The San Francisco call., 1897-10-07
GOOD RESULTS
IN EUROPE
What the Hamburg Ex-
position Did for Local
Fruit Men.
Increased Demand for Nearly
All the Products of This
State.
Shippers Have Doubled Their Canned
and Dried Fruit Exports
This Year.

When j. A. Filcher of the State Board
of Trade went to the Ham burg interna-
tlonal exposition he carried with him one
of the finest exhibits of the products OF
the State that ever was sent out OF Cali
fornia. The object of sending this ex-
hibit so far away from home and at such
great expense to the State was to show
to the dealers in canned and dried fruits
in Europe what the Golden West could
produce and to there by esta blish market
Tor California commodities in the coun-
tries beyond the sea. 1t will be remem-
bered that the exhibit astonished those
who attended the exposition, and 1t was
voted that no collection at that great fair
was its equal in variety or quality.
As result of this universal com enda-
ton the exhibit of California was awarded
the highest prize, the gold medal that
every country coveted. During the time
that Commissioner Filcher was in Ham
burg he was kept busy answering ques-
tons as to where the dealers and jobbers
OF Europe could secure California pro-
ducts such as was on exhibition there. To
these inquiries he gave the names OF
many OF The larger shippers and dried
| fruit dealers of this State-and then
waited for the results. After his return
| In charge of the exhibits, ior the big fair
Is still on, he continued TO receive letters
upon these matters and he was able In
several instances to bring local shippers
and foreign importers together.
short time ago Mr.. Filcher decided to
learn II the efforts OF his labors and the
expenditure OF the States money were
bearing profita bic fruits, so he sent out u
| number OF letters of inquiry to the princi-
pal shippers of this locality. He lid not
have long to wait for answers of a most
encouraging nature began TO come IN and
caused him great qualification. One from
Frank Virgins, the secretary of the Los
Angeles Chamber of Commerce, was par
tleuIarly encouraging, for in 1t Mr.. Wig
gins says:
One of our firms claim to have
shipped in The last four weeks eight carloads
of dried fruits to L. Ritz & Son on the strength
OF the Hamburg Exposition. and is preparing
eight carloads OF pears for the same firm
Who says that the exhibits do not pay
letter from big firm of San Jose ship
pers shows that much good was accom-
plished by the exhibit sent to Ham burg
for they write in the following vein:
Last year we shipped 76 cars direct.
Thus far this seasons shipment direct is 2OS
cars, with AZ more in preparation. This is
dried fruit alone. The railroad agents and
shippers put the direct shipments TO Europe
this season at-dried fruit 800 cars, canned
ears are already arranged for, and the SO cars
are estimated as below the ultimate result.
This renders it safe to put the direct exports-
tion from San Jose at 450 cars. Much more
has been shipped over by Eastern brokers' but
this cannot be correctly estimated here.
Following are extracts from letters from
a number of the largest dried and canned
fruit shippers of San Francisco, and every
word speaks great future for this State !:
. We find in 1877 shipments to date of
dried fruit, which consists of only aprieots
were 5000 boxes. Our shipments of apricots
to date (September 30J in 1897 are 1000 boxes.
The prune and raisin shipments have not
commenced yet, but will state our sales over
last year exports OF prunes and raisins Will
exceed sc by 90 per cent
We have your favor of the 25th, and
beg TO ad wise you that our orders Tor Germany
are at least three times heavy they were
year ago, with indications that the demand
viii continue until quite lste in the season
Most of the goods shipped from California to
That country Germany have been very salts
factory, and advised that there is a
large and growing demand for our products.
Great Britain has been purchasing in excess
of year ago, while inquiries are coming in
from otner countries that in former years
have not handled California dried fruits
This year, however, our business has
assumed fair proportions. The writer has
just returned from abroad, and believes tn at
the European markets offer wide field for
our dried fruits, and we may reasonably ex-
pect an increase in the volume of business
from year to year.