St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1890-03-29
FRUIT INDUSTRY.
Canning-Piekling Etc. The South
The Place.

Go where you will in the South, and you
will find large quantities of canned goods
shipped from Northern packing houses.
It is high time the new South was chang
ing this; indeed it is being accomplished,
but not, perhaps, as fast as it might be
done.
The fruit and vegetable industry in the
South, is Just coming prominently to the
front. Many years ago the business of
raising fruits for Northern markets was
started on prominent railroad lines, but
the business met with so many reverses,
that it existed merely in name for long
while. First the railroad Accommodations
and freight charges operated against the
fruit growers, then the commission mer-
chants were charged with not dividing
properly, and many other drawbacks had
to be met. All these seem to have been
overcome. But there is one thing yet to
be settled. The Southern fruit grower
gets there first. He has, as it were, q mo-
nopoly of the business for about six weeks
or two months before the Northern fruits
appear in the markets. Up to this time,
he gets handsome return, and then as
his fruits do not pay profit to ship them,
he allows the remainer above home use,
to rot in the fields, and contents himself
with the profits he has made out of the
early shipments.
Here we would like to introduce the
canning and picking industry. All the
fruits and vegetables that cannot be sold
at good profit in the Northern markets
should be handled in the canning and
picking factories, and our Southern cities
should be supplied with canned goods
from home factories from one fruit season
to another.
In speaking recently with q gentleman
on the great advantages our country would
derive from North and South road, he
said to his certain knowledge in certain
section a great deal of fine fruit was
grown, especially peaches, and that every
year thousands of bushels rotted on the
ground under the trees for want of trans
portation. A railroad company desired to
build through this section, and farmer
having fine orchard just in bearing was
bitterly opposed to two and one-half
mill tax for ten years on his property to
aid the road. He could not see where he
could possibly be benefited. His wife
proposed to pay the tax with eggs if he
would vote for it, but he was fearful that
the cars would kill cow for him and the
oak and other mast trees would fail to
bear mast for his hogs, and great calam-
ity would come on the country.
1t is true this farmers wife might have
paid the tax with eggs, and it is also true
that the sale of fruit that annually rots in
his orchard would in few years make
him Independent. We surely believe that
in such sections as this one above men
toned, especially if railroad communica-
lions is favorable, there will be found in
few years more canning and picking es-
Establishments than cotton gins. The cost
of these canning factories is not so great.
On this subject we give few sensible re-
marks from j. r. Calhoun, writing from
Baltimore to friend in South Carolina:
THE FARMERS CHANCE FOR A SURPLUS.
We have thousands of farmers in Mary
land who plant their crops for this purpose
alone. They cure their own crops and will
perhaps in addition buy up their neigh
boris, and at the close of the season have
or two dollars to add to the profit
of the farm account. Because the Southern
trucker has already realized profit Is no
reason why he should abandon his surplus.
1t would give employment to numbers of
persons during the canning season. Here
in Maryland thousands depend on this in
- $500 F. ~, fa.to-;as ~ 80. ~ !
49, alo; on e. - .e 1900 sno 90
- . on ~ .s,1d hs 49, ,;
$3.50 osssa' . :. nreat $50 u Tahor i aSoa u
$500 ~ Ia.;f.s1 90 -. w.. $50 - Snosp
- ~ 10 =, an 49,, H.. tI go 49,
~, n;. ua h1as e., and "1stors Vnn
Iards orc g;oh and aa,r c1,u' ste aaartod
: raoa,abra onit.ra A. rona-ds o,.srs.;,,a
, osr,;,e. fsctoru tbo son.bs-, fsrr,,a ,.D has
&C., nnds- 4hs ;n,, -a 4hat - rannirad
are - ,,i1ai coah;nad Yr;t,, lone h,s;,,ass
30 4h. 80 80, bas;ra;.. =.
sa,;aa ths, ill., s - - a,a nsm ~
, 80 1s;ah1;.c f.a+a Il adJ;.;an s - .Las
,thar Jn+;as for,, bsnd or 1earn .ha
, , in ona der &c :, NJ 1,ra1;nns Lno,w1
,d.a i nacassary ha1e bsd nn,oarn,,.
na ma frnT, ,,srsons .vha ,.;shad - sto :.
!, ! e .YnaIi wa1. oshsrs =, = 1s~ra - TO-.
rhe nrocass - n,ttira m ,;oIIas i 49,
;,a,ta and stert cs1 he rpsda an q n 80
81. dnli I tha+ wo,,Id Laar sarara1 80.
ons h,,sr for CIV ,,an.hs ~ The aaa.
vonld nav to c co the n;cLIins hns;1
ass III ~ - - cann;na - ~ So, s 20
b;narv oil; llI snsusr For Soth mn rrasss
''i = 80 - 80 p1t po'e'
COST OF AN OUTFIT.
An outfit hat will can 1000 8 pound cans
'er day, will cost complete $3.50; that of a
600 pound can outfit will cost complete
1895. The cans will cost for 8 pound
q 40 or less Per hundred !: 2 pound, $3.50
'er hundred for pickles, the bottles can
70 had very cheap. Pickles can be also
ut up in barrels and kegs, in bulk, both
lain and with mustard, spices, etc; but
hey command ready sale at paving
sem Y,os . - can h nj = hr;nL AZ" Az
. q. = ., .7 Fx1I = .1A.