The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-20
ASURPLUS PRODUCE CROP
The SACRAMENTO RIVER POTATOES
THAT WILL CLOG THE
MARKET.
APPLES AND GRAPES THAT Go
A-BEGGING FOR BUYERS.
CROWDED WHARvES.

The fertile tule-bordered isles of the
Sacramento River are sending down their
autumn cargoes of produce, filling the
wharves and plunging prices down below
any margin of a profit for the grower.
There is always a supply a little in ad-
vance of the demand about this time of
the year, when potato field and apple
orchard begin to yield their abundance to
the market. There are always potatoes to
be purchased on the docks at so and %
cents per sack, and apples at the commits
sion houses at the same prices per box,
but there viii be more of a surplus this
season. Freight rates have made an East
ern market impossible for California
produce, especially potatoes, and there
will be no produce exported from the
State eastward now, as has been the case
in former years.
Large consignments are lying on Clay
q nd Jackson street wharves, received from
the Sacra mento River, which are being
sold from 40 to 90 ce hts per sack whole
sale. The crop is only beginning to come
in, and the glut will be large when the
scows and stern-wheelers are we'll under
way. Without doubt many a boatload
will be consigned to the ieedyards. This,
however, does not include the Burbanks.
which is the prime potato in any market.
The Sacramento raises good eatable pota-
toes, but the humidity of the big river is
in them and they never reach the palata-
bility of the hard, dry article grown in the
Salinas foothills.
The fall fruit crop now making its ap-
pearance in the places of the wholesale
dealers is finding a dull market. Table
grapes are plentiful and correspondinely
I oh. ! bsr ~
spoils the vintage for retail purposes.
Among the apples, belihowers and New
town pippins sell at IS cents and 81 per
box, and the best cooking apples at 90
cents. But the market is crowded with an
inferior article selling az Is cents per box
which always comes in advance of the
better grades. AS it costs the grower s
cents for the box, cents for filling it, s
| cents freight, ~ cents drayage and cents
commission for the sale he is 4 cent on
the wrong side of his ledger when he gets
% cents for his apples. But the poor
quality of fruit will come in at loss until
| that part of the treeage is finished.
People don't seem to buy fruit now"
said prominent Sapsome- street dealer.
ut is cheap, but for some reason it drugs
the market. AS fruit is a luxury, possibly
the times are too hard for its USE"
I'VE wish to correct the false statement
OF an evening paper" said several fruit
merchants TO CALL reporter yesterday
regarding fruit storage on the wharyes.
We are accused of the ridiculous and un-
business method OF letting produce remain
on the wharves and charging the growers
a storage, which has been RENTED by the
good-natured whartingers. This statement
is false.
"All fruit and the early potatoes are very
perishable and are sold and hurried away
as soon as possible. After forty-eight
hours the Harbor Com miSsioners NAV
charge wharfage, but there is no need OF
enforcing the order. Consequently storage
cuts no figure in the accounts between the
merchant and the farmer"
Chief Wharfinger Root stated that stor-
age was seldom charged produce lying on
removed. Several thousand sacks of po-
tatoes were piled on Clay street yesterday
morning, but by evening much of it had
been taken away.