Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-10-23

/ nut MY OplLAO4 ID e-ieAN - -
better for you to send as much as the mar
ket can use at high price and to stop
right there. 1t seems TO me better Tor the
grower to get a good, round sum for rea-
sonable quantity than very low price Tor
great quantity"
| A BROOKLYN RETAILER.
DO you find much demand for Califor-
MIA grapes?" said the writer TO one OF the
largest retail and wholesale fruit dealers in
| the city of Brooklyn.
Yes; the demand this season has been
fair, and | might say on the increase:
Have you sold very many this sea-
son p
About thirty-four crates
~ should judge, then, that you are the
| largest dealer in California fruits in the city
of Brooklyn, because l have canvassed the
| city and have found but two others who
have handled any California fruits this
year, and between them they have only
used sixteen crates this season-making, to-
| gether with yours. consumption of fifty
crates for theentire city of Brooklyn. Now,
why is it that city of this magnitude can
not use more California grapes"
. First, because We have not always been
able 10 get them; secondly, because at the
price we must charge the demand is linn
ited?"
What do you get for good California
gropes?'
Twenty-Five to thirty cents pound;
sometimes we sell fiYe-pound basket as
low as one dollar"
Well, do you call that high price,"
No, when the superiority of The Cali
fornia grape is considered but you know
the people of Broolyn are not. as a rule, eX-
travagant, and will not pay fancy prices
more especially if they can buy good native
| fruits at from five to ten cents per pound"
do you sell many Mediterranean or
| Malaga grapes?n
Yes, great many. more especially dur
ing the holiday season, when they are in
great demand"
AT what price do the Mediterranean
grapes retail Pr
Al about 10 cents pound, although we
sometimes get as high as % and 25"
If California grapes were sold at the
same price IS the Mediterranean or Malaga
grapes, which would be in greater de-
mand ?"
California grapes, by all means, as they
are better, sweeter and much handsomer
in appearance"
II could furnish you first-class Cali
fornia grapes at 10 cents pound, could you
afford to sell them at retail for 10 cents a
pound?"
Yes, because l do popular trade and
with the volume of business l do here |
should consider cents pound very fair
profit"
Now. if you could retail them at IS
cents~a pound, how many could you use ,"
| cannot answer that question with fig
ures. | can only say that | could sell
great nany-many more than have thus
far sold"
Do you think that at that price the city
of Brooklyn, as whole, could use on an
average half carload a day."
Z" | should consider that a very low esti-
mate. have no doubt the city would con-
sumo carload day, and possibly more
a BOSTON RETAILER.
"What is your price for California
grapcs?' The question this time was
asked of prominent Boston retailer.
"Thirty-tive cents pound"
Have you been able to get all the Cali
fornia grapes that you could use this sea-
son ?'
No, not always. To-day, for instance,
there are none to be had in the market.
nor were there any here yesterday, though
| have orders on my book from several
customers"
Have they been arriving here in good
condition ?"
" As rule, yes; though l have known of
some lots coming here in very bad condi-
ton, and were sold as low as 81 crate"
" | am informed that you are the princi-
pal,,,,dealer in California fruits, and use
more than any other house in town.
g Yes, have made a speciality of it, and
have worked up nice trade"
-" Do you keep posted on the receipts of
California fruits in Boston ?"
IL L
city is better posted upon that subject than
myself"
How many grapes, so far as you know,
have been received in Boston per week pr
" should say about half a carload"
Can you explain why it is that the city
of Chicago consumes two and half TO
three carloads a day and Boston only half
a carload a week ?n
" It must be matter of price presume
California grapes in Chicago are sold very
much cheaper than here"
YES; they have been retailed there at
ten cents pound this season"
We'll, there lies the explanation
Surprising grapes were retailed in Bos-
ton at fifteen cents pound what them"
"That, of course, would make wonder
full difference. However, I would rather
not see that condition of affairs
"Why not?"
Because, doing first-class business, |
should prefer TO handle limited quantities
at a large profit rather than large quantities
at a small profit. Beyond that, am free
to admit that # the retail price was re-
duced to twelve and half or fifteen cents
pound, the consumption would be very
much greater than now"
THE FRUIT NOT PoPULARIzED.
Mr.. Snow, of Snow & Co., Boston, said ::
Il was present at meeting of the fruit
growers held in Sacramento last winter,
and from the discussions that then took
place. | inferred ii was the purpose of the
California fruit growers to populsrize their
fruits in the East, and to distribute them
into the greatest number of hands possible.
| Thus far this has certainly not been done
| The Chicago agents of the California Fruit
| have. in my judgment, failed TO carry out
that part of the fruit-growers programme,
at least so far as Boston is concerned. Cali
! fornia fruits are &c nearer being popular
! lied this season in Boston than they ever
were, and never will be unless radical
changes are made in the policy now being
| pursued
81 am informed that early in the season
you received a cargo Of apricOts from
| Porter Bros. Co, the returns for which
were very unsatisfactory
Yes we unexpectedly received car
/ load of apricots, which are not popular
| fruit in this part of the country. That car
/ load should not have been sent Us at that
time. 1t is true there were some peaches
in the car, but by the time they reached
Boston they were nearly all rotten. The
freight charges also were over 81 200 on
that carload to Boston, which appeared
yerv excessive, but we could get no expla-
nation concerning it from the railroad com-
panv or Porter Bros. The car realized
about 81 800, which, after the commissions
were deducted, left nothing for the grower.
But if the charges had not been over $500,
the returns would have been about 70 cents
box to the grower. believe there is a
field in Boston for carload lots of fruit, pro-
vided you can get concessions in freight
rates and in the time of transit, and pro-
vided YOU ship none but first-class stock"
is it true that the receipts in Boston OF
California grapes have not exceeded half a
carload a week?'
$50 far as know that is about all that
has been received here this season.
THESE VIEWS REPRESENTATIVE.
Your correspondent has selected the
above interviews from among a great num-
Der that he has held during the past few
weeks with very many OF the wholesale
and retail fruit dealers in the leading East