Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-11-16
NEW YORK, September 2S. ISs6

New YORK, September IS, 1856
Dear Sir: In accordance with your wish we
beg to give you few points on Almeria
(Malaga) grapes in our market.
Imports have steadily grown until we have
had i'll one season li2,000 barrels, 80 pounds
net, arrive in this city. Last year and the year
before, owing u the serious rains in Almeria
in the end Of September, which utterly ruined
the half crop lett on the vines the receipts
here were only about $1,000 to 69000 barrels,
but this seasons crop being early and no rain
at all up TO the 18th instant, per our cable
from the American Consul at Almeria, we be-
lieve receipts will run over 125.000 barrels. If
not 10000. This, of course, provided no rains
come up to say october 18th, when the crop
will be all gathered. Boston receives about
one-eighth of what comes here, and Phila-
delphia and Baltimore say one-eighth between
them.
This fruit is always packed in barrels. made
of oak sent ont from the southwest via New Or
leans, and packed in fine cork dust, which pre-
serves it. We have kept Almeria grapes III
sound order until May in our Storehouses. II is
sent here for account of the growers in Almeria
and vicinity, each man having his own mark
and dealing with us here direct, without the
intervention OF anybody. We have now over
ll5 different parties shipping us from Almeria.
Prices in the past two seasons on prime fruit
ranged from Sc to IS per barrel, and 81 to SIS on
common to fairy good. Duty is 20 per cent. on
value in Almeria, and freight is about 30 cents
per barrel, so the shippers have had returned to
them say about 10 cents to u cents per pound
on t. C finest, and to cents on common
quality. We know that our returns have been
most satisfactory to the shippers, and more will
come each year, still the more we receive the
larger grows the demand, and every grocer in
every little town this side of Chicago has n few
barrels of Almerias always on hand to supply
the constantly increasing demand
We are just at the commencement of the new
season. First arrivals of any consequence are
here o-day, say about 1000 barrels Arrivals
will continue until January LIST, SO the who'e
campaign covers but three months.
All this fruit is sold at auction here imme-
diately on arrival, and we have buyers come
from all points within 100 miles to bid competi-
ton does the rest. Our buyers scatter it all
over the country, and they seem never to be
full, always willing to bid for more. The auc-
ton is the only true way 10 dispose of perish
able fruit, we always get the full market value
because we have from 100 to 800 of the sbarpest
fruit-dealers daily al our sales, and as we have
sold all of our importations in this auction-room
for the past seventeen years we think we may
venture an opinion OF its worth.
We neglected to say above that, in our opin-
ion, prices will be somewhat lower here this
season because (unless rains come in Almeria)
it is probable that we shall have steady, large
arrivals, all Of prime quality and if our market
is glutted the good prices of past two seasons
will not be had. However we believe the Al
meria shipper viii surely realize more than
double what you told us many of the gentlemen
in California would receive for their handsome
fruit. Yours, very. truly, SGoBEL q DAY.