The herald., 1895-05-09
Horace W. Day at the Chamber
of Commerce
A DEALERS INFORMAL TALK
The Originator Of the Fruit Auction
Selling System
An Instructive Discourse Upon Fruits, Crow
ers, shippers and Consumers The
Future Regarded a. Bright

had been announced for some time past
to meet the decduous fruit growers at the
chamber of commerce at L $50 p. m. yes
terday and the citrus fruit growers an
hour later, and as the head Vt the largest
New York firm of green fruit dealers he
would give the Southern Cal ifornia
orchardists brief talk upon fruits from
the standpoint OF an eastern dealer. Hor-
ace W. Day was at the appointed place
and at the appointed time and so were
few psrsons--a very few persons--who had
come to hear what Mr.. Day would b ave
to say. 1t seems strange that SO little
interest should have been manifested
on the part of fruit growers generally as
was indicated by the meager attendance
yesterday afternoon. One is at loss to
ascribe the cause accurately. The fact re
mains, however. that there was but
fraction present OF those who should have
attended.
Mr.. Day is 45 or AZ yeaes OF age,
Of good presence and possesses de-
cidedly eastern pronunciation in talking.
W. 4. Collins of the San Antonio fruit
exchange in :, few well chosen words,
introduced the speaker who Immediately
plunged into his subject. and in an en-
tirely informal way. His talk-for that
pest describes the delivery of the interest
ing Information given to his listeners
was frequently interrupted by questions
propounded by interested horticulturists.
These were answered gladly and the
practice encouraged. In substance and in
part Mr.. Day said:
z The firm of which | am a member has
been in the green fruit business for some-
thing like twenty-five years, and has been
handling California fruits for the past
eight years. About nine years ago gen.
tleman from Sacramento called at the
nd taly CnIi 10
fruits to me. He asked me how | liked
California aprcots. | told MIN l had
never eaten one; that times were too
hard to admit OF paying 10 or II cents TO
an apricost. Anout that time the Cali
fornia Fruit union came into existence.
handling and consuming California decid-
uous fruits in an ever increasing quantity.
Previous to that time fruits from the Pa
cific coast had come in ver- small guam
titles and in irregular shipments from
Chicago.
Eight years age, first suggested the
idea of selling shipments OF coast fruit
at auction. The idea was received with
expressions oi surprise and doubt us to
the success of the plan. but the auction
sale was had and it was pronounced
success. and now auction SALES are regu-
larly held in not only New York City.
but Boston, Chicago and other oenters.
have recently visi ted twenty or TWEEN
ty-five places in the nothern part of the
state. The outlook for this season is bet
ter than that for last year. The finances
OF the country are better-everything is
better. This country has been very
.'sick man," but he is getting better not
decided and emphatic. Petroleum. cot
ton. beef. iron. are all higher in price.
Two or three cotton mills of when l know
personally. have advanced the wages of
the employees, and thisis being extetnd-
ed. The charges for reaching market
have been lowered. or AFt sh f'G
Apricots will be scarce; there VIII not
be much better than a quarter crop
Cherries will be fair. Peaches will Be
abundant, and the financial return for the
grower of. peaches, | am afraid. will not
be good. Reports from Georgia. Delaware
and New Jersey show probable large crops.
and this condition must result in mate
rial lowering in peach retuns. Th Cali
tornia peach, however, brings just double
the price in the New York market that
the others do. In spite of this, the pros
poets for the California peach orchardist
consider poor. think there would be
more money III evaporating peaches this
year than in shipping them green. Dried,
they ;can be kept we'll along into next
year, and by that time confidence will have
been completely restored, money will be
plentiful and people will indulge their ap-
petites for fruits more than is possi ble
now.
Those who also will evaporate their
apricots, l think, will make money. l
believe .evaporated fancy quality april
cots will bring a high price next, year.
Bartlett pears and prunes will do we'll
east this year. but they must be picked
and packed carefully. Be honest in your
fruit on the top and the inferior on the
bottom. Don't ship your inferior fruit
at all. Why will you pay freight on poor
quality fruit for which there is no mar
ket? Don't do it.
The Muscat grape is not liked in the
east. The Tokay is the favorite there. 1
have been told that the Muscat is superior
to the Tokay. My friends, it is not what
you like, or what L like, or what you con-
slider should sell. New Workers want
good sound Tokays and il you have more
Of them than you require ship them to
New York. Our people will give good
This finished Mr.. Days talk on decidu-
GUS fruits and questions were invited.
These elicted the following:
Our auctions are fairly and honestly
conducted. There can be no such thing
in New York as combine to destroy the
effects of competitive bidding. Why, the
fellows there have not confidence enough
in each other to ever com mbine. Not
long ago q cargo of lemons arrived it
took two or three days to unload stack up
the boxes and make the proper display.
The display was fair one. here and
there in box would be one, two Ut per-
hups three decayed pieces. The prospec-
tive buyers came, critically examined the
shipment and walked away pronouncing
1t no good. AS matter OF tact that
cargo sold for more money than had
been expected, for one by one those fell
lows sneaked in and bought their sup
plies. each man of them fearful lest the
others should see him.
No pause marked the point where the
talk upon deciduuus fruits was finished
and where the talk upon citrus fruits be-
gan. The one merged into the other
eas ly and naturally. Continuing, the
speaker said
New York City alone consumed last
year 1000, 900 boxes OF Florida oranges.
45O 700 boxes Of Mediterranean oranges
and II few boxes from Jamaica. Florida
- ,oor FLORIDA! She is hurt badly. We
ali sympathize with suffering. But
here is u strange fact-it Florida had not
been frosted the California orange grow
ers would have done better through the
season now almost closed. Until tais
year the California navel orange was au
Unknown quantity in the New York and
ca tern markets. Your market was
found in tile great mid lie west. I.nine.
diately following the first freezing
i orida the European shipper was noti-
fed and we were swamped with foreign
fruit. These European shipments re-
smiled in great losses but the great influx