The record-union., 1894-09-28

lduu, LD6y Will always make granQ prices
This year everything was against us.
l knew nothing about this fruit coming
forward until the English papers an
nounced it. Four days afterwards the
fruit was here. The weather had been
most unfavorable for weeks, rainy and
cold, when even French and English fruit
was almost unstable. We worked all
night to get the stuff sorted aud arranged,
and the next day it was on view. Every
thing was done that such short notice
permitted, and great collection of buy
ers from all over the Kingdom came to
see the American fruit. Considering the
circumstances the sale was successful, for
without any chance to work it up l sue
ceeded in securing the emphatic COM
mendation OF buyers, and this in spite of
the fact that the fruit was too ripe. The
same want of foresight continued. No
word was sent OF the second shipment,
nor of the third, and to-day l am abso-
lntely without any definite news whether
or not more fruit is to be shipped.
1T does not need any further discus
sion of the growers question, Will it
pay to ship California fruit to London?'
| answer emphatically, Yes But plenty
of advice should be given in order to pre-
pare buyers here, and California packers
should be in close cable communication
with US. Then some little changes should
be made in the methods of packing. The
boxes should be protected from being
squeezed in transit, and consequently
bruising the fruit.
Large fruits should be sent of choicest
grades and the size should be uniform.
California plums are magnificent, but,
however good, they will not realize high
prices in u glutted market. The state of
the market is easily advised. If Califor-
MIA growers, with their annually increas-
ing orchards, would carefully consider
and plan out all business arrangements
of California fruit shipments, they need
anticipate nothing but success and high
prices"
1t would be matter of lasting regret to
Londoners ii these spasinodic expert
ment in Introducing California fruit are
not succeeded by permanent arrange.
ments for its supply to the market, where
there is never diminishing demand for
picture fruit" which tastes as well as it
looks. No one in California would be-
lieye, without optical evidence, in the
dirty, spotted appearance of stunted,
tibrOus, dull green and brown vegetable
matter offered and bought in London
shops this year under the name of pears
1t is grade OF fruit Californians would
not consider, if they could grow it, to be
fit for anything above the use of hogs.
This is not the fault of the English grow
ers. 1t is chargeable to the English cli-
mate and its wonderful uncertainties.
Herein lies one of the reasons for Cali
fornia's fruit and her ability to capture
Covent Garden. Doubtless Floral Hall
will hereafter annually brighten with the
choicest colors of California orchards,
and the plethoric Duke of Bedford will
take his little pence per package from
Suisun Valley, no less than from the
valleys of France and the daies of Eng
land.
The method of the disposal of the fruit
at Covent Garden Market by auction
seems to be entirely favorable to indi-
vidual growers who combine in ship
ment Each lot is sorted and the boxes
are stacked in great avenues as they are
brought under Mr.. Whites lively ham
mer. They are sold in lots of ten or
twenty boxes. Two boxes of each lot are
opened. Twenty or thirty pears are de-
nuded of their wrappers and PASSED about
among the bidders, who are standing i'll
tiny ampitheater in front of the auc-
tioneer. AS a rule the color decides the
price. Sometimes some of the samples
are bitten into and occasionally cut opeu
to show that they are tenant!ess of
worms.
The bidding, as a rule. is rapid, some
times 1000 TO l,5U0 boxes being disposed
ofin twenty minutes. No buyer, however,
can obtain fruit in wholesale lots unless
he buys each successive lot OF twenty
boxes. This, of course, favors the widest
distribution of the fruit. Within an hour
OF the close of the sale ali OF the 5000 or
{, 600 packages have been delivered. By
noon of The day following they are in the
hands of The smaller wholesale dealers.
and the next morning they brighten the
retail shop windows everywhere, either
nested in pink paper in baskets holding
half a dozen, with tile label English
grown" "rirst William, 3 pence" or
banked with the blush side up and called
"trench William, pence, "or more rarely
piled promiscuously i'll a corner and an
nounced as California Bartletts, i penny"
1t is easily possible for Pacific growers to
put an end TO this state of things and
make the most valuable trade mark that
eau be put on pear in London the word
California;