The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-14
LEMONS GOING UP.
A Big Advance in Prices Owing to
the short Crop.

the short Crop.
The rise in the market of any commodity
is not felt more keenly than the rise OF
lemons in the heated term, and lemons have
gone up 90 on the box in New York thi:
week. They are in almost as much demand
as ice. The Savannah market has not felt
the full effect of the rise as yet, but lemons
that were billed Mt 50 last week now com
mand "a % per box
There are between p 600 and 40, 900 boxes
of lemons handled here for the
local demand auddistributive points
Savannah alone consumes from
5000 to 10000 boxes annually. The
rise is due to the short crop and increasing
demand. The Palermo crop is the last OF
the season, and the greater part of it is IN
New York Boston, Baltimore and Now
Orleans and on shipboard for those ports,
SO that the extent of the supply is known,
and dealers say that the rise this week is
very slight to what will follow before the
Florida lemons begin to come in, in the
fall.
The bulk of the lemons coming to this
country are handled in New York, but Bal
timore, Boston and New Orleans are begin
ming to handle shiploads, although not so
successfully as in New York, where expert
dealers are familiar with the care of
4
have brokers at the lemon markets, who
buy by lots, from which five or more boxes
are selected as samples The remaining
boxes of the lot may be better or worse
than the sample, but that is at the buyers
risk. The broker sends the brand of the lot
purchased to the iobber, with the price A
catalogue of the ships cargo and sales by
lot and brand is mailed to the jobber. His
broker cannot deceive him. A catalogue
70 49, 10 ~
not be deceived as to the price his fruit
brought. 1t is protection all around.
The bulk Of the lemons come from Nal
aga, Messina and Palermo and some from
Florida. The Florida crop was larger than
last year, and grades not quite so good as
the Palermo lemon. The Malaga lemons
come to this country in January and Feb
ruary. The Messlna comes freely III March
and April. At that time lemons arc cheaper
than at any otuer season of the year. and
heavy dealers buy largely and cold storage
enables them to keep the stock for the sum
mer rise. The Palermo lemons follow very
closely upon the Messina, and it is the Pal
ermo lemons that are now rounding up the
imports for the season. The Florida crop
winds up the year
A great many people do not know that
there is any difference in lemons, and yet the
MeSsina lemon is almost as round as a ball
ana nearly as smooth, having better naVor
and more juice in it than the other grades
The Malaga ranks second is almost ovoid
and rougher, while tine Palermo lemon is
much rougher and longer than the Messina
and it and the Florida lemon have a trace
OF bitter i'll the juice, the meat is more
porous and not as juicy.
Lemons are packed in boxes made from
beech lumber shipped from Maine to the
lemon growing districts, and 240 to 800
lemons are packed in a box, but the finest
grades of lemons are never brought to this
market. The loss in handling is said to
average 20 per cent for the year, but at this
season, where boxes have to be repacked
two or three times, the loss will reach 30
per cent. jane, July, August and Septem-
Der, are the months when the demand is
most active.
The three largest jobbers in lemons in
this city are j. S. Collins, Kavanaugh g.
Brennan and w. d. Simkins & Co. Lemons
are retailed in nearly all the groceries, but
the bulk of the retailing is done by Italian
veDders in the streets aud market, one
Italian alone retailing seven boxes on
Saturday last.