Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1895-04-11
CALIFORNIA FRUIT.
Pajaro Valley Alone ships over One
Thousand Carloads.

Some idea of the extent of the fruit
growing industry in California may be
cleaned from he following extracts from
Pajaro valley Cali paper sent by
| former resident OF Ellsworth, now OF
that place, to friends here:
There is no interim in the fruit-ship-
ping year in Psjaro valley. The calendar
year opens when apple shipments TO
Eastern points are being actively pushed,
and before all the apples are out of the
packing houses small fruit shipments
! have commenced; and in brief season
berries are supplemented by stone fruits,
and then again comes shipments OF the
/ king of Psjaro fruts-the apple.
The development oft fruit interests Of
/ this section has been gradual. 1t is based
on the solid foundation of choice soil and
unexceptionsble climate for the perfect
] growth Of the more pupulsr classes OF de
/ ciduous fruits. and has been unmarked.
/ very fortunately. by any of the elements
of boom and fictitious valuations of
land.
For over ten years this point has been
source Of supply for small fruits for The
san Francisco market, ana has always
shipped apples in some quantity: but the
growth OF the latter interest has been
NEST marked in the last six or seven
years. The area OF apple orchards hss
been steadily increased, until the acreage
nov planted VIII be able hen in full
bearing to supply not less than 100000
boxes annually, or about i.opo carloads
The Pajaro apple has gained and held
market N he East on account Of Its eN-
celience in quality, il perfection OF form
and eeloring, its freedom from pests, and
the superior manner in which il : packed
+ fer shipment. In the East apples are
packed in barrels containing from three
to four boxes, and they more or less
bruised in making up the package. In
this section the pine or FIR box. contain
ing about fifty pounds of fruit, is used
exclusively for Eastern apple shipments.
+ Ii makes neat case, and the quantity OF
fruit is of more desirable size than the
barrel for the retail purchaser. Most OF
the Eastern shipments are Of the first
grade. and pack four tiers to the box in
the larger varieties,
yellow bellefeurs, Newtown pippins,
white and red winter pearmsins, Mis-
souri, pippins, Romantics and Smiths
cider, are the principal varieties handled
for Eastern shipment, the three first
named varieties being far in the lead.
Fruit shippers have been in the habit
Of buying orchards during the spring
in the blossom" as il is called. The i'm
E,yf
them 10 some extent in this daring form
OF purchase. Such a system OF purchas-
ing truit-tiguring ON a blossom outlook
is unknown elseW here, and would break
the solidest New York apple buyer if he
tried il IN the apple districts of his state.
Year after year our orchards blossom and
the trees bear heavily, ana our orchard
lists do not figure on crop failure in their
apple orchards. Comparatively but a
small amount of the crop : handled by
growers. Nearly all of il Is bought in
the blossom stage. The picking. handling
ana packing business Is almost entirely
in the hands OF Austrians, no have been
trained IN the business and thoroughly
know every detail thereof. The inspec-
ton they make of fruit for Eastern ship
ment Is as critical as that of champagne
by experienced cellarmen during the
period of processing.
The Eastern shipments of apples
amounts to 23s carloads. 1t i estimated
that the shipment of apples, stone fruits
and berries to San Francisco and other
California points, during he same period,
amounted to over 80 car loads, making
the aggregate fruit shipments from this
valley during 1894 not less than 1000
carloads.
During the berry season. which con-
1inues from April to December, from
three to seven carloads per day Of straw
berries, raspberries and black berries, are
shipped during the heavy crop period
The estimate of 1000 loads is made
by persons who are eonversant with the
daily fruit shipments, and they claim to
be under the mark at those figures.
The product OF the jacksonville beet
sugar factory for the past season will
approximate 1000 carloads. Two thou
sand carloads of fruit and sugar per an
mum from this small valley Is a surprising
ly large output OF sweetness, hut Pajaro
Is going to surpass those figures in the
future. In addition 10 these shipments,
there are exports OF potatoes, beans, &C.
reals, hops and other produce, which will
swell the export shipments Of the most
fertile section of California to not less
than 5000 carloads per annum-and it all
comes out of the soil, and the soil is left
to keep up the high productive gait.