News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-08-06
CALIFORNIA Fruit.

No Reason why It should Not he SUI
perior to That Imported from Europe.
The fruit canning season opened n
few days ago, and the members Of the
new canning combine are cogitating
over their prospects. A few facts are
patent to all. The fruit crop Is large
and the quantity Of canned fruit put
up this year will be larger than last
year, II the prices offered by Gamers
are sufficient to call il out.
BY the time the whole fruit crop Is
picked. in the east and on this coast,
jobbers will be able TO reckon II up
with some approach TO accuracy and 20
determine what they can afford 10 pay
for canned fruit. OF course there Is
price at which they will take our whole
product. People will eat all the canned
fruit that is offered II IL is cheap enough.
But when the markets are glutted con
sumers grow fastidious.
The competition which we are about
to witness will prove beneficial II IL
awakens our fruit growers to the knowl-
edge that the peaches grown In New
Jersey, Maryland and Delaware are ex-
cellent, and If our canned peaches arc
to conquer the market of the great val
leys they must be at least equal II not
better goods than the grocers of Chica-
go can get from New York OF Philadel-
phia. II is wasting time and money 10
ship inferior goods
OF two fruits we have n practical
monopoly. One Of these Is apricots,
which are not grown In commercial
quantities in the east. In this state we
raise them in carload lots, and there
is no fruit which is more luscious or
more wholesome when IL is properly
canned. Whether the business Of can
ming them has reached perfection, or
whether, I'm consequence Of the absence
of competition, it II carelessly conduct
ed, persons not in the trade are not
able TO judge.
But one thing experience teaches
when canned apricots are dear or are
inferior in quality people consume
canned peaches instead. IL rests with
the Gamers TO decide whether we shall
receive the full benefit of a market OF
which we now enjoy a monopoly.
The prune is another fruit In which
we have no eastern competition. Il Is
impossible to convert the eastern plum
into a dried prune that will sell Our
plums are naturally suited for drying.
Between the California prune and the
German or French prune II Is some
times hard 20 choose. The European
fruit has generally fine flavor, but the
California fruit is so much larger and
better looking that quite often II sells
for more money in New York and Chi.
cago. The prune promises 10 be quite
as profitable fruit TO raise In this state
as the apricot
We shall this year have something
like 5000 600 pounds OF prunes avail
able for export, which Is equivalent 10
$4,000, 600 pounds of plums; the pruner
are now worth about ten cents a pound,
or two cents for the green fruit, but
California prunes were wanted last year
at fifteen cents at Chicago, and they
have sold as high as twenty cents. Very
few of our horticultural products sell
as high as this.
In fruit, as in everything else, Il Is
quality that tells. 1t is the best goods
that bring in money; second class goods
frequently net a loss. California is fit
ted to become the orchard OF the world.
But il will not become so until human
Agenuity and human skill are enlisted
in helping nature. There is n vague
idea, especially among newcomers 10
this state, that fruit grows itself, and
that any man can be n fruit grower.
No person of common sense imagincs
that he can make n boot without APP
premiership, but there are lots of peo-
pie who imagine that they can become
successful horticulturists without study,
observation or labor San Francisco
Jail.