The record-union., 1892-06-08
FORTUNES IN FRUIT RAISING.
{. L. GoodseII's Talks About His
California Trip.
The Wonderful Increase in the Fruit
Shipping Business
of Late.
New York Tribune. June 7st.7

-Four years ago 100000 pounds of Cali
fornia fruit were sold in New York; last
year 100000 pounds found purchasers
here, and this year e. L. Goodsell the
1ruit auctioneer, who has large fruit in
terests IN California, and who has just re-
turned from four months stay on the
Pacific Coast, says that the amount of
fruit sent to New York to be sold will be
fully 20,000,000 pounds. The fruit-pro-
ducers of California now have the benefit
OF the fastest freight transportation in
the world, says Mr.. Goodsell, as at this
time it is possible to run through solid
train loads of California fruit from Sacra-
meuto to New York in seven days. The
Fruit Transportation Company succeeded
in establishing this fast freight service
this spring, and from this time on fruits
from the Pacific Coast will be shipped to
the East in less time than was dreamed of
a few years ago.
Mr.. Goodsell collected much valuable
information about the fruit industry dur
ing the months he was in the Golden
State, and he has figures that show that
the fruit production OF California amounts
to S35, ,00O, 900 more than the production OF
]
gold output, while the fruits amount to
S5O,OD0,000 annually. Here is what Mr..
| Goodsell says about California and the
fruit industry:
Land i'll lS49 that was used only to dig
gold out Of is now growing wheat and
fruit that each year sells tor 500, 100000
the value OF each product being equally
divided. Beside this, Spain, France and
Turkey formerly supplied America with
the IlO,OU0,OOO POUNDS OF raisinS and
prunes that are annually consumed. These
fruits are now grown so extensively IN
the Golden State, and are so popular by
reason OF their superiority of flavor and
quality, that the foreign products are
nearly driven out OF the market. This is
illustrated by the fact that where Califor-
MIA produced and shipped in 1891 q ,0O0,-
600 pounds Of prune5 and $1,000, 900
pounds OF raiSinS, there were only i'm
ported 100000 pounds of pruneS and
IS,OO0,0O0 pounds of raiSinS, as against the
previous years importation OF Ol ,O0O, ,O0O
pounds OF prunes and 44,O0O,0 600 pounds Of
ralslns, showing joint falling Off OF 49,
O0O,OOO pounds OF both kinds of fruits in
! one year.
lit is safe to say in three years the pro-
duction in California viii be enough to
supply America and preclude importa-
TONS altogether teaches, pears, plums,
cherries, apricotS and grapes are also
grown, of the finest flavor and appear
ance. Formerly it was claimed that some
OF these varieties were taSteess. The art
of cultivation has been brought to such
perfection, however, that both these de-
Sirable qualities are now conceded to the
Pacific Coast products. The finest prune
produced in the world is grown on the
ranch of a retired army surgeon. This
man utilized his knowledge Of organic
chemistry in the curing Of this fruit and
enriching the soil to the song of an in
come Of $4,000 year from property that
he gave 5000 for twelve years ago.
"A comprehensive view of the greatness
of the 'tree-fruit' industry can be had
from the statement that there are nearly
100000 trees planted in California, of
all the varieties named. When these are
all in bearing fully one billion pounds of
fruit will have to be marketed.
Last year fourteen days was the aver
age time in transit, and the reducing of
the time to seven days makes the proba-
bility of fruit landing here in perfect con-
dition unquestioned. In this event $780,
900 can be saved to the growers yearly
from what has been realized in the past
1t is significant, too, that in California
any fruit produced anywhere can be
grown inits perfection on the Pacific Coast
and that not one-third Of the available
fruit land is now under cultivation.
Therefore, when we read fthat in 1891
there were shipped out Of the State 352.-
100000 pounds Of fruit OF various kinds,
l2,000,000 gallons of wine and brandy
1,590, 900 boxes of oranges, there is not
only material for consumption but also
for reflection as TO where it will go in the
future. Active minds are taking uD the
question, and England has been made an
outlet possible for green fruit already bv
placing refrigerating boxes on board fast
steamers, an experiment that has been
recently tried with considerable success.
Dried fruits are already favorably known
and disposed of there. The process of
shipping fruit i'll green state has neces-
sariIy been reduced to a science in order
to get it here in marketable shape. Picked
from the tree, it is packed in neat boxes.
often each fruit wrapped in paper and
loaded into refrigerator-car built exclu-
siyely for the business. Trains of fifteen
of these cars are made up at Sacramento
and hurried over the mountains and