Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-04-16
THE FRUIT CENTER.
SACRAMENTO AS THE GREATEST
SHIPPING POINT.
Union Talks About the Handling
of this Years Crop.

O. w. Butts, of Council Bluffs, Ia, came
up to the city from San Francisco on Sat
day, and will return to-day. He has been
appointed the agent of the California Fruit
Union for the large territory of which
Council Bluffs and Omaha are the distribut-
ing points, and will start for his home on
Wednesday next to make his preparations
for handling this seasons crop. There is
no portion of the United States more i'm
portant to the producer of California fruit
than that embraced in the district which
will be covered by Mr.. Butts agency and
the California Fruit Union has been fortu-
nate in securing an agent so we'll qualified
to handle the large quantity of fruit that
will be shipped this season. AS Sacra-
mento is the natural and most adyanta-
ge0us receiving and reshipping center of a
great fruit district, so Omaha and Council
Bluffs are admirable distributing points,
Numerous lines of railroads lead in every
direction, and fruit landed there is quickly
dispatched 10 the various thriving cities
and towns of the Northwest, where there
is the best possible market for our fruits
The section of country north Of Chicago
produces practically no fruit except apples
and berries, and our peaches, pears, april
cots and cherries find ready sale there, at
good prices.
Mr. Butts came to the coast about two
months ago, and has visited all of the fruit
producing sections and made himself thor
oughly familiar with the crop prospects.
He says that in spite of all reports to the
contrary, there will be large crop of fruit
for shipment this season, and that the pros
fIar -, =.
quality.
There has been a vast improvement
during the past two yesrs," said Mr.. Butts,
" in the manner of shipping fruit from the
Pacific coast. The producers have learned
to handle their fruit with care, to pick it
at the right time, and to pack it in neat
and attractive packages. Then the freight
service has been greatly improved the
railroad company seeming to take an in
teIest in the business and giving much
better facilities to the shippers. As the
volume of business increases this will be
still further improved, and the rates will
be lowered The California Fruit Union
shipped nearly eighteen hundred carloads
of fruit from here last season, and the time
will come when ten thousand carloads will
be shipped in season. Long before that
time the railroad company can afford to
run special fruit trains every day, and for
less rate than they do now. We have
an almost unlimited market for California
fruits in the East, and it is only q question
of being able to lay them down there so
that they can be sold at reasonable prices.
when they will become necessity instead
of a luxury. AS said, we are getting good
service now. Fruit is shipped from here
and arrives in Chicago in four and five
days time. There has been comparatively
little loss this year in the way of decaying
fruit, most of the orange crop having ar
rived in good condition.
Sacramento is the greatest fruit-ship-
ping center in the country to-day, and has
advantages that will always keep her in
the lead. Located, as your city is, in the
center of the finest fruit-producing country
in the world, with splendid railroad facil-
tiles for gathering in the crop of the con-
tiguous territory and for forwarding it to
its destination, it must always be the real
center of an industry which is bound TO be
the leading one of the Pacific coast
have been in the southern part of the
State good deal this winter attending to
the shipping of oranges, and have noticed
that of late there is strong movement of
people toward the central and northern
part of the State. l have never seen so
many Eastern people in San Francisco as
during the past few days, and most of them
seem to be investigating the merits of this
SECTION of the State. You have great fu-
fare before you in Sacramento"