Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-08-29
OUR FRUITS.
A MARKET FOR THEM AT ADYAN.
TAGEOUS PRICES.
Suggestions on Fruit Shipping
Propositions Made and Plans Pro-
posed for Consideration.

There is perhaps not an industry or an
Individual in the State of California not to |
be benefited by the utmost possible develop |
ment of the fruit-growing industry, pro-
vided the products of orchard and vineyard |
can be marketed at Temunerative prices |
That is the great question of the hour, and
one which is pressing itself prominently |
before the people for intelligent solution. |
The following letter, written by w. R. |
Eutting upon this subject, and published |
in the Pacific Rural Press, viii be of interest |
to our readers
Coming to San Francisco from Boston |
year ago as agent for an Eastern insurance |
company, various problems in the social, |
political and business economy of this land |
of sunshine and flowers have presented
themselves in entirely new and different
forms from those presented in the Eastern |
States. One of the most pressing and inn |
portant problems 10 this State appears to
be: How can California sell at a profit
all the fruit she can raise2" Complying
with your request, l will address few
thoughts to the fruit-growers on this sub |
ject. The answers heretofore given are va
rious, and do not appear to have been sue
cessful in results. Some say, " Put it in
cans, put it up dried, make it into
wine" and each plan sells moiety of the
yearly increasing crops but still the prices
go down, and additional thousands of acres
are planted on the false expectations en-
couraged OF future market by these
means.
THE GREAT, HUNGRY FIFTY MILLIONS
East of us don't want it cooked, or canned,
or dried, or as wine; they want fruit, fresh
Nd fosr ,or,r 40 II
are not fruit, but artificial preparations,
which are useful but cannot take the place
of fresh fruit. Some say, Force down the
railroad rates-they are what choke us"
and this cry has been so loud as to be heard
in the East, and 1, like everybody else
there, had supposed it to be true. But
here, when / learn that the charge is three
cents pound by passenger express trains. |
and but half that rate on fast freight trains, |
for 1890 miles 10 Chicago l cannot see that |
any possible reduction in these rates would |
reduce the retail prices of fruit to the East |
ern consumer, or materially increase the |
quantity consumed, SO long as the trade is |
conducted as it is at present And very
slight knowledge of the law of supply and |
demand will teach any thoughtful mind |
that If the consumption and demand are |
not increased, by no possibility can |
the price to individual producers be in |
creased. The rapidly growing number of |
producers and of mortgaged acres coming |
into bearing will continue, as this year, to |
force sales down to less than
THE BARE COST OF PICKING
And freighting to local markets, and those |
who ship East will buy where they can buy |
cheapest, and they only will benefit by any |
possible or probable reduction in freights |
Have any fuit-growers got better prices |
this year than last, because of the reduction |
of % per cent in freight rates? Only those |
who shipped direct on their own account. |
The general market has fallen far beyond |
the freight reduction. l think it is a mis- |
take to blame the railroads while it is really |
the fruit-growerS' own lack of organization |
that is directly and almost wholly TO blame |
Why, If the 10000 fruit-growers of this |
State We're united as one man, railroads |
would be built across the continent for the |
business of such an organization, and it !
could dictate terms TO them as does the |
Standard Oil Company in the East But, !
as shown above, any possible freight reduc- |
lions would not cure the evil of low prices |
but would only tend TO increase it by bring |
ing into the field on false hopes thousands |
of new producers.
THREE PROPOSITIONS.
Now my theory is original and may seem
to you impractical, but il is confirmed by |
several months of observations here and of |
correspondence East, and | ask your atten-
ton 10 the following propositions:
/. That producers main object is to |
sell at a profit all he can produce.
.. That if the multitude over the mount |
aims could get your product at California |
prices, and freight added, they would con- |
sumo everything you could raise
3. That, therefore, he who adds the most
cents per pound in cost to the consumer is |
your greatest enemy, as he not only |
squeezes down the price you receive, but |
also infinitely lessons the amount con- |
sumed, which again reacts on you.
WHO Is TO BLAME?
Now this greatest enemy which YOU
should reach and control or displace is not |
the grasping railroad monopoly" of
which everybody is complaining, with its |
petty charge Of a possible cent or half cent |
pound profit, and its millions invested |
but it is the insignificant little hundred |
dollar corner stand fruit-dealer of the East
ern cities, who insists on making 100 per |
cent. profit on every pound of California |
fruit he handles.
And next to him IS the wholesaler, and |
perhaps the next is the shipper, and so on I
down to the man who buys at your door |
each adding % or so or 100 per cent. profit, |
till the retailer is charged perhaps ten times |
as much as yon got; and then, because of !
the high cost and risk of its not keeping |
much longer, and because of its beautiful |
appearance, he only buys a small lot for |
Show and TO draw trade, and he adds at /
once ten or fifteen cents pound, and there
by becomes the greatest hindrance to your
selling all the fruit you can raise at prices
profitable to You. |
Because of the hiEIIi cost and small GUAM
1ity e1nlnita9t.., me family man who carries
nome daily through the season a Is or So |
cent basket of Florida. Delaware or New
Jersey fruit, Will perhaps take home for /
once Just sample of California fruit as q |
curiosity.
THINK OF THESE FIGURES
The grand result is that while you are |
Boosting Of the increased shipments this I
year, averaging five cars day by express
trains, Of all your kinds of fruit, to supply /.
the whole great country eastward, that Bos- |
ton alone HAS for years taken train day
throughout the season of 90 to 50 carloads |
of Delaware and New Jersey peaches. be-
sides twice q week an ocean steamship I
load, sometimes piled upto the pilot house
and over the cabins with fruit and produce |
from Norfolk and other Southern parts.
Wouldn't 1t clean ont the peach markets !
in this State TO send IS carloads O day to |
Boston alone, and to other cities in proper
ton? And if 1000 peach growers of Cali |
fornia owned or controlled 1000 corner |
fruit stands in New England and New York, |
so as to keep the prices down low enough /
to sci, all that could be shipped over the |
road in good order, would be able next |
year to buy as good basket of fancy |
peaches in San Francisco for 40 cents as my !
friends in Boston or New York have 70 paw /
81 so for7
ORGANIZATION FOR SALE or FRUIT.
Truly California as great fruit manu-
factory has not yet organized her :" selling |
department" nor made her market" for |
the great variety of goods she produces.
Many of you begin to be conscious of |
this and are seeking ways to improve the |
situation, and cooperation is suggested as |
the best plan, but the great number are not |