Milford chronicle., 1885-01-16

Mr.. Webb, of Port Penn Is visiting
his son Brainard Webb.
DRIED FRUIT.-While the year 1884
will long linger in the memory Ofthose
engaged in fruit evaporating as the
most Improbable in the history of the
trade; yet,there were many, very many
causes that contributed to the general
collapse os this branch of trade. When
the market first opened in the spring
of 1884, there was little, Or no evapor-
ated peaches in stock, and the prices
ruled from fifteen for unpeeled to
twenty-eight for peeled. Business was
good, but had a tendency downward ;
which caused the dealers to prognosti-
cate lower prices for the pack of 1854.
To Offset this depression, there was no
prospect for crop of peaches in the
West, where most of the ev9pOrated
peaches are consumed, and this Induced
evaporatOrs to pay more for their green
fruit than the market afterward justi-
fed. Then again the season was not
the most favorable for successful work.
Early fruit is but of little account to
the evapOratOr, and to max = It of less
to them, the only wet weather of the
season occurred when the early varie-
ties were riPening, consequently they
were full of water that had to evapor-
ate. This added to the expense of the
cost of production and took from the
yield. The dry weather that followed
prevented the late yellow fruit, (from
which the best evaporated fruit and
the best yield is made) from growing
to a good size. Then when the stock
was thrown on the market, the pre-
viOus downward tendency of business
had developed into very dull times,
and the political excitement helped to
weaken the prices of everything. After
the election was over business was par
alyzed, and even staple goods would
not bring prices. Under this cOndi-
tion of affairs. it is not strange that
lu-dTy like evaporated fruit should
have but little demand.
Under this pressure of circumstances,
the prices that opened at fourteen for
unpeeled and twenty-five for peeled,
7,,..l,,.lowly, ,butsurely, to ten and twenty
ceaIH}fg pei pound. These prices just
about covered the CO OF production,
putting peaches at twenty-five ii ely.
basket, and even at these PTIce15 =. 4
stock did not move. Probably twenty
per cent. of the stock of 1884 remains
unsold on the market at the present
writing; but a part of this will be
worked off during the balance Of this
winter and the coming spring. This
is probable from the fact that business
is reviving in general.
EvapOrators will not be apt to pay as
high prices for the green fruit the COM
ing season as they did in 1884. There
are several reasons why they should
not. The main reason will be that the
demand in the West will not be the
same in 1855 as it was in 1884 for green
fruit. Last year the peach crop of the
West was failure, and if every peach
that grew in Delaware aud Maryland
could have been shipped to the cities
in the four. great Middle States, they
would have used them all, and that
without glulting the market. This
condition of things is not likely topre-
vail again in 1885. The demand for
the green fruit will come from our nat
ural and old market, viz: the New
England and Northern States.
We shall have but little chance to
sell to western buyers; hence, the price
of green fruit must rule lower, prOvid-
ing there is anything like full crop.
Many growers will find that the peach
market of New York, Philadelphia,
Boston, Hartford, etc., can consume
but limited quantities of peaches, and
when that limit is reached, look out for
breakers.
Judge Wales, OF Wilmington, owns
valuable farm near Dover. On this
farm is a large orchard from which he
marketed about 1900 baskets of
peaches last season. His tenant, Mr..
VIM. Hurley, sold Crawford peaches
to western buyers during the season
at prices ranging from forty cents to
one dollar per basket, according to
quality; his Smocks were sold at fifty
cents per basket,and the balance of his
crop was consigned to commission
men in Philadelphia and New York.
Now mark the result. Judge Wales is
our authority for saying that his peach
crop averaged him "thirty-fve" cents
per basket-what he gained in selling
at the depot was lost in shipping. He
had better have sold his whole orchard,
culls included, for thirty cents per
basket. This is Only one of the many
similar cases of last year, and from this
point we predict that the price of green
fruit, should there be fair crop, will
rule so low that it will be within the
power of the evaporators to retrieve
their losses of last year; but they can
not do it and pay over twenty-five