Los Angeles herald., 1890-04-07
Ag Standard Eastern Au-
thority on the Subject.
A Series of Five Articles Run
in "Bradstreet's"
The Position of California Fruits in
Eastern Markets.
Selections From the Last Two Articles
of the Series-Fresh and
Dried Fruits.

Bradstreet's ,one of the standard author
tiles of the East on commercial matters,
has recently been running a series of
articles on California industries and the
business interests of the State. They
are evidently written by some one who
has made careful study of the resources
of the Coast, and they give reasonable
but none too fiattering statement OF the
possibilities of this section of the State.
The first article, which appeared sew
eral weeks ago, was on the subject OF
California citrus fruits. A part of this
was reproduced in the HERALD. 1t was
followed by one on California raisin cul-
ture, and this by one on Economic
Conditions in Southern California. In
the last two weeks two more have ap-
peared, one on fresh fruit and the other
on dried fruit. That a paper of the
standing of Bradstreefs should devote so
much space to these subjects is an indi-
cation OF the important position which
California fruits are winning for them
selves in the Eastern markets.
Lie lOllOWlLS SclcCIlOIS dTS tdkGu
from the articles on fresh and dried
fruits:
The New York agents of the Califor-
mia Fruit Union estimate the receipts
here of California grapes of last season s
production at "a, 900 double crates, and
express the opinion that 100000 such
crates could be sold here at net price
of not less than cents per pound for
the grower. Owing to short crop in
Spain, the arrivals of Almeria grapes
have been unusually small, or about
10000 barrels, against 225,000 barrels
last season. Only the very frmest,
handsomest and best-packed fruit COM
mands full prices. Shippers from Cali
fornia, in former years, have subjected
themselves to losses by carelessness or
negligence in packing. With care a
market on the Atlantic Coast is assured,
inasmuch as the greater part of the re-
eeipts come at a time when fresh fruit
from nearer points is scarce.
Peaches ripen in May in the country
around San Jose and continuously there
after until November. California
peaches, as we'll as pears, are of magniti-
cent size and excellent for canning and
drying. They find ready market dur
ing the early months east of the Rocky
mountains, but the amount sold fresh as
vet can hardly be called extensive.
Plums grow luxuriantly and would be
raised more generally if better market
were at hand. The great obstacle to
financial success in the production of all
these fruits is, of course, the enormous
cost OF transportation across the CONT
nent- The domestic market is small,
and the foreign market 1000 or 5000
miles away. Fast time is now made by
fruit trains during the season, and the
latest devices in car building insure the
preservation of the fruit in good shape,
but the hindrance of vast distances has
not been, and perhaps never will be,
fully overcome.
Two agencies have been at work for
some time with unusual energy to in
troduce the fresh fruits of California into
the Eastern markets. A choice collection
of the products of the State in large
railroad car is travelling all over the
country, under the name of "California
on Wheels" at the expense of the Cali
fornia State Board of Trade and the
Southern Pacific Company. This dis
play is admirable in many respects, and
has been visited with pleasure by good
many thousand people in the various
Board of Trade likewise maintains
nent exhibition of native fruits. At
the same time the fruit-raising in
dustry has now attained sufficient i'm
portance to make it valuable in busi-
ness way to Eastern wholesale and re-
tail merchants. Some of the largest
dealers are accordingly sparing no pains
to familiarize the people of the East
with the merits of the oranges, grapes,
pears and other orchard growths of the
Pacific Coast. Such efforts as are made
along this line have been favored by the
building of new railroads in some parts
of California, and a gradual reduction of
freight rates either in connection with
or apart from this competition. In
Southern California there were formerly
bitter complaints of the Southern Pa
cific's charges, but since the opening of
the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
lines the orange-growers, at least, have
had no grounds for fault-fnding.
Dried Fruit.
Sun-dried fruit is one of California g
more important products. The hundreds
of thousands of boxes of raisins sent to
market annually from that State are
wholly cured in the open air, and prunes
apricots, peaches and figs are treated in
the same way. Pears, also, were form
erly dried naturally with good results
but of late the taste of consumers has
changed and bleaching process is
found desirable. Curing in the sun is
made possible by one of the peculiarities
Of the climate, namely, entire absence Of
rain and the presence of very little
moisture in the air during the summer
and autumn months.
Prunes are perhaps the leading fruit
sold in the dried form. Many new or.
chards have been started during the past
few years and the annual output il
steadily increasing. The tree grows lux
uriantly and is easily cared for. An or
chard in full bearing in the vicinity o
San Jose is usually estimated to be worth
little less than $1,000 per acre. Th'
average yield is said to be $50 pounds tt
the tree, and q cents per pound for tht
green fruit is called low price. On thi
basis the net returns of an acre in full
bearing ought not to be less than 5000
The curing is done both in the sun ant
in eyaporators. A leading packing hous
says in recent circular that "the Cali
fornia prune is better in every way thar
4I,o E,o,ob T+ ;o of botfar GRO litv VI no,