The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-01-23

Sources of the New York Supply
The Florida Fruit Said to be the
Best.
From the Ne,o York Evening Post.
A we'll known fruit dealer in Vesey street
was applied to by reporter the other day,
for some information in regard to the lemon
trade in this city. In reply, he said:
Most of the lemons we get in this market
come from Naples, Sorrento, Rodi and
Messina From each of these ports they
are shipped by way Of Liverpool. Some
sent in sailing vessels, but not many, as
such are not apt to arrive in good condi-
ton. Steamers, on account of thir superior
speed, carry most of the foreign fruits.
Great quantities of lemons are sold by auc-
ton, the sale of a single day often amount
ing to 10000 or $4,000 boxes. The price
they bring d9pends entirely upon their
quality and the quantity in the market.
Sometimes they are "a drug and scarcely
bring enough to pay the freight on them,
and again $l4 to SIS box is not an unusual
price. Dealers here do not keep regular
agents at the p }ints of shipment, but the
fruit is shipped on SPECULATION. An ordin-
arily good price is Sc box. The season
for the gathering of Italian lemons is at its
hight between February and March. Some
lemons will not keep ever a month at the
outside, while others that are firm and hard
will remain in good condition for four
months. The Messina are the best Italian
lemons and will keep the longest. The
Palermos rank next, while the poorest. as a
general thing, come from Naples. there is,
however, no rule by which one can be sure
that lemons fro one place will uniformly
be better than those from another. Naples
lemons have been known to bring more
han those shipped from Messina. Dealers
L., aia1 # Ian h 4
simply lump them under the names of the
places from which they come. So ne people
have an idea that lemons are colored and
ripened by sulphur fumes and artificial
heat. Such notions are entirely wrOl e.
Lemons, when they resent from home, are
as green and as hard as an infant apple, but
ripel during the voy ge, SO that when they
arrive they are as soft and juicy as if they
had matured upon the tree.
The be-t lemons we get in New York
come from Florida They are naturally Of
prime quality, and then the distance they
have to be sent is not great. The pc ,sbll-
tiles before the Florida growers are extern
sive, AID, if care is taken by them in sort
ing and picking, they may in time run the
italian product out Of the market. The
Florida lemons are packed in boxes holding
alb ut $50 or 300 apiece. They begin to
come in November. We get very few South
American lemons, because they are too
! tender to stand the voyage. Small quaint
tiles are sent from Jamaica, but the lines
shipped from there are growing in popu-
larlty constantly, and are much more i'm
| portant product of that island than the
| lemons. Lines must be packed tightly in
barrels to preve.t bruisinG l suppose
there are twenty-five barrels of lines
shipped now where there were three ten
years ago. In gener ] way it may per
| haps he said that better lemons grow on
| high ground than on low, but, as | SAID be-
fore, each season, place, and individual tree
seems to be law unto itself. We can
never tell in advance where we are to get
| the best fruit"