The San Francisco call., 1896-04-22
Fruit Suffers Severely in All
Sections of the
State.
HEAVY LOSSES ARE PREDICTED.
Peaches, Apricots, Prnnes, Almonds
and Grapes Are Almost Total
Failures.

A general calamity howl has been set'up
by the fruit-growers of the State.
The frosts of the last ten days, and par
ticularly the one of Sunday night, were
uncommonly severe; hence the wholesale
prediction of disaster and destruction.
From all parts of the fruit-growing Sec
| tion have come reports that the crops were
much hurt, partly ruined or wholly de-
stroyed.
The only crumb of encouragement to be
picked up by the fruit men SO far is the
| fact that predictions almost as bad have
been made in previous years, and when
the harvest came in proved to have been
greatly exaggerated.
The worst feature of this bad and un-
timely frost business, however, exists in
the belief on the part of the leading COM
mission dealers that the reports from diff
ferent parts of the State have been under
rather than over drawn.
Said D. c. Allison, commission mer-
chant at the corner of Front and WASH
| ington streets, yesterday:
s'The truth am afraid has not half been
| told. It is worse than it has been de-
picted in the newspapers. The berries,
apricots and early peaches will prove al
| most total failure, and grapes Will not be
more than a third of a crop. Ali sections
have suffered alike. The Sonoma and
Napa valleys, Santa Clara, the Visalia and
| Vacaville sections have sustained loss
that cannot be estimated at this time.
| Even the upland trees and vines did not
| escape.
'The loss will be great to the State, and
even in the event of a short crop In the
| East the consequent advance in prices here
| will not compensate the growers for the
loss they must suffer from these severe
| frosts."
Dalton Bros, on Davis street. near
| Washington, had a similar report
| to make: "From our private corre-
| spondence it seems that the story has
not been half told. The matter
is worse than has been represented by the
press. Cherries, apricots, peaches and
almonds are almost complete failure.
| Prunes will also suffer greatly from the
| late severe frosts. The frost of last Sun
| day night was one of the heaviest ever
known at this season of the year. How
will it affect prices? Well, prices must
necessarily 60 up, but not high enough to
square the loss of the fruit men by reason
of the sacrificed crops"
''The reports are all bad" said A. W.
Porter of Porter Bros, Davis street, neaI
| Clay. ''It is worse than was at first appre-
| hended. All the early fruit will be almost
dead failure and peaches, prunes and
| grapes are sure to be less than third OF q
crop. We have received the most discour-
aging reports from Woodland, Winters,
Armona, Kings County, Los Angeles, San
Jose and SO on. Ny brother telephoned
me this morning that the frost had played
| great havoc among the trees in the Will
lows district. near San Jose, and also in
| the Los Gatos section. l cannot see any
encouraging condition or the promise OF
one"
The only encouraging reports come from
| the Sacramento River country, where the
frost was less felt. The almond crop, how
ever, In all parts of the State is almost a
total failure.
Stewart & Co. was the only firm to take
non-calamitous view OF the situation.
ave do not believe things are half as bad
as they are pictured. AS long as any of
US have been in the business we can recall
similar reports being made nearly every
spring. No doubt the frosts have done
much harm, though we cannot believe
there is going 10 be entailed such great
loss as so mary of the fruit men seem to
believe. At any rate good prices can be
| depended on by the growers