Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-11-06
A GLUT IN THE APPLE CROP.

Dealers in apples in New York pro.
Tess to entertain gloomy view of the
prospects for the fall and winter trade
They say that there will be no profit
either for them or for the producers
The leading dealers give surprisingly
varying estimates of the prices at
which apples can now be bought and
sold, and this inconsistency is caused
by the fact that, as lerge dealer said
today, man can go down to the apple
dock and pay about what he pleases.
The most important of the causes
producing the present very low prices
is the size of the crop in this cour try.
According to the latest Government
reports. it is 70 per cent for the country
at large, which is almost the practical
maximum. 1t is the largest crop in
four or five years. Last year the crop
was AZ per cent, which is looked upon
as fair average crop. Prices, it is
true. were high last year. but that was
due to the failure of the crop abroad.
This year there is not only good crop
in the regions near New York. the
Hudson River districts, Western New
York, New Jersey and Connecticut,
and an enormous crop in the West,
North and South. but Europe also has
SO large crop that none will be needed
from this country. Canada has large
crop and all the surplus goes to Europe,
her only outlet, SO for American ship
pers there lis no outlet. Last year it
was the outside demand that raised the
market" said one dealer; "this year
we have no Europe. no North, no
West" There is little shipping to
Europe, but it is at absurd prices.
Last year Europe took about /, 500, 900
bushels from this country. Most of
the dealers expect this situation to
continue practically the same. More
apples than usually will be stored, they
will not all be sold and many will rot
At the lowest prices they cannot be
disposed of. Others take slightly
more cheerful view. They say that
the demand will be greater when the
weather is cooler, and also that prices
will go up when the first pickings are
disposed Of There is always trouble
early in the season from a poor quality
of apples. windfalls and apples picked
somewhat prematurely to give the
others on the tree chance to grow.
Much Of this poor fruit is now on the
market. 1t all comes from this vicin-
ity, most Of it from New Jersey, some
from Connecticut and New York. 1t
pays to send in this poor stock only
from points from which the freight
rates are low.
First.class fruit for table use still
brings some fair prices, though they
are surprisingly facilitating. The very
best pippins and Jonathans, hand
picked and perfect. sometimes bring
50. so a barrel. At other times almost
the same apples will be sold for 81 less
The very best apples are always scarce
enough to have some value, even in the
years of glut. The principal standard
varieties, Ben Davis, Baldwins. Green
ings, now sell ON the average from 81
to $1.25 barrel, whereas they bring
in average years from $1.25 to 50. It
seems probable that when the poor
stock is out of the way these prices
will advance about % cents. Even the
prices stated f1uctuate much. Recent
ly large dealer sold lot of Greetings
at 10 cents barrel. Only a few
Greetings have brought Las. Bald
wins have been selling from 81 to 1925,
with $3.50 occasionally for the very
BEST Few Of the Ben Davis variety
are coming IN, as the 85 cents freight
rate from Missouri makes it unprofta.
BILE to ship them. They sell anywhere
from 81 to 81. 80 for average quality.
Green pippins have been selling at
$1.25, and extra fine ones in large
round oak barrels at $3.50.
For the grower the outlook is no
more promising than it is for the
dealer. Dealers offer the grower about
30 cents for the fruit in some districts,
and the farmers often prefer not to sell
at all. In other places 80 cents for the
fruit on the tree is all that is offered
where 30 cents is given for the fruit
on the tree 80 cents is given for it
picked and packed. In quantity the
general crop is good. In New York
and some other Eastern districts hail
storms have made the apples knotty and
poor, but the West and North report
the fruit in good condition. The time
for Southern apples is nearly past but
what late apples are grown there are
also good.
To meet this large supply there is
little, if any, increase in demand per-
ceptible. The theory of most of the
dealers is that apples being largely
luxury their cheapness has no effect on
the class of people who consume most
of them. New York Post.