Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-12-06

porters andfTrunsportatiOn Agents May
Produce Good Resuits5-How the Fruit
is Shipped Across the Atlantic Ocean.
Report OF Claude Mceker, United Statos Con-
sui at Bradford, England.
The largest shipment of American
fruit ever received In England from the
United States, arrived by the steamship
Paris at Southampton on Wednesday,
August 22d. It consisted of 5000 pack
ages, weighing in all ITO tons. The
officers Of the American line at South
ampton, in courteous replyto questions,
informed me that the fruit arrived in
apparently good condition. 1t consisted
of few grapes and large quantities of
pears, plums, and peaches. The cham
Der in which it was conveyed from New
York to Southampton was kept, by me-
chanical means, uniformly at 40o. 1t
was consigned to Messrs. w. N. White
g. Co., Coeent Garden Market, London,
fruit and potato merchants and brokers,
who have ten warehouses, sale rooms,
and offices in London, and also large
place in Liverpool. AS various reports
were current concerning this enormous
shipment, l essayed to gain accurate
particulars from the firm, and received
letter from Mr.. w. N. White, the
principal. which contained the appended
information:
Owing to the extreme heat prevailing
in the United States before the goods
were Shipped, most of the pears arrived
in New York from California too ripe.
Messrs. White d Co., speak, however,
in the highest terms Of the painstaking
care of the American line. An agent of
the consignees met the.steamer at South
| ampton, and found that the temperature
Of the room in which the fruit was
| stored had been kept at a uniform rate
| of 40o during the voyage. AT this tenn
perature, Mr., White states, other condi-
| tions being favorable, the fruit should
have arrived in good order. 1t was sold
at auction to the highest bidder at the
sale rooms in Coyent Garden. The
prices paid were
| Pears, ripe, per box. 90 to 1.50
Pears, green, per box. ......... 200 to 2.5U
| Pears, green, per half buX..... 80 to .9f
i Plums. per half crate. LBS to 200
Peaches, per half crate. ....... .97 to LIS
half craze. ............,..... $50
| NectarlneS,' III poor order, per
half crate..,... .97 to l.25
Only three crates of grapes arrived at
this time, and they were considered
very poor indeed, No quotations have
been given for them. The greater por.
ton of the grapes sold IN the English
market are grown in home greenhouses
They are superior In size and 1ayor,and
are very expensive. Foreign grapes,
usually, are not agreeable to the English
palate.
The fruit, asa whole, would, however
have given satisfaction to the buyers
had it not been oyerripe. Touse an ex'
preston common to the trade, sit went
rotten too soon" To insure success
hereafter, the fruit should be plucked
before it is entirely ripe, due allowance
being made for the distance it has tt
travel and the market in which tits sold
Concerning the pears, Mr.. White
staLes that "had they arrived green ant
in good condition, they would have
brought fully 80 to so per cent more,
thus showing that the transaction woulc
have resulted probably TO the con
q signors. This fact seems to augur wei
, for the future. Growers should know
| what markets their fruits are harvested
for, and govern themselves accordingly
For instance, the California fruit-growe
/ should select fruits for the English mar
ket in condition that would stand
, journey Of fifteen to eighteen days
! including delays.
The plums, which keep better, wer
magnificent and in fine condition; there
: fore, they brought good prices, not
, withstanding the adverse circumstanc
! that the English crop is very heavy thu
year and of good quality. The peache
D and nectarines were nearly all in very ba
: condition. A few Of the latter in fairl
: good order and realized good price.
This sale was attended by agents an
: buyers from all the inland point
: Henry Scott, wholesale fruit merchar
OF 113 and ia St. James Market, Brad
r ford, bought some Of tails fruit for sal
in the local market. | called upon hit
personally and obtained his views q
follows:
Had it not been for the fact that some
the fruit was TOO ripe, it would have give
p satisfaction. The plums were especial
fine. On the whole, | did not make none
by the transaction.
There is an immense market for fru
in England, especially in the inteiio
people in good condition. With tl
GACGlttlOi Vi BlhpGS, WHlSHt u5 DSlb
stated, are both good and expensiy
most Of the fresh fruit is wretched stu
Early cherries are good, and, now ar
then, good pears are found, thoug
most Of the latter bear evidence
having been picked in an immatu
state and then ripened in the natur
process of decay. The melons (som
what similar to the American mus
melon) are a traVesty. They are il
ported from Spain, and must
gathered before they have Obtain,
their full growth and while yet entire
green. They turn an unhealthy yello'
ripening in the windows of the sho
keepers. have purchased these melo
for my own table and found four out
five unfit for food. In some cases t
seeds were only half developed, and
one melon, more mature than othe
in which the seeds had fully deyelopc
they had sprouted from lying in t
melon so long. Yet these unwholesol
things fetch from Is to rs cents each
retail, while in the United States tho
of the most luscious character often
begging at cents. The English melo
grown in greenhouses are edible, thou
hacking in fine flavor. They cost from