New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-26
AMERICAN FRUIT EXPLOITATION.
FAME AND FORTUNE AWAIT THE MAN WHO
CAN DEVISE SATISFACTORY MEANS OF
TRANSFORMATION TO EUROPE.

FAME AND FORTUNE AWAIT HE "H> INV
CAN DEVISE SATISFACTORY MEANS OF
TRANSPORTATION TO EUROPE
Concerning the expectation of California fruit to
| England the head OF Of the most extensive
frut-recoI;Ing and shipping firms in this city said
| to n Tribune reporter yesterday: "Ihe expor'a"""
NJ California fruit is an extremely hazardous bus-
ness. Returns from some shipments made TO Eng
land under especially favorable conditions haVe
been fairly satisfactory. but. az whole the uhoer
| taking has been Improbable ana In many cases
heavy losses have been incurred. When my nrm
began to export California fruit the rates OF ram
road and steamship freight were enormously high.
We have paid as much 300 carload from
| Sacramento to London -Four years ago the ra'e
| wac $1,000 a carload and shipments were s'oppeu'
| Two years ago special arrangements were ''"''
| with the railroads and the American Line steam
| ships by which the through freight charges "er"
| reduced to 500 a carload. or only ABOUT $40 mo'e
| than that from Sacramento to this city In Au-
gust. 1894. special fruit train carrying 4ooo pack
ages or $50 TONS fruit OF various kinds was run
| from Sacramento on schedule time. and the fru't
shipped on board the American Line Steamship
| Paris for London by the way OF Southampton.
The arrival here was timed that the fruit couid
| be shipped just before the sailing OF the s'eaHi
| ship and no time lost. 1t was taken by spe'''.
train from Southampton to London. but. IN spite VI
its rapid transit and the exercise OF every precau
| ton possible, II overripe on It's orr'ai Al VIZ
| Iordon market and could be sold only at great
| sacrifice. ..
Both the American and the White Star stea"'shp
lines hav, made elaborate and expensive prepai"''
| for carving fruit in rsfrgerating compartments Du'
| in the three weeks which usually elapse from 'He
| time the fruit leaves Sacramento rrdl II can oe
| offered NJ auction in London. Liverpool or Glasgow
| II seems impossible for 1t to be landed n unior''
| good condition The process OF refrgeraUoh OH
hoard the steamship is similar TO that Tor the manu-
| r,c+ure NJ artificial ice except that as simple
| consumption is the primary object, there - Nv
| Gie,,ne of water nor converting It INTO steam ana
then conden~ng It back into purified water. CONS
of iron PIPE filed with strong brine are set lns.de
largo ammonia boxes or reservoirs. whlch are n'e'
with compressed ammonia supplied by ammonia
oo,d.nsers onerated BIZ machinery The contact
y, the ammonia with the external surfaces OF the
brin. filed cells of pipe reduces the prime 70 sue"
q low temperature that when Il is forced from
them into straight PIPES. which traverse the CELL
ings OF the refrgerating compartments. the latter
n pes become incrusted with snow-ice about TWO
inches thick. and the machinery Is kept In con-
sian. operation both day and night, an even tenn
perature OF 30 TO So degrees Fahrenheit Is as
sure1
THE present rates OF freight. including refrserat-
ing charges from $50 to $500 carload Ihis
Is only about one-halt the original rate, but still
the exports are not profitable except IN Isolated
cases American apples In season, are always IN
good demand in the English market. but they
must be choice and Of bright color, the British
preference being for red app,es. Our apples are
superior to those grown in transatlantic countries.
and therefore, not seriously affected by compe-
| tit,on with the foreign product Pears. peaches.
plums. grapes, oranges, etc. however, come INTO
direct c5mpetitior with the prolific crops Of Europe
! which are 50 10 the Engl sh market that they
| can always be delivered N sound condition.
| bartlett pears II large, choice and sound, can
usually be sold for profitable prices In England;
In order far possible. TO assure their arrival
| In good order they must be picked and forwarded
while they arc green but even then thete Is no GER
when they are landed Peaches and piums are so
pcrsliab that the risk OF their deterioration while
| in transit is much greater than with pears. Inc
| English orange market is almost wholly supplied
from the convenient Msditerrane ports, but there
Is some demand for large American oranges, espe-
cally In the autumn. when the Mediterranean crop
| orange crop and most of the orange trees IN that
state were destroyed bt severe storms and frosts.
sent TO England between 5000 ana 'Wo boxes
at satisfactory prices. We are not exporting any
California fruit this summer but we shall prooaply
ship winter pears when they come aions, anu
also some California navel oranges. as no naVelS are
| grown in Europe and they are novelty ABROAD,
whether not the shipping OF CALIFORNIA lr.i.
to England will be done with uiior m success
is vet an unsoved problem. Certainly IT cannot pc
done unless send the choicest fruit ana can count
on its being landed in good marketab bic condition:
The English people VIII take no S tras th sane IDEAS
Poor fruit be sold here only at great sacrhse'
while for choice fruit there Is always an active de-
ceive here in this city at the height OF me season
as many 100 carloads or CALIFORNIA r'it III T. i
| gle week The enormous product OF the racine
Slope is increasing 50 ronI and for the man
Who can devise some reliable means for rs speedy
and safe transportation to transauantc ports ree
Ing gratitudc Of the frutgrowers of the Golden
| State