Los Angeles herald., 1890-06-23
few years will more than equal any two
states in the union.


few years Will more than equal any TWO
states in the union.
A General Summary.
A recent issue of the San Francisco
Bulletin gives the following excellent
summary of the outlook for the fresh
fruit industry of this season:
New York dispatches quote various
dealers in fruit as speaking most encour-
sgingly of the prospective market this
season for fresh fruit from this state. A
light peach crop in Delaware and other
fruit crop troubles east are the basis for
the dealers prediction. This is consid-
cred California's opportunity, and it is
pleasing to know that without doubt
her producers will meet it, in measure,
although all varieties of fresh fruit here
will by no means be as abundant as US
ual. Reports indicate large crops of
pears and peaches, apricots fair, grapes
abundant, plums, prunes and almonds
light The Fruit Union began shipping
cherries a few weeks ago, and daily they
are sending small consignments of april
cots. One thing that may prevent the
shipping of as much fruit east as may be
wanted, and the relief of the predicted
fruit famine there, may be the apparent
late season. The heavy late rains have
made the ripening season generally late.
The first dried apricots went forward
from Fresno yesterday, but this is two
weeks later than usual. This lateness
may result in sending too much fruit
eastward at one time. Considering all
points bearing on the situation it would
seem the wise thing for growers to sell
their fruit at the fair prices satisfactory
in previous years, for there is the danger
that by holding off for high prices drop
resulting from an overstocked market
may be met with.
Lusk & Co.'S. Views.
President Jacobs of Lusk & Co., who
ship fresh fruit as well as can and dry
it, predicts that one-third less fruit will
go east this year than last. This, in his
judgment, will result from the late
season, large demand and fictitious value
of dried fruit, stimulated by the drying
here in preference to shipping, and from
the large demand for canning fruit. He
thinks prices here now are higher than
the eastern market warrants. He
quoted possible 93s-cent rate on boxed
prunes, delivered, to New York dealer,
and the response wired back Yesterday
was: "Your packers are crazy" A
Baltimore firm notes that the crop pros
poets there are dubious, but shrewd
guessers here think these eastern short
crop agitators are interested in bulling
their market.
A circular sent out yesterday from a
local shipping firm to eastern agents has
this tc say of the general fruit outlook
here: "We believe that the output of
apricots and peaches will be at least
one-third more than last year. Raisins
will be one-third more than last year.
Dried grapes will only be one-half of
last years output. Prunes will be
three-fourths of crop, with the strong
probabilities OF turning out as many
pounds as last year, as they will run to
large sizes and make up in quality and
size the shortage on the trees caused by
the drop Almonds will not be over
one-half of last years crop. Walnuts
will be one-third more"
1t is said that the packers and buyers
are paying altogether too high prices for
prunes. Tariff agitation, also, affects
the prune prices. Dried grapes will be
short, as wineries are paying good prices.
The Los Nietos walnut crop has been
sold at high figures. Apricots will be
good In conclusion, it is said that it
is uphill work in all fruit lines this year
and some local competitors are harshly
considered insane because of their
| methods. -'They go off on tear,'' it is
said, "and offer any prices even if they
are above what they can, at the remotest
idea, ever expect to obtain. They see
small section in which the crop is short,
and not realizing that this is large
state, they rush off with their hair
standing on end, and make purchases at
eXorbitant and unreasonable figures,
thereby exciting the producers to de-
mand the same figures of everyone, or
hold on to their product. These people
have made liberal purchases of dried
apricots at as high figure as 121a cents
here from producers, expecting to sell
them through their brokers east at
profit. They have made purchases OF
other things in the same proportion"