The record-union., 1893-05-01
CALIFORNIA FRUITS AND MARKETS.
There is No Apparent Danger Of
Overproduction.
An Address Before the State Board of
Trade, April IL, 1898, by A. T.
Hatch, a Fruit-Grower.

fruit-grower, presented to the members
of the board, in an informal manner, the
results of his observations and long ex-
perience in the culture, preparation and
distribution of various kinds of Cali
tornia fruit products. Mr.. Hatch ap-
peared before the board by special invita-
ton, but expressly declined to make
set address on the plea that he was not an
adept at speech-making, and that he did
not propose to learn at this time. He eX-
pressed his readiness. however, to answer,
as well as he could, specific inquiries by
members of the board, and the result was
a most interesting and profitable dis
cussion, of which full report is here ap-
pended.
The first question was propounded by
w. II. Mills, who desired to know: "Is
the fruit industry making substantial
progress in California ?'' Mr.. Hatch re-
piled:
There is but one reply to that question;
the evidences are before you everywhere.
New orchards are being planted every
where throughout the State and there is
decided improvement in the culture and
care of green fruit, in canning and dry
ing, and in preparation Tor the market.
Our markets are widening, our facilities
for reaching them are better, and freight
charges have been materially reduced.
The output is being vastly increased, and,
as a consequence, the cry of overpro
production is being raised by the same
men who fifteen years ago were footing
the same horn. The past season, as "a
whole, has been profitable. Last year
the market was rather poor, owing to un-
usual conditions, and the year before we
received great deal more for our
products than we should have. Our
methods of placing fruit on the market in
advanced stages of ripeness have inn
proved its welcome among consumers.
The general testimony of Eastern people
is that our fruit is good, very good. Its
| quality has been improved by increasing
its ripeness before shipment. A few
years ago fruit placed upon the mark ct
was only from one-half to two-thirdS de-
veloped, but new peaches, for instance,
may be well developed and colored on
the tree and then shipped East, and they
will arrive in better condition than if two
thirds matured before shipment. EXpe-
| ditious service and proper refrigeration
| have been of vast value in accomplishing
these results. 1t may be stated as a we'll
attested fact that fruits, ripe, hard, firm,
! and with sufficient degree Of sugar in
them, can be carried further and their
qualities better retained than when
packed green. Taken altogether, l am
satisfied with the general condition of the
fruit industry and ain greatly encouraged
as to its future"
Mr.. Mills-What effect will the Worlds
| Fair have upon the demand for Calitor-
MIA fruits?
| Mr.. Hatch-Inquiry will be greatly
stimulated, no doubt, but l would not
advise poultry raIsers to ship all their
turkeys to San Francisco at Christmas
time; SO it must not be thought that
Chicago is the only place and the Worlds
Fair the only time for sale of our fruits.
Mr.. Cole of Fresno-What is your
opinion OF the relative value of irrigated
and nonirrigated fruits?
Mr.. Hatch-I do not live in a district
where irrigation is necessary, but my
own opinion is that nature is the best
| lrrigator. Here is an opinion, but it
may be wrong, that fruits from irrigated
districts do not seem to keep as we'll as
non-irrigated. L look upon irrigation as
an aid to natural conditions, and my
method would be, if l were to use irriga-
ton at all, to flood my lands in winter
with pure water and at a time when rains
are naturally expected, and | would stop
! flooding i'll the spring when the rains
naturally cease; then l would begin with
my cultivators.
Mr.. McAfee-Are you prepared to give
reason why there may not be overpro-
| supply all fruits required in the markets
! that can be reached and developed?
Mr.. Hatch-l think it can. 1t will be
| long time before the limit of production
in California is reached. Places by
| natural conditions well adapted to the
culture of fruits will be used first. Other
regions which can be developed will
eventually come into full bearing, but
their adaptability and resources must be
! learned carefully and it will take some
time to do it.
Q.-Do you think we will get markets
| for all the fruits that we will raise?
Mr.. Hatch-l think that our markets
and facilities for reaching the market will
increase as our prod increases. We
can afford to put fruits in England, for
instance, at last years prices, and make
fair profit. The cholera scare, however.
then prevented fair test. The English
people are pleased with some varieties of
our fruit, and prices so far realized have
been good. But charges for distribution
of fruits are now too great in every way.
Refrigeration, transportation by land and
sea, and commission charges for handling
and sale are too high. l might call atten-
tion to one feature of our shipments that
is bad. 1t costs the same 10 transport a
twelve-ton car OF fruit to New York as
ten tons, and we therefore stock a car
with the maximum. Now the cars we
the fruit actually arrived in better condi-
ton than that shipped to New York. The
entire cost of shipment to England was
81, 200 a car. l believe that transportation
companies will soon give us rate by
which II Will not cost us over $500 a car,
OF 800 more per car than we are now pay
ing to New York. 1t is obvious that with
these lower rates the market in England
will be widened.
Q.-Do you think there is a possibility
of producing too much good fruit?
MIR. Hatch-No, not now, nor at any
time. / think we will always get good
prices for all tirst-class fruit put on the
market in good shape. There is profit in
good fruit, no matter what the competi-
ton. There was once time in the East
in Ohio-when thousands of acres of
fruit fell to the ground and persisted.
That was when L was boy. There is a
difference now. The orchard acreage in
that State has vastly increased and none
of the product is wasted. The reason is
that they now have facilities for reaching
the market.
Q.-When the fruit product of Califor-
MIA was one-fourth what il is now, was
the market better or worse?
Alt was not so good. AS production
has increased in the past, so has the
market improved, and the analogy is that
it will in the future. For my own part l
AN SoihoA AZ wanting sIeaLer anu more
general cultivation of fruit, more people
in the business; l want our fruit indus
try to be so important that all people will
naturally look to California when they
want to buy. l want competition in
growing and handling, and improved
methods in all lines, because / know that
l. myself, as fruit producer, will have
the benefit of all this knowledge and i'm
provement of conditions that surround
the business.
Q.-Is distribution of fruit easier and
better than it was few years ago?
Mr.. Hatch Yes, five or six years AGO
IN I