Evening star., 1898-07-30
ORANGES AND LEMONS AT AUCTION.
How Most of the Fruit is Disposed of
in New York.


in New York.
From the New York Tribune.
OF the millions Of boxes of oranges ana
lemons received at the port of New York
about so per cent is disposed of at public
auction. Many methods have been tried,
but this proved the most successful, and
scarcely a day passes throughout the year,
with the exception of Sunday, that there
Is not cGrgo selling under the hammer.
New York boasts OF two fruit auction
houses. The most important of the two
has had q successful career of over forty
years. while the other, although a new
conner in the field, has already secured q
fiattering patronage. No doubt many en-
terprising business men would take to the
auction business were 1t not for the fact
that the capital required is unusually
large. One OF the Inducements found IN
the auction system IS q cash settlement
the day after the sale. When ii is known
aggregating $4,000 to 100000, it will be
readily seen that the auction house must
have g. pretty good-sized bank account to
draw on. Then, again, large amount Of
room is required for storing and exhibiting
samples. to say nothing of sma.l-sized
amphitheater where the auctions are con-
Quoted.
One of these two big concerns occupies a
large four-story building, while the other
Uses three floors of another. BY an inge-
NOUS arrangement the seats are so ar
rsnged that when a sale is not in progress
they may be hauled up and fastened to the
ceiling, leaving the valuable space below
for exhibiting samples. In both auction
rooms the seats rise tier by tier, so that
every buyer is in full view of the auction
eer. In this way not single bid escapes
notice. A fruit auction sale in full blast
is an interesting entertainment, ana is
worth going a good way to see. The dusky
sons of Italy are still largely Interested in
this trade, and with their naturally impul-
ka.ar- otra sad
A large number of sales take place right
on the steamship piers. The scene here is
entirely different, for there are no seats
for the buyers, and they are obliged to
stand in group around the auct;oneer,
who is perched on box or other point of
vantage.
The handling of perishable fruit involves
a large element of risk as regards the con-
clifton of the fruit In purchasing a lot of
1900 or 5000 boxes the buyer is guided by
dozen or more sample boxes. which are
opened for his inspection. 1t is said that
human nature appears in all its weakness
in the fruit business, for the seller desiring
to obtain the best price possible for his
goods shows a marked tendency to fix
the samples. So bitter was the feeling eL-
gendered over this subject that many
times life has been threatened. Under the
present system inspectors are hired by the
Fruit Buyers Union, whose business it is
to watch the opening of samples and re-
port If the fruit is tampered with. This
report is made to the auctioneer, and he
is obliged to read it before Offering the
goods for sale.
Time was when most of the fruit was
imported, but the speedy development of
California has caused a rapid shifting
round of conditions. New York received
from California last year about 600 car
loads of 336 boxes each. A box contains
between 50 and 800 oranges. Not more
than ~ per cent of all the fruit disposed
of in the city is sold at private sale Even
the branch houses of the big California
fruit companies turn their consgnments
over to the auctioneer. While oranges and
lemons the principal varieties thus
sold, it is found that bananas, pineapples,
onions, grapesand dried fruits are eXten-
sively handled in a similar manner.