The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-05-20
DUTY ON GwRADBERRIES
Efforts Being Made to Protect
the American Fruit From
Canadian Competition.
Especial to "The Jersey city News.n1

Especial to 1.-THE Jersey City News."1
TRENTON, May, 20, 1S97.-Soon the
little cranberry will play an important
part In the tariff bill which is now oc-
cupying the attention Of the statesmen
at Washington. At any rate, it viii
pc or much Importance SO far as New
Jersey IS concerned, for,New Jersey, with
massachusetts, raises nine-tenths Of all
the berries consumed in this country.
On Monday next a committee from the
American Cranberry Growers Associa-
ton Will go to the National Capital to
try and induce Congress to place a duty
on their product. The committee will be
composed Of Prof. A. J. Rider Of this
city; Theodore Budd, of Pemberton; j. j..
White, OF New Lisbon, and the Rev. E.
II. Durrell, of Woodbury.. Besides these
Jerseymen, Mr.. G. w. Wilkinson, of
Philadelphia. will go. and it is expected
that representatives from Massachusetts
will also be on hand.
AS the tariff bill was originally drafted
1t contained a clause providing for a duty
OF two cents a quart on all berries com
ing into this country. The clause was
stricken out by the Senate Committee be-
cause it was thought it might interfere
with importations of Strawberries from
tropical chimes. 1t is anticipated. how
ever, that a clause can be inserted on
the floor of the Senate to cover cranber-
ries only.
The Dominion of Canada charges a duty
OF % per cent. on all cranberries going
into It's Provinces, and it is thought like
ly that a similar clause will be put into
our tariff bill. Both U. S. Senator Smith
and u 8. Senator Sewell nave written to
Prof. Rider, who is secretary of the AM
erican Cranberry Growers Association.
stating that they will use their efforts
to have the clause inserted.
1t is estimated that over zoo, 900 bushels
of cranberries were consumed last year
in the United States. Cranberries have
come to be very much in demand. 1t
used to be that the little red berry was
only made up into sauce to be eaten
| with the Thanksgiving and Christmas
dinners, but now they are put to many
uses. Cranberry pie is the most called
for of all pies at the hotels n restaur-
ants. This is largely due to the fact that
he berries are very digestible.
Four-tenths of all the ~eranberries pro-
duced grow IN Jersey soil. There are
nine counties in the State in which the
berry thrives. These are Burlington,
Ocean, Atlantic, Camden, Gloucester,
Salem, Cumberland, Cape May and Mon
mouth.
The time when cranberries were used
In New Jersey dates far back. Thomas
Budd's letters written from Burlington,
to his relatives and friends in England,
and published in his History of New Jer-
sey, about 1875, speaks of cranberries in
connection with the other products of this
small vines in swamps, much sought af-
ter, and would keep well through winter
when other fruits were gone.
The state of Massachusetts, produces
one-half of the berries in the country, and
in the northwest, principally Wisconsin,
one-tenth OF the cranberries are grown.
At certain periods a wild cranberry
grows In abundance in portions of Can
ada. Last year was an exceptionally
good year for this wild berry, and it is
estimated that over 100000 bushels were
placed in the western market, which, prior
to that time had always been a valuable
place for the disposition of New Jersey
and Massachusetts berries. The result
was that the market was glutted and the
home product was forced to be sacrificed
at prices far below the cost Of producing
and marketing.
The secretary of the American Gran
berry Growers Association has this to
say in his report for last year.
The year 1896 passes into history as
~ Wy. pSSulidI experiences
to growers of cranberries. With an ex-
tremely moderate crop the country over,
the west a small factor. New Jersey but
half a crop, hopeful expectations were in
dulged IN that at least fair prices would
pc realized for our product. The result
mas been disappointing, to say the least,
and does not we'll for the future Of
the business. The few. principally the
larger growers, who have earned reputa-
tons for careful packing and Superior
stocks, have been able to so place their
product as to find the balance on the
right side of the ledger, while the large
sign their fruit, nave had it slaughtered
at ruinous prices, and their balance show
up to discouragfng proportions on the
wrong side of the account"
The action of Congress in connection
with the cranberry problem will be watch
ed with interest by the large number Of
growers in this State.