New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-12
LEMONS AND ORANGES.
THE PECULIAR CONDITIONS OF TRADE.
LEMONS ARRIVING IN ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
SCARCE AND LIKELY TO BE DEAR

LEMONS ARRIVING IN ABuNDANcE-oRANGEs
SCARCE AND LIKELY TO BE DEAR
FOR LONG TIME.
The lemon importing season Is now wei! Hhder
way. Mediterranean lemons are again In ample
SUNNY and shipments Of the new crop are begin
ming 10 arrive in swift succession on account
Of the exceptionally early maturing OF the SCH
ian lemon crop this year the season opened about
two weeks earlier than last year and three weeks
earlier than in 1899. The first shipment OF new
lemons arrived on board the steamship Scotia
which reached here on November from Messina
with 20 900 boxes large part Of which were so!d
on Monday. November L. for from 81 TO ~ %
box for choice sound fruit. that In inferior cond-
ton being disposed of at merely nominal prices
while last November the first invoice OF new
sicilian lemons sold az average price OF
800 bcx considerable percentage OF the IN
voice selling high 81 Is a box.
STATISTICS FOR RECENT YEARS
While discussing the conditions OF the lemon
trade in this city past. present and future
prominent local wholesale ffu, merchant said 10
Tribune reporter the other day:
The annual lemon importing season Is supposed
20 extend from September in one year TO August
81 in the next year, II Is necessary TO mention
two years in order properly TO designate an an
nual season. or so to speak fsca! year me
OF 1884 opened favorably. but ended as
astrously TO the importers. who lost large sums OF
times ard increasing competition Of the Florida
lemon growers The importation OF Sicilian lem
in that year amounted TO 2os0lW BOXES
against only 4A .0Sj boxes in 1913, twenty years
earlier. on December !. 1893. good ana fancy
lemons were sold at wholesale auction for from
q 25 TO s. d box but month later prices began
rapidly to decline and toward the end OF the sea-
son were practically only nominal.
THE lemon season Of 1Sei-95. that is for the year
beginning September 1. 1894 and ending August 81
1896 fairly successful and importers, gen
orally. made considerable money. good prices
realized, the supply having been restricted
through the Withholding of lemons by the Mediter-
ranean shippers. caused by the increased Shipment
by them of oranges account of the destruction or
about 100000 boxes. or one-haf or the Florida
orange crop. by the severe storms of last winter
The lemon crop OF California last year was about
100000 boxes and probably will be about 10000 boxes
this year. but that crop will give no perceptble re-
lief to this market. II will be nearly all disposed
OF west Of the Mississippi River. Floridas lemon
crop last year was about $50 0 boxes fully one-haf
of which was destroyed. and the supply OF TINS mar
ket thereby correspon6ingly reduced.
LESSONS FROM THE LEMON FAMINE
The short supply Of Mediterranean lemons and the
entire stoppage of receipts from Florida eliminated
in the so-called lemon famine about six weeks
ago. when prices were extravagantly hgh. That
sudden boom in lemons was however. almost wholly
speculative and some. If not majority of those by
Of the horn Many fortunes have been made and
lost in lemons and probably history Will repeat IT.
sfn shs S oW ana the
dant that despite the fact ha NO 9e from
California the supply will be so plentiful that i'm
Of 1856 considerable part the profits which
they piled up in the season OF 1859 ,, ,boso
Sici.ian lemons considered better than tnosgI
from California or Florida which are about equal
in quality The finest lemons come rom MS;orl
months they usually range in price from - 10 $40
a box. The production of lemons IN SICILY, espe
claly in the province of Palermo Is SO great ma,
Il exceeds the consumption in all countries 10 when
they shipped There are three lines OF steam cam
The Siciian provinces of Palermo. Messna, Catania
and sorIe9S whose ann anhus lemons aoe
estimated at fully slO0o0,oD During the inter'a
season and the opening Of another about one hum
dred and fifty thousand boxes Of Spanish lemons are
annual consumption Of lemons in the United States
domestic and imported. Is nearly three mll.loh
child in this country. including babes in arms
FEATURES OF THE ORANGE TRADE.
The orange trade is in peculiar condition, on ac-
count OF the extensive destruction of the Florida
groves and the fact that no oranges Will be re-
ceived from that State this year. and an insigni-
cant quantity for several years 10 come. AT this
time last year Florida oranges were coming in
freely but they were MANY green, and sold at
part of them bringing not more than 81 a box
Soon after the destructive winter storms the FLORIDA
supply exhausted, and strong impetus given
10 importation The importation OF oranges up 70
the present date for the season OF lSg4-95 amounts
20 the equivalent Of l.0}50OO boxes, against only
about Ga. $40 boxes received during the season Of
1884 when the receipts of Florida oranges were
heavy
The absence Of Florida oranges from this mar
ket' said another leading fruit merchant. VINO mas
dealt extensively in oranges from that State will
undoubtedly cause the prices of oranges 10 be UNI
usually high until the groves of Florida shall have
been restored to fun hearing or the deficiency IN
the supply Offset by Plentiful receipts from other
sources. Cafornias orange crop now maturing Is
estimated at about 100000 boxes. which will be-