The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-07-25
PRUNES AND DRIED FRUITS.
California Rapidly Becoming Rival of
France for the Trade.

Considering the distance from the
ground of production to the market,
California is formidable rival of France
OF the trade in prunes and dried fruits
Quite quantity of California French
prunes are sold in France, not as Cali
fornia prunes, but as the genuine French
grown article, being fully as good in
quality and appearance.
From reports received, the crop of
prunes in France promises to be very
good this season, ana inasmuch as the
growers of France are trying to combine
in order TO purchase the green French
product at lower figures than heretofore,
in order to drive out California from the
French market, the suggestions from a
French receiver of California fruit are
timely. He says:
Goods must be packed in cases similar
to those used by the French net weight
must be marked on cases in kilos. and
prices made per ki!o and not in and per
American pounds. Eliminate all marks,
names of firm or place of origin, SO as to
enable Fernoh importers TO sell the goods
BIS French product. Tho size of the
fruit being determined by Its number to
the pound in America, this same method
prevails in France, with the difference
that instead of figuring as we 90 by
pound, the size 1s determ ined by so
many to the kilo and in order to be sue
Dessful we must adopt the French way
Ind quote accordingly. Small fruit is
not wanted; such only running from
forty to sixty, few eighty, to the pound,
Or its equivalent figure by kilo, will find
ready market
My IDEA IS that prunes should be
shipped in good, strong sacks: this will
not only save freight charges, but also
allow the French to pack the fruit in
boxes of sizes and forms best adapted to
their trade. AS long as we have not our
own American houses abroad, we must
submit to having our product sold with
out getting due credit for it, and let for
eigners reap the lions share of profit out
of our goods. l reiterate that I have
written on previous occasions, that the
only way we can successfully introduce
our goods, compete with other points of
production, get all the traffic will bear,
and thereby esta blish permanent mar
ket abroad for our products, without
however, going to extremes, is to estab-
lish agencies at some of the principal
European ports, with some OF our own
Interested people as agents, aud from
these points work all Europe"
A merchant in Germany writes on the
subject of California fruits:
"There is no use trying to increase the
trade by the old way. No German i'm
porter will come to California to buy
your fruits and import them here. Soon
er than do that he will do without them
or buy what little he actually needs at
New York, where prices are high.
what l have tried to make people
understand is that they have got to brace
up and snow some energy, and. instead 4
of waiting for European buyers to come
toyou, send your fruits over here, land
them, and sell them. If you can get a
goo1 live German firm at one of the great
seaports, Hamburg or Bremen, to handle
your goods. all right, but some one has
koe ~ oO4Ao uSC6 dul STE Eii6Se people and
make definite arrangements. 1t can not
he done by circulars or correspondence,
and, as both cities are far from Frank
fort, cannot hunt up such firm.
" The whole business is just as | have
statrd in my report. California fruits
are liked very much in Germany but
from the awkward, costly way in which
they ara imported, via chicago aud New
York, they havs 60 be sold at from 25 to
% cents per pound, and that puts them
beyond the means of tho great mass of
the people. Unless the California fruit
men themselves have the energy to cut
out all this expensive commission bust
meas and repeated landings by middle
men, and send in their fruit straight
from California to Europe, then l see
nothing but to let the business drag
along IN the old way. There is no use
quoting what your fruit can be sold for
in California. The point is, what can it
be suld for in Germany at the seaport
where it is landedf OF course, your com
mission men will discourage any plan
that will take your business out Of th cir
hands and make the fruit growers indie
pendent of them"