The record-union., 1899-04-01
PERHAPS 10, 600 CARLOADS.
A RAILROAD MANS ESTIMATE
OF FRUIT OUTPUT.
This Would be 1000 Carloads More
Than Ever Before Shipped
in One Season.

The prospects for a bounteous har-
| vest of fruit in California was never
better. Advlces from all sections Of
! the State, received by local dealers,
growers and shippers, are of the most
Encouraging nature, and the prospects
for top-notch prices seem to be assured
because of advices from the East and
South to the effect that those sections
will have little or no fruit to throw on
the markets.
B. M. Lelong, Secretary of the State
Board of Horticulture, is in receipt of
advices from Eastern points confirming
the reports that fruit crops all over
the East, South and in the Mississippi
Valley sections viii be practically a
failure.
George B. Katzenstein, manager of
the Earl Fruit Company in this city,
was seen by Record Union" reporter
yesterday. Mr.. Katzenstein recently
returned from an extended trip all over
the northern portion of the State and
as far south as the Tehachapi Moun-
tains. He states that the prospects fer
immense crops of peaches, plums, APP
pies and pears were never BETTER that
will stagger under their load, and that
owing to the recent heavy rains the
fruit promises to be of a superior quail
ity. He was inclined to believe that
there would be no more killing frosts,
owing to the amount of moisture in the
atmosphere.
Mr.. Katzenstein said that all advices
received by him were to the effect the
a prh6 lo
He advanced the idea that the antic-
lipated shortness of these was due to
the exceptionally warm spell in Janu-
larry when the buds began to form, that
they were subsequently caught by the
frosts and We're finally parched by the
then prevailing north wind.
Mr. Katzenstein desired to call the
tattention of growers to the necessity Of
thinning the crops on the trees. and re.
ferred to past experience to prove that
generous thinning, always paid those
interested, as it induced superior size,
and a corresponding superior price in
Eastern markets. He also advised
lpear growers to begin spraying their
trees with Paris green as soon as the
petals shall have fallen, and thereby
insure an article of fruit free from cod
lin moth.
c.. ]. Ellis,< freight agent for the
Southern Pacific Company, who was
seen Yesterday, stated that the rail-
road would easily handle the products
Of the orchards, but that arrangements
would not be made until the crop was
partially grown and present indications
Of big crop were verified
Mr.. Ellis said the refrigerator car
companies would have no trouble in fur
nishing cars for moving the fruit, for in
case the crops East and South proved
failures the cars used in those sections
in former years would be. thrown into
California, which would give plenty,
and to spare.
In a recent interview, Secretary
Filcher of the State Board of Trade
said
There is no question that the de-
mand for California fruit this year will
lover-measure the quantity on hand The
4 reports from the interior show that the
prospects are of a splendid character
1t is not unlikely that the whole coun-
try will look to California for the
greatest amount of its fruit
Florida has suffered disastrously
from frost. Georgia, which shipped
1000 carloads of peaches last year, has
scarcely anything to show this season.
and New Jersey and Delaware, fore
most peach States of the East, are in
sad straits Even Michigan has had a
hard time, and so have other States
from which a large supply was ex-
pected.
1T is rather too early to say with
any approach to accuracy what the Cal
ifornia fruits may bring in the market
The local firms have not yet made up
their selling lists. We know something
of peaches in the East, but there are
apples to be counted on, and of these
we have heard very little.
1T is "a fact that many buyers for
Eastern houses are here, but they are
devoting themselves to a 'size-up' Of
the situation, rather than to anything
more serious in the mercantile line.
From our reports it seems that they are
offering about the same prices that pre-
vailed last year, but their early activ-
ity may mean something interesting
Freight Traffic Manager of the South
ern Pacific Company, William Sproule
in a recent interview in San Francisco
had this to say with respect to the fruit
and shipping outlook:
THE Eastern States will have very
little deciduous fruit this year. The
winter just coming to a close was most
destructive to their orchards Many
of the trees were killed, and for num-
Der of years the orchards there will
under the most favorable circumsta nces
produce a small percentage of former
crops. In the meantime Eastern peo-
pie will draw on this State very heav-
lily for their fruit. I think the outlook
good for big prices for our orchard
lists, and l believe we will send to the
East fully 10000 carloads. This will
mean millions of dollars for California