Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-07-23
APPLES, MELONS And SUCH.
OZARK COUNTY THE BANNER APPLE
REGION OF THE COUNTRY.
Crop Everywhere Else More or Less
of a FaiIure-ArkansRs Melons
Are Now Coming in
Freely.

Postmaster Homer Reed. who is an en-
thusiastic h~orticulturIst and watches the
condition of the fruit and the outlook of
the market very closely, believes that the
apple growers of South Missouri have
something of a bonanza in the crop that
is now r~ipening on their trees. The crop
In this portion Of the country last year was
quite heavy. It was also heavy in Canada,
New York, Michigan and the fruit belt of
the North, and the market was crowded
with a choice supply that knocked the
prices down to a low notch.
This year It is different. The apple crop
OF the North is very light. The supply will
be far short of the ordinary demand The
territory near Kansas City will have but
a partial crop, and about the only produc-
Ing section of the country that will have a
full crop of first-class fruit will be the
Ozark region of South Missouri and North
ern Arkansas. There the crop is very
heavy, its condition perfect and the outlook
all that could be desired. There will be an
enormous surplus for the market. All of
the old orchards are in fine shape and
many new ones are now bearing heavily
and will add materially to the yield.
These conditions are known to the heavy
fruit dealers and they have agents now
Ouliu Al0l DOTIlOu OIL the country COl-
tracing for the entire supply Of many of
the large orchards at the rate of & per bar
1el. Ihis Is the report that reaches Mr.;
Reed from that section of the country, and
1t makes him smile. for 1t means good
money to the horticulturists of that section
and incidentally an encouragement to the
hortlculturists of the whole West. Accord
ing TO his estimates there will be big money
In the apple crop for the Ozark people
and the wisdom in planting the great or
chards there will have been demonstrated
again. The Ozark people have spent for
tunes, in their enterprise and have con-
tlnued growing the fruit even when the re-
turns were meager, as they have believed
in time they would be called on to supply
much of the country. This seems to be one
of the years on which they have been fig
have dawned.
Kansas City is Just now reveling in Ar
Kansas watermelons, and If there Is any
thing that is toothsome and deliciously sue |
culent 1t is an Arkansas watermelon-or
any old ripe watermelon, for that matter.
Texas melons began to reach Kansas City
about the LIST of June and the Arkansas
iruit 6 to have followed about July
car OF melons from the land of the ku-
klux arrived here Wednesday. The Ar
kansas melons are excellent in quality, |
though rather stunted in size and short in
Drouth was the cause of all this, |
as the melons were dwarfed, but the fruit |
Is sweeter than might be expected under
Prices will in all probability run about as |
usual, according to Mckinney Bros, who |
ndLuic euOTInOuS quantities OF melons. |
FIRST quality melons will not fall below 10 |
cents for some time and it is only in cases |
or a glutted market that at any time dur /
ing the season a very good melon can be /
bought for less than Is cents. There are /
plenty of 5 and 10 cent melons on the mar
ket now; 10 cents buys a good one; 20 cents
a frst-class melon of good size, and 25 or
cents buys the largest and best On the
Mckinney Bros. are great on cornering
things, and they had about all the water
melons on the market for ten days, but Il
prices were not advanced very much, the
short crop keeping prices up, there being
/ small demand, owing to the cool wealth
er. Wait until the thermometer runs up to
b deg. early in the evening and then there
Will be a run on the melon cellars.
Kansas City eats enormous quantities of
Melons, and hundreds of carloads are
ihipped to points 200 miles in all directions.
I seems like carrying Goals to Newcas-
nense numbers OF melons. though those
Wo states furnish "A few weeks later
thousands Of carloads of melons to the
Kansas City market.
bout LOO; the average melon will run
rom 200 to 800 to the car. while you can't
'ut more than 500 good sized melons into
car.
The cantaloupe crop is small this sea-
on. and prices have remained pretty
tiff, the smallest sizes selling for 5 and 10
ents, and the best for 10 and 20 cents.
fruits are getting scarce. with the
of blaCkberries. which can be
ought for 20 cents a crate. Plums sell for
cents a box, or 81 a crate; red raspber-
les are very scarce. at 10 cents; a few
black raspberrieS sell for 10
ents; fine cherries. 10 cents.
All kinds of garden truck are abundant,
pes alone selling rather high for the sea-
on-3 to 3 cents a pound.