Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-10-17
The Outlook fer California Dried
Fruits and Nuts.

Im6 OUIA0Ok uOk OAHunSh :. y. - AS>
Fruits and Nuts.
We have received the following inter-
ssting letter from prominent fruit deal
Or whose long experience in handling
California products in Chicago and other
Eastern markets, gives much weight to
his statements in reference to the situa.
lion in this important branch of trade:
EDITOR THE GROCER AND COUNTRY
Thinking letter regarding
the situation on California products
might be of interest to yonr readers, and
also to growers, We venture tn give you
the market as it looks to US. OF course,
the one prominent article OF interest Is
raisins, and it is little early to forecast
the situation with any certainty, as the
first car Of new raisins is yet to come.
One thing is, however. among the GER
tainties, Malaga has at last realized the
fact that California is o competitor OF
no mean pretensions. Foreign producers
are stripping for the fight. They have
reduced weights of Malaga fruit to 20
pounds to the box, and the prominent
commission houses in the Malaga raisin
trade, say their instructions this year,
are to "sell," while last year they
thought it was only shower and waited
for it to blow over. But for them, it
proved to be q sChinook" and never stop.
ped blowing until the season was over.
The facts are. that while the Denia rails.
ms find q ready market wherever raisins
are eaten, yet the Malaga producers look
almost exclusively to the United States
for a market. and while there can be but
one end to the fight, twill be long and
bitter one, aud the California growers
must make up their mind to take lower
prices than last year; must exercise all
possible economy in raising and manu-
featuring, and above all take every care
as to quality. Covers should get to.
the brand of Londons mean something.
no matter who is the grower, and see to
it that every additional crown on top of
the box, counts inside the box as we'll as
on the box lid Raisins are selling freely
to arrive. We have large number of
cars sold already at different points
through the West. The jobbers and
consumers alike feel kindly disposed
towards American raisins, and it rests
with the grower, il the preference is
maintained.
California prunes are selling freely; we
made one sale last week to a prominent
Western house, of 100, 600 pounds of the
celebrated raisin cured pruues, packed
by Fleming Bros, at San Jose. This
young firm has already stepped to the
front with their California dried fruits,
and furnish good example of what care
as to quality and maintaining an unchang.
ing standard of excellence, will do for the
California dried fruit trade.
Apricots have sold slowly on account
of the extremely high prices, but few
evaporated peaches have been offered.
Sun.dried California fruits this year, are
conspicuous by their absence. They
were sold at such ruinously low prices
last year that the grower cannot be
blamed for not drying again; still they
would fird a much better. and we think
a fairly re,aunerative market this year,
as our own crop Of sun.dried fruits will
be unusually small.
As to almonds, from the advices we
get from our California correspondents,
we think your growers have got their
ideas up to point where it will not be
profitable for the East to buy, unless
foreign almonds advance in price. Tar
ragona almonds, which are the favorite
almond in the East, can be laid down tor
about lao. They will always bring fully
a cent pound more than the California
almond. Freights, shrinkage and inter.
est bring the California nuts, at present
Pacific Ceast prices, even higher than
the foreign. The foreign almond has to
make a long voyage before it gets here.
and is about through shrinking when it
arrives. As we have handled more Cali.
fornia nuts certainly than any other one
Eastern house and we think, than all
others put together, we have feeling
recollection of how Industrious California
almonds are in the shrinking line be.
tween San Francisco and here.
Walnuts-The Chill crop this year was
unusually large and has been sold freely
through the West, and may have an Of.
feet on prices; still the California walnut
is the best in the world, and will always
sell at fair price. We believe that
when your growers learn to take the
same pains in grading and bleaching that
the foreign grower does, their nuts will
bring as much as the foreign; and as your
growers have heavy duty in their favor,
there is no reason why nut raisers should
not always receive prof table price for
their product.
Pardon this long letter, but handling
as we do, q very large slice of the Paci.
fio Coast product, we feel deep interest
in them. We are as you know, one of
the pioneer houses in the California
trade. We have seen the production
and consumption of each and every arti.
Gle grow from small beginning to o
mighty power. We believe that Cali.
fornia has the grandest future before her
of any State in the Union, and we like
to feel that though only humble follow
ers, we are still marching in the line.
Very truly your friends,
Cb.naon SAINT % 1854