fruit in every
nook and corner of the United States. 1t
will enable the grower to sell his fruit at a
price that will be within the reach Of the
million. When this can be done we may
look forward to an era of stability and pros
perity. GROVER.