Los Angeles herald., 1891-11-02
FRUIT POINTERS.
OF INTEREST FROM
THE TRADE JOURNAL.
Prunes-A Statement from Porter Bros.
Lemons.

The Riverside Press of Saturday
prints the following fruit pointers from
the Fruit Trade Journal of October oath:
BALTIMORE, Oct. 23.-The step toward
prominence was taken by the Florida
orange today. 1t was only little step,
it is true, but it was none the less en-
phatic. 1t was in the shape of the first
auction sale OF the season, which was
held by Messrs. Dix & Williams. Two
hundred boxes were sold at from $3.50
to So per box, Florida lemons bringing
81. so to $3.50 at the same time. The
stock graded from poor to fair, and met
good demand.
Some idea of the rapid increase of
dried fruit in California may be shown
in the two articles, raisins and prunes.
OF the former, the United States, very
few wears ago, imported from Spain
from 100000 to 100000 boxes
of twenty pounds each, while last year,
with an increased population, the total
import scarcely exceeded 800, 900 boxes,
while the state OF California produced
l 900 900 boxes and in the article of
prunes California shipped nearly 1000
carloads to the other states, which in
quality outsold the best grades from
France. However favorable the Malaga
district of Spain for the production of
raisins, and however low the minimized
labor there, and the low rates OF freight
to London, California will be compelled
to compete in that article, with that dis
trict, in the London market within five
years. That is, under normal condi-
tions.
r. n. Doe, manager of Porter Bros.
company, saws: There is hardly any
perceptible change in prices of California
fruit to speak OF. The demand has been
fully equal to the arrivals, which have
moved steadily. There is one feature,
however, which fear the trade is losing
sight OF. From advices received from
Almeria it appears the last shipment OF
grapes for this season has left that coun-
try; we also note the loss of fully 80 per
cent. of the local crop. Coupling these
facts with the reported shortage in Cali
fornia, grapes must assuredly take an
upward tendency. Pears also will pres
emily be very short, but we are antici-
pating the needs of our friends"
The Florida orange growers realized
quite satisfactory prices the last two
seasons, and all indications point to
very fair values for the coming crop.
That is to say, good fruit will bring good
prices. The average value for Florida
oranges may not be as high as some
others, but we must not forget that like
her uneven soil is her product-a large
quantity of her oranges are very poor.
Values will correspond with qualities.
A leading fruit operator: The oldest
and wisest heads in the trade got badly
fooled on lemons the past season. They
loaded up in June, expecting, OF course,
to run them off in July at fair margin.
July was so remarkably cool throughout
the country that there was no opening
to unload, except at a big loss-the mat
ter of decay alone being big part of the
shortage inevitable to every investor.
The raisin crop of California is placed
at 100000 boxes, which is about 30O,-
600 boxes more than last year. Prices
for raisins are lower than last year but
the growers will still be ahead of the
record all round.
A Chicago firm this week contracted
through its representative in northern
New York for $4,000 barrels of winter
apples at $1.75 per barrel, allowing an
additional 25 cents for the empty bar
rels.
The United States imported $4,500,-
600 worth of bananas and 1882, $40 worth
of cocoanuts last year. New York was
the largest receiving point, with New
Orleans good second.
Nuts will be plentiful this season.
There is every indication of large
home production. But there won't be
too big supply to do the foreign nut
market much damage.
The peanut crop is in fair condition
and will be about IS per cent of the
enormous crop of last year, when
100000 bushels were grown. y
Comm end able.