New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-08-25
NEW YORK'S FRUIT.
THE GROWTH OF THE TRADE.

UNIV II VIZ imam
1t has passed into d commonplace that steam ana
steel have revotiOnizcd the American way OF hvins'
Nowhere is the commonplace better demonstrated than
in glance at the fruit trade Of to-day in contras'
with that OF thirty years ago. Then, 1t Is safe 10
say that excluding tropical products, New-fork ;
area OF supply lay within radius OF 300 miles ABOUT
IT, Now the friiterer has, II not the worid ior "i'
parish pretty well the Whole United states, 10 say
nothing of Canada and the West Indies. Iho"s'
orchards VINEYARDS and busy fields at hand nave
grown and multiplied amazingly, the city itsei mas
outgrown this capacity and Is yearly seeking out III"
regions to supply what it may devour. Before the
railway era contiguity everything ihere dno
men yet living, and not so old at that VINO VIII
point out TO you scattered trees yet standing iro
One-hundred- and enth-st 10 c-hundred-and-t"ehS
ffth-st. and tell you they straggers rom uio
pear and cherry orchards, once vertaDie goiu MN
to their owners who picked their fruit over hlsh' anu
drove with 1t 10 Fulton or Washington marho's "oN
morning. where they sold directly to the consumer. "
that has changed with vengeance upper ~
York pays much better in streets and back yards tha
in potato fields or orchards. frutgro"hs %
a leading interest in the Hudson Valley inc Guy
tboucb would fare but i'll II restricted TO that supply
The strawberry season, once six weeks III "ns"'
now extends over the six months from January W
near enough to New Year to fetch fancy prices III
February berries como from the regions about ea'a',
nah and upper Florida, and by. tho middle OF 'i.i'
Charleston gardeners take hand. in Apr1l anu oa'
May the North Carolina and Virginia Deus u'o"',
10 Norfolk yield up their ruby treasures WIN NM
May, Maryland Delaware and jersey come 10 '"o
front while the Hudson River regions and ConhecI'"'
furnish the June supply. few berries are sent io''
Canada as lae as July but by that time there Is 80
tbor fstf demand Is Slack 1Of nlEl
prices Compared with the strawberry the raspberry Is
insignificant IT Is with Us hardly above moh'n'
and comes mainly from New-York State. Ncw-JerscS
and Delaware 1t Is so perishable that iara"aS 'pl
sgnments almost always come I'm bad order especaP
NJ the finer sorts WhortlebeTlcs have a longer sch
son as well as a somewhat wider habitat Ne"-1cr'''
Is their main home but good many come from Pehh-
sylvanta and the hill slopes of New-England Ihey
last for couple of monhs-from June TO septehpcr-
and are among the cheapest well the most whoe
some of summer fruits. Maryland, Delaware New
jersey the Hudson Valley, Long Island ana Ooil"'ou
cut all take a hand in the blackberry supply winch
comes In with the Fourth OF July and goes 10 sepe"
ber The plump but inspld Lawton IS the leaning
variety and TO one acquainted with the rich luscious
wild fruit al its best estate, is a living demonstration
of the goodly outside falsehoOd hath. New-Aork I'M
luckily knows not the Southern dewbcry. II Is cloe
kin TO the blackberry. but sweeer, much lncler' anu
more delicate I'm flavor 1t ripens about TWO worms
earlier and grows upon low trailing vines tha' ol'c"
spread dozen feet around the parent stem There Is
no prettler sight In the world than dewDeriy WING
growing in a sunny pasture. Each long arm lies out
spread in soft grass perfect wreath OF ripe anu nan
ripe fruit with maybe a mother partridge and her
brood darling about and robins and catbirds nash
ing overhead There apt TO be wild rose Close al
hand IT'S pink trails Of blossom lifted Just above the
grass and if there is a kind of marsh In The son.
there may be background of tall yellow marigoidS
and wild sunnower with partridge vino
Hogs are very of ripe dewberrles and viii eat
them from the vine with utmost Discrimination 'alnhs
only the sweet and leaving the sour.
Maine Michigan New-Jcrsey and Cape Cod are
given as the chief OF the cranberry crop
The area suited this growth is so limited that a
well set cranberry marsh in full bearing is better
than bank stock a source of assured income IL
Is worth from one TO five thousand dollars the acre,
and costs nearly that much to prepare and bring to
fruit Tie berry is snguary free from the vicisss-
tudcs of fruit crops, though heavy rain just as
II comes in blossom often materially lessons the yield
But I'm such case the price rises to the situation, 50
that there is rather money in short crop than
full one.
New-York is the biggest eater of peaches in the
world They begin to come in sporadlcally in May,
from California and tho furthest south. but the real
season is from mid July TO September Maryland,
Delaware Ncw-Jersey and the Hudson region have
controlled the supply until this season. when Georgia
and Tennessee have both sent in much and such
excellent fruit as assures them than respectful
consideration hereafter Indeed, commission
men do not hesitate 10 say that hcnceorh they will
lead the market If shippers there take the pains
in picking and packing Is they have done with these
first fruits. Delaware, once the head centre Of
peach orchards, has suffered seriously from the
" yelows,7 a mysterious disease that attacks tho
trees and, while it does not Kill, renders them un
fruitful What is worse. It infects the soil that
new planting is remedy. Neither not cure
has vet been found for IT, This years crop in both |
Maryland and Delaware promised TO be very large |
but storms and wet weather have destroyed it TO such
an extent that it IS vain to hope for cheap fruit |
before another season. The same grades that year
ago fetched dollar the basaet sell readily at |
two to two and onc-half, while picked baskets OF |
very choice fruit are five dollars each-from the |
commission men. not the retailers. Jerseys crop, |
just now coming in, is beyond the average, both in |
amount and quality, and the Hudson Valley crop is a
full average
To one brought mp among peaches. Now York's |
preference for clearsoncs cngs" is both curious
ard mex plicabc. The cea seed If ripe and of good
quality, IS juicy and delicious but lacks wholly the
rich, oriental pcachy flavor that abdes in the heart
Of the cngSionc. Indeed no city person knows
just how good a peach can be. To reach perfection
the fruit must drink the last ripening ray upon
Is native stem then be cooled by tossing through the
levy dusk of an August night plucked at sunrise
md eaten within the hour II. In addition you have
'limbed 70 the topmost branch and rlsked a broken
leck BY standing upon some perlously slender twig,
he fruit Will have also that flavor Of achievement
hat purchased affair must always wholly lack
Georgia, Florida and other Southern States send
ono pears 10 NewYork mainly Of the lie Conte
'anety, which Ncw-York does not care much about.
nstead, she swcars by her own growths-Barletts
)ucheSses ard Flemish Eeaucs-gown mainly In
eisey and upon Long and staten islands Tho price
nee varied from to ten dollars the bauel Now
OH storage prevents such violent fluctuations The