Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-19
DRIED FRUITS ABROAD
California Goods Sod as a French Pro-
duct.
Ways That Are Not Direct in Ham
ding Our Fruits in Euro
pean Countries.

Mr.. Eugene Germain, United States con-
sui al Zurich, has made report to the
State Department in regard to the French
and Swiss markets for American dried
fruits, in which certain business peculiari-
ties Of the foreign markets are described.
A large quantity of California French
prunes were shipped to France last season,
and gave general satisfaction. They were
not sold as California prunes, however.
but as the genuine French-grown article,
and are said to be fully as good in quality
and appearance. One of the dealers i'm
France has naively made the following
suggestions with regard 10 future ship
ments of such articles:
Under French Labels.
Goods must be packed in cases similar to
those used by the French. Net weight
must be marked on cases in kilograms, and
prices made per kilogram and not in Amer
lean pounds. Eliminate all marks, names
of firms or place Of origin, SO as to enable
French importers to sell the goods as a
French product. The size Of fruit being
determined by it's number to the pound in
America, the same method prevails III
France, with the difference that, instead of
figuring by pound, the size is determined
by SO many to the Telegram, and, in order
TO be successful, Americans must adopt the
French way and quote accordingly. Small
fruit is not wanted, only such run from
forty to sixty and, few, at eighty to the
pound, or its equivalent figured by kiio-
gram, will find ready market.
Building Up n Market.
In commenting on these suggestions Con-
sui German says:
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 form best adapted to their trade. As
IoEg as we have not our own American
houses abroad, We must submit to have our
product sold without getting due credit for
1t, and let foreigners reap the lions share
Of profit out of our goods. l reiterate what
l nave written on previous occa Sions, that
the only way We can successfully introduce
our goods, compete with other points of
production, get all the traffic will bear, and
thereby establish a permanent market
abroad for our products, without, however,
going to extremes, is to establish agencies
at some of the principal European ports,
with some of our own interested people as
agents, and from these points work all
Europe
Our Fruits There.
Il have Investigated Of late the market
for American dried fruits in Switzerland,
which, when l first came here, was poor.
None We're to be found; only once In a
while box of stray apricots found its way
to this country. and retailed at 4S cents per
pound. Today one can find American ring
apples, California dried pears peaches,
apricots and nectarines in nearly every re-
tail store
1.-The French prunes sold here under
French label pr obaby hail from California
also, but the prices of all our dried fruits
are still too high to make them popular.
While apriects now retail at 20 cents per
pound, peaches, pears and nectarines are
held at 81 cents per pound, which is ridicu-
lous, when, as / know, arricots sold free
on board California points last season at
5 TO cents, while nectarires and choice
and fancy peaches went begging at from
3le to Az cents per pound, the former for
good average and the latter price for fancy
unpeeled stock.
American Fruit Well known.
The reason for this discrimination is no
doubt to be attributed to the fact that april
cots are already well and favorably known
throughout Europe, and are shipped in
large quantities, while peaches. nectarines
and pears, which can be produced as cheap
ly, and, in the case of pears or peaches
more cheaply than apricots, have only been
sent here, SO far, in a SMALL experimental
way. Swiss customs statistics do not show
how much dried fruit was imported during
1894 and 1895 into Switzerland from the
United States, because none, so far as
can learn, reached the dealers in a direct
way; hence 1 cannot at this time give sta
tistical Information.
'Ali such fruits are bought from the Ger
man, French, Italian and English import
ing firms by jobbers, who, in turn, sell to
the retail trade, and this has a tendency
of increasing the price of these commodi-
ties materially"