The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-05-15
CALIFORNIA FRUIT.
The Question Of Reaching The English
Market,
Fresh and Dried Fruits-Rapid Transit and
Cool storage-Fruits in tbs Eng
lish Markets.
written for The MORNING CALL

"What think you of the prospect of send
inr fresh fruit from California to EBgland?'
said a representative of The CALL to
mariner In one Of our largest commission
houses.
The gentleman thus addressed hal mo-
ment Of leisure to answer this and other
questions. 1T is an experiment" he re-
marked. "and We must wait 10 see what
comes Of il. Some of our dried fruits are
row in the English market, and the expert
elce is hopeful. bat not Tor everything we
send. For instance. dried peaches have not
taken very we'll. So far We have not sent
10 England any fresh fruit except few fine
navel oranges. OF course, Florida oranges
have been shipped 10 England IN great
Quantities, but it is a very different thing 10
send fresh fruit to England from California.
Heretofore we have had high rates and
vast amount OF time consumed on the
quincy. Now there is a possibility of saw
.aE FIVE or six days in reaching Chicago and
View York, and that is all in cur favor 1t
IS question what we can do in The time at
our disposal.
some fruits may not bear the Journey
Well. Cherries are difficult 10 preserve;
they are often in bad condition when they
arrive in New York, and If they left New
York in good condition they might have
don COnSignmentS-Of fresh grapes, have
MO doubt will be tried this year: in fact, all
sorts of fruit will be tried until we find out
what we can do. There would be good
market for our pears If they could be deliy
cred IN a sound state. The ruling price for
grapes here IS SO To S15 or $50 ton, and
If we could get 10 10 i cents per pound for
MusCats, TOkays, Black HAMBURG. or other
varieties in London, there ought TO be
good profit 10 the grower. The Chicago
vi NFtr Mi
ahead for this business. Ia Chicago the
agents undertake TO forward 10 New \ oTk
any fruit which Is in good condition, and
the New York agents say they have con-
nectiODs 10 London, and that they viii for
ward constituents whenever the state Of
the market warrants this being done. Some
Of the large growers here may send con-
signmeHts direct on their own account but
Tie bulk of the fruit would be sent to CHI
cagO or New \ Ik agents, who could de-
eide whether the quality was sufficiently
good 20 warrant further shipment Iuter-
mediate Inspection is almost necessary.
Railway rates have been the bugbear thus
far, but with faster schedule time the way
seems 10 be open 30 do more business"
THE MARKET IN ENGLAND.
The English market is absorbent in a
recnIar degree of all fe0d products. and
fruit Is one Of those products in which
the native supply Is very deficient Even
the growth of apples AID pears, which the
country could produce in ABUNDANCE, IS
neglected save in a few districts. Tie
apples OF DeYOnshiTe and Worcestershire
are in great part used for cideT-making, and
are of little value for the table. The pears
commonly seen In the markets are Of in
feriOT varieties, and none are comparable TO
the Duchesse of France or the Bartlett Of
California. Leaving canned pears out of
the reckoning, il may be said that most
OF the good pears come from France. OF
cherries, there IS an uncertain native sup
pIy. but imports IN great quantity come
from Holland and France. Berries are also
uncertain. In some years the English
strawberry. which is usually of supeTlatiye
quality. can be had at tbreepence or four
pence per quart; at other times, owing 10
scarcity, the price may be doubled or
tTebled. RaspbeTTleS, CuTrantS - black,
white and red-and cherries are shipped
daily bv steamer from the Dutch
ports, and also from Hamburg, 20
GTimsby, Hull, Leith and London,
and but for these foreign supplies the mar
ket would be very scantiiy accommodated.
Fresh figs are only seen on the tables OF
the rich, and grapes Of fine quality are too
dear 10 be bought By the masses, and the
vast ai0rity OF the people know nothing OF
their taste. Piueapples from the West
Indies are cheap enough, but the wealthy
have magnificent dollhouse specimens, as
we'll as melons, which, strange TO say, are
scarce as peaches at a poor mans dinner.
The mainstay Of the poor Ia fruit consists
Of oranges, apples, pears, plums, cherries,
fgS and dates the latter both hRnd-ViCked
and compressed into thick cakes. BY far
the greater part of this fruit comes from
abroad. No oranges are grown IN the coun-
Try al all, except as botanical specimens IN
con eryatoTies. Bananas are Of COMPARE
lively recent introduction, and cost too
mueh TO be universally appreciated.
THE ENGLISH TABIFF.
The customs tariff of the United Kingdom
laws duties only upon Is classes OF imports,
as follows: Beer, playing-cardS, cbicory,
choral hydrate, chlOr0foTm, cocoa, coffee,
eOlCduu ether, iGdyde Of ethyl, dried fruit,
uaphtha or oXmethyljc alcohol, soap in
which spirit has been used. spirits of yari-
Gus kinds, tea, tobacco, yaTniSb and wine.
Unfortunately IN this very limited list dried
fruit is included. There Is a duty Of 2
shilings per 112 pounds on euTrants, and OF
shiliings per 10 pounds on figs, fig cake,
piums prUnes and Taisins. Practically this
is a duty Of nearly 2 cents per pound on
several Of the dried fruits California can
supply, and Il IS very serious one when
high rates for Transportation are added.
But it is not q duty which viii be imposed
forever As the revenue becomes redundant
this inpOst may any year disappear, ana
very likely it viii soon 90, as the fruits
enumerated are largely used by the masses.
But while our Talslns, pTaneS and hgs are
atfe ted by this tariff, there is happily 10
duty upon oranges. peaches, apricOts,
grapes or pears, whether preserved or 10
the fresh state, and in due time we ought to
find "a ready market for all We can send to
the United Kingdom.
LUXURIEs II FRUIT.
Peaches and apricots sell at any price in
England. from penny to slXpence OF half
a crown each. Tie wealthy VIII pay any
sum for their luxuries; the masses who
make a market for the exporter cannot II
is doubtful whether California can send
these fruits across the continent and across
Ga osad r~aF novaf aa. dom
the TefrigeratOTs service on land as good as
il is at sea. All the way from New h aland
thousands Of boxes OF apples now reach
England ina a condition quite as fresh as
when plucked, and the success Of this enter
prise depends wholly upon good refrlgerat-
ing apparatus kept in operation throughout
the voyage. All the good Atlantic steamers
have Refrigerator Of the most efficient type
and large chambers with the temperature
kept below freezing point would be at the
service Of the fruit-shipDer N the coolest
weather. That Is better than the
ice service without machinery on land.
There ought to be 10 insuTmOuntable
difficulty in getting Bartlett pears
70 London in prime condition, and
II eacn pear sells at from cents 10 or 10
cents the grower should have some margin
Of profit. DuchesSe pears are usually Cd
each at the cheapest, and may even COM
mand shilling or I'D. The Bartlett is a
better pear, and when il gets to market " III
have no trouble in defeating the Duchesse
or any other Of the pear family in Europe.
The English public are familiar with the
canned specimens Of the Bartlett, but even
the most enthusiastic Californian will admit
there is considerable difference between
fresh and preserved fruit. But 10 reach the
English masses pears would require to be
much cheaper. The common varieties To
be seen in shops in the autumn do not sell
at more than to & cents per pound, aud
these will have the preference Of the masses
because Of cheapness.
ORANGES.
Oranges are always abundant and cheap
IN England. They come from every orange
growing country on earth, and prices range.
ancording To size and nnaIitY frnn 4 cant 10