The herald., 1894-04-30
THE CITRUS FRUIT TRADE,
The Prices in the Eastern
Markets.
The Influence on the Market OF Cali
fornia's Crop.
Freight Rates Against Coast Growers.
some Heavy Imports From
Italy and
Spain.


San francisco Chronicle: Many for.
tunes have been made and lost by inn
porters OF lemons, the trade varying
greatly in the different annual seasons,
which begin about this middle of October
and end in September, says the New
York Tribune. The season OF 1893-94
has thus far been, importers declare,
the most disastrous ever known in the
business, although it opened favorably.
On the cargoes which arrived by the
frat two or three steamers from Sicily.
bringing from 10000 to $4,000 boxes
eacL, the importers realized profit OF
from 81 to So box. The cargo OF the
California, being the first steamship to
arrive from Meseina. and reaching here
in the last week of November, consisted
of $1,000 boxes. 1t was sold on Decem-
ber lst at from so 25 to $5.25 box for
good and fancy lemons.
The season continued prosperous until
the end OF December, but with the
opening of January the demand sud
denly slackened most surprisingly, and
! within only two weeks lemons were sold
at such ruinously low prices that the
importers lost not only the profit that
they had aaade in the early part of the
season, but also tens Of thousands OF
dollara additional. The prices on Feb
ruary 8, 1898, ranged from So to So 50
box OF fair to fancy lemons, while on the
same date Of this year only from rs
cents to 1926 could be obtained for
lemons OF the same grades. At the
auction sale last Friday the prices
ranged from 80 cents to $2.75 box,
showing q some What improved market,
but there appears to be no chance, under
existing conditions, for importers to Off
set their losses during the remainder OF
the season.
There are several causes TO which the
serious loss both OF money and trade is
attributed. Among them are the heavy
importation. the hard times and the
fact that California now supplies the
western markets almost as Tar east as
Chicago. The last lemon crop of Cali
fornia ia estimated at about 40 coo boxes,
aud that of Florida at about $4,000.
There were imported from Sicily lsst
year q 595 901 boxes, against only 454,-
035 in 1898. The Siclian lemons are
considered better than those from Cali
fornia gnd Florida, which are about
alike in quality. The finest lemons
come from Maiori and Sorrento, in
Sicily, and during the summer they
range in price from So TO $40 box.
During the interval OF about three
months between the closing OF one regu-
lar season and the opening OF another,
ahe1s dl24 9QQ 1 69xss es Of Spanish lemons
number of lemons -. a L--- -.,,,,sa So -
800 to 900, 80 JuRJ VtIO IaaeA ba. ef Is.aaa1lz 4
grown in this country and the number
Of those imported are together from
$50, 600, 900 to 1,026, ,000,0 900 annually.
The production OF lemons in Sicily,
especially in the province of Palermo, is
now 20 great that it exceeds sheir con-
! sumption in all countries to which they
are shipped. The fruit importers think
that the Italian government should
restrict the expectation of lemons to this
country 80 that only the best grades
would be sent here, the inferior enes being
used in dietilleries and distributed in
European markets, where they are in
demand. The principal shippers OF Mes
sina and Oatania distribute their lemons
according to the demands of different
countries, but the shippers of Palermo
and Sorrento have been accustomed to
ship the greater part of their lemons of
ali grades to the United States instead
of distributing them proportionately
among the ports of this country. Trieste,
Odessa, Hamburg, St. Petersburg and
the markets of England and Holland.
There is q practical movement On foot
in the fruit trade of this city TO prevent
the shipping from Italy to this country
Of inferior lemons.
l0 fnfl
ported to be in an improved condition,
count OF bad weather snd the prevailing
financial depression. Its condition has
been improved on account of drawbacks
which have been experienced in the
Florida trade. Florida is recognized as
q strong competitor with the Sicilian
trade, but this season the Florida or
ange5 have not arrived in good condi-
ton, and the demand fer Sicilien or.
anges has consequently largely in
creased. The Florida oranges in many
instances have been found on arrival to
be discolored and in state of decay
So many oranges have decayed in tran
sit or after being landed that heavy
losses have been incurred by both chip.
pers and buyers. The deterioration OF
the Florida crop this season 10 attribut-
ed to unusually heavy and frequent
rains while it was growing, and to other
unfavorable climatic influences. Thou
sands of boxes have arrived in such bad
condition that they were sold at once
on the wharves for barely enough tc pay
the cost OF boxing and freight, leaving
nothing whatever to compensate the
grower for producing and packing his
fruit.
The last crop of Florida oranges was
enormous, being estimated at 5000, 900
boxes, against only 1900, 600 the pre-
vious year, showing fouffold increase.
This great increase was caused by the
large number of young groves which
were brought into bearing last year.
The California crop is rapidly increas-
GlAiTssEsl ytssa=sl - f,.z.z.l Fs:.--l fs.